The incident is a reflection of the ongoing controversy surrounding the British overseas territory, which many in the country believe rightfully belongs to Spain. HMS Sabre, a patrol vessel based with Gibraltar Squadron, carried out a routine shooting exercise, with live ammunition, outside British territorial waters off the Rock, in other words, beyond 12 nautical miles from the coast. Because the British ship had entered Spanish waters, the vastly bigger Spanish warship Audaz approached, although it maintained a safe distance.
An MoD spokesman said: “The MoD can confirm that British Forces Gibraltar personnel carried out a planned routine training exercise in international waters on Saturday May 25.
“As always, safety protocols were followed.”
The Audaz is a patrol boat with 2,500 tons of displacement and a crew of 50 sailors, plus 20 soldiers and helicopter pilots.
It is armed with a 76mm cannon, 25mm anti-aircraft guns and heavy machine guns.
Together with HMS Scimitar, HMS Sabre keeps watch over Gibraltar’s shores and protects British and coalition vessels in the strategically important Strait of Gibraltar.
Earlier this month, HMS Sabre intercepted Infanta Cristina after it spotted in Gibraltar waters on May 6.
A Foreign Office spokesman told the Daily Mail: “We can confirm an incursion by the Spanish navy occurred yesterday.
“As with all incursions, the Royal Navy challenged the vessel.
“When challenged, the Spanish navy vessel left British Gibraltar territorial waters.”
The status of Gibraltar, which Gibraltar has been in British hands since 1713, remains highly controversial.
A referendum held in 2002 resulted in a 99-1 majority in favour of remaining British.
However, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has suggested his country has not given up its historical claim, and the recent Spanish general election campaign was characterised by an uptick in inflammatory rhetoric with respect to the Rock.
Agustin Rosety Fernandez de Castro, a candidate for the far-right Vox party standing in nearby Cadiz, said: “Gibraltarians live in Sotogrande and La Linea de la Concepcion and they do not pay taxes.
“They even get the VAT refund on their purchases.
“While we recover Gibraltar we will make them pay taxes or go live with the monkeys.”
Ashley Fox, Tory MEP for South West England and Gibraltar prior to losing his seat in the recent European elections, told Express.co.uk: “All Spanish parties make provocative comments about this – the recent remarks aren’t that different to what other parties have said in the past.
“When it comes to talking about Gibraltar, it’s probably best to just ignore it and concentrate on the issues at hand.
“There is nothing that I or the Government of Gibraltar can do about it – we just get on with it.”