The crew of a Royal Navy warship have been forced to return to shore and isolate over Christmas after an outbreak of coronavirus on board.
HMS Northumberland, which is designed to hunt for submarines, had been on call to protect UK waters over the festive period.
The Type 23 frigate was forced to return to Devonport Naval Base, near Plymouth, on Wednesday.
A Royal Navy spokeswoman said: "Following a number of suspected Covid cases onboard HMS Northumberland, the crew are now following health guidelines and protocols to isolate.
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"The Royal Navy continues to meet all operational tasks over Christmas, as it has done throughout this pandemic."
Last month, the frigate escorted the Russian destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov as she sailed off the west coast of Scotland.
Ministers and senior military officers have warned of a significant increase in Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic in recent years.
And earlier this month the MoD said that the Royal Navy had monitored nine Russian vessels near UK waters over a two-week period across late November and early December.
They included a surfaced submarine, a destroyer, a corvette and a patrol ship as well as their supporting tugs and supply ships.
