HMS Hydra (A144) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

HMS Hydra (Pennant Number A144) was a Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

deep ocean hydrographic survey vessel, the third of the original three of the Hecla class

Hecla class survey vessel

The Hecla class formed the backbone of the Royal Navy's ocean survey fleet from the mid-1960s. Three ships, , and , were ordered in the early 1960s to replace the aging survey ships and ....

. The ship was laid down as yard number 2258 on 14 May 1964 at Yarrow Shipbuilders

Yarrow Shipbuilders

Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...

, at Scotstoun

Scotstoun

Scotstoun is a historic district of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre. It is bounded by Yoker and Knightswood to the west, Victoria Park, Broomhill and Whiteinch to the east, Jordanhill to the north and the River Clyde to the south...

on the River Clyde

River Clyde

The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....

and launched on 14 July 1965 by Mary Lythall, wife of the then Chief Scientist (Royal Navy), Basil W Lythall CB (1919–2001). She was completed and first commissioned on 4 May 1966 and, as the replacement for the survey ship , her commanding officer and many of her ship's company formed the first commission of HMS Hydra. She was decommissioned and sold to the Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

n navy in 1986 and renamed KRI Dewa Kembar (Pennant Number 932); she was still in service in 2006 http://www.dishidros.or.id (then click on "Kapal Survei").

Ship's name and battle honours

There have been eight ships of the name in the Royal Navy, named for the Hydra

Lernaean Hydra

In Greek mythology, the Lernaean Hydra was an ancient nameless serpent-like chthonic water beast, with reptilian traits, that possessed many heads — the poets mention more heads than the vase-painters could paint, and for each head cut off it grew two more — and poisonous breath so virulent even...

of Greek Mythology

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...

, a serpent

Snake

Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...

with many heads (though nine is generally accepted as standard), the centre one of which was immortal. The monster was overcome and slain by Hercules

Hercules

Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...

. The ship's badge of HMS Hydra depicts the monster with seven heads. The ship's motto was Ut Herculis Perseverantia ("Like Hercules

Hercules

Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...

Persevere").

The late 1960s

In the month after first commissioning she carried out machinery and equipment trials and embarked stores at Chatham

Chatham Dockyard

Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...

, before sailing for surveys in the North Atlantic

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

. Based in Reykjavík

Reykjavík

Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...

, an extensive area south of Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

was surveyed between June and September 1966. She then visited Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

and for the remainder of 1966, was employed in searching for wrecks in the shipping lanes of the North Sea

North Sea

In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...

and the approaches to the Dover Strait, before returning to Chatham in early December for her winter lie-up. March 1967 saw the ship carrying out a short survey of the critical depths at the entrance of the Black Deep Channel in the Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

estuary. She then carried out a major survey of the bathymetry

Bathymetry

Bathymetry is the study of underwater depth of lake or ocean floors. In other words, bathymetry is the underwater equivalent to hypsometry. The name comes from Greek βαθύς , "deep", and μέτρον , "measure"...

, gravity anomalies and total magnetic field in a large area of the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

, covering the North-West Approaches to Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

. At the same time, between May and August 1967, a detached party and the ship's two surveying motor boats undertook a survey of the fishing port of Burtonport

Burtonport

Ailt an Chorráin or Ailt a' Chorráin is a Gaeltacht fishing village about 7 km northwest of Dungloe in County Donegal, Ireland....

, Donegal

Donegal

Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....

. After summer leave and maintenance and a visit to Brest

Brest, France

Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

, she spent a fortnight on oceanographic surveys in the Azores

Azores

The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...

area, followed by a visit to Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

and passage to Freetown

Freetown

Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...

. An oceanographic survey of the fishing grounds between Freetown

Freetown

and Agadir

Agadir

Agadir is a major city in southwest Morocco, capital of the Agadir province and the Sous-Massa-Draa economic region .-Etymology:...

was completed. At Gibraltar in mid-November, she conducted trials of towed and free balloons carrying meteorological instruments before reaching Chatham for refit on 24 November 1967.

She recommissioned on 30 January 1968 and in March undertook an oceanographic voyage designed to advance knowledge of air/sea interaction. She carried out surveys in the Bristol Channel

Bristol Channel

The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...

in April and then, for six weeks, in the southern approaches to the River Clyde

River Clyde

. For the following two months, she was based at Londonderry

Londonderry Port

Londonderry Port at Lisahally is a port near Derry, Northern Ireland. It is the United Kingdom’s most westerly port, has capacity for 30,000 ton vessels and accepts cruise ships. The current port is on the east bank of the River Foyle at the southern end of Lough Foyle, by the small village of...

and an area in the north-western approaches to Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

was surveyed to the 100-fathom line. At Chatham in late August, she took part in Navy Days and then visited the Pool of London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

in early September. The ship sailed Chatham in late October and carried out surveys off the west coast of Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, spending Christmas

Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

1968 in Gibraltar

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...

