The Sandown class vessel and her crew were given a rousing welcome from the dozens of family members, friends and loved-ones who gathered to see her safely back home say the Royal Navy.
While on deployment Bangor and Crew 2 from the Faslane-based First Mine Counter Measures Squadron (MCM1) worked alongside US, French, Omani and Kuwaiti allies in the region conducting seabed surveys and on the lookout for maritime mines.
In March, say the Royal Navy, the ship joined RFA Cardigan Bay and HMS Ledbury to participate in Khunjar Hadd (‘Sharp Dagger’) which helped test the ability of the navies to work alongside one another.
Commanding Officer of HMS Bangor, Lieutenant Commander Ben Evans, said:
“It’s been a long but very enjoyable deployment and I am extremely proud of my crew. In the last eight months they have done everything I have asked of them with enthusiasm and style.
They faced many challenges, including the weather and conditions, but they always got the job done. We have carried out training and taken part in many multi-national exercises with our allies and they have always given their best.
It has been an honour to bring HMS Bangor back home.”
A lot more info on what HMS Bangor has been upto:
https://twitter.com/hmsbangor?lang=en
(Chris H) What so many so called ‘experts’ fail to acknowledge is this is the sort of tasking where the Andrew are so good and are so respected around the world. Below the public radar and not a ‘big ship’ but just professionally doing the big job right.
Well done and welcome home HMS Bangor
True. When the tories were doing their usual wrecking job on the forces in 2010 the US made clear that they’d be very unhappy to see anything happen to the MCM ships.
Welcome home!
Let us not forget HMS Middleton, which also returned home recently after deployment to the Gulf.
Welcome home!
PO Andrew Clark asked his girlfriend to marry him when he returned to HMNB Portsmouth on board HMS Middleton. She said Yes!
A branch that needs investing in and possibly even expanding. Not a capability that should be treated as something disposable (!) that can be shoved into a few containers.
They cut 3 of these ships recently! We now only have 12! They keep saying ” the growing RN ” but it’s actually shrinking! Shame on the government!
Well done Bangor.