24th June 2026 at 12:55pm
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon and RFA Lyme Bay have arrived in the Red Sea alongside German Navy ships FGS Mosel and FGS Fulda.
They are operating as part of a multinational task group deployed to help restart shipping through strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
Lyme Bay has been repurposed as a dedicated Mine Countermeasures (MCM) mothership, carrying around half a dozen cutting-edge autonomous, uncrewed and remotely operated minehunting systems.
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More than 270 personnel are aboard RFA Lyme Bay, including Royal Fleet Auxiliary sailors, more than 100 Royal Navy mine warfare and diving/explosive ordnance disposal specialists, as well as medics, Royal Marines, British Army personnel and French sailors.
The ship has undergone a rapid conversion to operate as a mothership, capable of deploying and supporting a range of autonomous mine countermeasure systems.
Sailing in company with the German command and support ship FGS Mosel and minehunter FGS Fulda, Lyme Bay transited the Red Sea under the protection of HMS Dragon.
Together, the British and German forces will contribute to a multinational effort aimed at safeguarding maritime trade routes and ensuring the safe movement of merchant vessels through the Gulf and surrounding waters.