Royal Navy ship seen off coast

A Royal Navy ship was spotted off the Gwynedd coast yesterday. The RFA Argus British Navy auxiliary vessel has been sitting in waters off the Gwynedd coast to the south of Criccieth and west of Harlech.

According to the Royal Navy website, the RFA Argus is a “Primary Casualty Receiving Ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary”. It has a 100-bed medical complex on board, and acts as a floating medical facility during times of crisis or war.

The vessel weighs 28,081 tonnes, is 175 metres in length and has a top speed of 18+ knots. The commanding officer is Captain Kevin Rimell RFA. The marinetraffic. com website has the Argus on a journey from Plymouth to an unknown destination.

There are no details currently why it is in the area.

But it was a topic of conversation on the Criccieth Life Facebook page yesterday morning, where photos of it off the coast appeared.

It was last in the news in December 2020 when it returned to the UK after helping stop more than £400m of drugs reaching Britain’s streets on operations in the Caribbean.

According to a Navy press release at the time: “The support ship departed eight months ago to support the region’s British Overseas Territories during hurricane season and the Covid-19 pandemic, but also to carry out counternarcotics operations.

“Alongside patrol ship HMS Medway - the Royal Navy’s permanent forward presence in the Caribbean - Argus seized 5,373kg of cocaine and 28kg of amphetamines worth more than £400m, in eight separate drugs busts in the past three months.”

Commenting on the Caribbean operation, the First Sea Lord, Admiral Tony Radakin, said: “I am extremely proud of what RFA Argus has achieved during her deployment. Protecting our overseas territories is a key part of the Royal Navy’s role in defending the UK’s interests worldwide.

From countering drug smugglers to delivering humanitarian aid, Argus has proven just how versatile the Royal Navy is, and how valuable our continued forward presence remains.”