HMS Monmouth to Take Over Royal Navy’s Deployment to the Gulf

Plymouth-based Royal Navy warship HMS Monmouth is ready to take over the Royal Navy’s deployment to the Gulf during the winter and spring to maintain the continuous British presence.

The Type 23 frigate and crew of 215 left Plymouth earlier this summer and will be policing busy shipping lanes crucial to maritime trade in order to protect shipping by acting to disrupt and deter piracy and other illegal activities at sea.

To keep the ship at a high level of readiness takes a lot of training and hard work, so during the ship’s transit to the region the crew has been taking part in a wide variety of physical and military exercises to keep themselves tuned and ready for operations.

A period in the Eastern Mediterranean allowed the weapon engineering department to take advantage of a NATO training exercise in Crete and prove the accuracy of all sensors and weapon systems onboard.

This also allowed the ship’s Royal Navy and Royal Marine boarding teams to participate in multiple boarding exercises with Greek forces.

One dramatic element of the training was ‘fast roping’ down to the ship from a Lynx helicopter operated and maintained by members of the ship’s flight from 815 squadron which are embarked for the deployment. The warfare department has also provided gun shoots and small-arms firings.

Whilst shooting, fast-roping and simulated boarding of small boats took place above decks the chefs are cooking for up to 215 personnel and still find time to make a replica chocolate version of Nelson’s flagship Victory for the Wardroom’s Trafalgar night dinner.

Meanwhile, the sailors themselves are being fine tuned with Physical Training instructor Leading Physical Trainer Danny Card running boxing circuits and early morning workouts each day to keep them fighting fit. He said:

“Almost 100% of the ship’s company are in date for their standard fitness test and the majority are highly motivated to get fitter during the deployment.

“There is a high demand for lots of different types of fitness training with every range of fitness represented taking part in physical exercise onboard each day.”

This is a busy period for the ships company to add on to the months of operational training they had before leaving the UK – if called into action the crew of HMS Monmouth is ready in all respects as they join their patrol area.

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Naval Today Staff, November 19, 2012; Image: RN