.

In early January 1969 she carried out surveys off the French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

Mediterranean coast. She then took part in the Atlantic Trade Wind

Trade wind

The trade winds are the prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics, within the lower portion of the Earth's atmosphere, in the lower section of the troposphere near the Earth's equator...

Experiment, with survey ships from Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

and the USA; this consisted of a 15-day drift, with engines stopped, from a position some 600 miles (965.6 km) west of Cape Verde Islands. She returned to Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...

in mid-February and carried out surveys until she sailed Freetown

Freetown

on 25 May 1969. She spent a fortnight investigating an up-welling off Cape Blanc, then calling at Gibraltar

Gibraltar

before arriving on 19 June 1969 for a refit at Chatham. A new ship's company joined at the end of August and she sailed from Chatham at the end of October for the Far East

Far East

The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...

. Calls were made en route at Freetown

Freetown

, Simonstown and Mauritius

Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

and Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

was reached in time for Christmas. A survey of the Malacca Strait was started on 31 December 1969.

1970s - and five years away from the UK

Surveying a route ten miles (16 km) wide down the 180 miles (289.7 km) length of the Malacca Strait was a mammoth task. Breaks for maintenance, fuel and recreation were taken at Singapore

Singapore

, with a longer interruption from mid-June to mid-October 1970 for refit by Sembawang

Sembawang

Sembawang is an area in the Northern-most portion of Singapore, encompassing the largest land mass within the Sembawang Group Representation Constituency. The incumbent Member of Parliament for the Sembawang Constituency is Khaw Boon Wan. The constituency jurisdiction extends into the Woodlands...

Shipyard. The ship visited Port Swettenham before resuming surveys in the Malacca Strait. However, she was detached after a fortnight to support the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

task force sent from Singapore to relieve the area of East Pakistan

East Pakistan

East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...

stricken by a severe cyclone and tidal wave. The ship was used in a survey role, finding and marking channels for small craft to take in food and supplies. She later resumed the Malacca Strait survey and spent Christmas 1970 at Singapore. During her year in the Malacca Strait, 63 shoal

Shoal

Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...

soundings were reported and promulgated by Notice to Mariners

Notice to Mariners

A notice to mariners advises mariners of important matters affecting navigational safety, including new hydrographic information, changes in channels and aids to navigation, and other important data.Over 60 countries which produce nautical charts also...

.

The surveys of the Malacca Strait were concluded in March 1971 and she then spent three weeks in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

charting waters to the south of Lantao. On 6 April 1971, HMS Hydra sailed from Hong Kong to return to the UK

United Kingdom

, via the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

. She called at Yokosuka, Long Beach

Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

, Acapulco

Acapulco

Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...

and Bridgetown

Bridgetown

The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael...

, Barbados

Barbados

Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...

, making gravity, magnetics and bathymetric observations on passage and investigating several shoal

Shoal

s. The summer and autumn of 1971 were spent at Chatham, with a refit and trials.

Recommissioned at Chatham on 11 October 1971, she sailed on 30 November 1971 via the Cape of Good Hope

Cape of Good Hope

The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...

, to return to the Far East

Far East

from where she was not to return for five years, carrying out extensive surveys in the south Pacific. She left Simonstown on 3 January 1972 and called at Mauritius

Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

before carrying out a short investigation around the Aldabra Islands. After a visit to Mombasa

Mombasa

Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....

to calibrate the ship's gravimeter, the first half of February was spent in the Seychelles

Seychelles

Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....

where the ship's helicopter helped with the erection of Hi-Fix sites.

She was detached from surveying, and ordered to return to the Mauritius

Mauritius

Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...

area, arriving off Rodrigues Island, one of the Mascarene Islands

Mascarene Islands

The Mascarene Islands is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar comprising Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, Cargados Carajos shoals, plus the former islands of the Saya de Malha, Nazareth and Soudan banks...

, on 26 February to assist in disaster relief. She left the area and arrived Singapore on 13 March, thus completing a circumnavigation

Circumnavigation

Circumnavigation – literally, "navigation of a circumference" – refers to travelling all the way around an island, a continent, or the entire planet Earth.- Global circumnavigation :...

of the globe in one year. After a short period of maintenance, she set sail for her 1972 survey area in the Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

. This survey, from 17 April to 18 August, covered the Bougainville Strait

Bougainville Strait

Bougainville Strait separates Choiseul Island from Bougainville Island, the next to the northward. It was first passed through in 1768 by Louis Antoine de Bougainville, who christened it. A Lieutenant John Shortland of the Royal Navy sailed through it in 1788, giving the name of Treasury Islands...

