Sandown Class mine hunter HMS Bangor, which is based at HM Naval Base Clyde, was, yesterday (June 6), deployed to the Mediterranean, to take over from HMS Brocklesby.
Vigilance learnt that HMS Bangor left her home port of HM Naval Base Clyde at Faslane and is travelling to the Mediterranean where she will work to support NATO Forces off the coast of Libya, enforcing UN Security Council Resolution 1973.
Lieutenant Commander Neil Marriott, Commanding Officer of HMS Bangor, said: “Due to recent events in the Mediterranean, in particular around the coast of Libya, the UK has been requested by NATO to keep one mine countermeasure vessel on station in this area. We have been working long and hard in preparation for operational deployment and are proud to be playing an important role helping to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1973.”
An MoD source said since Christmas, HMS Bangor has been put through her paces on Operational Sea Training in preparation for a deployment with the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasure Group to the North Sea, which had been planned for later this year.
She has also completed a major maintenance period, gearing the ship up to sail from UK waters for six months.
Our Defence Team gathered that HMS Bangor is one of seven Sandown class mine hunters – five of the class usually make their ‘home’ at the Scottish base, while two others are on permanent deployment in the Gulf, with the ship’s crews rotating during each deployment.
Built of glass reinforced plastic, the design ensures that the ship is extremely quiet and has a very low magnetic signature, essential when operating in a minefield.
Equipped with the latest precise navigation and manoeuvring systems, which allow it to "hover" over a fixed point and search for mines with a variable depth sonar to depths in excess of 200 metres of water, Bangor can also deploy her clearance divers or latest state of the art submersible to deal with mines or suspicious objects.
It is said HMS Bangor is the ninth of the Sandown class of mine hunters and was built by Vosper Thorneycroft UK Ltd at Woolston, Southampton. She was launched on the 16th April 1999 by Lady Lisa Spencer.