Fifteen British navy personnel have been captured at gunpoint by Iranian forces. The men were seized when they boarded a boat in the Gulf, off the coast of Iraq, which they suspected was smuggling cars.

The group of sailors and marines are crew from HMS Cornwall, a type 22 frigate. HMS Cornwall is currently the Gulf Patrol ship, conducting Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIOPS) and is looking out for smugglers. The Royal Navy said the group was on a routine patrol in Iraqi waters and were understood to be unharmed.

The task force's commander, Commodore Nick Lambert, said he was hoping there had been a "simple mistake" over territorial waters. Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has demanded the immediate and safe return of the HMS Cornwall servicemen.

SIMPLY THE BEST - THAT'S THE SEA CADETS !

HMS Cornwall is a Type 22 frigate. She was launched in 1985 and commissioned at Falmouth, Cornwall in 1988. The ship is the first of the Batch 3 Type 22 Frigates, is part of Devonport Flotilla and is affiliated to the County of Cornwall (amongst others).

• The historical role of frigates has been described as being "the eyes and the ears of the Royal Navy's main battle fleets." Modern frigates possess sophisticated command and control and communication facilities, making them ideal flagships.
  
• Type-22s were originally designed as specialist anti-submarine vessels. They have now evolved into surface combatants equally capable of attacking targets in the air, on the surface, or beneath the sea.
  
• Type-22s are well-defended.

	HMS Cornwall Specification: Multi-national force flagship in the northern Gulf Type 22 frigate Crew: 250 (Max 301) Length: 148.1m / 485.9ft Speed: 30 knots