, last surveyed in 1884. Visits were paid to Honiara

Honiara

Honiara, population 49,107 , 78,190 , is the capital of the Solomon Islands and of Guadalcanal Province, although it is a separately administered town...

(Guadalcanal Island), Ghizo Island

Ghizo Island

Ghizo Island, home to Gizo the capital of the Western Province, Solomon Islands. The island is named after an infamous local head-hunter. It is located west of New Georgia and Kolombangara....

and Kieta

Kieta

Kieta is a port town located on the eastern coast of the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea, near the township of Arawa. After extensive destruction during the 1990 Civil Uprising on Bougainville, Kieta has few inhabitants now, and is known mainly for its transport connections .-History:On...

(Bougainville Island

Bougainville Island

Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...

). A three-week visit to Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

was brought forward in order to have two defective main engines replaced by two flown out from the United Kingdom. The ship arrived in Hong Kong at the end of August, where she spent three months, some time being spent on surveys in local waters. She sailed from Hong Kong on 28 October and arrived in Singapore for her annual refit which began on 13 November; the most important work was the installation of the SRN9 satellite navigation system.

The refit was completed on 13 January and she sailed 12 February 1973 to resume surveys in the Solomon Islands, brief visits being paid to Jakarta

Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...

and Thursday Island during the 4000 miles (6,437.4 km) passage to Honiara

Honiara

Honiara, population 49,107 , 78,190 , is the capital of the Solomon Islands and of Guadalcanal Province, although it is a separately administered town...

. Surveys of Bougainville Strait

Bougainville Strait

and New Georgia Sound

New Georgia Sound

New Georgia Sound is the body of water that runs approximately through the middle of the Solomon Islands. The Sound is bounded by Choiseul Island, Santa Isabel Island, and Florida Island to the north, and by Vella Lavella, Kolombangara, New Georgia, and the Russell Islands to the south...

were completed. A three-week visit was paid to Brisbane

Brisbane

in May, for maintenance, and while on passage both ways a reconnaissance was made of Indispensable Reef

Indispensable Reef

The Indispensable Reefs are a chain of three large coral atolls in the Coral Sea. They are located about 50 km south of Rennell Island, separated from it by Rennel Trough...

. For the next thirteen weeks, almost without a break, surveys were undertaken along the north coasts of Choiseul

Choiseul Island

Choiseul Island, native name Lauru, is the largest island of the Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands, at .-Description:This island is named after Étienne François, duc de Choiseul....

and Santa Isabel Island

Santa Isabel Island

Santa Isabel Island is the longest in the Solomon Islands, South Pacific, and the largest in the group of islands in Isabel Province.-Location and geographic data:...

s and of Manning Strait. A Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

45c postage stamp

Postage stamp

A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...

was issued in January 1981, recording the ship's surveying from April 1972 to September 1973.

Preparations for future surveys were carried out around Fiji

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

in late 1973 and a visit was made to Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

on passage back to Singapore

Singapore

, where she arrived on 26 October for refit; the ship's company lived ashore in the ANZUK

ANZUK

ANZUK was a tripartite force formed by Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom to defend the Asian Pacific region after the United Kingdom withdrew forces from the east of Suez in the early seventies. The ANZUK force was formed in 1971 and disbanded in 1974....

barracks. No time was lost owing to bad weather or breakdown during a year in which the ship had steamed over 48000 miles (77,248.3 km). The two survey boats had steamed an additional 10000 miles (16,093.4 km) during the surveys of the Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

.

With the refit completed in January 1974, her next surveys were around the Maldives

Maldives

The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...

, during which time she visited Gan

Gan

Gan may refer to:-Computing and telecommunications:*.gan, the file extension for documents created by GanttProject*Generic Access Network formerly known as Unlicensed Mobile Access *Global Area Network- Mythology :...

. She made the long passage east, via Singapore

Singapore

, and arrived at her new base of Suva

Suva

Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...

, in the Fiji Islands, on 12 April. Surveys were carried out off northern Viti Levu

Viti Levu

Viti Levu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji, the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.- Geography and economy :...

, with a break in June/July for maintenance in Brisbane

Brisbane

. Back off Viti Levu

Viti Levu

Viti Levu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji, the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.- Geography and economy :...

in July, these surveys were completed by August. The next month, work began on modern surveys off northern Vanua Levu

Vanua Levu

Vanua Levu , formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located 64 kilometres to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of 5,587.1 km² and a population of some 130,000.- Geography :...

and of Yandua Island. Before departing Fiji

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

an waters on 21 October, HMS Hydra took part in celebrations to mark the centenary of the cession of the islands to Queen Victoria, with Prince Charles embarked for part of the time. Survey was made of Epi Island, and other areas, of the New Hebrides

New Hebrides

New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...

on passage for Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, where the ship arrived on 28 November for maintenance and leave.

