FRIGATE HMS Cumberland is fit for sea after an extensive refit in her home port – two weeks ahead of schedule.

Teams from Devonport support organisation DML have been swarming over the warhorse since the beginning of the year.

The bulk of their work was finished by the end of September and Cumberland promptly received all the correct ticks in the correct boxes during her ‘ready for sea’ inspections.

Work on the Mighty Sausage was finished earlier than planned thanks, in part, to speeding up the blast programme on Cumberland’s hull, finished in a third of the usual time.

The ship’s entire hull, superstructure and decks exposed to the elements received a thorough blast, a new water production plant has been fitted, living spaces have received a very welcome revamp, there’s a new torpedo defence system and, in all, 1,800 items of equipment have been given a makeover.

After trials, the frigate is due to be handed back to the Fleet early in the new year.

Another old friend emerging from TLC at the hands of DML is veteran hunter-killer HMS Trafalgar.

She’s been out of action for the past 11 months undergoing her Revalidation and Assisted Maintenance Period (commonly known in ‘deep world’ as RAMP), where DML have managed to shave a considerable sum off the cost of previous similar projects.

The workload on a RAMP has ballooned in the past three or four years (it’s roughly increased fourfold).

In Trafalgar’s case, she devoured some 230,000 man hours since beginning her overhaul in October 2006.

Experts fitted a new communications and computer system (CCSM), overhauled Trafalgar’s coolers, and generally tweaked and revamped the boat – work which will take the Devonport-based submarine to the end of her career.