Having spent weeks on close escort to the Coalition carriers in the Northern Gulf, destroyer HMS York has been able to pick up her own programme again.

York sailed from Portsmouth in the middle of January as escort to the Fleet Flagship, HMS Ark Royal, though exactly what lay ahead of the Amphibious Task Group was not clear at that point.

Once through the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea, Cdr Richard Powell, Commanding Officer of HMS York, took charge of a Task Unit comprising Royal Fleet Auxiliary Landing Ships Sir Galahad, Sir Tristram and Sir Percivale, as well as the Tanker RFA Brambleleaf and the Primary Casualty Reception unit RFA Argus.

More than 1,500 Army and Royal Marines personnel, together with their associated equipment, were embarked in the ships of the Task Unit, all of whom were safely escorted over 2,000 miles from the Red Sea to the Southern Arabian Gulf by the destroyer.

Shortly after her arrival in the Gulf, York was detached to escort helicopter carrier HMS Ocean to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. This turned out to be York’s last port visit before the conflict in Iraq, and the only visit for the ship until its arrival in Salalah, Oman, some three months later.

In the period leading up to the conflict HMS York was seconded to the US Air Defence Commander Captain John Peterson USN, based in USS Shiloh, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, and the RN ship integrated successfully into the US Task Group led by the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, under the Command of Admiral Kelly.

HMS York built an excellent working relationship with the American forces, working extensively with the aircraft carrier, and was invited to act as her ‘shotgun’ on several occasions.

As the conflict started HMS York remained under US Navy command and, because of her shallow draught in relation to that of the American air defence ships, was selected to move north west to provide air defence and force protection for the American amphibious ships.

It was from these ships that Allied equipment and troops landed in support of the UK Royal Marines as they carried out their attack on Iraqi forces on the Al Faw peninsula.

The ship was in the thick of the action, very close to the Iraqi coast, and the Warfare team in the Operations Room was able to observe and track Iraqi Scud missiles fired at Kuwait, and witnessed the American cruisers launching their Tomahawk missiles for strikes deep into Iraq.

In the tense days that followed HMS York remained at a high alert state and continued to provide air defence and surface protection to a variety of US ships, including the USS Tarawa, USS Saipan, USS Ashland, USS Rushmore and USS Bonhomme Richard.

The ship also provided force protection to HMS Ark Royal when HMS Liverpool, her assigned escort, had to withdraw for a period of defect rectification.

The ship’s final task in the North Arabian Gulf was to provide air and surface defence to the Coalition mine countermeasures vessels operating in the Khawr Abd Allah (KAA) Waterway. The MCMVs were clearing the route for humanitarian aid to reach the port of Umm Qasr, and the threat of Iraqi attack required the provision of a close escort.

Operating in the shallow waters of the KAA, the ship conducted its tasking with the very real threat from air, surface, mine, chemical or biological attack.

With the fall of the southern city of Basra to the Royal Marines, and the US Army’s rapid progress towards Baghdad, the decision was taken for HMS Ark Royal to return to the UK.

HMS York was tasked with the protection of the flagship and supply ship RFA Fort Victoria on their journey back to Portsmouth, calling in at Salalah in Oman, 92 days after the ship’s company had last stepped ashore in Dubai.

The main event of the two-day stop was a superb feast provided by Commander-in-Chief Fleet at the Hilton Hotel for both ships’ companies, and personnel took the opportunity to relax ashore and explore the town and local beaches.

The passage up the Red Sea culminated with York leading the northbound convoy through the Suez Canal from where the Task Unit headed for Palma in Mallorca and some excellent rest and relaxation.

Many of the ship's company took the opportunity to explore the island and take a few days away from the ship. Having sailed from Mallorca, York assisted Ark Royal with the reintegration of her Sea Harriers in the Western Mediterranean before passing through the Straits of Gibraltar and heading for Portsmouth, to finish her second operational deployment in 16 months.

The ship was welcomed back to UK waters by the Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, who embarked by the ship’s Lynx Mk 8 helicopter from RNAS Culdrose. Whilst on board Admiral Band presented Long Service and Good Conduct medals to two of York’s ships company, POSTD Tex Kirkpatrick and LRO Si Langley.

On arrival in Portsmouth the ship was met by more than 1,000 relatives and friends, and entered harbour watched by huge crowds numbering in the tens of thousands – a fitting end to a very successful deployment.

July will be a busy month for the warship, with a Fathers and Sons at Sea session, a Families Day and visits scheduled to York and Bremerhaven.

After summer leave she has a period of maintenance, then in late autumn is due to head to the Black Sea.