The Tidespring, which provides key support to Britain’s most This dramatic picture captures the moment a Royal Navy battleship was battered by the Beast From the East off the coast of Plymouth.
In scenes reminiscent of disaster movie The Perfect Storm, Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tidespring was rocked from side-to-side as hurricane conditions smashed into it yesterday.
The Tidespring, which provides key support to Britain’s most powerful warship HMS Queen Elizabeth, powered through the thunderous waves and Baltic temperatures.
Footprints in the snow can be seen on the ship as it powers through choppy waters on its way home to Devon.
RFA Tidespring was not accompanying Queen Elizabeth when the photo was taken as she had already docked in Portsmouth.
The tanker is one of three vessels that supports the 280 metre warship, which weighs a mamouth 65,000 tonnes.
Meanwhile, Green Berets from Royal Marines 539 Assault Squadron took a chilly-looking selfie while battling the Beast from the East in an Offshore Raiding Craft.
National Grid has warned it may not have enough gas to meet demand in Britain today, as sub-zero temperatures, icy blasts and ‘blizzard-like’ conditions left drivers stranded for more than 13 hours and airport passengers stuck.
The Met Office has put England under a red weather warning for snow for the first time ever, amid concerns that up to 1ft 8in could fall in the South West along with very strong winds leading to severe drifting.
Storm Emma, rolling in from the Atlantic, is meeting the Beast from the East’s chilly Russia air causing further widespread snowfall and bitter temperatures after the mercury fell as low as -16C (3F) last night.
On the first day of meteorological spring today, temperatures will drop to 11C (12F) during the day as Scotland also remains under a red alert and London Paddington train station was closed due to severe weather.
The National Grid has issued a gas deficit warning’ as fears mount that supplies could run empty. It issued the warning in response to a series of ‘significant supply losses resulting in a forecast end of day supply deficit.