Tearful Royal Navy sailors return to Portsmouth on HMS Ledbury after months of Covid quarantine in the Gulf

Minehunter HMS Ledbury sailed back into her home city yesterday after a three-year mission in the Middle East, protecting critical shipping lanes.

The warship’s 47-strong crew joined the vessel in January as tensions between Iran and American reached boiling point following the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani by the US military.

But months later the coronavirus pandemic swept across the globe, leaving the crew stuck in quarantine since March, spending most of their time on the cramped minehunter in the blistering Gulf heat.

Lieutenant Commander Matt Ellicott, Ledbury’s commanding officer, said the deployment had tested the crew to its limits.

Speaking to The News from Portsmouth Naval Base, he said: ‘With the current high regional tensions, the added challenge of Covid has just made everything all the more challenging.

‘Many of the crew have not left a military establishment since March. It’s the first time I have had to undergo anything like that. But we have achieved it.

‘It’s certainly the most unusual and up there with one of the most challenging jobs in my career.’

Their deployment saw the ship spend 116 days at sea, with their anti-mine drone Seafox launched on 57 occasions, and 88 dives carried out by the ship's clearance diving teams.

Chief Petty Officer Darren Hills, the ship’s weapon engineering officer, said he welled up as he saw families cheering them home from the Round Tower in Old Portsmouth.

The 35-year-old, of Gosport, who believes the latest tour of the Gulf was his sixth, added: ‘This has been one of the most challenging deployments as we have essentially been in quarantine since March. It has been a mental challenge for everyone onboard and as the head of department it was my job to bring the team together and lift their spirits.’

Able Seaman (Mine Warfare) Harvey Burns was on his first deployment since joining the navy more than two years ago,

The 23-year-old, of Blackpool, said: ‘This was an experience to say the least. At first it wasn’t so bad. But then when Covid hit in March it became a struggle. We were quarantined quite a lot and weren’t allowed ashore. We were ship-bound. It was definitely a task.

‘Coming back into Portsmouth really played on the heartstrings. It was quite emotional.’

It wasn’t all plain sailing for the crew, which faced 60knt winds and four-metre swells on their return journey home.

Leading Diver Liam Boardman, 33, of Waterlooville, said it was a relief to be back. The dad-of-two, who was on his second tour of the Middle East, said: ‘This deployment has had everything – highs, lows, fears, everything. I’m really looking forward to getting back to the family and catching up.

‘Coming back into Portsmouth was amazing. I didn’t think it would affect me… I had to file away a couple of tears.’

Lt Cdr Ellicott praised his crew for all their efforts over the past nine months and added: ‘I’m supremely proud of the crew. It is going to take a little while for it to dawn on them how much they have overcome. They are exhausted, I’m sure, but they should be extremely proud.’

Commissioned in 1981, Ledbury is the oldest seafaring warship in the navy. She now faces a brief period of maintenance in Portsmouth before returning to sea around the UK later this year.

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