HMS ‘Grimsby’ Visits East Coast Port after Two Years (UK)

It’s been two years since the Faslane-based warship last had the opportunity to visit the East Coast port, coming alongside Royal Dock in the shadow of the town’s landmark Dock Tower.

 Once safely berthed, sailors had a myriad of duties to perform aboard and ashore: a reception for the ship’s company in Grimsby Civic Hall; a formal lunch for the minehunter’s sponsor, Lady Blackham, and the town’s mayor, Cllr Peggy Elliot; a capability demonstration for invited guests aboard; an open day for Grimbarians, and a charity football match against Humberside Police.

And on a solemn note, the ship’s Commanding Officer Lt Cdr Simon Kelly joined Grimsby’s citizens in paying tribute to the victims of genocide at an event on Holocaust Memorial Day – 69 years to the day the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz was liberated by the Red Army.

Several hundred locals seized the opportunity of the ‘ship open to visitors’ to have a look around – it was, one visitor told the sailors, “it’s too good an opportunity to pass up” – and younger guests delighted in sitting in the captain’s chair on the bridge.

“It’s nice to see people coming to see what their ship is all about. It shows that the people of Grimsby care that their ship, HMS Grimsby, is here,” said Lt Richard Pounder.

The last time the Sandown-class ship called in on the Lincolnshire port, local television station Estuary TV didn’t exist. They joined the minehunter for her entry into harbour, while the local newspaper and BBC also made sure the visit was covered widely in the regional media.

Lt Cdr Kelly said that, as ever, the minehunter had been “warmly welcomed by the people of Grimsby”.

He continued: “It’s also been a golden opportunity for my crew to show our home town how important the job of the mine counter-measures community is throughout the world.

“As a result of the tempo of our work, we rarely have the opportunity to welcome our affiliations onboard and it was encouraging to see the level of interest in the personnel, ship and Royal Navy as a whole throughout the community.

“On top of meeting the people of Grimsby, it was an honour to host our sponsor as well as the Mayor of Grimsby on board.”

The run-out against the police saw the ship come off 4-1 losers – although Humberside Police have something like 4,000 personnel to draw an 11-man team from, whereas HMS Grimsby’s ship’s company numbers little more than 40.

The sole scorer for the sailors was AB(WS(MW)) Lewis Gardiner, who was impressed by the opposition – “an excellent side” – but who also believes Team HMS Grimsby show potential for the rest of the year.

“It’s always difficult getting the practice in as a ship’s team, but I think we put up a good fight and it shows promise for crew’s football team,” he added.

As for his commanding officer, he hopes HMS Grimsby has left her twin town with an excellent impression of the Senior Service and a good understanding of what the RN’s minehunters do at home and abroad.

“The men and women of the mine counter-measures squadrons work incredibly hard under difficult manning conditions, and continually demonstrate how vital it is for these ships to maintain the high tempo of operations around the world,” Lt Cdr Kelly said.

“The Humber is a essential artery of trade for the UK as well as a significant sea lane for Europe and it was heartening to find that the people of Grimsby continue to feel the strong connection with the sea.

 “It is especially gratifying, therefore, to come here and demonstrate how the Royal Navy and the minehunting community support that crucial flow of traffic throughout the world.”

[mappress]

UK Royalnavy, February 6, 2014