HMS Mersey entering Liverpool

HMS Mersey, photographed this morning from Hightown, moving into the River Mersey’s estuary.

HMS Mersey is the youngest of the original set of River class patrol vessels. She patrols the waters of the UK and up to 200 miles in the Atlantic, ensuring that fishing boats and trawlers comply with internationally-agreed quotas.

In May 2016, Mersey was dry docked in Martinique as part of her mid-deployment maintenance period. By July, Mersey had been relieved by RFA Wave Knight and was deployed on migrant patrols in the Aegean via a port call in Gibraltar. Mersey returned to Portsmouth on 10 February 2017 after 13 months away to resume her fishery protection duties.

Previously, HMS Mersey and a Wildcat helicopter were dispatched to follow the progress of three Russian warships/vessels as they made their way up the English Channel. First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Philip Jones, who is the Head of the Royal Navy, previously stated that Britain was facing “significantly emboldened Russian Naval activity, which is continually testing our resolve”.