The Gibraltar Squadron is a unit of the British Royal Navy. It is the only seagoing Royal Naval unit based in Gibraltar, attached to British Forces Gibraltar. It currently includes two Cutlass-class fast patrol boats with a maximum speed of up to 41-knots. The squadron also uses three Pacific 24 rigid-hulled inflatable boats and deploys one diving support boat. The 2021 defence white paper indicated that henceforth, one River-class offshore patrol vessel, HMS Trent, would also be permanently based in Gibraltar for operations in the Mediterranean and in the Gulf of Guinea. As of 2023, 28 personnel were assigned to the squadron, along with additional personnel assigned to HMS Trent.
HMS Dagger at HM Naval Base, Gibraltar
Merlin HC3 of 846 NAS with former HMS Scimitar
The naval dockyard at Gibraltar, used by visiting warships.
HMS Trent on deployment to the Black Sea and Ukraine, May 2021
British Forces Gibraltar is the British Armed Forces stationed in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is used primarily as a training area, thanks to its good climate and rocky terrain, and as a stopover for aircraft and ships en route to and from deployments East of Suez or in Africa.
Entrance to HMS Rooke at Queensway, Gibraltar – headquarters of Gibraltar Defence Police.
Commodores Tim Henry (left) and Steve Dainton