Surveys off Vanua Levu

Vanua Levu

were resumed in January 1975, though work was punctuated with excursions to the Koro Sea

Koro Sea

The Koro Sea or Sea of Koro is a sea in the Pacific Ocean between Viti Levu island, Fiji to the west and the Lau Islands to the east, surrounded by the islands of the Fijian archipelago.It is named after Koro Island.- References :...

for hurricane assistance and search and rescue work. The ship was absent from surveys in the Fiji

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

area in March for a series of vigia investigations in the south-western Pacific. Surveys were broken off at the end of April and, on 2 May, the ship sailed Suva

Suva

for Singapore

Singapore

, where she arrived on 22 May for a ten-week refit.

HMS Hydra then sailed for the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

and was surveying the waters around the Seychelles

Seychelles

from September to November. She then had a maintenance period in Mombasa

Mombasa

Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....

, returning to survey off Mahé

Mahé, Seychelles

Mahé is the largest island of the Seychelles, lying in the north east of the nation. The population of Mahé is 80,000. It contains the capital city of Victoria and accommodates 90% of the country's total population...

. Christmas

Christmas

1975 was spent in Port Victoria

Port Victoria

Port Victoria may refer to several places:* Victoria, Seychelles* Port Victoria, South Australia* Port Victoria, Kenya, a town in Busia District* Port Victoria, Kent, England** Port Victoria railway station, a former railway station in Kent, England...

and the ship sailed the Seychelles

Seychelles

on 29 December for the Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...

.

The main survey was on the traffic separation routes about 60 miles (96.6 km) from the eastern end of the Persian Gulf, around the Tunb Islands off Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

. The surveys began with a visit to Bandar Abbas

Bandar Abbas

Bandar-Abbas or Bandar-e ‘Abbās , also Romanized as Bandar ‘Abbās, Bandar ‘Abbāsī, and Bandar-e ‘Abbās; formerly known as Cambarão and Port Comorão to Portuguese traders, as Gombroon to English traders and as Gamrun or Gumrun to Dutch merchants) is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on...

and Iran

Iran

ian naval personnel were attached to the ship for the duration. The ship remained in the area until the end of April, working mostly out of Bandar Abbas

Bandar Abbas

, but visits were paid to Karachi

Karachi

Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

(for maintenance), Masirah and Dubai

Dubai

Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...

. Passage through the Suez Canal

Suez Canal

The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...

into the Mediterranean was followed by a two-week maintenance period in Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

in late May 1976. Surveys then began in the western Mediterranean, until the middle of September, with visits to Palermo

Palermo

Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...

, Malta

Malta

and Gibraltar

Gibraltar

. She sailed the Rock

Rock of Gibraltar

The Rock of Gibraltar is a monolithic limestone promontory located in Gibraltar, off the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It is high...

on 14 September for Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

, her first sighting of the UK

United Kingdom

in five years. She then underwent a refit at Vosper Thornycroft in Southampton

Southampton

Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

, when her living accommodation was extensively modernised; boat surveys of Portsmouth

Portsmouth

harbour, and other south coast harbours, were carried out during the refit. No chart of Chichester

Chichester

Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...

harbour had previously existed, and parts of the Poole

Poole

Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...

area had not been surveyed since 1878.

HMS Hydra completed refit in August 1977 and was operational again on 26 September. She sailed 24 October for Iran

Iran

, calling briefly at Gibraltar

Gibraltar

and Malta

Malta

. She arrived at Bandar Abbas

Bandar Abbas

, in company with , on 23 November and surveys then began along the Iran

Iran

ian coast in the Gulf of Oman

Gulf of Oman

The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman is a strait that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian Gulf. It is generally included as a branch of the Persian Gulf, not as an arm of the Arabian Sea. On the north coast is Pakistan and Iran...

. Christmas

Christmas

1977 was spent in Bahrain

Bahrain

' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...

. She was employed on surveys in the Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

, off Iran

Iran

, for much of 1978 and 1979.

On 1 January 1979, as one of four Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

survey ships forming the Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

Surveying Squadron , HMS Hydra was at anchor in Char Bahar bay on the south-east coast of Iran

Iran

. Later in the month, the ship was at Bombay for maintenance, resuming surveys off Iran

Iran

on 4 February. The surveys were almost complete when the ship was ordered to Bandar Abbas

Bandar Abbas

assist with the evacuation of western nationals during the Iranian revolution

Iranian Revolution

The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...

