Type 23 frigate HMS Monmouth also known as the ‘Black Duke’ arrives in Gibraltar tomorrow following a seven month deployment to the Middle East as part of the continuous British presence in the region protecting shipping, preventing smuggling and acting to disrupt and deter piracy.

She will spend a few days here taking the opportunity to stock up on supplies and have some much needed down time before heading home to Plymouth.

Monmouth is the sixth of the Type 23 frigates and was launched by Lady Eaton in 1991 and commissioned two years later.

The ship owes her nickname to the infamous first Duke of Monmouth – executed for treason in the 17th Century when he unsuccessfully rose up against James II.  His sedition led to the title being dissolved and the coat of arms blacked out; the ship’s badge was suggested by the local Royal Naval Association in 1991.

HMS Monmouth is instantly recognisable from the plain black flag flying from her mainmast and the name on her stern is painted black, not red, unlike any other ship in the Navy.