Royal Navy: HMS Medusa restored by sailors at HMS Collingwood in Gosport ahead of D-Day 80th anniversary

Maintenance work and a fresh coat of paint were given to HMS Medusa by sailors at HMS Collingwood in Gosport. The ship comes out of the water for five days each Spring for maintenance and other checks.

Personnel from Victory Squadron were involved in the cleaning and a process of painting underwater known as antifouling. Alan Watson OBE, HMS Medusa’s captain, said the HMS Collingwood personnel were an enormous help in carrying out the engineering tasks.

“This year is a special one for HMS Medusa as it’s the 80th anniversary of the D-Day where she was a navigational leader for Omaha beach,” he said. “We always take a pride in the ships appearance but this year she needed to be extra smart and the Collingwood team have made that happen.”

The vessel acted as a marker for minesweepers at D-Day, allowing them to to cut a passage to the beaches. She is the last remaining Harbour Defence Motor Launch class ship to be in its original condition, out of nearly 500 vessels of her type.

Probationary Leading Engineering Technician Allen, who took part in the maintenance week, said: “I found it very useful and insightful being able to shadow the engineers onboard. It was great to experience some hands-on work as this is not something we have done during our Phase One training.

“There was a tour of the ship and we took a look inside the engine room, which gave us all a taste of what we can expect in our Naval careers. We were honoured to be working on such a historic ship.” HMS Medusa’s hull was painted in a specially mixed “western approaches grey” colour to match the channel water.

Special attention was also given to the propellers and shafts to make sure they were spotlessly cleaned. The ship’s anodes were replaced, the steering gear was checked and the hull openings and valves were also looked over.

PLET Allen said: “The crew and volunteers were very generous and shared their stories about HMS Medusa. After sanding and painting the vessel, it was satisfying to see her looking brand new again. The staff were very accommodating providing refreshments for all the VS helping hands. Everyone who took part would be happy to go again.”