. While awaiting a decision as to their future employment, the ships of the squadron were engaged in investigations of the many shoals in the centre of the Persian Gulf. The ship visited Muscat

Muscat, Oman

Muscat is the capital of Oman. It is also the seat of government and largest city in the Governorate of Muscat. As of 2008, the population of the Muscat metropolitan area was 1,090,797. The metropolitan area spans approximately and includes six provinces called wilayats...

and then the decision was made to withdraw the squadron, so passage was set for the UK

United Kingdom

, with visits to Haifa

Haifa

Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...

, Catania

Catania

Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...

and Gibraltar

Gibraltar

, before arriving in Portsmouth

Portsmouth

on 19 April. She sailed on 9 May for shoal investigations in Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

waters and spent July and August in Southampton

Southampton

for docking and repairs at Vosper

Vosper

Vosper may refer to:*People**Cyril Ronald Vosper, a British Scientologist and, later, critic of Scientology**Dennis Forwood Vosper, Baron Runcorn, a British Conservative politician...

. The autumn of 1979 was spent off the west coast of Scotland

Scotland

, starting a detailed survey of the Western Approaches to the North Channel, an area where a large number of U-boat

U-boat

U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...

s were sunk in 1946 after their surrender.

Commercial refit and surveys in home waters 1980-81

HMS Hydra was employed on surveys off the west coast of Scotland

Scotland

in the first half of 1980.

In the summer of 1980, she was taken in hand by Ocean Fleets, a commercial shipyard in Birkenhead

Birkenhead

Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...

for refit, with a depleted ship's company living ashore in lodgings in The Wirral. The ship's company moved on board on 7 November 1980 and, after sea trials and acceptance, finally sailed from Merseyside

Merseyside

Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...

on 8 December for her home port of Portsmouth

Portsmouth

, where she arrived on 12 December.

She sailed Portsmouth

Portsmouth

on 8 January 1981 for "shakedown" and "operational sea training" (OST) in the Isle of Portland

Isle of Portland

The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...

area. OST successfully completed, she sailed north late on 21 January in order to resume hydrographic surveys off the west coast of Scotland

Scotland

in the Little Minch, between the Isle of Skye and the Hebrides

Hebrides

The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...

.

She anchored in Uig

Uig

-Place name:*Ùige - from Norse ** Uig, Skye, a village on the Isle of Skye in Scotland** Uig, Lewis, a placename, specifically a "bay backed machair and hills", on the island of Lewis in Scotland** Uig, Coll, a hamlet on the island of Coll, Scotland...

Bay, Isle of Skye on 24 January and began landing survey teams. The next day was one of Sabbath observance, so no surveying or helicopter operations took place - common practice on Western Isles surveys. Surveying resumed early on Monday with small naval parties looking after trisponders set up on geodetic control stations, ashore on the Shiant Islands and nearby Quidnish; these continued until breaking off for a visit to the major port of Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

from 6–10 February, where the ship was alongside the Arnolfini

Arnolfini

The Arnolfini is an arts centre and gallery in Bristol, England. It has a programme of contemporary art exhibitions, live art, music and dance events, poetry and book readings, talks, lectures and cinema. There is also a specialist art bookshop and a café bar. Educational activities are undertaken...

contemporary arts centre in Bristol

Bristol

City Dock (now called Bristol Harbour

Bristol Harbour

Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of . It has existed since the 13th century but was developed into its current form in the early 19th century by installing lock gates on a tidal stretch of the River Avon in the centre of the city and...

).

Surveys were resumed on 12 February in the Little Minch, off the Isle of Skye, although very rough weather required the suspension of surveys on 17 February and the ship went to anchor. Seasonal gales are no good for boat surveying and hinder ship surveying, and the ship was again at anchor on 21 February, this time in Loch Snizort

Loch Snizort

Loch Snizort is a sea loch in the northwest of the Isle of Skye between the Waternish and Trotternish peninsulas. It is fed by the River Snizort, originating in the hills east of Bracadale. The mouth of Loch Snizort gives access to the lower Minch and contains the Ascrib Islands.Sea fishing in...

, Isle of Skye. Resuming surveys the next day, she recovered the "tidewatcher" (a surveying recorder landed to record tides), and also trisponder parties, before sailing for Loch Fyne

Loch Fyne

Loch Fyne is a sea loch on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends inland from the Sound of Bute, making it the longest of the sea lochs...

to anchor for the night of 23/24 February. Boat surveying started in Loch Fyne

Loch Fyne

Loch Fyne is a sea loch on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends inland from the Sound of Bute, making it the longest of the sea lochs...

the next morning and was completed before sailing for, and arriving at, the naval base at Faslane, Helensburgh

Helensburgh

Helensburgh is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde and the eastern shore of the entrance to the Gareloch....

on 25 February.

