Israel-UK relations manifest in 'HMS Richmond' ship docked in Haifa

The helicopter on the stern of the HMS Richmond Type 23 frigate last week was well placed for a picturesque sunset.

From the 815 Naval Air Squadron, it deployed with the frigate for an epic seven-month mission that has seen a British aircraft carrier and its escort ships sail to the Mediterranean in preparation for a voyage toward Asia. The helicopter is just one component of this much wider mission. 

The helicopter was the first part of the HMS Richmond that Lt Cdr David Tinsley, the weapon engineer officer of the ship, showcased during a trip to the Richmond on June 30.

Tinsley, a friendly and serious officer who has served in the navy for 19 years, doubles as the ship’s media and public relations man. This is an important job these days because the UK’s mission is not just about securing the seas and showing the flag, and building relationships with countries like Israel; it is also about hosting delegations on board and talking about trade and the image of “Global Britain.” 

The deck where the helicopter sat was framed by Haifa Port. This is the area where navy ships have stopped in the past. The modern 142-meter French frigate Languedoc came to Haifa in 2019, and the 199-meter French amphibious assault ship Dixmude stopped here in 2018.

The Richmond is 133 meters long. It has a range of some 7,000 miles, a crew of 192 and a top speed of 28 knots. It’s an anti-submarine ship, designed to protect the Queen Elizabeth carrier on this mission.

Conducting anti-submarine missions involves various armaments and sensors, one of which is the helicopter. The helicopter has anti-surface warfare capabilities, and can be armed with four Sea Venom missiles and other types of missiles. It also can pack a 12.7-mm. machine gun.

For the Richmond, which was launched in 1995, size dictates that only one of these helicopters can usually be accommodated. The ship can also stow a Merlin helicopter if needed. 

When the Richmond sailed into Haifa Port, it had come most recently from Montenegro. Prior to that, it had been refit with a new propulsion system and had seen sea training last year and early this year. Much of the crew on the ship today came aboard with the refit. The ship saw some difficult training north of England in preparation for this voyage, with high seas and large waves. 

Tinsley noted that a usual mission like this would see the ship move quickly to get through the Suez Canal and on to the Persian Gulf and the great expanses of the Far East. However, this year is different. The carrier strike group and its small armada of accompanying ships have been in the Mediterranean for weeks and have been involved in a joint F-35 drill with the US and Israel. The group also sent a ship to the Black Sea, where tensions with Russia are running high.

The visits by the Richmond are designed to include maritime patrol and defense engagement. Beyond that the carrier also launched airstrikes on ISIS, then sailed to Cyprus. 

In late June the journey of the HMS Defender, which is part of the carrier strike group, raised eyebrows when Russian planes and ships shadowed the ship in the Black Sea. The Type 45 frigate had gone to the Black Sea to participate in exercises with local friendly navies, but relations between London and Moscow are at an all-time low, and the Russians viewed the ship’s journey near Crimea as a huge provocation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the UK knows it cannot win in a conflict. “We would be fighting for our own territory; we didn’t travel thousands of miles to get to their border.” Russia has gone as far as to falsify the route of the HMS Defender, according to USNI News.

This was part of the context around which the HMS Richmond arrived in Haifa, part of a much wider world in which there are growing tensions between the West and various regimes from Russia to Iran and China.

The visit to Israel is billed as focusing on the positive, not these tensions. However, the Eastern Mediterranean and recent reports of Israeli and Iranian commercial ships coming under attack in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea point to a tense time. 

For Tinsley and the crew, the day-to-day running of the ship is crucial. While at the end of June the ship was preparing to receive the British ambassador and UK Secretary of State for International Trade Liz Truss, the crew also has to work to sustain the ship through its long voyage. That means removing rubbish and doing maintenance. The ship can pack enough food for two months, but it needs resupply. 

WHEN I arrived at the HMS Richmond, it was a blazingly hot Wednesday. The sun was entering the last hours of the day, and the port’s waters were calm. The crew had put down two ramps to the shore. Nearby were posters celebrating the UK, and British flags greeted those who arrived. On deck sailors signed in the guests. Several naval personnel with rifles were readying for an evening sunset ceremony.  

This crew is also international, with a US officer on board and at least one member who was born in Canada. With the F-35 exercise alongside the Israelis, the trip by the Richmond showcases the critical work that the UK does together with Israel, said Tinsley.

He gave a tour of the ship. From the aft deck we walked along the side of the ship until we got to the large 4.5-inch (11.4-cm.) gun on the front. An older frigate might have had more guns on it, but today’s navy is not about large caliber guns so much as missiles, sensors and other hi-tech weapons.

While parts of the HMS Richmond look their age, dating from the 1990s, significant upgrades have been made to command systems and other parts of the ship. The ship sports a Samson multifunction radar, and has a towed array sonar to hunt for enemy subs. It also has the latest Sea Ceptor air defense missiles and the brand-new PGMU propulsion system, which is a new generation of diesel generators that will be deployed with other ships in the navy soon. 

