Portsmouth destroyer to support Nato fleet in the Mediterranean
A Portsmouth based Royal Navy destroyer has set sail to be on standby in the Mediterranean following the Russian invasion of Ukraine
HMS Diamond left the Naval Base as part of the UK's response to support Nato countries in eastern Europe.
The Type 45 destroyer will join offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent in the eastern Mediterranean with four additional RAF Typhoon jets also being deployed to Cyprus to take part in Nato patrols in eastern Europe.
Hundreds of troops have also been deployed to Estonia and Poland.
Diamond has been deployed by the UK Government to be on standby in the Mediterranean in case it is required as part of a wider Nato force.
It had originally been set to leave on February 17 but its departure was initially delayed by Storm Eunice with further delays caused by the warship requiring "minor repairs".
The problems meant that all of the navy's Ă‚ÂŁ6 billion fleet of Type 45s were alongside at the same time, with four vessels in Portsmouth and two in Birkenhead.
The Defence Select Committee warned in December 2021 that the "low availability of the UK's Type 45 destroyers and recognised issues in their propulsion systems are a major cause for concern".
Later on Friday, Diamond's sister ship HMS Defender will sail for a short period at sea prior to returning to base ahead of deployment to a major sea exercise off Norway which will also involve aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales.
Families of Diamond's crew waved them off from the harbour walls including the family of Chief Petty Officer Sean Baldwin, 35, from Havant, Hampshire.
His children could be heard calling out "Love you Daddy" as the warship sailed past.
His mother, Beverley Baldwin, told the PA news agency: "We are really proud of all of them. We are quite apprehensive and worried and we've just got to support him and hope they all come back safe."