"Time for some TLC": Royal Navy's solo Middle East minehunter HMS Middleton heads into maintenance period
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A Royal Navy minehunter is undergoing a maintenance period following a busy series of operations in the Gulf.
HMS Middleton, a Hunt-class mine countermeasure vessel that calls Portsmouth her home in the UK, will be overseen by engineers. She is currently based in Bahrain, assigned to Operation Kipion.
A social media statement said: “Time for some TLC! We've carefully placed the Ship into a floating dry dock for some routine maintenance. An essential part of keeping us ready for Royal Navy operations in the Middle East.”
The maintenance period is the ship’s five-yearly inspection from the Lloyds Register and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. She is currently in the floating dry dock in Manama, Bahrain. HMS Middleton is the solo active minehunter in the Middle East.
HMS Lancaster, the forward deployed Type 23 Duke-class frigate that recently seized £35m worth of drugs from two vessels in the area, is due to leave the Middle East ahead of being disposed of - meaning the Royal Navy would lack a conventional warship there. HMS Chiddingfold, previously assigned to Operation Kipion, sailed back to Portsmouth in April this year.
Operation Kipion involves the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary carrying out patrols in the Gulf, often with members of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) partnership. British patrols have been undertaken since 1980 following the Iran-Iraq war. The aim is to protect merchant sailing in an often volatile region, with mine-clearance being a major part of this.
Some upgrades have already been made to HMS Middleton. Her sonar dome was given a fresh cover in early October. A statement from the ship said this was not a typical maintenance job, with the task requiring “careful coordination, sound leadership, and a team that can deliver under pressure”. It was described as a vital upgrade.
Her ship’s company also trialled their torpedo-shaped underwater robot Remus in September, which is built for mine detection, seabed mapping, and environmental surveys.