Bahrain based minehunter HMS Chiddingfold has ‘new owners’ in the form of Crew 3 from the Hunt class Mine Countermeasures Squadron.
They’ve flown out from their native Portsmouth to take charge of the ship into early 2017.
The ship is stationed in the region for an extended period of time, requiring crews to swap over every once in a while.
According to the Royal Navy, in the latest switchover of sailors running the Royal Navy’s four-strong minehunter force in Bahrain, Crew 3 are the proud ‘owners’ of HMS Chiddingfold into early 2017.
Before heading to the Gulf, the crew conducted extensive training in one of Chid’s Hunt-class sister ships off the west coast of Scotland – everything from solo exercises to large-scale international war games such as the twice-yearly Joint Warrior, run from Faslane.
Lt Cdr James Baker said:
“My crew trained hard to ensure that they were ready to make the most out of Chiddingfold’s modern mine hunting technology. Many of my sailors have deployed to the Gulf before but for many others it is a new and exciting experience.
Whilst deployed we will visit ports in neighbouring countries so that we can train alongside the navies of our regional partners and enjoy getting to know their countries and culture.”
As the “new owners”, Crew 3 re-tested all of the ship’s sensors and weapons to ensure that she is fully operational before beginning an autumn of exercises and patrols in company with RN, US and other coalition navies operating in the region.
