Drug-busting frigate sails in today for weekend in Malta

HMS Montrose will be in Malta between today and Monday.

HMS Montrose, under Commander Andy Hogben, is the eighth of the Type 23 Duke Class ASW frigates. It was launched on 1992 and is the second warship to bear the Montrose family name. The ship's battle honours include Dunkirk in 1940 and Normandy in 1944. HMS Montrose is a member of the Devonport Flotilla and is based in Plymouth.

The frigate has just completed a seven-month deployment to the Gulf, the operational highlight of which resulted in a seizure of 10 tonnes of hashish with a street value of over £20 million from a single boarding on a dhow off the coast of Yemen.

From Malta, HMS Montrose sails to Plymouth via Spain where the ship's company will be joined by some of their families for the last week at sea.

Further information on HMS Montrose can be found at www.royal-navy.mod.uk.

HMS Montrose will be berthed at Pinto Wharf, but will not be open to the public.