Global events over the past 18 months have meant that one small Naval unit based at the edge of a foreign land has had to transform itself to meet the fast-paced changes that followed from September 11, 2001.

Assuming a new operational role that takes up 24 hours of every day, the sailors of the Gibraltar Squadron are working to the limit to protect the warships of Britain and the rest of the world that arrive at this British territory.

Historically Gibraltar was important as a crucial staging post, and little has changed. It is still a key strategic chokepoint through which huge volumes of shipping pass on its journey from East to West and back again along this narrow passage between the continents of Europe and Africa.

A sight familiar to the visitors looking out from the upper terraces of the Rock for over a decade, small grey ships continue to patrol the Mediterranean Sea. But where once the White Ensign flew to mark the limit of British rule, now post-September 11, a new chapter has begun in the life of the Gibraltar Squadron.

The threat of terrorism is being focused down on to nomadic groups operating around the world from the hills and valleys of the remote Middle East and Africa, and now Gibraltar has a new prominence.

As Lt Cdr Chris Pillar, Commanding Officer of the Gibraltar Squadron, pointed out: “We’re at the strategic crossroads of the world.”

And so the role of the Squadron has changed. Just over a year ago, its operational function was important but gentle – now it is vital and pressurised.

Cdr Andy Johnson, in charge of operations in Gibraltar, explained: “The tempo was moved up after September 11. Anybody coming out to the Squadron now wouldn’t recognise it.”

He added: “There is nowhere safer to come because they have worked incredibly hard to keep Gibraltar safe.”

For a majority of each day, the Royal Navy team is patrolling the waters of Gibraltar, checking vessels and escorting warships and auxiliaries of all nations into the busy harbour. For the 19 men in the unit, the work is hard, with long, cold hours spent on the water.

Lt Cdr Pillar summed up Gibraltar’s importance as an operating base in simple terms: “We are 1,000 miles up-threat. We are four days sailing and 1,000 miles closer to the likely trouble spots.”

Last summer a suspected Al Qaeda terrorist cell was arrested in North Africa. This highlighted the danger to Gibraltar and shipping in the straits posed by terrorist units coming from the shores of Africa, just 14 miles away.

As a result, the work of the Squadron became more intense, and the hours on the water longer as Operation Lonigan called the boats into almost non-stop operational patrols.

“We went for it hammer and tongs, and established a level of force protection that makes everybody happier,” said Lt Cdr Pillar. “There’s been a quantum change in activity on the water. This is a very busy anchorage and ships need to be protected.”

The Squadron has two ships, currently the P2000 Archer-class Patrol Ships HMS Trumpeter and Ranger, the first P2000s in the Royal Navy to be armed with General Purpose Machine Guns.

But two Lifespan Patrol Vessels (LPV), Grey Fox and Grey Wolf, have recently arrived from Northern Ireland. The two vessels will be commissioned into the Navy to fly the White Ensign, and will bear the names HMS Scimitar and Sabre.

The new ships – because of their service in the inland waterways of Northern Ireland – have different capabilities to the existing P2000s, and the decision is yet to be taken over the eventual size and shape of the Squadron.

These four vessels are supported in their patrols by three 24 Arctic Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs) crewed by armed personnel. The RIB patrol is wet and windswept but these little craft soar and swoop on the crest of waves with a remarkable turn of speed.

As an indication of the Squadron’s workload, in September visiting ships were alongside at Gibraltar for 29 days, with the P2000s and LPVs spending 137 hours on the water and the RIBs racking up a massive 334 hours, and each ship, each berth, each tug were checked by the unit’s small diving team.

On limited resources and limited manning, this small unit is winning the praise of tough and demanding customers.

The diligence and support on the water of the Gibraltar Squadron has won them acclaim from visiting warships, particularly American vessels sensitised from the events of September 11 and the attack on the USS Cole in Aden.

USS Mahan sent a message in July: “Host nation force protection was outstanding”; reinforced by USS Vicksburg a month later: “Host nation escort of Vicksburg into Gibraltar was exceptional”.

British ships have added their praise for the hard work of the Squadron; the Type 22 frigate HMS Sheffield, now decommissioned, said: “Best force protection seen in the Mediterranean”, and HMS Ark Royal observed: “Shielding of exit track was efficient and impressive”.

The operation has a very joint aspect – Army troops from the Royal Gibraltar Regiment are now on the boats patrolling and watching the waters around the Rock with their Naval colleagues, while the Gibraltar Service Police patrol the harbour and jetty once the Squadron’s divers and RAF firearms and explosives dogs have given the all-clear.

This focus on security has seen other paybacks. The increased time on the water has seen a growth in the assistance offered to the local civil organisations, particularly the Royal Gibraltar Police.

One of the Squadron’s RIBs recently played a role in the capture by the Customs authorities of a suspected drug smuggler shuttling between the coasts of Africa and Europe. In November the Gibraltarian authorities called for help to recover the body of a Spanish diver.

The Squadron Clearance Diving Element form an eight-man unit of six divers and two engineers, their numbers bolstered by a further two Americans loaned to the unit on a six-month basis.

Very little of their work is taken up with explosive ordnance disposal, with only two such incidents in 2002; the majority of the divers’ time is spent supporting Operation Lonigan.

CPO (Diver) Hank Hancock, who heads the Clearance Diving Element, said: “We do work hard here, but it’s a good draft.”

The long hours and big changes have had an impact on the lives of all those in the Squadron and their families, the support from whom is a debt that everyone fully credits.

“It’s not what I expected,” said CPO Garry Henderson, MEO of HMS Trumpeter who joined the Squadron soon after the changes. “What I expected was easier than this. But I suppose if its operational, it’s going to be hard. But it’s not what the families expected.”

CPO Simon Oughton, MEO of Ranger, added: “We were used to a different, more manageable routine before September 11 – because it has been such a drastic change is what has made it harder for the families.”

Lt Cdr Pillar concluded: “We are a professional bunch doing a fine job in a real operational situation, but with long hours and limited resources.

“We’re successful and here to stay. The metamorphosis of the Squadron is ongoing, and the future shape of the unit is not yet clear. But we will change and adapt to meet whatever the future brings.”