Four Portsmouth-based minehunters have returned to the UK after playing a crucial role in the assault on Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq and the immediate aftermath.

HM ships Ledbury, Grimsby, Shoreham and Ramsey arrived back yesterday, the first two ships having deployed in January with the main body of the RN Amphibious Task Group, while Shoreham and Ramsey sailed in March.

Ledbury had the key role of ‘breakthrough’ mine clearance operations ion the coastal waters of southern Iraq, clearing a safe passage for humanitarian aid to enter the port of Umm Qasr.

Grimsby co-ordinated the search for wreckage following the Sea King collision in which seven aircrew died, and the ship also helped widen the safe channel in the Khawr-abd-Allah waterway which leads to Umm Qasr.

On completion of live clearance operations these two ships staged a military sea day for the United Arab Emirates armed forces.

Shoreham – the Navy’s newest minehunter – and Ramsey made a rapid transit to the region, taking five weeks to complete the long passage east of Suez.

Shoreham carried out important ordnance disposal operations, searching for Iraqi Seersucker missiles which had landed in the sea off the coast of Kuwait.

A highlight for HMS Grimsby was her hosting of a visit by Prime Minister Tony Blair while the ship was alongside in Umm Qasr.

All four warships were involved in a four-day joint exercise with the Royal Saudi Navy, with Shoreham acting as the flagship, while diplomacy visits were made to the United Arab Emirates, Muscat and Oman.

Cdr Peter Lambourn, the commander of the mine countermeasures force in the Gulf, said: “The operation was one of the most complex and potentially-hazardous in history.

“The waters of abd-Allah are narrow, shallow, littered with unmarked wrecks and scoured by strong tidal streams.

“Add the cocktail of sandstorms, a hostile shoreline, the imminent threat of chemical and suicide boat attack, and an unknown number of mines and you have what could be called a challenging environment.

“That the job was done safely and in quick time is a credit to the detailed planning and preparation and the excellent performance of the people and their equipment.”

He added: “The support of the families left behind us has, as always, been a crucial factor, and I’m sure the long-awaited homecoming will be a great and well-deserved celebration.”