BARELY five months after nudging her way up the Tyne, HMS Northumberland was back at Spiller’s Wharf, a stone’s throw from Newcastle city centre, on a goodwill visit.

Once alongside, crew dispersed by day across the county to affiliates Blyth, Morpeth and Alnwick, and by night to Newcastle’s and Gateshead’s bars and clubs. There was also an obligatory tour of St James’s Park, home of Newcastle United FC, for football fans.

As befits her name, the ship has a few ‘locals’ aboard: Sunderland’s Gemma Allenby (a warfare specialist who joined the ship just two days before she arrived on the Tyne) and Std Rebecca Mudie, and WEA Anthony Taylor (from Haswell in County Durham).

And ‘locals’ came aboard too... Northumberland gave 20 members of Newcastle University Royal Naval Unit, based at HMS Calliope across the river in Gateshead, a guided tour of the vessel.

The ship also hosted the crew of the Tynemouth lifeboat, who repaid the hospitality by inviting the sailors to their station – and to sea in their Severn-class vessel Spirit of Northumberland. And the lifeboat escorted the frigate into the North Sea when the visit came to an end.

“It’s been great to bring my ship back so soon after her last visit,” said Cdr Tom Guy, Northumberland’s CO.

“The crew had been looking forward to their stay here as it gave them a chance to let their hair down in a city known to be one of the best runs ashore in the RN after several weeks of gruelling training.”

Since her last appearance on the Tyne, Northumberland has been in UK waters on Exercise Neptune Warrior (war games off the north-west Scottish coast) and hosted warfare officers from across the globe to give them an insight into Senior Service training.

Next up for the ship is a visit to Norway followed by a deployment to the Mediterranean.