Several sailors have been taken to hospital after their Royal Navy frigate suffered an “issue” with one of its fresh water systems.

HMS Portland was forced to return to Portsmouth Naval Base following the incident and an investigation is now under way.

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.

Following the incident, a Royal Navy spokesperson said in a statement: “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.”

He added: “A small number of personnel were taken to hospital as a precaution and HMS Richmond has been stood up to cover any contingencies.”

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.

HMS Portland monitored the Russian guided missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov and accompanying tanker Kama as they sailed in international waters close to the UK.

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The Type 23 frigate joined the 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.

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