The security of the submarine base

Submarine base

A submarine base is a military base that shelters submarines and their personnel.Examples of present-day submarine bases include HMNB Clyde, Île Longue , Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Naval Submarine Base New London, and Rybachiy Nuclear Submarine Base .The Israeli navy bases its growing submarine...

allowed the ship to grant many of the ship's company long weekend leave, many travelling to Portsmouth

Portsmouth

to see their families. As much of the surveying work in the Hebrides

Hebrides

was done with submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

s in mind, the period alongside in the naval base was useful for liaison between the officers and men of the Hydrographic Service and their submariner counterparts. The ship sailed on 12 March for Rona

South Rona

Rona , sometimes called South Rona to distinguish it from North Rona, is a small island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, north of Raasay and northeast of Skye. It has a total area of .-Geography and geology:...

, anchoring in the Little Minch on 13 March. The next day, surveys resumed between Skye

Skye

Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...

and the Shiant Islands. Surveys were concluded, trisponder parties and the sole tidewatcher recovered on 22 March, the ship sailing south the next day for her base port of Portsmouth

Portsmouth

, where she arrived on 24 March for maintenance and Easter

Easter

Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...

leave.

HMS Hydra locked into number 3 basin on 27 March and, on 2 April, moved into number 15 dock for a routine dry-docking. Leave and maintenance completed, she sailed from Portsmouth

Portsmouth

on 27 April to resume Scottish surveys in the Minches, with a week's work to do; the night of 29/30 April was spent at anchor in Uig

Uig

Bay (see ) and the ship was at anchor in Loch Flodabay, on the east coast of Harris on 3 May.

The next task was to the west of the Hebrides

Hebrides

; this was a re-survey of an area done about a century previously, between the Monach Islands

Monach Islands

Not to be confused with Heysker/Hyskeir or HaskeirThe Monach Islands, also known as Heisker , are an island group west of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland...

and the island of St Kilda. By 6 May the ship was surveying two-mile (3 km) lines, in the area to the west of Benbecula

Benbecula

Benbecula is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,249, with a sizable percentage of Roman Catholics. It forms part of the area administered by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar or the Western...

, on North Uist

North Uist

North Uist is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.-Geography:North Uist is the tenth largest Scottish island and the thirteenth largest island surrounding Great Britain. It has an area of , slightly smaller than South Uist. North Uist is connected by causeways to Benbecula...

, to the south of the Monach Islands

Monach Islands

Not to be confused with Heysker/Hyskeir or HaskeirThe Monach Islands, also known as Heisker , are an island group west of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland...

in the Outer Hebrides

Outer Hebrides

The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...

.

The ship broke off surveys and sailed south for a visit to the Isle of Man on 13 May 1981 arriving alongside in Douglas, Isle of Man

Douglas, Isle of Man

right|thumb|250px|Douglas Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...

the next day. She sailed 18 May, conducting a trial near Ailsa Craig

Ailsa Craig

Ailsa Craig is an island of 219.69 acres in the outer Firth of Clyde, Scotland where blue hone granite was quarried to make curling stones. "Ailsa" is pronounced "ale-sa", with the first syllable stressed...

, while on passage to the survey ground off the Monach Islands

Monach Islands

Not to be confused with Heysker/Hyskeir or HaskeirThe Monach Islands, also known as Heisker , are an island group west of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland...

, arriving the next day. On 28 May she was anchored in Village Bay, Hirta

Hirta

Hirta is the largest island in the St Kilda archipelago, on the western edge of Scotland. The name "Hiort" and "Hirta" have also been applied to the entire archipelago.-Geography:...

- the largest of the four islands that make up St Kilda - allowing a walk ashore for some of the ship's company on the island, uninhabited since the last native St Kildans were evacuated in 1930; since 1957, there has been a manned military radar tracking station on the island. Weighing anchor the next morning, the ship resumed surveys.

She broke off surveys on 3 June and sailed for Bootle

Bootle

Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...

in Merseyside

Merseyside

. The ship arrived alongside in Gladstone Dock two days later. Long weekend leave was granted and routine self-maintenance undertaken. Those on board, but not on duty in the evening or at weekends, were able to enjoy a "run ashore" in Bootle

Bootle

or Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

. HMS Hydra sailed Bootle

Bootle

on 15 June for the Outer Hebrides

Outer Hebrides

in order to resume surveys.

She broke off surveys and, after a passage south through the Sound of Mull

Sound of Mull

The Sound of Mull is a sound between the Inner Hebridean island of Mull and Scotland. It forms part of the Atlantic Ocean....

on 1 July, she arrived alongside Greenock

Greenock

Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...

Pier, on the River Clyde

River Clyde

on 2 July, granting weekend leave to the ship's company. She sailed Greenock

Greenock

on 6 July, returning to the Outer Hebrides

Outer Hebrides

survey area, before returning once more to Greenock

Greenock

Pier (16–20 July) and then, again, resuming surveys.

