Royal Navy's HMS Defender in drills with Georgian coast guard
The HMS Defender, as seen on the left from onboard the Georgian coast guard boat Sokhumi. Photo via Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
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Vessels from two nations have been involved in surface manoeuvres in the Georgian territorial waters this week, as the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender was joined by Georgian coast guard for drills.
Practising a range of activities ranging from monitoring civilian ship movements to identifying and questioning a crew of a suspect vessel and towing a damaged ship, the British surface navy destroyer and the Georgian coast guard boat Sokhumi followed the arrival of the former at the Black Sea port of Batumi last week.
The Georgian interior ministry - under which the coast guard department operates - said the manoeuvres served to share experience, develop local capabilities and hone the skills of joint operation.
Following #HMSDefender’s passage through Ukrainian territorial waters yesterday, here’s a reminder of why the UK Carrier Strike Group is operating in the Black Sea???? #CSG21 pic.twitter.com/jvyZnJIiVz
— Commander UK Carrier Strike Group (@smrmoorhouse) June 24, 2021
HMS Defender, a Type 45 destroyer, is part of the Royal Navy's Carrier Strike Group. Earlier this month it was temporarily detached from the group to execute a separate set of missions in the Black Sea, with the British vessel involved in an encounter with Russian forces while passing in territorial waters off Crimea, on its way to Georgia.
British and Russian defence sources diverged on what actually transpired in the standoff during the event, with the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom rejecting the claim by its Russian counterpart that warning shots had been fired at the destroyer, along with bombs dropped nearby by an aircraft.
With a total displacement of 8,500 tonnes, the destroyer was launched in 2009 and is the fifth of the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 destroyers. The Navy calls it "one of the most advanced warships ever constructed". The vessel has operated under Commander Vince Owen since May 2020.