United Kingdom Navy HMS Protector Damaged

Towed into her home port of HMNB Devonport, Plymouth, on 13 October 2026 after a double engine defect at sea, The Telegraph reported, according to Maritime Executive; gCaptain reported commercial tugs brought her down from Teesside. A Royal Navy spokesperson said only that the ship had returned to allow investigations into a defect; the cause, the extent of the damage and the prospects for repair have not been disclosed. Built in Norway in 2001 as the research and subsea support vessel Polarbjørn, Protector was chartered in 2011 and bought outright in 2013. The Royal Navy's only ice patrol ship, she completed a five-year drydocking in 2025.