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Navy’s ‘Bond ship’ visits on exercise

A ROYAL Navy warship has been undertaking manoeuvres in the Russel.

HMS Westminster anchored off St Peter Port. (Picture by Tony Rive, 29443851)
HMS Westminster anchored off St Peter Port. (Picture by Tony Rive, 29443851) / Guernsey Press

Type 23 frigate HMS Westminster was designed for anti-submarine warfare.

But the vessel’s versatility means it has been used for fighting and peacekeeping missions.

The ship’s company is carrying out various training exercises while in Bailiwick waters, in support of the ongoing mission to enhance UK maritime security at home and abroad.

HMS Westminster. (Picture by Sophie Rabey, 29442590)
HMS Westminster. (Picture by Sophie Rabey, 29442590) / Guernsey Press

The 4,900-tonne vessel is 133 metres long and has a top speed of about 28 knots.

After a 2014 refit her main weapon is the Sea Ceptor surface-to-air missile system.

HMS Westminster Vessel. (Picture by Sophie Rabey, 29442588)
HMS Westminster Vessel. (Picture by Sophie Rabey, 29442588) / Guernsey Press

Earlier this year she was part of an international task group of half a dozen warships on a security patrol of the Baltic.

Islanders might well have seen the inside of the Westminster, as it was used for the interior shots in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.

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