UK Navy HMS Forth Offshore Patrol Vessel Reaffirms British Sovereignty in South Atlantic.

The British Ministry of Defence confirmed on December 31, 2025, that HMS Forth has concluded Operation Southern Sovereignty, a high-readiness tri-service deployment across the South Atlantic. The operation underscored the United Kingdom’s ability to project and sustain joint military power across vast distances while reinforcing sovereignty over key Overseas Territories.

According to information released by the British Ministry of Defence, Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel HMS Forth has завершed a wide-ranging operational deployment linking British forces across the Falkland Islands, Ascension Island, and South Georgia. The mission, designated Operation Southern Sovereignty, brought together naval, land, and air components in a coordinated effort designed to test long-range logistics, interoperability, and readiness in some of the world’s most remote and challenging operating environments.
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Designed for versatility and maritime presence missions, HMS Forth is equipped with a 30 mm DS30M Mark 2 naval gun, general-purpose machine guns, and upgraded .50 caliber heavy machine guns for layered self-defense. (Picture source: Uk MoD)

At the center of this joint force effort was HMS Forth (P222), a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel and the first of her class, commissioned into the Royal Navy in April 2018. Built by BAE Systems Naval Ships and launched in August 2016, HMS Forth is permanently forward-deployed to Mare Harbour in the Falkland Islands, replacing HMS Clyde in 2020 as the UK’s sovereign maritime asset in the region. With a displacement of 2,000 tonnes, a length of 90.5 meters, and an endurance of 35 days at sea, Forth was purpose-built for operations in remote theatres such as the South Atlantic.

The patrol ship served as the flagship during Operation Southern Sovereignty, hosting Commander British Forces South Atlantic Islands, Brigadier Charlie Harmer, and his staff as they coordinated synchronized multi-domain activity across 1.5 million square miles of open ocean and isolated terrain. Despite high summer in the Southern Hemisphere, Forth navigated iceberg-laced waters off South Georgia, where snow-covered peaks rise over 9,000 feet and sea temperatures hover around 6 degrees Celsius. The operational environment proved as demanding as it was strategically significant.

Designed for versatility and maritime presence missions, HMS Forth is equipped with a 30 mm DS30M Mark 2 naval gun, general-purpose machine guns, and upgraded .50 caliber heavy machine guns for layered self-defense. She also carries two rigid inflatable boats and has a Merlin-capable flight deck, allowing for helicopter operations in support of boarding, surveillance, or logistics tasks. Her onboard systems include the BAE CMS-1 combat management system, Terma Scanter 4100 2D radar, and SharpEye navigation radar, enabling persistent surveillance and C2 integration with air and land components.

A detachment from the Royal Irish Regiment, currently deployed as the Roulement Infantry Company (RIC) in the Falklands, embarked aboard HMS Forth to conduct joint amphibious operations. The ship’s design allows for up to 50 Royal Marines or soldiers to embark for mission-specific deployments, reinforcing its role as a modular maritime platform capable of both constabulary and warfighting support roles. In coordination with RAF Typhoon fighters and an A400M Atlas tactical airlifter operating from Mount Pleasant Complex, the operation demonstrated rapid mobility and precision engagement across the distributed theatre. A secondary RIC detachment was forward-deployed to Ascension Island to mirror the joint force readiness posture further north.

Operation Southern Sovereignty also carried a civil component. UK military personnel supported a logistical and infrastructure project for the South Georgia government, transporting materials from Maiviken Cove to Grytviken—South Georgia’s principal settlement. In a landscape without established roads, the task tested not only operational logistics but the value of military support to UK Overseas Territories’ governance and resilience.

Originally ordered in August 2014 and laid down in October that year, HMS Forth was the first to emerge from the Royal Navy’s £348 million Batch 2 OPV program. Her motto, “Go Forth and Conquer,” now reflects a strategic shift in how the UK leverages patrol vessels: not merely for coastal security, but as agile platforms for forward presence, regional engagement, and sovereignty assurance far beyond home waters.

Defense analysts stress that while HMS Forth lacks the heavy armament of a frigate or destroyer, her endurance, sensors, troop capacity, and deployability make her a vital component in low-intensity, high-significance theaters. The success of Operation Southern Sovereignty reinforces how such vessels, when integrated into joint force constructs, deliver meaningful military and political effects at strategic distance.

As 2025 closes, the operation highlights the UK’s continued ability to project tri-service power to its most remote holdings, maintaining defense credibility in a region shaped by enduring sovereignty disputes and harsh physical conditions. For HMS Forth’s crew, who marked Christmas under snowfall and near-freezing sea spray, the mission stood as a potent reminder that national sovereignty is not just asserted—it is lived, led, and safeguarded, mile by nautical mile.