(NSI News Source Info) LONDON - June 2, 2009: Two Royal Navy ships deployed today and one last week on three separate operations to Iraq, the Horn of Africa and West Africa.
HMS Kent
HMS Kent is a Type 23 Duke class frigate of the British Royal Navy, and the twelfth ship to bear the name.
HMS Kent's lineage boasts sixteen Battle Honours from the three given to the first Kent of 46 guns built in 1653, to the five awarded to the ninth and tenth Kents of World War I and World War II. Sponsored by HRH Princess Alexandra, HMS Kent was launched on 28 May 1998.
Built by BAE Systems Marine (formerly Marconi Marine) at Scotstoun in Scotland, she was commissioned on 8 June 2000 and was the first ship to enter Royal Navy service in the 21st Century. She is currently based in Portsmouth under the command of Commander Hopper.*
HMS Kent - one of the Royal Navy's advanced Type 23 frigates, sailed from Portsmouth Naval Base today, Monday 1 June 2009, for Iraq where she will be supporting the UK's ongoing commitment to promoting stability in the Middle East. Type 22 frigate HMS Cumberland deployed from Plymouth on 25 May 2009 on its second visit to the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa where she will contribute to a range of maritime security operations including counter-smuggling (arms and drugs), counter-terrorism and counter-piracy.The Royal Naval survey ship HMS Enterprise also left Plymouth today for at least two years on an extended deployment to West Africa and plans to spend three months in the region before transiting through the Mediterranean to begin operations east of Suez later in the year.
HMS Kent - In the past few months HMS Kent's 174 sailors have been preparing to ensure she is ready to deploy away from the UK for approximately six months, with every member involved with the maintenance, trials and training packages required to ensure that she is able to sustain operations around the world.
The ship's primary mission is in the Gulf, assisting the Iraqis in maintaining security around the oil terminals.
Although the reduction of UK forces in Iraq progresses, the Royal Navy continues to provide security for Iraq's offshore energy infrastructure and territorial integrity, as well as providing training for the Iraqi Navy.
HMS Kent's Commanding Officer, Commander Simon Hopper, said:
"My team has worked extremely hard to prepare for what is the Royal Navy's core business, deploying operational warships around the world. Our role in Op Telic is crucial to supporting the recovery of the Iraqi economy and promoting greater peace and stability in the region.
"I am also very proud to be representing the UK's wider interests abroad, fostering relationships with our global partners over the next six months."
HMS Cumberland 
HMS Cumberland (F85) is a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1986 and commissioned on 10 June 1989. The frigate was on station during the First Gulf War. Cumberland is part of the sixth frigate squadron and is part of the Devonport Flotilla based at Devonport Dockyard.
HMS Cumberland - Since returning to the UK in December 2008, HMS Cumberland has undergone significant maintenance work on her propulsion and weapons systems and received an upgrade to her seaboats.
Once this was completed, the ship undertook a six-week trials and training period to ensure that she is prepared to the highest level to undertake this current operation.
Speaking before the deployment, HMS Cumberland's Commanding Officer, Captain David Dutton OBE, said:
"Cumberland is well prepared for this deployment. We are going to an area recognised internationally as one of the most unstable parts of the world.
"However, the UK is committed to maintaining a national and coalition presence in the region and all of us in Cumberland are looking forward to and ready to face the challenges ahead."
Cumberland is contributing to a range of maritime security operations which include counter-smuggling (arms and drugs), counter-terrorism and counter-piracy.
Cumberland's newly-installed Pacific 24 rigid hull inflatable boats are key to these roles and will allow the ship's embarked Royal Marines and Royal Navy boarding teams, in conjunction with the ship's Lynx aircraft, to intercept and board any vessels suspected of being involved in these activities.
HMS Enterprise 
HMS Enterprise (H88), the tenth ship to bear this name, is a multi-role Survey Vessel - Hydrographic Oceanographic (SVHO) of the Royal Navy. She has a sister ship, HMS Echo.
Built by Appledore Shipbuilders under the prime contractor Vosper Thornycroft, Enterprise was launched on 27 April 2002, officially named by the ship's sponsor, Lady Sally Forbes, at her naming ceremony on 2 May 2002, and commissioned 18 October 2003.
Enterprise is designed to collect an array of military hydrographic and oceanographic data both on and off the continental shelf, and to support mine warfare and amphibious operations. She is designed and built to Lloyd's Naval Ship Rules.
HMS Enterprise - This will be HMS Enterprise's second two-year stint since coming into service. The previous deployment took the ship to Africa, round the Cape of Good Hope, and through the Indian Ocean and the Straits of Hormuz into the Gulf before heading home via the Mediterranean.
