Mine countermeasures vessels HMS Ledbury and HMS Grimsby have left Portsmouth, the last of the ships to sail for exercises in the eastern Mediterranean as part of the expanded Naval Task Group 2003.

Ledbury, a Hunt-class vessel, and Grimsby, a Sandown-class minehunter, left Portsmouth on Monday and will sail south to join the amphibious task group which has already started to gather in the Mediterranean.

Grimsby is one of the Navy’s newest ships, having been commissioned just over three years ago, while Ledbury is a relative veteran, as she commissioned in 1981.

Also leaving Portsmouth Harbour today is Type 23 frigate HMS Iron Duke – but her ultimate destination is west, rather than east.

The warship has sailed on Atlantic patrol Task (North) duties, which will include anti-drugs patrols with local forces in the Caribbean and central America.

In preparation for the patrol, part of the ship’s company of Iron Duke have been taking part in intensive first-aid training sessions at the First Aid Training Unit in Phoenix Building at HMS Excellent.

Supervised by Surg Lt Phil Hammond, the ship’s Medical Officer, and WOMA Rikki Chamberlain, Iron Duke’s Executive Warrant Officer, the first aiders were put through their paces and faced realistic ‘casualties’ complete with copious amounts of fake blood and make-up.

The exercise served as invaluable top-up training following the whole-ship disaster-relief training which was completed during operational sea training last summer.

LSTD ‘Redders’ Redford, who took part in the first aid day at Whale island, said that “the exercise was extremely realistic, beneficial for all concerned and also good fun.”