Families welcome naval ship home

The ship has been away for seven months in the Gulf

Naval families waving banners and a Royal Marine band have welcomed HMS Montrose home to its Devon base.

The Plymouth-based Type 23 Frigate has just returned to Devonport from a deployment in the Gulf.

The highlight of the tour was a raid which netted 10 tonnes of illegal drugs with a street value over £20m.

The crew of the Type 23 frigate were praised by their commanding officer Cdr Andy Hogben after the seven-month operational deployment.

Cdr Hogben said: "It's fantastic to come home to such a warm welcome. It is great to see so many families on the jetty.

Young Emily Levy holds her banner on the jetty

"My ship's company have been waiting for this moment for seven months and it more than makes up for the time away from them."

HMS Montrose and fellow Plymouth warship HMS Chatham, Portsmouth-based HMS Edinburgh and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Argus - with Sea King helicopters on board - were jointly involved in the successful anti-drug smuggling operations.

It takes the amount of drugs seized during Royal Naval interceptions over a five-month period earlier this year to 23 tonnes.