Royal Navy releases heartbreaking video showing sacrifices made by sailors deployed away from home at Christmas

The poignant video acknowledges what naval families go through across the year, but especially at Christmas when thousands of sailors and Royal Marines remain deployed around the world and in the UK.

The tear-jerking film follows a serving sailor, Petty Officer Sam Quinn, and his partner living out a scene familiar to most service personnel – a Christmas Day spent apart.

It shows the pair going about their separate Christmas days without each other before a pause in Sam’s duties allows him to make a quick phone call home to talk to his loved one.

The idea came from Petty Officer Photographer Dan Shepherd, one of the video’s creators and a Royal Navy videographer, who spent a Christmas away from his family while deployed in Afghanistan as a Royal Marine in 2013.

Dan said: ‘This is about recognition for the sailors, Royal Marines and families who are apart this Christmas and throughout the year.

‘The idea came from when I was deployed in Afghanistan. You all group together and support each other.

‘I remember having some little festivities on Christmas Day and being able to make the call to my now wife before all communications were cut off later that evening. That really brings you down to earth and hits home the distance between you and your loved ones.

‘That’s what I wanted to show in the video, that we stay connected despite being miles apart and the precious moments – like a phone call – that bring you back together.’

The video comes as more 200 sailors on HMS Dragon returned home to Portsmouth earlier today.

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The hi-tech Type 45 destroyer has spent the autumn at sea, undergoing an intensive period of training.

Last month saw the mighty £1bn air defence destroyer joining 25 other war vessels as part of the French navy’s biggest exercise at sea this year.

Dragon’s return to Portsmouth follows a week after the arrival of sister ships HMS Diamond and Defender, who were part of the UK carrier strike group deployed to the Far East with HMS Queen Elizabeth.

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