The Royal Navy’s support facility at the Bahraini port of Mina Salman, opened in 2018, has enabled warships to operate for longer in the region without having to return to Britain every six months for routine maintenance.

The Royal Navy said the new crewing model has been designed to “spare warships the lengthy passage to and from Britain, time which could be spent on patrol in the Middle East”.

HMS Montrose is the first major warship to adopt the dual-crew rotational manning model.

Retired Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe said the new system was cheaper and allowed the crews to work harder when deployed for “short bursts”.

“Tasking has not got narrower just because they’re there for longer,” he told the Telegraph.

“The fuel that would be used to and from the UK is wasted fuel; there’s a lot of fuel going into just getting the ship home.

“We must get away from the old model of thinking only a permanent ship’s company provides cohesion.

“This is not lessening the value of the cap badge.”