Royal Navy warship HMS Trent and a Wildcat helicopter shadow Russian destroyer through British waters

Royal Navy warship HMS Trent and a Wildcat helicopter have shadowed a Russian destroyer through British waters.

During a five-day operation, the Portsmouth-based Offshore Patrol Vessel shadowed Russian destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov and two tankers through the English Channel.

The Royal Navy has described the landmark meeting as ‘part of the government’s ongoing commitment to safeguard the integrity of UK waters and protecting national security through the government’s Plan for Change.’ 

The 90-metre-long vessel started shadowing the Vice Admiral Kulakov off Great Yarmouth, keeping a close eye on her movements as she moved westward through the Channel towards Ushant. 

At the same time, a NATO ally shadowed the two tankers as they travelled from the west to join the Russian destroyer.

The Kulakov and tankers eventually met off the French island of Ushant. All three Russian vessels then turned to sail eastwards through the Channel – followed all the way by HMS Trent. 

Meanwhile, a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron, based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, later joined the operation in a bid to provide air support.

The specialist helicopter was also able to monitor the Russians’ movements with its impressive sensors. 

During a five-day operation, the Portsmouth-based Offshore Patrol Vessel (front) shadowed Russian destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov (rear) and two tankers through the English Channel

The Royal Navy described the landmark meeting as ‘part of the government’s ongoing commitment to safeguard the integrity of UK waters and protecting national security through the government’s Plan for Change’. Pictured: HMS Trent (left) and Vice Admiral Kulakov (right)

It comes as HMS Trent has returned to the UK after spending more than four years away from home on missions in the Mediterranean, off West Africa and the Caribbean.

The patrol ship began shadowing the frigate in waters near Gibraltar and closely watched movements through the Channel and into the North Sea. 

It is now working towards future deployment in the Caribbean later this year. 

Luke Pollard, Minister for the Armed Forces, said: ‘Russian warships are increasingly sailing through the English Channel, and the Royal Navy stands ready to monitor them, safeguarding our waters and undersea cables.

‘The Royal Navy’s unwavering dedication and professionalism are vital to protecting the UK and the Government remains committed to equipping our Armed Forces to keep us secure at home and strong abroad.’

Meanwhile, Lt Cdr Paul Kilbride, Executive Officer in Temporary Command of HMS Trent, said the operation was ‘routine business’ for the Royal Navy and marked ‘a clear demonstration of our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of the UK’s territorial waters.’

He added: ‘This operation was multi-national and had HMS Trent operating with several of our European NATO allies demonstrating our interoperability with other nations and providing a deterrence inside UK waters.

‘It is a rare opportunity for a forward deployed Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessel to conduct this type of operation in UK waters and I am immensely proud of the dedication and professionalism of my ship’s company. 

HMS Trent, a 90-metre-long vessel started shadowing the Vice Admiral Kulakov (pictured) off Great Yarmouth, keeping a close eye on her movements as she moved westward through the Channel towards Ushant

Lt Cdr Paul Kilbride, Executive Officer in Temporary Command of HMS Trent, said the operation was ‘routine business’ for the Royal Navy and marked ‘a clear demonstration of our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of the UK’s territorial waters’. Pictured: Vice Admiral Kulako

‘We are now looking ahead to continuing our regeneration to get back to operations in the Caribbean later in the year.’  

HMS Trent and the Yeovilton-based Wildcat were also supported by warships, patrol aircraft and helicopters from other NATO allies.

The operation comes amid increased fears that the UK’s defences are at risk due to a ‘chronic’ shortage of ‘proper’ Royal Navy warships available to shadow Vladimir Putin’s naval armada. 

Warships, submarines and spy vessels from the Russian leader’s fleet have been seen skulking off the coast in the Channel, North Sea and Irish Sea in recent months.

Britain’s navy has repeatedly scrambled warships and submarine-hunting helicopters to escort the vessels, in operations that defence officials insist are ‘routine’.

