HMS Campbeltown has taken her place in the line alongside Allied warships in Combined Task Force 150, enforcing Operation Enduring Freedom on the high seas.

And few ships have been more vigilant in this part of the world these past years: this is her fifth year in six that Campbeltown has been east of Suez.

The Devonport-based Type 22 frigate is on a whistle-stop tour of the Middle East, cramming in a lot to just two months attached to CTF 150.

The first stop once through the Suez Canal was the Egyptian port of Safaga to work with the coastguard and navy, host dignitaries and foster good relations with locals on the football pitch, squash court and golf links.

Then it was across the Red Sea to the sprawling port of Jeddah, again for talks, this time with members of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces.

Given the sensitivities of visiting an Islamic state, Campbeltown’s female sailors were given abayas – traditional black overgarments – to wear when they left the ship and visited the metropolis.

“Many of my sailors have not been here before and it’s important to let them see Jeddah – and for local people to see and meet them,” said Capt Rupert Wallace, Campbeltown’s Commanding Officer.

And as in Egypt, the sailors took part in numerous sporting fixtures, including a match with Jeddah RFC Sevens, plus hockey and football matches.

Joining Campbeltown in both Safaga and Jeddah was Cdre Bruce Williams RN, the current commander of CTF 150.

He believes Campbeltown and her Allied cousins are the ultimate insurance policy on the high seas.

“As a thoroughfare of the world, the Red Sea is an essential part of my area of responsibility,” said Cdre Williams.

“In the normal course of events, an insurance policy pays if the house burns down. We stop it burning down in the first place.”

The commodore’s force prowls a vast area from the Arabian and Red Seas to the Indian Ocean, keeping tabs on potential movements on the waters by terrorists, smugglers, pirates, drug-runners and people traffickers.

Ships presently attached to the task group are drawn from Britain, the USA, Canada, Germany, and Pakistan.