On 27 July the ship hoisted the flag of the Hydrographer of the Navy

Navy

A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...

, (Rear-Admiral David Haslam CB ††), when he arrived by the ship's Westland Wasp

Westland Wasp

The Westland Wasp was a British small first-generation, gas-turbine powered, shipboard anti-submarine helicopter. Produced by Westland Helicopters, it came from the same P.531 programme as the British Army Westland Scout, and was based on the earlier piston-engined Saunders-Roe Skeeter...

helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

- 415 Flight of 829 Naval Air Squadron

829 Naval Air Squadron

829 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It operates the AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin HM1 helicopter.-1940–1942:829 Naval Air Squadron first formed on 15 June 1940 as a torpedo and reconnaissance squadron at Royal Naval Air Station Ford, Sussex and equipped with nine...

. Scottish surveys were completed for the summer, and the ship headed south the next day for its home port, Portsmouth

Portsmouth

. The summer proved to be one of the wettest on record and this seriously detracted from the ship's ability to control its soundings by trisponder. In other respects, the weather was reasonably kind and boat work was possible for about half the duration of the survey.

The Hydrographer flew ashore early on the morning of Wednesday 29 July 1981. The ship, on passage south through the Irish Sea

Irish Sea

The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...

, changed to "Sunday routine" so that the ship's company could take part in the national public holiday for the wedding of HRH the Prince of Wales

Charles, Prince of Wales

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...

and the Lady Diana Spencer

Diana, Princess of Wales

Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...

; adequate television pictures and a barbecue on the flight deck

Flight deck

The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface from which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters and other VTOL aircraft is also referred to as the...

!

Arriving in Spithead

Spithead

Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast...

on 31 July, the ship held a "Families’ Day" at sea, off Portsmouth

Portsmouth

, before securing alongside in the naval base, for summer leave and maintenance. Moved into C Lock on 3 August, the ship stayed locked in for a month, being moved to the sea wall on 2 September, before a "cold move" outboard of the frigate, , the next day.

To West Africa and surveys in the Caribbean 1981-82

Newly fitted with a leased Sercel Syledis positioning system for evaluation, she sailed on 7 September 1981 to conduct surveys in the Caribbean Sea

Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....

(see ), surveying the Josephine Bank and the Ampere Bank on 11 and 13 September, as well as investigating "vigia 4", "vigia 7" and "vigia 23". With a maximum speed of 14 knots (26 km/h) using all three engines, when the starboard engine was lost on 21 September, the ship was limited to 11 knots (20 km/h) for the rest of the deployment.

She arrived Dakar

Dakar

Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...

, Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

for a visit from 24–28 September 1981. On leaving Dakar, the ship was directed to Banjul

Banjul

-Transport:Ferries sail from Banjul to Barra. The city is served by the Banjul International Airport. Banjul is on the Trans–West African Coastal Highway connecting it to Dakar and Bissau, and will eventually provide a paved highway link to 11 other nations of ECOWAS.Banjul International Airport...

(see ), capital of The Gambia

The Gambia

The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....

, on 29 September in order to locate a ditched Senegalese Puma helicopter

Aérospatiale Puma

The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma is a four-bladed, twin-engined medium transport/utility helicopter. The Puma was originally manufactured by Sud Aviation of France.-Development:...

, which had crashed into the river while landing Senegalese troops during the attempted coup d'état

Coup d'état

A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...

, on 1 August 1981, in the Gambia

The Gambia

. Using copies of a recent survey, by sister ship flown to Dakar from the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office

United Kingdom Hydrographic Office

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office is an organisation within the UK government responsible for providing navigational and other hydrographic information for national, civil and defence requirements...

, in Taunton

Taunton

Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....

, HMS Hydra's two surveying motor boats began sounding and sonar sweeping and located the ditched machine, the local port authority marking the helicopter's position with a float. She sailed the next day.

She arrived in Lagos

Lagos

Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...

, Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

, on 5 October 1981, in company with the destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

(see ), which she had met, by chance, in fog outside the entrance to the port. She sailed from Lagos

Lagos

on 9 October and set course south, to pick up the equatorial current across the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

at 1½°N - with fine weather and calm seas - passing north of St Peter and St Paul Rocks (see ) on 16 October, arriving Bridgetown

Bridgetown

, Barbados

Barbados

, for a visit from 23–27 October. During the trip across the Atlantic the side-scan sonar was deployed the autopilot and engine speed set in an attempt to set a record for the longest survey line. The journey parallel to the equator was carried out with just one small course correction to avoid a fleet of fishing boats near to the coast of South America.

