She gained a battle honour when she was among the first coalition ships into Umm Qasr during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. She was part of a group of mine countermeasure vessels that cleared a mined channel into the port, enabling access to it by sea.[6]
2011 Libya operations
In 2011 she took part in surveillance and embargo operations off the coast of Libya alongside HMS Liverpool, as part of Operation Ellamy, the UK's contribution to Operation Unified Protector.[7] In early May 2011, she took part in a mine-clearing operation to secure the waters of Misrata Port, Libya, after mines were dropped by Muammar Gaddafi's forces to prevent aid from being delivered to the besieged city. Brocklesby used her sonar and SeaFox mine disposal system to locate and destroy a mine that was located 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) from the harbour entrance, making the waters safe for aid ships to enter.[8][9]
Brocklesby's commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Jim Byron DSC, said:
The Royal Navy has always had a great reputation for mine clearance and it is precisely this type of operation that shows the world just how good we are. We are extremely proud that we could use our skills and knowledge to open that port and allow humanitarian aid back into Libya where it is so desperately needed. Without this capability there could have been hundreds of lives lost through the detonation of that mine.
During 2018 Brocklesby departed the UK's waters and transited to the Middle East as part of the British commitment to promoting stability in the region. Operation Kipion saw four British minehunters, as well as other warships, spend approximately three years forward deployed. The squadron is capable of operating both independently and as part of a larger multinational force to ensure the safe flow of oil and trade from the Middle East.[11]Brocklesby's move to the Middle East saw her take responsibility from HMS Middleton, subsequently allowing Middleton to transit back to the UK.[12] In August 2021, Middleton returned to the Gulf to again relieve Brocklesby which redeployed back to the U.K.[13]
