HMS Gloucester leaves Rosyth after £6m refit

After six months at Babcock Engineering Services at Rosyth Dockyard in Fife, HMS Gloucester this week returned to the Forth from her first sea trials following a major upkeep period. It sees her capabilities as a mainstay of the Royal Navy's air defence force significantly upgraded.

Newly fitted with the latest communications and sensor systems, she is now one of the country's foremost defence assets, able to interact with ease with other elements of both the UK's armed forces and also those of our NATO allies.

In addition to work on her war fighting systems, Gloucester has enjoyed a major package of work on her mechanical systems. Old boilers have been ripped out to be replaced with state-of-the-art environmentally friendly reverse osmosis water making facilities. Her hull has been completely overhauled and she has seen a full repaint of her entire superstructure. The propellers have been upgraded for better power and a transom flap has been added to her hull to improve stability and fuel efficiency.

Having successfully completed her recent package of sea trials, during which she achieved a top speed of 32.5 knots (60km/h), making her one of the UK's fastest warships, she is ready to sail for her imminent tasking as part of the UK's Joint Rapid Reaction Force:

"We are delighted to be returning to sea and regenerating full operational capability," said Commander Mike Paterson, Gloucester's Commanding Officer.

"Having taken delivery of a really major improvement to our already significant air warfare capabilities, Gloucester will form a central element of the Royal Navy's order of battle for years to come. I am extremely grateful to all who have worked so hard to ensure that Gloucester has completed its work in Rosyth on time and is ready to rejoin the Fleet fighting fit."

Proudly affiliated to the City of Gloucester for more than 20 years, members of Gloucester's Ship's Company made a real contribution to the relief work there during the floods of summer 2007. They successfully helped to prevent the flooding of an electricity substation at Walham and ensured continuity of electrical supplies to many hundreds of local residents.

The Ship's Company was delighted to have been invited to take part in the recent carnival in Gloucester; an event that highlighted the very real suffering of the people there during the floods.

"This level of assistance to the civilian community demonstrates the enduring flexibility, resourcefulness and relevance of the Royal Navy and its personnel," Cdr Paterson continued. "It was a great honour to be able to help our friends in Gloucestershire in their hour of need and we were proud to share in their celebration of triumph over adversity."