IN recent weeks HMS Ledbury has left the Mediterranean Sea, where she has been operating on a wide-ranging mine warfare deployment in company with other minehunters from NATO nations.

On passing Gibraltar, the ship ‘turned left’ and ran down the African coast. It really was a case of ‘back with a vengeance’ as Ledbury was immediately hit by rough Atlantic weather – needless to say the coxswain gave lots of seasickness tablets out! There was time, however, for Ledbury and her consorts to practice damage control drills and gunnery.

In company with the rest of the group, Ledbury then paid a visit to the Moroccan port of Agadir, which proved to be a very interesting stop for the ship’s company. Many people from Ledbury travelled to the local ‘souk’ to barter and haggle for trinkets and gifts for family back home, while others sampled local Moroccan cuisine.

As ever, Monday morning meant returning to sea and as the force entered the cool Atlantic again, course was set at north. Another few days of rough weather passed, though there was enough gaps in the cloud to allow the bridge team to spot impressive meteor showers off the Portuguese coast.

Once again, there has been plenty of in-company exercise with the other ships including RAS approaches and station-keeping drills.

This weekend, the ship has been alongside in the Spanish port of Vigo, in the north-western province of Galicia. Here the crew have sampled local seafood and gasped at the massive cruise liners of the jetty nearby – the world’s largest, the Independence of the Seas, and the world’s most famous, the Queen Elizabeth 2.

The ship will shortly return to sea as we head north again, readying ourselves for an intensive period of mine warfare and clearance diving in waters close to home.