RFA ship Lyme Bay back Gibraltar; fitted with new cutting edge equipment

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Lyme Bay is back in Gibraltar.

The Ministry of Defence says while here, she will be fitted with new cutting-edge mine-hunting equipment.

The MoD says this is part of the Royal Navy’s transition to a ‘hybrid navy’, using both crewed ships and uncrewedsystems.

It says Lyme Bay will be able to store, prepare, deploy and recover a variety of autonomous and crewless technology, from underwater drones to minehunting boats.

The MoD says she will be able to act as a crewed ‘mothership’ for drone tech.

It added while in Gibraltar, Lyme Bay will also undergo inspections to ensure she is ready for more time at sea

The move comes after the ship was brought to heightened readiness several weeks ago.