Busy HUNTS – The eight (8) 60m Hunt Class of Minecountermeasure Vessels make up the 2^nd Minecountermeasure Squadron based at Portsmouth have had a busy spell, not unusual for this Class.    The “Hunts” are manned by crews that rotate between ships, rather than have single crews allocated to each vessel.    The “Hunts” are all equipped with the SEAFOX mine-disposal vehicle, effective against short and long tethered mines, proud sea-bed mines and floating mines.

The LEDBURY has just sailed for a four month NATO deployment in the Mediterranean and will join the (permanent) multinational maritime force in the area known as Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 2.    The 42 crew of the LEDBURY four months ago returned to the UK having served on board sister ship ATHERSTONE deployed in the Gulf.  The CATTISTOCK has just returned from three months duty with Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 2, making a port call at Poole which is affiliated with the ship.   The Crew 2 on the CATTISTOCK has been deployed for 12 months over the last 16 initially in MIDDLETON deployed in the Gulf.

Divers from the MIDDLETON spent a week in Gibraltar training, with the five strong team making full use of the local facilities and able to practice search techniques, helping stricken divers, lifting mines from the seabed and carrying out underwater repairs.     The MIDDLETON is undergoing a half lift refit which will see the vessel non operational for much of 2013.      The divers are part of Crew 3 and will soon be shifting to the BROCKLESBY which will spend the rest of 2013 around UK waters carrying out route survey work and undergoing training, but next year Crew 3 will undertake a Gulf deployment.   BROCKLESBY and sister HURWORTH took part in the recent Exercise Joint Warrior.    So the current deployment of the HUNT Class is as follows:

UK Waters	Mediterranean	Gulf	Refit
BROCKLESBY	LEDBURY	ATHERSTONE	MIDDLETON
CATTISTOCK		QUORN
CHIDDINGFOLD ++
HURWORTH

++ Has undergone Half Life Refit (2012)

There is a ninth “Hunt” in Royal Navy service, the BRECON having decommissioned in  2005, and in 2008 the ship was taken in hand for use as a static training ship at Jupiter Point HMS RALEIGH (Torpoint).