HMS Richmond spent nearly six weeks’ in the line of fire around the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait and Gulf of Aden, where merchant shipping has come under repeated attack from Iran-backed Houthi rebels, UK Defence Journal reports.
Richmond was called upon just once to fire her weapons in anger to thwart such attacks, firing Sea Ceptor missiles to down incoming drones in the largest swarm attack to date: rebels launched 57 missiles and drones from various sites in Yemen in the small hours of Saturday March 9.
It’s the first time Sea Ceptor has been fired in a combat situation since entering service nearly a decade ago.
Her crew were also first on the scene after the merchant vessel Sky II was struck by a Houthi missile, provided the ship’s master with an assessment of damage; the helicopter also offered assistance to the merchantman but Sky II’s sailors were on top of the situation.
