Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond that recently joined Operation Sophia in the Mediterranean, hosted the Commander of the EU Taskforce carrying out the mission.
The destroyer sailed from Portsmouth in August to support the operation to counter illegal arms trafficking in order to promote a more stable and secure environment in Libya.
Diamond’s role is to locate, intercept and board vessels suspected of smuggling illegal arms into the country.
The ship’s Wildcat helicopter transported the Admiral from his flagship, the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Garibaldi to Diamond.
Once on board he was given a full tour of the ship, meeting sailors, and receiving briefs on the capabilities of the ship including the Royal Marine and Royal Navy Boarding Team.
He was hosted by Diamond’s commanding officer, Commander Marcus Hember , “Diamond has been on operations for almost a month now, and what has been clear from the outset is the commitment of all of the Nations involved to trying to improve the dire situation in Libya.”
“It’s a pleasure to host the Commander of the Force and show him what Diamond is capable of contributing to the mission,” he continued.