From riding shotgun for a high-speed American carrier to guarding offshore oil terminals, HMS Somerset has been in the thick of the action since she took over patrol duties in the Gulf.

The Type 23 frigate relieved sister ship HMS Grafton in mid-July, assuming patrol duties as part of the multinational coalition operating in the region to help the rebuilding process in Iraq.

Her first task was to act as scene of action commander at the Khawr al Amaya oil terminal (KAAOT), co-ordinating a flotilla of patrol boats and boarding parties which enforce an exclusion zone of 3km radius.

With large fleets of small fishing dhows clustered around the edges of the exclusion zones, Somerset’s ship’s company must remain alert to what is happening in particularly sensitive areas.

The frigate’s Commanding Officer, Cdr David Axon, said: “It is a fine balancing act in determining who is going about their everyday business, who is conducting illicit business and who is the potential suicide bomber.

“It requires an enormous concentration of effort from those on watch and meticulous management of the picture.”

The ship has also been supporting the fledgling Iraqi Coastal Defence Force in patrolling territorial waters, with Iraqi officers joining the frigate for familiarisation sessions.

Her rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) also carry out patrols, including ‘blue light’ patrols, boat transfers and act as ‘meals on keels’, bringing in supplies for the Allied forces stationed on the oil platforms.

Somerset later spent a week escorting the 80,000-ton American carrier USS John F. Kennedy, acting as plane guard for Top Gun-style air sorties – creating quite a challenge for the Officer of the Watch’s stationing skills, as the carrier operated at speeds of up to 30 knots.

The Devonport-based frigate is due to remain in the Gulf region until November, when she will be replaced by sister ship HMS Marlborough.

Pictures by LA(PHOT) Dave Griffiths