The HMS Iron Duke, a Type 23 frigate, is part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1).

The Iron Duke's commanders said their presence helps mitigate the risks of underwater infrastructure sabotage at a tense time and following another incident of damage to undersea communications cables, suspected to have been caused by a Chinese vessel sailing in the region.

The vessel's crew already has gained experience in protecting critical infrastructure, since the frigate recently monitored the movements of two Russian naval groups sailing near the British Isles.

Over the past two weeks, the Iron Duke also participated in NATO's exercise Freezing Winds, a major Baltic Sea exercise which focused on maritime transport protection and surveillance.

Filling in more detail on this, Cdr David Armstrong said: "We've spent the majority of the year involved in just that, the security of our territorial seas, but more specifically our critical national infrastructure including undersea cables, and so I think the best way to protect such infrastructure is presence, so an unflinching, persistent presence in the Baltic by NATO nations will make it very difficult for anybody to interfere with that infrastructure."

The current stormy, cold, dark, and snowy period brings operational challenges, including landing the ship's AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat helicopter in heavy seas and with a swaying deck.

Lt Maxwell Randles-Hall said: "What we offer the ship is an asset that can go ahead of the ship, prosecute surface targets and really expand the horizons of the ship and provide the ship's command team with an awareness of threats that may be up to 150 miles ahead of them."

"We have two missile systems on board; the Martlet missile for smaller targets and then the Sea Venom which is a much heavier weapon," he went on.

The visit comes ahead of the British-led maritime Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) leaders' summit taking place in Tallinn later this month.

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