Royal Navy: Relentless HMS Tyne enters "maintenance" for six months after stalking Russian spy ship

Portsmouth-based patrol vessel HMS Tyne will be taking a period of leave for six months. It won’t be a break for members of the ship’s company though, who will be sharpening their skills for future tasks.

A statement posted on the ship’s X account said: “After four months on ops around the UK, HMS Tyne starts her six monthly maintenance while the crew enhance their skills through Royal Navy courses.”

HMS Tyne conducted various tasks while sailing across the British Isles, with her usual remit being to carry out Maritime Security Tasks. Her most significant recent actions were to protect vulnerable undersea cables from potential Russian threats.

She joined Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset in January to stalk Vladimir Putin’s Yantar spy ship, which was spotted loitering in the English Channel and the North Sea. A Merlin helicopter had to be covertly launched from the frigate to keep an eye on the Moscow vessel.

The aircraft was able to locate Yantar using its powerful sensors, with HMS Somerset then proceeding to use her radars to report every movement of the vessel while is proceeded towards the strait of Dover. With Russia being linked to an undersea electricity cable running from Finland to Estonia being damaged on Christmas Day, HMS Tyne also shadowed a Russian taskforce February that were carrying ammunition from Syria.

Commander Hugo Floyer, who was serving as HMS Tyne’s Commanding officer at the time of the operation, previously said: “How Royal Navy and UK military can stop Russia from destroying undersea cables, according to defence expert. We are proud to play a part in protecting these vast networks that are out of our sight and often out of our minds, but are so vital to our nation and allies. The ship’s company of HMS Tyne know how important this job is, and I know they are all incredibly proud to serve at sea and play a part securing the energy and data we all rely on every moment, every day.”

Cdr Floyer handed over the reigns of the ship to Lieutenant Commander Martyn Mayger in February. As well as shadowing the missions, the ship’s company took part in a series of training drills including fire fighting in a mock emergency scenario, intense Specialist Navigator trials, and other operations.