HMS Ledbury, the second ship of the name, is a Hunt-classmine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy. She was launched in December 1979 and commissioned on 11 June 1981, the second ship of her class. She cost £65 million at time of building, which was at the time the most expensive cost-per-metre for any class of ship built by the Royal Navy.[2] Most of this cost went into the research and development of Ledbury's glass reinforced plastichull.[5]
Operational history
HMS Ledbury in Portsmouth 2007
Ledbury is attached to the Second Mine Countermeasures Squadron, based in Portsmouth.
Ledbury underwent a docking maintenance period, commencing in June 2009, to fit the new Seafox mine disposal equipment.[7]
2011–present
In 2013, Ledbury twice joined NATO Mine Countermeasure groups, one deployment taking her to the Mediterranean Sea, the other to the Baltic Sea.[8] In June 2014, Ledbury took part in the commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings.[9]
Ledbury entered refit in 2015 during which her engines were replaced with newer, more efficient diesels. Following sea trials, Ledbury took part in Exercise Joint Warrior off the west coast of Scotland. It was announced in March 2017 that Ledbury would deploy to the Persian Gulf later 2017 to relieve sister ship HMS Chiddingfold. It was expected that she would remain in the region for at least three years.[10] She returned to the U.K. in 2020.[11]
^Hoole, Rob (June 2007). "The Forgotten Few of the Falklands". Ton Talk. No. 126. Ton Class Association. Retrieved 15 March 2019 – via Minewarfare & Clearance Diving Officers' Association.
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