Two Russian warships sailed through the English Channel last night, as tensions rise over Syria.
They were detected in the North Sea in the early hours of Friday, headed towards the Dover Straits.
Royal Navy ship the HMS Sutherland moved to escort the corvettes Soobrazitelny and Boiky through the channel, close to UK territorial waters.
They were joined by another two Russian ships, a support tanker and ocean-going tug.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said as they passed: ‘HMS Sutherland is carefully marking these Russian ships as they pass close to UK waters.
More:
http://metro.co.uk/2017/04/16/putin-sails-two-warships-through-english-channel-amid-tensions-over-syria-6577641/Makes it sound all dramatic, doesn't it? It's not. The Sutherland, in what must be the most boring naval deployment in history, escorts every south bound naval ship and very large commercial vessel (other than French ones) through the Channel. The French have the north bound escort duty.
