Navy mine hunter finishes deployment with a bang
10 Dec 09
Royal Navy mine hunter HMS Quorn has successfully completed a challenging multi-national exercise in the Baltic, closing out a five-month deployment as part of a NATO task group.
A plume of water rises from the sea as a Second World War mine is safely detonated by the crew of Royal Navy mine hunter HMS Quorn
[Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]
The 1,000-tonne, Hunt Class mine hunter has been deployed with Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) since July and has seen operations on both sides of the Atlantic.
The recent Danish-led mine countermeasures (MCM) exercise in the southern Baltic marked HMS Quorn's final commitment with SNMCMG1 and involved a complex, multi-threat scenario which thoroughly tested the ships' warfare capabilities, from MCM and gunnery against remote-controlled threats, through to damage control.
HMS Quorn finished the exercise by disposing of a dangerous remnant of the Second World War, a 700kg mine.
Lieutenant Commander Tim Neild, the ship's Commanding Officer, said:
"This has been a very successful deployment for Quorn. We have showcased the Royal Navy's world-class MCM capability on both sides of the Atlantic alongside our NATO colleagues.
HMS Quorn at sea (stock image)
[Picture: Petty Officer (Photographer) Tony Leather, Crown Copyright/MOD 2001]
"The Danish-led MCM exercise is a fitting way to close out the deployment before we return home to Portsmouth for Christmas."
Quorn is coming to the end of a five-month deployment with the NATO group which included a visit to New York in September to commemorate the tragic events of 9/11. See Related News >>>
During its deployment, the mine hunter also conducted two major exercises off North America's eastern seaboard, operating closely with the United States and Canadian navies before returning to European waters for further operations with the group.
HMS Quorn and crew will return to Portsmouth for Christmas, after which the vessel is scheduled to undergo an extensive six-month refit preparing it for future operations.