RFA Lyme Bay reaches Cyprus ahead of Hormuz mission

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship RFA Lyme Bay has arrived in Cyprus following a spell of intensive training in the Mediterranean, as the vessel prepares for a potential mission to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, the Royal Navy has said.

Packed with some of the most advanced autonomous and remote-controlled minehunting equipment in the world, along with around 100 expert mine warfare and diving personnel, the ship sailed from Gibraltar a couple of weeks ago.

Both the 60 or so Royal Fleet Auxiliary crew who run Lyme Bay and the embarked forces who provide the mine warfare expertise were put through thorough training, the navy said, given the likelihood of operating in harm’s way in one of the most volatile places on the planet.

The training covered fires, flooding, breakdowns, power failures and the treatment of mock casualties, delivered by a team of Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary specialists from Plymouth who mentored and assessed the ship’s company as the scenarios built in intensity. Lyme Bay’s second-in-command, Chief Officer Steven McCubbin, said the training was “testing” and “realistic”, adding that he was “really pleased at how everyone has pulled together.” First Officer Paul Creek, one of the trainers from the navy’s Flag Officer Sea Training organisation, said it had been good to see the ship’s company “really engaged” and executing effective training that had resulted in strong progression.

The ship has been conducting a crew change in Limassol, taking on supplies and embarking additional mine warfare specialists. Traditionally a vessel that supports Royal Marines amphibious operations, Lyme Bay spent several weeks in Gibraltar being modified for her new role as a mine warfare mothership, the floating base from which uncrewed boats, underwater sensors and autonomous sonar systems are deployed to find and clear mines.