Story perspectives

Royal Navy keeps Indo-Pacific deployments after 593,000km

9/7/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Royal Navy has kept HMS Spey and HMS Tamar deployed in the Indo-Pacific for five years.
Since leaving Portsmouth on 7 September 2021, they have logged about 593,000 km and 30,000 hours at sea.
HMS Spey transited the Taiwan Strait in June 2025, the first RN warship there since 2021.
HMS Tamar sailed with HMAS Perth in the South China Sea to assert UNCLOS navigation rights.
The Chagos lease-back agreement costs the United Kingdom about £101 million annually.

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Story summary

The Royal Navy has kept HMS Spey and HMS Tamar deployed in the Indo-Pacific for five years.
Since leaving Portsmouth on 7 September 2021, they have logged about 593,000 km and 30,000 hours at sea.
HMS Spey transited the Taiwan Strait in June 2025, the first RN warship there since 2021.
HMS Tamar sailed with HMAS Perth in the South China Sea to assert UNCLOS navigation rights.
The Chagos lease-back agreement costs the United Kingdom about £101 million annually.