Minehunters sail on protracted mission to the Gulf

FOR the second time in her career, HMS Ramsey has begun the 6,000-mile journey to the Gulf for an extended tour of duty in the Middle East.

The ship left Faslane on Wednesday as the Navy starts to rotate its four-strong minehunting force based in Bahrain.

As befits a protracted deployment – up to four years – the ship was given quite a send-off: friends and families were invited aboard and a short religious service was held, led by Fr Andrew McFadden, chaplain of the Faslane Flotilla, to wish the ship well during the lengthy passage to her new home. Upon sailing tugs squirted their fire hoses in appreciation.

Ramsey spent more than two years in the Gulf, heading home to Scotland in early 2009. After some much-needed TLC and extensive training and exercises in home waters, the Sandown-class ship is ready to resume Gulf duties.

Her role – as well as that of the other RN ships based in Bahrain – is to keep these vital sea lanes free of mines and work with Allied nations and navies in the region.

Rotating the 36-strong ship’s company every six or so months will allow Ramsey to spend so long in the Gulf.

“We are embarking on a great adventure which will be a fantastic experience for the crew,” said Ramsey’s Commanding Officer, Lt Cdr Alex Bush.

“In a ship as small as Ramsey, we all have to work together to get the job done properly – but what a job it is: clearing the seaways for other ships to follow.

“You must remember that 95 per cent of Britain’s trade is still done by sea. This is the Royal Navy’s way of playing its part in keeping those passages safe for trade – as well as for our bigger warships. Those ships – with their steel hulls – couldn’t go into action – without us clearing the way for them first.”

As Ramsey departs, several hundred miles away HMS Quorn is also preparing to leave the UK for Bahrain.

The Hunt-class ship is relieving her sister Chiddingfold and is due to be away from her Portsmouth home for up to three years; her prolonged presence is also sustained thanks to regular crew rotation.

It will take around six weeks for the 23-year-old warship to reach her new operational theatre. On her way to the Middle East she’s due to carry out maritime security sweeps – monitoring shipping and denying criminals/terrorists/pirates the use of the seven seas – as well as acclimatising to the extreme temperatures in the Gulf (upwards of 60°C) once the ship reaches the Red Sea.

If you want to wish Quorn’s 45 sailors god speed, she’s due past Round Tower at 12.05pm on Sunday.a