Cheers for Cheery Chid as minehunter completes lengthy Gulf mission

HUGS. Kisses. Tears. Rain.

Yep, pretty much all the usual ingredients for an August homecoming in the UK.

After three and a half years away, HMS Chiddingfold completed her extended Gulf mission this morning by sailing back into Portsmouth.

The Hunt-class minehunter last saw Round and Spinnaker Towers back in January 2008, since when a regular rotation of her ship’s company (changing roughly every six months) has maintained her presence in Bahrain, the hub of the Royal Navy’s operations in the Gulf.

The latest incumbents of the Cheery Chid took charge of the ship back in January, since when they’ve taken part in a series of international exercises, honed the RN’s vital warm water minehunting skills, and paid a rare visit to Umm Qasr to see the progress made by Iraq’s Navy.

Both Chid’s Commanding Officer Lt Cdr Charles Maynard and the ship’s operations officer Lt Pete Davis served with the training team at Umm Qasr before their current appointments on the minehunter – and on their return met many of the Iraqis they trained and mentored.

Lt Cdr Maynard said:

“It was wonderful to return to Iraq and to see the progress that is being made by the Iraqi Navy. For Pete and myself to be able to meet with many of the officers and sailors that we previously served alongside was very special.”

“There is a genuine and lasting bond between the Iraqi Navy and the Royal Navy that goes back many years and so to be able to continue that friendship during our visit was really important.”

Chiddingfold’s companion for the trip up the Khawr abd Allah into Umm Qasr was HMS Grimsby, like Chid one of the quartet of minehunters based in Bahrain.

The Sandown-class ship was Chiddingfold’s companion too for the 6,200 mile journey home from the Gulf (Grimsby’s back in Faslane tomorrow).

Cheery Chid’s navigator Lt James Way explained:

“Planning a passage like this is quite a challenge. Chiddingfold and Grimsby are small ships with limited endurance so port stops have to be carefully considered to ensure we don’t run low on fuel and provisions.”

“There have been things that have tested us along the way, not least the south-west monsoon in the Arabian Sea. However, our training and experience has prevailed allowing us to respond to any eventuality we have encountered while continuing to contribute to international maritime security.”

Challenging though a 6,200-mile transit in a small ship is, the Cheery Chids decided to pile on the pressure by running, rowing and riding the distance courtesy of the relevant keep fit machines on board to raise money for prostate cancer research.

The sailors ran and rode the distance from Bahrain to Aqaba in Jordan (nearly 1,000 miles). The next 3,000-mile stretch to Faro in Portugal was on the rowing machine before it was back on to the cycling and running machines for 1,000 miles to Cherbourg with the final 85-mile leg completed on the rower.

One of the mainstays of the gruelling physical challenge was CPO(MEM) ‘Sharkey’ Ward – so it was only right that he pulled the final strokes, rowing the last stretch to complete the odyssey while the ship herself was still making her way through Biscay.

While the crew enjoy leave (and recover from their cycling, running and rowing exertions), Chid herself will undergo a thorough overhaul (not least new engines).