Homecoming for minehunter HMS Bangor 25.11.11
8The crew of a Royal Navy minehunter involved in operations off the coast of Libya have been reunited with relatives today. Friends and family lined the quayside to watch HMS Bangor sail into its home port of HM Naval Base Clyde at Faslane this morning Around 35 men and women spent 120 days at sea in the Mediterranean clearing mines off Libya as the battle against Gaddafi's regime raged. The Sandown-class ship found and destroyed a 2,400lb (1,089kg) mine and a torpedo as it scoured the seabed off the Libyan port of Tobruk. Lieutenant Commander Neil Marriott said: "To find two pieces of ordnance and destroy them safely was a great result for my ship's company. We were hunting for mines from June, working from port to port, and a success like that meant shipping into Libya is that much safer." Petty Officer Steve Moss, operations room supervisor, said: "On the Tobruk task we saw several items which looked about the size of a mine, and two of them turned out to be real. "It's not a regular thing to happen, so we're really pleased we found them and we were able to destroy them." After Colonel Gaddafi's regime fell, the operational pace dropped and HMS Bangor completed the final task into Sirte before starting the journey home. HMS Bangor was initially bound for a NATO task in the North Sea but was scrambled to Libya for the higher-priority work. Lt Cdr Marriott said it was the first deployment for many of the crew. "Each and every one of us is looking forward to a warm welcome in base port and to being reunited with loved ones before spending Christmas at home for some well-deserved rest and relaxation," he said. HMS Bangor is one of seven Sandown-class minehunters, five of which are based on the Clyde, with another two permanently deployed in the Persian Gulf. The vessels are made of glass-reinforced plastic to prevent them from triggering mines and are said to be expert at clearing seaways to allow larger ships to pass more safely.