However, the navy appears to be increasingly relying upon lightly-armed patrol ships instead of its fleet of more powerful frigates and destroyers to carry out the task.

As a result, defence experts have raised concerns that the increased reliance of smaller offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) to carry out the task is an indication of how stretched the navy has become.

Commander Tom Sharpe, who previously skippered an anti-submarine frigate, previously told The Daily Mail of his concern about the use of OPVs to shadow Putin’s subs.

‘It should be a “proper” warship that does the escorting for reasons of presentation, deterrent and intelligence gathering – and speed – but we pretend it doesn’t because we don’t have enough ships,’ Cdr Sharpe said.

 HMS Trent has returned to the UK after spending more than four years away from home on missions in the Mediterranean, off West Africa and the Caribbean. It is now working towards future deployment in the Caribbean later this year

The operation comes amid increased fears that the UK’s defences are at risk due to a ‘chronic’ shortage of ‘proper’ Royal Navy warships available to shadow Vladimir Putin’s (pictured) naval armada

Defence experts have raised concerns that the increased reliance of smaller offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) to carry out the task is an indication of how stretched the navy has become. Pictured: HMS Trent tracking Russian frigate the Admiral Grigorovich (seen rear)

The operations were part of a wider deterrent effort by the armed forces to show the Russian tyrant ‘we can see you, and we can match you if needed’, he added. 

However, the veteran naval commander told the Daily Mail that in order for such operations to be successful, ‘you do actually have to be able to match them, and patrol vessels, as useful as they are, can not.’

In May HMS Tyne shadowed Russian submarine RFS Krasnodar solo and corvette RFS Boikiy during two separate transits through the English Channel.

Meanwhile, in June, HMS Trent was tasked to track Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich, which is armed with a powerful 100mm naval gun and cruise missiles.

The ships have also backed up frigates and destroyers on similar missions this year, when those were vessels sent out to hunt Putin’s ships down and monitor them.

The Royal Navy would not comment on the status of its fleet but insisted it had enough available warships to protect the UK.

Commodre Steve Prest also told the Daily Mail that he held concerns about the overall state of the navy’s fleet, adding that he was ‘not expecting these ships to fight or have a scrap with a bunch of Russians in the Channel.’

He added: ‘It’s about sending an OPV to keep an eye on them to let know we’re there and that should anything kick-off, we can call the cavalry.

 In May HMS Tyne (pictured) shadowed Russian submarine RFS Krasnodar solo and corvette RFS Boikiy during two separate transits through the English Channel

HMS Tyne (front) is seen tracking Russian corvette RFS Boikiy which passed through the English Channel earlier this year. Commander Tom Sharpe, who previously skippered an anti-submarine frigate, previously told The Daily Mail of his concern about the use of OPVs

 ‘[But] the question then is, is there a cavalry to call if you need to escalate?’

The current size of the fleet has shrunk in recent years after a number of the navy’s 13 ageing Type 23 frigates were decommissioned.

The remaining eight that are left have already had extensions to their lifespans to keep them in the fleet longer, with many set to be retired in the next few years.

The Daily Mail understands that, at present, the UK has four frigates available in UK waters, and one state-of-the-art £1billion Type 45 destroyer.

Meanwhile, all of the other ships in the 14-strong frigate and destroyer fleet are either in refit or maintenance. 

Three – HMS Lancaster, HMS Richmond and HMS Dauntless – are deployed on operations in the Middle East or in the Indo-Pacific with the carrier strike group.

A spokesman for the Royal Navy told the Mail: ‘The public can be assured the Royal Navy has a range of assets including warships, submarines, aviation and state-of-the-art technology to protect the United Kingdom.

‘We are creating a new hybrid navy by building world-class submarines and cutting-edge warships, alongside transforming our aircraft carriers and introducing new autonomous vessels to patrol the North Atlantic and beyond.’