HMS DIAMOND

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Latest news

Destroyer prepares to return to Red Sea after repairs

On Feb 25, 2024, the HMS 'Diamond' was reloading its Sea Viper missile armament at the Royal Navy base in the port of Gibraltar. The ship has been on a repair stop since Feb 10, 2024m and is finalizing its preparation to return to the waters of the Red Sea, where it has become one of the main assets of the conflict against the Houthis. During its two-month deployment to the Middle East conflict zone, HMS 'Diamond' came under three separate attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and managed to destroy nine drones using its Sea Viper missile and cannon system. Report with photo: https://www.europasur.es/gibraltar/destructor-HMS-Diamond-misiles-Sea-Viper_0_1879012745.html

Destroyer needs repairs after suffering Houthi attacks

The UK Ministry of Defence was replacing the HMS 'Diamond' in the Red Sea after it suffered three separate attacks by Houthi rebels. The HMS 'Richmond' will replace the destroyer, the ministry announced in a press statement on Feb 6, 2024. The HMS 'Diamond' has been stationed in a high-threat area in the Red Sea almost continuously since joining Operation Prosperity Guardian, an international task force, in December. The task force's mission was to safeguard merchant ships in the area. The destroyer took part in several key US-led operations, including repelling the largest attack by Iran-backed Houthis to date last month, as well as destroying a drone targeting merchant shipping in December. But the vessel came under fire in three separate attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, successfully destroying nine drones using her world-class Sea Viper missile system and guns. The statement did not specify the extent of the damage to the HMS 'Diamond'. Its commander, Peter Evans, said in the statement that the focus will be on a short maintenance and ammunition resupply period before getting back to the mission in the Red Sea. Meanwhile, HMS 'Richmond' will assume command of the UK's operation in the Red Sea, being equipped with medium guns, machine guns, small arms, torpedoes, and a Royal Marines boarding team, as well as a Wildcat helicopter that can monitor large regions and target hostile threats with Martlet anti-ship missiles.

18 drones and three missiles of Houthis shot down

Multiple missiles and drones fired in the direction of commercial vessels in the Red Sea were launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in the night of Jan 9, 2024. There were no reports of damage or injury. 18 drones, two-antiship cruise missiles and one anti-ship ballistic missile that were fired at about 9:15 p.m. LT were successfully shot down by a combined effort of fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS 'Dwight D. Eisenhower' and the missile destroyers USS 'Gravely', USS 'Laboon' and USS 'Mason', along with the UK Royal Navy destroyer HMS 'Diamond'. It was unclear what exactly the drones and missiles were targeting because there were several commercial ships in the area. The strikes marked the 26th Houthi attack on Red Sea shipping lanes since Nov. 19, 2023. On Dec. 30 the USS 'Gravely' shot down two ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis while it was responding to assist the container m/v 'Maersk Hangzhou', which had been struck by a Houthi missile. No one was injured in that missile strike. However, arly on Dec. 31, four Houthi boats attacked the 'Maersk Hangzhou' in an attempt to board it. Responding U.S. forces opened fire, sinking three of the four Houthi boats and killing their crews.