HMS Severn, an offshore patrol ship, well known in south west waters for her fishery patrol work, has taken over the reins from the highly successful Royal Navy drug buster HMS Argyll as the two ships met up in the North Atlantic ocean.

The Type 23 frigate is on her way home for Christmas while HMS Severn will spend the next six months tackling drug smugglers, assisting in the event of natural disasters and engaging with and providing reassurance to overseas territories.

The two ships rendezvoused as part of the official handover, sailing in close proximity and using HMS Argyll's Lynx helicopter to transfer stores and key Command Team personnel for briefings in HMS Severn.

The Navy has a near constant presence in the Caribbean and the North Atlantic. RN or RFA vessels are deployed to this region to act as a deterrent to drug smugglers. The Navy has been involved in countless counter-narcotic operations over the years, preventing millions of pounds worth of drugs reaching UK shores.

HMS Argyll has been deployed for six months and the final nine weeks of this have been spent on highly successful counter narcotics operations in the Caribbean. In total the crew have recovered nearly 1,900 kilos - or £77m - of cocaine in four highly charged seizures at sea.