Sailors from Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duncan have been reunited with loved ones for Christmas after returning to Portsmouth following an Eastern Mediterranean mission.
The ship sailed just over six months ago from UK shores to replace HMS Diamond in the Red Sea to join the multinational effort keeping trade flowing amid ongoing attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
However, Duncan was ordered to stay in the Eastern Mediterranean as regional tensions grew due to the Israel-Hamas and Israel-Hezbollah conflicts.
Duncan sailed more than 36,000 nautical miles and operated with 21 allied warships, while the ship’s flight deck has been abuzz with 400 landings— 20 by US, French and German aircraft— and the deployed Wildcat helicopter carried out 89 sorties.
Nearly 1,000 family members and loved ones braved Storm Darragh to greet the 200 sailors aboard Duncan home in Portsmouth after a voyage home that included stops in Malta and Barcelona.
Leading Hand Andrew Lynch, a member of HMS Duncan’s logistics team, said:
“I look around. The faces of the people who have become my new family. The laughter that fills the mess, the shared struggles that have bound us together in this challenging world. The friendships forged not by proximity, but by necessity and resilience.
“When I return home, when I’m finally reunited with the faces I’ve missed so terribly, I will carry a piece of this experience with me. The friends I’ve made on this deployment, the lessons I’ve learned, the moments of silent strength when I thought I couldn’t go on—these will be a part of who I am, who I’ve become.
“And when I hold my loved ones again, I’ll do it with a new kind of appreciation, a deeper love, and a quiet resolve that no distance, no time, no separation can ever truly break.”
Duncan spent 3,000 hours – 125 days – of her six-month deployment at sea, working for the stability of the region alongside allies, including from Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Spain, Cyprus and the United States.
The destroyer acted as main escort, providing world-class air defence – thanks to the Type 45’s powerful radars and Sea Viper missile system – to the USS Wasp task group as it carried out a mission to ensure regional stability.
The Portsmouth-based warship also spent six month of 2023 in the Eastern Mediterranean, leading NATO’s premier security mission in the region. That means for some sailors, they’ve spent 12 of the last 24 months at the sharp end on deployments.
Engineering Technician Bradley Jones said:
“Having endured another long deployment onboard HMS Duncan, I can say without hesitation that I have developed a deep gratitude for the friends and family I have back home.
“No words can give justice to what it’s like being deployed. I went through periods of self-doubt, frustration and fear, but these emotions were often followed with love, laughter, and hope. Hope for a better tomorrow.
“Hope for the day to be re-united with loved ones, and hope that our efforts whilst deployed have helped to secure a safer world.”
Able Rating (Above Water Warfare) David Jackson added:
“The opportunity to work with allied nations across NATO was a highlight. The cross polls that we conducted with them offered a unique insight into the lifestyle of other navies. The unique stops and strong sense of community of our Ship’s Company helped everyone get through the tougher times, and come through to the end stronger.”
HMS Duncan’s sailors ate more than 31,000 eggs, nearly 11,000 pints of milk, 50,000kg of butter and more than 3,000kg of chicken during her deployment.
Meanwhile, for her outstanding work on operations in the Med, Duncan was recently awarded the Destroyer Trophy – for the second year running – at the Fleet Efficiency Awards.
Commanding Officer Commander Dan Lee said:
“As we return home after a challenging six-month deployment, I could not be prouder of my ship’s company and all they have achieved.
“Despite a significantly compressed regeneration period following last year’s deployment, they stepped up at every opportunity, displaying remarkable dedication, professionalism and an unwavering sense of duty in often dangerous situations.
“As we return home in time for Christmas, with my team selected as the best destroyer in the fleet, they should be rightly proud of everything they’ve done.”
Image: © Crown copyright 2024
