Royal Navy ship returns to base as 'precautionary measure' after water on board 'contaminated by mistake'
A Royal Navy ship has had to return to a naval base as a "precautionary measure" after an alleged incident involving contaminated water on board.
Several sailors were taken to hospital after HMS Portland suffered an "issue" with one of its fresh water systems.
The ship was subsequently forced to return to Portsmouth Naval Base, and an investigation is now under way.
A Royal Navy spokesperson said: "We can confirm that HMS Portland has returned to HMNB Portsmouth as a precautionary measure, following an issue with one of the ship's fresh water systems.
"The health and safety of our personnel is of the utmost importance and we are taking a number of measures to safeguard the ship's company whilst the issue is investigated."
The spokesperson confirmed that a "small number of personnel were taken to hospital as a precaution", and that HMS Richmond has been stood up to cover any contingencies.
"The recent issue with contaminated water in HMS Portland will be investigated thoroughly," they said.
'We will ensure this does not happen again'
Nearly everyone involved has been discharged from hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
The spokesperson said: "We take the health and welfare of our people very seriously and will review processes to ensure this does not happen again."
It was reported that the drinking water on board the ship had been contaminated, which may have been down to human error involving the cleaning system.
It is believed the cleaning system to the water supply could have flowed the wrong way.
Ship's role in defending UK
HMS Portland - which underwent a major refit in 2021 - is adept at surface warfare operations as well as hunting submarines, according to the navy website.
It is a Type 23 frigate that last month tracked the movements of a Russian warship in the North Sea.
The vessel monitored the Russian guided missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov and accompanying tanker Kama as they sailed in international waters close to the UK.
It joined Norwegian coast guard vessel Bergen as the Russian ships transited south through the Norwegian Sea.
Based at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth, HMS Portland was launched in 1999. It weighs 4,900 tonnes, is 133 metres long and has a top speed of more than 28 knots.