Since returning early last year, the ship has undergone significant maintenance and upgrade work. She has also completed operational sea training with staff of the Flag Officer Sea Training organisation, culminating in her contribution to the NATO exercise, Joint Warrior, off the coast of West Scotland last month.
Commander Adam James, the Commanding Officer of HMS Enterprise, said:
"HMS Enterprise is well prepared for this deployment. We will be travelling to some potentially unstable parts of the world and we are ready in all respects to face the challenges ahead. There remains a lot of work to be done in the coastal regions of West Africa and this is also a prime opportunity to enhance defence relations in this part of the world."
Once on-station the ship will begin her task of assuring freedom of navigation for military and civilian mariners by using her bathymetric and oceanographic operations. She will therefore ensure access to those parts of the world the UK has an interest in while enhancing defence relations and promoting the wider interests of the UK.
HMS Enterprise is an Echo Class survey vessel launched in 2003. She is a watch rotation ship which means she will stay away from her homeport for the whole of the two years with crews relieved direct from the UK, enabling her to benefit from no breaks in her programme. The crew numbers 75 men and women, with about 50 on board at any one time. This class is designed for military oceanographic and water-profile data-gathering using multi-beam sonars. She is armed with guns.
HMS Cumberland (F85) is a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1986 and commissioned on 10 June 1989. The frigate was on station during the First Gulf War. Cumberland is part of the sixth frigate squadron and is part of the Devonport Flotilla based at Devonport Dockyard.
HMS Cumberland - Since returning to the UK in December 2008, HMS Cumberland has undergone significant maintenance work on her propulsion and weapons systems and received an upgrade to her seaboats.
Once this was completed, the ship undertook a six-week trials and training period to ensure that she is prepared to the highest level to undertake this current operation.
Speaking before the deployment, HMS Cumberland's Commanding Officer, Captain David Dutton OBE, said:
"Cumberland is well prepared for this deployment. We are going to an area recognised internationally as one of the most unstable parts of the world.
"However, the UK is committed to maintaining a national and coalition presence in the region and all of us in Cumberland are looking forward to and ready to face the challenges ahead."
Cumberland is contributing to a range of maritime security operations which include counter-smuggling (arms and drugs), counter-terrorism and counter-piracy.
Cumberland's newly-installed Pacific 24 rigid hull inflatable boats are key to these roles and will allow the ship's embarked Royal Marines and Royal Navy boarding teams, in conjunction with the ship's Lynx aircraft, to intercept and board any vessels suspected of being involved in these activities.
HMS Enterprise HMS Enterprise (H88), the tenth ship to bear this name, is a multi-role Survey Vessel - Hydrographic Oceanographic (SVHO) of the Royal Navy. She has a sister ship, HMS Echo.
Built by Appledore Shipbuilders under the prime contractor Vosper Thornycroft, Enterprise was launched on 27 April 2002, officially named by the ship's sponsor, Lady Sally Forbes, at her naming ceremony on 2 May 2002, and commissioned 18 October 2003.
Enterprise is designed to collect an array of military hydrographic and oceanographic data both on and off the continental shelf, and to support mine warfare and amphibious operations. She is designed and built to Lloyd's Naval Ship Rules.
HMS Enterprise - This will be HMS Enterprise's second two-year stint since coming into service. The previous deployment took the ship to Africa, round the Cape of Good Hope, and through the Indian Ocean and the Straits of Hormuz into the Gulf before heading home via the Mediterranean.
Since returning early last year, the ship has undergone significant maintenance and upgrade work. She has also completed operational sea training with staff of the Flag Officer Sea Training organisation, culminating in her contribution to the NATO exercise, Joint Warrior, off the coast of West Scotland last month.
Commander Adam James, the Commanding Officer of HMS Enterprise, said:
"HMS Enterprise is well prepared for this deployment. We will be travelling to some potentially unstable parts of the world and we are ready in all respects to face the challenges ahead. There remains a lot of work to be done in the coastal regions of West Africa and this is also a prime opportunity to enhance defence relations in this part of the world."
Once on-station the ship will begin her task of assuring freedom of navigation for military and civilian mariners by using her bathymetric and oceanographic operations. She will therefore ensure access to those parts of the world the UK has an interest in while enhancing defence relations and promoting the wider interests of the UK.
HMS Enterprise is an Echo Class survey vessel launched in 2003. She is a watch rotation ship which means she will stay away from her homeport for the whole of the two years with crews relieved direct from the UK, enabling her to benefit from no breaks in her programme. The crew numbers 75 men and women, with about 50 on board at any one time. This class is designed for military oceanographic and water-profile data-gathering using multi-beam sonars. She is armed with guns.
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