The newest warship in the Royal Navy's fleet has broken down at sea just days into her first voyage.
HMS Trent's engine failed shortly after setting sail for a second time from Gibraltar, where the ship, which cost £100 million, had spent three days.
She was photographed today being dragged back into port.
The HMS Trent was due to join a Nato mission hunting terrorists and people-traffickers, however suffered engine failure after setting off from Portsmouth on her maiden voyage on August 3.
Speaking to The Sun, a source said: “This is like a brand new Range Rover Sport breaking down on the way home from the showroom.”
“Gibraltar was HMS Trent’s first ever port of call. She was on her way to eastern Med when something went wrong at sea. The captain turned her round. They managed to get back to the Bay of Gibraltar under their own steam but then they called out the tugs to help her into the harbour.
“Patrol vessels are nimble ships and it was a really calm day. She shouldn’t need tugs to berth.”
The Royal Navy later told the publication that the ship had suffered a defect and was now awaiting spare parts to be repaired.
The latest failure comes after it was revealed by The Mirror in June that HMS Dauntless, a £1billion Type 45 destroyer, has been tied up at her moorings since 2016 – when she spent a total of just six days at sea.
Now the ship is having a major engine refit that will keep her out of action for yet another year.
