Striking pictures show a huge Naval warship docked in Liverpool.
HMS Portland is a Type 23 frigate, designed for anti-submarine warfare. It is 133 metres in length and is based at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth.
The ship arrived in Liverpool on Saturday afternoon (March 25). The frigate's official Twitter account announced its arrival, saying: "Hello Liverpool wonderful to be alongside in such an amazing city this weekend! #FerryAcrossTheMersey".
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Photos shared with the ECHO show the huge ship docked in Liverpool.
According to VesselFinder, its previous port calls before Liverpool were Bergen in Norway, where it docked on March 17 and stayed for three days. Before then it stopped at British ports Fairlie, Gareloch and Portsmouth at dates throughout February and March.
Two weeks ago, it was deployed from Plymouth to escort a Russian task group in waters close to the UK. The ship tracked Russian Gorshkov-class guided missile frigate, Admiral Kasatonov, and support tanker, Akademik Pashin.
It shadowed the Russians through the English Channel on the morning of March 12 as they headed towards the North Sea. The Admiral Kasatonov of Russia’s Northern Fleet has been operating in the eastern Mediterranean since early 2022, amid Russia’s illegal invasion in Ukraine, while Akademik Pashin was in the region later in the year.
Portland with her specialist Merlin helicopter embarked – both equipped with cutting-edge sonars, sensors and torpedoes for specialist operations – are reporting on the movements of the Russian ships.
The ship’s Commanding Officer, Commander Ed Moss-Ward said: “The Royal Navy routinely responds to escort warships in our territorial waters and the adjacent sea areas to ensure compliance with maritime law and to deter malign activity.
“Escorting the Russian task group alongside allied partners demonstrates the commitment of the Royal Navy and the NATO alliance to maintaining maritime security which is crucial to our national interests.”
The Russians passed through the Strait of Gibraltar on March 8 and NATO warships have escorted them throughout their journey.
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