Royal Navy Ship 鈥楬MS TAMAR鈥� visits historic Tulagi
The British Royal Navy ship, HMS Tamar, anchored in Tulagi on Friday morning as the first stop in a week-long visit to Solomon Islands.
The visit by HMS Tamar follows two successful Royal Navy ship visits to Solomon Islands in 2023 and 2024. The ship鈥檚 company were delighted to bring HMS Tamar back.
HMS Tamar has been permanently deployed in the Pacific region for 5 years, providing support on maritime security. The ship is involved in a wide range of operations including humanitarian and disaster relief; counter-illegal fishing; and counter-narcotics deterrence.
On Friday 15 May, with support from the RSIPF Maritime Police, the vessel visited Tulagi in Central Province. It was fitting that HMS Tamar visited Tulagi as it was here that the British Protectorate set up the first capital of Solomon Islands.
British High Commissioner, His Excellency Paul Turner, and Provincial Premier, Kenneth Sagupari, along with Provincial Ministers, were in Tulagi to greet the ship and welcome the ship鈥檚 party ashore.
HMS Tamar subsequently sailed into Honiara for week-long engagements with a range of Solomon Island institutions, including the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF), Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), central and local government and representatives from civil society and the media.
British High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, His Excellency Paul Turner said:
The return of HMS Tamar to Solomons celebrates the longstanding connection between our nations and provides an opportunity to further deepen our partnership and work closely on issues such as maritime security.
The High Commissioner added that the ship鈥檚 visit to Tulagi was particularly poignant given the historic links between Tulagi and Great Britain.聽
Premier Sagupari also underlined the strong historic links between Tulagi and Great Britain and said that the ship visit was an important milestone in the province鈥檚 recent history. The Premier visited the ship with His Excellency Turner and was greeted by the ship鈥檚 commanding officer, Commander Tom Lindsey.
Crew members from HMS Tamar also went ashore to visit the new museum in Tulagi that is due to be open in June. The museum is on the site of the British Commissioner鈥檚 residence 鈥� Haus Number One. It will house a permanent exhibition show-casing Ngella culture as well as the history of the British Protectorate.