We crossed from the main gun in the front back to the port side of the ship and then around the back of the conning tower, through some of the officer’s quarters. For the senior officers, life aboard ship appears air-conditioned and pleasant. For the men, quarters are more cramped. The captain has a pleasant study, and after ascending some steep metal stairs, passing a wooden plaque that showcases the glorious history of previous namesake ships, we were ushered into an area to meet Commander Hugh Botterill. 

Botterill grew up in Suffolk in the UK and joined the navy in 2001. According to a biography posted online by the Royal Navy, he was on the HMS Cardiff during operations supporting the 1st Mechanized Battle Group in southern Iraq and received a commendation.

“He spent six cold but fascinating months as the navigating and operations officer of HMS Dumbarton Castle in the south Atlantic,” his official bio notes.

He returned to Iraq later in 2007 as the lead sea trainer on the Iraqi Navies Offshore Patrol Vessels. He served on the Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond before assuming command of the Richmond. 

An hour from when we relaxed into the comfortable chairs of the captain’s quarters, Botterill was to give a speech to assembled guests. His crew appeared to be energized to prepare for it and ensure things were running smoothly.

Between questions from some of the crew, Botterill discussed the Richmond’s role. As part of the carrier strike group, “HMS Richmond brings... anti-submarine warfare and protection from submarines,” he said.

 

This is essential as the Queen Elizabeth was designed as a supermodern, fifth-generation carrier with F-35s on board. It was those F-35s that took part in the recent drill with Israel. This is central to Israel and UK relations and naval ties.

The Israel Navy is also undergoing a major upgrade with new Sa’ar 6 corvettes being delivered from Germany. The Sa’ar 6 is being equipped with Israel’s latest missile technology, from a sea version of Iron Dome to unique MF-Star radar and Barak MX air defense missiles. In the future these modern ships could sail alongside the British navy for a joint drill. 

For Botterill this was an uncommon visit. He had been to Israel before, to Kibbutz Dafna, where he worked in 1995. It was a privilege to return, he said. He noted he was also in Israel with HMS Daring during a visit in 2017. He recalled his time in Israel in the 1990s as a “fascinating and wonderful time.” 

A tall man with a slim build, earnest and friendly, Botterill chose his words carefully to make sure to project the message the UK intends to convey and also represent the navy and his country to perfection. He can’t discuss the recent tensions with Russia or much about the F-35 drill. He’s an expert in anti-submarine warfare. 

As the captain of a frigate tasked with the anti-submarine portfolio, Botterill said that today submarines are quieter than in the past and operate at ocean depths longer. “That represents a real challenge to any carrier strike group trying to remain at range from a submarine.”

Today’s long-term goal is to project UK power and influence and promote interests, while protecting the carrier.

“This is the first time the UK has rolled out a strike group of this size since 1982 when we retook Falkland Islands,” he stated. “As such this is a historic visit, a seminal moment. Israel is one of 48 countries being visited with the strike group. The influence speaks for itself, the number of countries we are visiting; Israel is one of the high-profile countries, and the secretary of state for international trade [is here], promoting and projecting interests.” 

He said the role of the navy today is also to help maintain safe links for communications and enable trade, so the carrier strike group provides the international community with maritime security in strategic sea lanes.

The crew has been training for a year and a half and “can pull out whatever we need for a given scenario.”

The HMS Richmond’s new propulsion system is important in this because the UK is modernizing its navy. Overall the UK navy has shrunk since the period when England commanded a world empire. However, it is on the rebound and rolling out new Type 26 and 31 frigates. The Royal Navy will have more than 20 frigates and destroyers by the 2030s. This will be a slight increase from the 19 frigates and destroyers today, two of which are soon to be retired. 

For Tinsley, the vision of the UK navy is inspiring. He recounted that when he returned to the ship last year, after the refit, there was a new sign saying the Royal Navy will fly F-35s at full operational capability in 2021. Now the Royal Navy has progressed beyond that milestone. The current carrier strike group includes eight RAF F-35Bs and 10 American Marine F-35s for the 28-week trip.

For the Richmond the chance to escort the carrier and protect it comes with a long pedigree that dates back to the Battle of Quebec in 1759, when an ancestor ship sporting 32 guns with the same name took part in the battle. 

BACK ON deck, after descending the set of stairs leading from the captain’s room through a hallway, guests gathered for cocktails and a speech by the ambassador and other dignitaries. The sailors were in their dress white uniforms. Some ceremonial events took place. Gin and tonic were served, as were British mints.

Here the naval personnel didn’t need to don masks, because Israelis are vaccinated. At the Montenegro visit, they had to. Here some of the men also sported well-kept beards. Apparently, on some long voyages there are beard-growing competitions, and the worst beard wins an award. 

For the crew the opportunities of serving in the navy, in terms of a career and ability to leave behind what sometimes were dead-end lives of boredom in poor council houses in the UK, are clear. Several of the men and women mentioned these opportunities as a reason they joined. Leaving behind families for seven months at sea is difficult. It’s not clear if the food aboard ship makes up for it, but the crew has access to downtime and rest and relaxation. This includes access to alcohol, but there are new nonsmoking rules. 

For the crew in the end of June, the stunning victory by England over Germany in the UEFA Euro was a highlight of entertainment. But while England soccer fans sing “Football’s Coming Home,” the crew of the Richmond has another five months at sea.