The Duke of Edinburgh has attended the commissioning ceremony of a new Naval ship, which will help safeguard UK waters from underwater threats.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s Stirling Castle was formally dedicated during a high-profile ceremony.

The ship marks a move away from traditional minehunting, embracing cutting-edge technology as she acts as a ‘mother ship’ for an array of remotely-operated and autonomous systems which will scour home waters looking for mines.

With Stirling Castle due to begin operations later this year, a break from training offered the ideal opportunity to welcome the new ship into the RFA family in the presence of the Service’s Commodore-in-Chief, The Duke of Edinburgh.

The Duke of Edinburgh on board Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle

The Duke of Edinburgh on board Stirling Castle

RFA Stirling Castle is helping to extend the reach and effectiveness of Royal Navy mine hunting operations and to make it safer for those sailors whose job it is to locate and destroy mines.

The Duke of Edinburgh on board Stirling Castle

His Royal Highness joined Commodore David Eagles, the Head of the RFA, and civic leaders from Stirling on a tour of the ship, which will act as a ‘mother ship’ for an array of remotely-operated and autonomous systems that will scour home waters looking for mines.