HMS Westminster, HMS Brocklesby and RFA Tiderace set sail for Scarborough as Royal Navy announces Armed Forces Day ships

The Royal Navy has unveiled the three ships that will feature in this year's Armed Forces Day national event celebrations in Scarborough.
HMS Brocklesby will take on a special ceremonial role as part of the celebrations. (Photo: © MOD and Crown Copyright)HMS Brocklesby will take on a special ceremonial role as part of the celebrations. (Photo: © MOD and Crown Copyright)
HMS Brocklesby will take on a special ceremonial role as part of the celebrations. (Photo: © MOD and Crown Copyright)

It was previously confirmed that two Royal Navy ships would be moored in the bay off Scarborough - but it was not know which specific vessels would be attending until now.

HMS Westminster and RFA Tiderace, and an additional ship, HMS Brocklesby, will all be making an appearance in North Yorkshire as part of the events.

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Celebrations begin on Monday June 20 when the Armed Forces Day flag is raised around the country and this is when HMS Brocklesby will first be visible.

HMS Westminster will be moored off Scarborough in South Bay. (Photo: © MOD and Crown Copyright)HMS Westminster will be moored off Scarborough in South Bay. (Photo: © MOD and Crown Copyright)
HMS Westminster will be moored off Scarborough in South Bay. (Photo: © MOD and Crown Copyright)

She will carry the Armed Forces Day flag, which will be brought ashore and taken to to Scarborough town hall as part of the formal flag raising ceremony.

Brocklesby is a Mine Counter Measures Vessel and her primary purpose is to seek out and neutralise enemy mines, with a glass-reinforced plastic hull – one of the largest of its kind – helping to protect her.

The vessel uses Sonar technology and a combination of highly trained mine clearance divers and the Seafox unmanned underwater vehicle.

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HMS Westminster is a Type 23 Frigate that was originally designed for anti-submarine warfare and weighing in at 4,900 tonnes with a top speed of 28 knots.

RFA Tiderace is part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and will be joining the celebrations. (Photo: © MOD and Crown Copyright)RFA Tiderace is part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and will be joining the celebrations. (Photo: © MOD and Crown Copyright)
RFA Tiderace is part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and will be joining the celebrations. (Photo: © MOD and Crown Copyright)

In 2014 she underwent an extensive refit which resulted in a new principal weapon: Sea Ceptor surface-to-air missiles –with twice the range of previous missile systems.

Her most recent mission saw her patrolling as far north as the Arctic Circle for five months at the end of 2021.

RFA Tiderace is part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary which provides logistical support to the Royal Navy.

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The tanker carries 19,000 cubic metres of fuel but has a secondary role transporting other supplies and armed forces personnel such as Royal Marine Commandos.

Tiderace sometimes patrols shipping lanes and has been used in humanitarian aid operations.

Both Westminster and Tiderace will be moored off South Bay at the national event on Saturday June 25.