Hms Defender (the Royal Navy’s most advanced warship) a Type 45 Destroyer is seen returning to Crombie pier on Friday 27th December 2013 for fuel before departing the following day.
She
hurriedly sailed from Portsmouth on the 19th December to shadow at least one Russian naval vessel off the coast of Scotland after it sailed near the Moray Firth
while on exercise in the North Sea.
The
Baltic Fleet vessel is believed to have consisted of several warships including
an aircraft carrier and was part of an operation being carried out in the area.
It
was described by a source as a ‘Russian Task Group’, suggesting more than one
ship may have been involved.
The
Ministry of Defence (MoD) would not comment on the incident or on whether the
Russians had entered British territorial waters, although it was thought to be
unlikely.
The
Russian military news agency Interfax-AVN reported at the time that the fleet
was on route to Syria and
took shelter in the Moray Firth when faced
with deteriorating weather conditions.
HMS Defender is seen here travelling up river in terrible conditions on Friday 27th December 2013:
And
again here departing from Crombie on Saturday 28th December 2013:
