HMS Trent (P224): The Patrol Ship That Caught a Narco-Submarine

Built on the Clyde

HMS Trent was built by BAE Systems at their Govan shipyard, with steel first cut in October 2015, officially named in March 2018, and commissioned on 3 August 2020. After completing sea trials, she deployed to the Mediterranean for NATO Operation Sea Guardian before the 2021 defence white paper designated her permanently based at Gibraltar for Mediterranean and West African operations.

The Black Sea and the Gulf of Guinea

Arriving at Gibraltar in April 2021, Trent soon deployed to the Black Sea for training exercises with Ukrainian and allied navies under Operation Orbital, before turning her attention to the Gulf of Guinea, deploying with Royal Marines from 42 Commando aboard for counter-piracy operations in one of the world's most persistently dangerous waters for shipping.

A Difficult Stretch of Maintenance

Trent endured a particularly troubled period between 2022 and 2023, with repeated dry dock visits for undisclosed technical issues and the removal of her commanding officer in October 2022 over alleged inappropriate conduct, before finally returning to sea that May, a rocky patch that this account records honestly given how public and well-documented it was.

Hundreds of Millions in Cocaine

Deploying to the Caribbean in December 2023, Trent went on to compile one of the most spectacular counter-narcotics records of any recent Royal Navy vessel: seizing 2,757 kilograms of narcotics worth over £220 million near the US Virgin Islands in March 2024, intercepting smuggling speedboats off Martinique that April, seizing a further 2.5 tonnes of cocaine from a fleeing vessel in May, and taking part in another 500-kilogram, roughly £40 million seizure south of the Dominican Republic that August.

More to Explore

Catching a Narco-Submarine

In September 2024, Trent intercepted a home-made narco-submarine carrying cocaine valued at £160 million, a truly remarkable catch given how difficult these semi-submersible smuggling vessels are to detect, and a fitting capstone to an extraordinarily productive Caribbean deployment.

Hurricane Relief, Twice Over

Beyond her counter-narcotics work, Trent deployed to the Cayman Islands to assist after Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, and to the British Virgin Islands following Tropical Storm Ernesto that August, humanitarian relief work that sits alongside her law enforcement record as a genuine highlight of her Caribbean service.

Still Answering the Call

Trent went on to shadow the Russian destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov through the English Channel in August 2025, before returning to the Caribbean in October, providing support after Hurricane Melissa and taking part in the Sail 250 celebration in New Orleans in the summer of 2026, offering guided public tours alongside tall ships from navies around the world, a fitting public-facing moment for a patrol ship whose recent service record has been remarkably extraordinary.

This is a live article which will be updated when more information is available.

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