Scanning the faces of waiting crowds at Portsmouth harbour, a line of young sailors could barely contain their excitement at being reunited with loved ones after months at sea.

They waved frantically as family members came into view. There were tears of joy, grins of anticipation and hugs of relief as HMS Diamond finally pulled up alongside.

The Type 45 destroyer arrived home at the weekend following a landmark mission to defend international shipping in the Red Sea from strikes by Iran-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen.

In that time, it made Royal Navy history by blasting seven Houthi drones out of the sky during a single swarm attack – the highest number of enemy aircraft to be taken out in one day by any British warship.

The vessel scored another first when it shot down a ballistic missile in April that was targeting a merchant ship – the first time any part of the UK armed forces has eliminated such a weapon in combat.

HMS Diamond had been in line for yet one more first – becoming the first port of call for John Healey, the new Labour defence secretary, within hours of him taking charge on Friday.

But an issue with the helicopter he had been travelling on meant that the aircraft had to turn around on Friday evening instead of landing on the warship as it was sailing off the coast of Plymouth.

National service: What’s the actual Tory plan and would there be exemptions?

Sunak’s ‘surprise’ National Service policy pledge derided as ‘deeply cynical’ by defence insider

Which countries have National Service and how does it work elsewhere?

By contrast, Sky News did make it on board – travelling by sea instead of air to meet up with the giant vessel.

We spent 24 hours with its crew of some 225 sailors who have been at sea for 151 days. During that time they have sailed around 44,000 miles, including in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden as part of a US-led coalition to protect merchant ships transiting the area.

The captain, Commander Peter Evans, showed us the air defence system that was used to destroy most of the drones and to take out the ballistic missile. The ship brought down a total of nine Houthi drones during its deployment.

“The weapon we are all talking about at the moment is the Sea Viper system, which are in those square doors in front of us,” he said, gesturing to the white-coloured squares that formed two large rectangular slaps on an elevated platform at the front of the ship.

“The door opens and the missiles are about 4 or 5 metres long. By the time it has cleared the bridge roof it is already way, way over the speed of sound,” said the commanding officer.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Asked what message the destruction of a Houthi missile sent, he said: “We can be reactive, we can be fast, we can be flexible and we are certainly capable of protecting ships at sea.”

In the operations room, a windowless area inside the ship, filled with lines of screens and monitors displaying radar and satellite images as well as video feeds and other data, a junior sailor recalled the moment HMS Diamond went up against the ballistic missile.

“We heard the general alarm and you don’t think it is real when it is happening,” said Leading Hand Erin Graham, 22, from Middlesborough.

“But then when it actually pops up on radar, we know we have got seconds [to react].”

Read more from Sky News:
NASA volunteers complete year-long mission in ‘Mars bunker’
Life in the UK when Labour last triumphed over the Tories

The sailor, who heads a team that does electronic warfare, said the training kicked in.

“You knew that you couldn’t put a finger wrong but it was a very smooth engagement from start to finish and the ship performed excellently.”

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Asked how she felt about coming home, she said: “I honestly can’t want.”

She was to be met by her mother, father, their respective partners, her twin sister, her younger sister and her grandmother.

As for what she was looking forward to doing, the young sailor listed waking up in her own bed, driving and seeing her dog. “Normal home stuff.”

Related posts:

Number of daily first COVID jabs in UK falls to lowest since early January Police clash with protesters as thousands march through London against new COVID rules Royal Navy seizes drugs worth almost £15m during bust in the Gulf of Oman Police request bail extension to investigate sexual assault allegations against Man United footballer Mason Greenwood Post Office workers walk out in fresh strike over pay Why King Charles won’t have to pay inheritance tax on Duchy of Lancaster estate ‘The first time I’ve been emotional painting the Queen’: Mural appears at Queen’s Arms in Manchester Police officer who shot dead unarmed man suspended from duty Man killed after alleged fight in London street ‘The lady’s not for turning up’: Truss ducks urgent question from Starmer on the economy Schools pay tribute to teenagers who died in Cardiff crash Journalist describes being stabbed outside London home in suspected ‘state-sponsored attack’