'Our new playground': HMS Spey and HMS Tamar arrive in the Pacific

Offshore patrol vessels HMS Spey and HMS Tamar have arrived in their "new playground" – the Pacific.

Acting as the eyes and ears of the Royal Navy, they will be deployed from the east of Africa to the west coast of the USA over the next five years.

In a tweet on Sunday morning, HMS Spey posted a video showing the ships travelling through the Panama Canal, saying: "HMS Spey and HMS Tamar are officially in the Pacific!!

• HMS Spey Commissioned Into Royal Navy
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• HMS Spey And HMS Tamar Depart Portsmouth For Indo-Pacific Deployment

"We transited the 70km long Panama Canal to reach our new playground."

No permanent home has been assigned to the pair – who nicknamed themselves TeamSpeymar in their tweet – instead, they will use Pacific bases and ports which best meet their needs and mission.

HMS Spey and HMS Tamar, with their historic dazzle camouflage paint scheme, left Portsmouth in September and arrive in the Pacific following the maiden deployment of HMS Queen Elizabeth and the Carrier Strike Group in the region.

Watch: HMS Tamar and HMS Spey head for the Indo-Pacific after leaving Falmouth docks.