Last salute for the Mighty Manch

SALUTING the ship which has served the nation for 30 years – and which he has commanded for the past two – Commander Rex Cox bids farewell to HMS Manchester.

The destroyer formally bowed out of the Senior Service this morning as she was decommissioned in Portsmouth Naval Base.

Having sailed the equivalent of 35 times around the globe, Manchester – known affectionately by her 250 sailors as the Mighty Manch or Busy Bee – will sail no more as she makes way for the next generation of destroyers gradually entering service.

Last sight of the Busy Bee at sea as HMS Manchester pays off

THERE’S the very last chance to see HMS Manchester sailing under her own steam under the White Ensign on Thursday.

The venerable destroyer makes her final entry to Portsmouth before decommissioning after 29 years’ service.

The last duty for the Type 42 – currently to be seen on Channel 5 on Mondays in Royal Navy: Caribbean Patrol – is to thank loved ones for their support down the years.

That comes courtesy of a ‘families day’ – basically showing relatives (young and old) of the 260 ship’s company what the ship can do, laying on a bit of a show for them.

The ‘Mighty Manch’/’Busy Bee’ has already said her goodbyes to her namesake city with a service of thanksgiving followed by a (very wet) march through the streets of Manchester (and chance to dry out at a reception in the city hall).

HMS Manchester says her farewells

THERE’S a last chance to see the Busy Bee in the North West from tomorrow as HMS Manchester pays her final visit before decommissioning.

The veteran destroyer, which has served her nation for nearly 30 years, pays off later this month in her home port of Portsmouth.

Before doing so, however, she is saying ‘thank you’ to her friends and affiliates across Manchester and Lancashire (aka God's Own County).

Low(ish) bridges over the Manchester Ship Canal and the Type 42 destroyer’s tall mast preclude the ship herself sailing into the heart of the northern metropolis.

Instead, the Busy Bee (she takes her nickname from the insects on her ship’s badge which, in turn, traces its history back to the city’s role in the industrial revolution) will berth at Liverpool’s Cruise Liner Terminal around 10am tomorrow with the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Cllr Mark Hackett,  aboard.