Michael J. Sánchez tracks his own movements as warships pass in and out of the Strait and Gibraltar. He lives in the British Overseas Territory and says that a glance out the window reveals the entire naval scene. When a ship nears or sails through the port, he photographs it and records the moment in a diary he has kept since 1977. Most entries feature ships from the Royal Navy or the United States Navy. He then uploads the ship’s name, type, and a photo to social networks and discusses the ongoing “hunt” with a fan community that spans Gibraltar and reaches as far as Canada, the United States, and Turkey. Some neighbors with powerful cameras routinely capture distant vessels.
He notes that neither the authorities in Peñón nor the military ever discipline him for his hobby. He explains that the pastime grew from a family history in the port, shared with reporters from the Prensa Ibérica and El Periódico de España. Sánchez, a 63-year-old retired policeman from Gibraltar, describes his work as a form of ship observation, a practice akin to bird watching but focused on ships rather than birds, and admits it is more intricate than simple fascination.
This year Sánchez estimates around fifty warships and reinforcements have approached Gibraltar. Diplomats from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Gibraltar continue negotiating a treaty to align the British colony with the European space after Brexit. Sánchez does not provide precise figures or statistics, but he believes the activity does not intensify and marks a downward trend from the previous century. In earlier times navies operated with larger fleets, sometimes seventy to eighty warships annually; today the rate is nearer twenty to thirty ships per year due to modernization and budget constraints.
The British government does not publish hard numbers, and Gibraltar follows suit. A spokesperson for the British Foreign Office stated that movements of ships or submarines are not commented on. The official line confirms that HMNB Gibraltar remains a regular hub for a mix of Royal Navy ships and allied vessels as part of its standard operations.
Early December brought more ships to the Gibraltar naval base. On the eighth, Her Majesty’s Ship Montrose and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Tidesurge appeared. A week earlier, the warships Albion, Trent, and the auxiliary ship had entered Mounts Bay. At that moment, diplomatic talks about the treaty were proving difficult, though a British embassy spokesperson in Madrid denied any linkage between the shift in traffic and the negotiations.
Small patrol boats, big destroyers
Ship watchers like Sánchez gain both routine sightings and moments of unusual value. The surprise bonus comes with the sight of a nuclear submarine. Sánchez recalls a tweet noting the arrival of the Astute-class submarine HMS Artful S121 at the Gibraltar base, accompanied by photographs. The sight of aircraft carriers such as the Prince of Wales or the Queen Elizabeth remains a rare privilege for enthusiasts. They were anticipated this year but did not arrive, according to Sánchez.
Frigates are a more common sight in the port, serving as naval, anti-aircraft, and anti-submarine platforms. One frequent participant is HMS Montrose, a 4,400-ton escort frigate.
There are public posts such as the one mentioning HMS Defender departing for Gibraltar from the Mediterranean, captured in social media and later quoted by Sánchez. The posts illustrate the ongoing interaction between observers and the naval theater and are part of the broader culture of ship watching in the region.
In a political context that remains debated in Spain, the United Kingdom chose to establish HMS Trent as a permanent presence in Gibraltar. The ship conducts missions across the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Guinea, often in dry dock for repairs. It is a patrol vessel with a crew that can reach up to 150 sailors. The entry of these maritime teams into the peninsula has become one of the diplomatic friction points surrounding the Gibraltar agreement and the removal of a barrier that previously required checks in the port. Gibraltar prefers to keep checks out of the public port, avoiding police presence on the rock.
Legal currents
The flow of ships is described as legal, tracing back to treaties that predate the modern era. A former Spanish sailor, cited in El Periódico de España, notes that the flow accompanies the historical realities of the region and the strategic role of Gibraltar as a naval base. The Royal Navy uses the port as a logistical anchor for missions in the Gulf of Guinea, drawing vessels closer to operations in that area than if they remained docked in the British Isles. Observers say ships sometimes enter the port to fly a flag and reassure the local community that the British presence remains in place.
While the bigger destroyers command attention, the smaller patrol boats are where tense moments can arise. The Gibraltar Team, including vessels such as HMS Cutlass and HMS Dagger, often accompanies Spanish ships moving toward Algeciras when they travel through the Bay of Gibraltar. Some observers describe a sense of competition over the waters, though in many cases the Spanish ships simply pass by with minimal friction. On occasion, the interactions have made the situation more palpable, but they are not the norm.
With the docking of nuclear submarines there are occasional diplomatic complaints, as described by knowledgeable sources. Last September, the Rhode Island, one of the world’s largest submarines, berthed at Gibraltar, drawing attention from environmental groups such as Verdemar, which warned about potential risks to nearby communities. The matter intersects with ongoing nuclear protocols and regional environmental surveillance measures and sits amid a broader North Atlantic and Mediterranean strategic dynamic.
The scene is framed by a broader alliance context. The United Kingdom and Spain maintain their shared NATO partnership, with British naval movements in the region included in joint exercises and operations. In a notable recent event, Britain’s HMS Prince of Wales participated as the flagship in a NATO exercise hosted in the area, while other allied vessels visited Spanish ports in the same month. A hospital ship from the Royal Navy’s auxiliary fleet also made a port call in another Spanish port as part of cooperation within the alliance.