  |
Minehunting and mapping of Gibraltar's seabed
|
HMS HURWORTH, one of the Royal Navy's HUNT Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels, will be operating from Gibraltar for the next week.
In a rare solo deployment for a ship of her class and size, HMS HURWORTH is on the first week of a 4 month deployment to the Mediterranean, says a Press release from British Forces HQ following our exclusive report and picture earlier this week.
They add: Notably, this is the first Royal Navy Minehunter to visit Gibraltar in over 2 years. Her operations in and around Gibraltar will include trials on her minehunting sonar and detailed mapping of the seabed within the Rock's territorial waters. This work is being done as part of the Royal Navy's routine security check of all United Kingdom and Overseas Territories ports to ensure they remain free for use at all times.
In conjunction with HMS HURWORTH's visit, the Royal Navy's Fleet Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Unit will also be surveying areas around Gibraltar. Using unmanned vehicles with cutting edge technology the Unit are able to scan seabed areas not easily accessible to larger ships, such as HMS HURWORTH. These vehicles represent a significant step towards the Royal Navy's future mine countermeasures vision.
The Ship will also be assisting the Gibraltar Museum in collecting data on the seabed in the approaches to the Harbour when visited yesterday by Doctor Darren Farr, Mrs Geraldine Finlayson and Mr Phillip Smith who involved a local underwater archaeology project.
HMS HURWORTH's Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Jason Horne stated 'It is great to be in Gibraltar. The Ship has a young crew, many of whom have never been outside UK waters before and they are all looking forward to a week in and around the Rock'.
HMS HURWORTH will call into Gibraltar again in December on her way back to Portsmouth.
|
|
|
|
