Sister ships from different nations met off the East Coast of the United States to honour their common link as D-Day commemorations were still fresh in the mind.

The Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Marlborough met up with the USS Winston S. Churchill for the first time at sea while the British ship was undertaking a series of exercises in the Western part of the Atlantic.

The liaison between the ships honours the link between the first Duke of Marlborough – the title bestowed on John Churchill after his victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704 – and the wartime Prime Minister, a direct descendant of the first Duke.

The link was inaugurated by the then First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Nigel Essenhigh, on the launch of the Winston Churchill, and there is reminder on each ship with the permanent presence of an American officer in the Marlborough and a British officer in the Winston S. Churchill.

The American Aegis destroyer is one of the few in the US Navy that bears the name of a non-American citizen – though Churchill was half American, as his mother was a US national before her marriage.

The ships met for manoeuvres before breaking away to the sound of Anchors Aweigh from the American ship and three cheers from the Marlborough.

The frigate’s Commanding Officer, Cdr Ian Graham, said: “Meeting up with the USS Winston S. Churchill is especially poignant given the weekend’s 60th anniversary of D-Day.

“They were fantastic hosts during our recent visit to Norfolk, Virginia, and we hope to be able to reciprocate soon.”

Marlborough is taking part in Exercise Rapid Alliance, a major amphibious exercise led by the Americans and including forces from Canada, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Australia.

The deployment is part of the Royal Navy’s Aurora task group, and after training, Marlborough will conduct goodwill visits to ports in Maryland and North Carolina, returning to Portsmouth next month.