Iron Duke back home after helping tame Gaddafi killers

The 4,900-tonne, type 23 frigate has been operating off the coast of Libya for the past three months, and for three consecutive nights displayed her firepower by destroying a gun battery outside the besieged town of Misrata.

She also fired star shells into the night sky to illuminate targets for Nato aircraft. These strikes on pro-Gadaffi positions destroyed a range of targets including rocket launchers, fuel dumps, ammunition stores, artillery batteries and command and control centres.

HMS Iron Duke had previously covered 38,000 nautical miles on her deployment, including work with other navies to combat smuggling and human trafficking.

Commander Nick Cooke-Priest said: “It is impossible to capture or articulate the full range of emotions, occurrences, complexities and challenges that are inherent in naval deployments, but success is generally optimised through commitment, courage and teamwork.

“In Iron Duke, it has been my enormous privilege to lead a team that delivered those essential attributes in spades, always accompanied by a willingness to deliver at the optimum standard, and always with a ready smile.”