HMS Ledbury joins task force in Med

3:00pm Thursday 4th September 2008

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THE Royal Navy minehunter HMS Ledbury has been deployed in the Mediterranean as part of a NATO task group.

The ship is in coastal waters practising its primary role of minehunting in special-purpose exercise areas and its mine clearance diving team have been diving on dummy mines laid on the sea bed.

The ship set sail from Portsmouth last month and met up with ships from Estonia, Holland, Italy, France and Norway in Plymouth before heading to Lisbon to start the four-month long task.

The crew conducted manoeuvres at sea with the other ships before they went through the Straits of Gibraltar.

Ledbury, the most heavily armed ship currently deployed in the Mediterranean, then arrived in Palma, Mallorca, where it said goodbye to its captain of two years, Lieut-Cmdr Paul Russell, who was replaced by Lieut-Cmdr Chris Nelson.

The ship then headed towards northern Italy where it conducted search and rescue exercises and maritime security sweeps.

The ship will return home for Christmas when members of the company are looking will be renewing links with the town.