She was alongside at the US Naval Station at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

(known to sailors as Roosey Roads - see and http://www.roosey-roads.com/) from 29–31 October before setting up camps and sites on Great Inagua (see ) and the Turks Islands, in order to carry out hydrographic surveys centred on the waters around the British Virgin Islands

British Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...

- see. These surveys were part of a project in co-operation with the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

, in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Turks and Caicos Islands

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands, known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.The Turks and...

, covering the Mouchoir Passage and Turks Island Passage. These passages were last surveyed by Commander

Commander

Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...

Richard Owen in in 1829.

Visits were made to Roadtown, Tortola

Tortola

Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. Local tradition recounts that Christopher Columbus named it Tortola, meaning "land of the Turtle Dove". Columbus named the island Santa Ana...

(see and map ) from 12–16 November and, after sailing, a rendezvous was made with the RFA

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...

Stromness near Vieques to take on stores, before resuming surveys. On 2 December, she broke off from surveys to visit Nassau, Bahamas

Nassau, Bahamas

Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...

(see harbour map at ) from 4–8 December 1981 and she then continued surveying (Hydrographic Instruction - HI 54) until 15 December. Changes were found in the configuration of the reefs - the northern edge of the Mouchoir Bank

Mouchoir Bank

Mouchoir Bank, in Spanish also called Banco de Pañuelo Blanco is located southeast of the Turks islands and is geographically a continuation of the Bahamas. It is part of the Turks and Caicos Islands and falls within its EEZ. Much of its north side is awash in two groupings of coral reef. A 1.8 m...

being nearly two miles south of its charted position.

Leaving a handful of volunteers to guard the various sites on island shores, she sailed north in order to spend two weeks alongside in St Petersburg, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

(see ), arriving 18 December, for Christmas

Christmas

and New Year

New Year

The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....

1981/1982. The city's people gave the sailors a very generous welcome. Sailing on 2 January 1982, she arrived on the survey ground four days later and recovered the landed sailors, after their lonely three weeks in the sun.

Hydrographic Instruction "HI 54" was completed by 15 January 1982 and equipment ashore recovered. At anchor overnight on 15/16 January, she sailed for Roosevelt Roads arriving 18 January. She sailed three days later for Sand Cay

Sand Cay

Sand Cay is an island in Spratly Islands of South China Sea. With an area of 7 hectares, it is the ninth largest island and the fourth largest Vietnamese-occupied island in the Spratly Islands. It lies 6 miles to the east of Itu Aba Island occupied by the Republic of China...

in order to set up the surveys in the British Virgin Islands

British Virgin Islands

(BVI) area; time off task was necessitated by the ship being ordered to co-ordinate a search and rescue operation for a woman lost overboard from a yacht; the search was called off at sunset without finding her. 21–22 January was spent in Road Town

Road Town

-See also:* Government House, the official residence of the Governor of the British Virgin Islands located in Road Town-External links:*****...

, Tortola

Tortola

and then hydrographic surveys began, anchoring overnight 22/23 January off Beef Island

Beef Island

Beef Island is an island in the British Virgin Islands. It is located to the east of Tortola, and the two islands are connected by the Queen Elizabeth Bridge. Beef Island is the site of the Terrance B...

, before setting up the boat camp and trisponder station on Guana Island

Guana Island

Guana Island is an island of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. One of the few remaining privately-owned islands in its part of the world, Guana has seven white powder-sand beaches and of tropical forest, mountains, hills, and valleys...

and "bottoming" overnight. Hydrographic surveys continued in the BVI, including a detached boat camp in West Anegada (see ), until completion on 8 February, anchoring that night in Cane Garden Bay, Tortola

Tortola

(see ).

A visit was made to St. John's

St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda

St John's is the capital and largest city of Antigua and Barbuda, a country located in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. St John's is located at...

(see aerial view of harbour at ), on the island of Antigua

Antigua

Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...

, from 9–13 February, before passage east across the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

. 21–22 February was spent surveying the Atlantic Seamount, 400 miles (643.7 km) SW of the Azores

Azores

, completing with a visit to Ponta Delgada

Ponta Delgada

Ponta Delgada is a city and municipality on the island of São Miguel in the archipelago of the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal. It includes 44,403 residents in the urban area, and approximately 20,113 inhabitants in the three central parishes that comprise the historical city: São Pedro,...

(see http://www.azores-islands.info/), the island's capital, on 25–26 February. At anchor off Swanage

Swanage

Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,...

, and later in Spithead

Spithead

Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast...

on 3 March, she returned 'home' to Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Naval Base on 4 March 1982.

Hospital Ship: The Falklands War of 1982 (Operation Corporate)

March was spent in the naval base, the ship undergoing assisted maintenance and the ship's company taking leave. The ship's programme for more surveys off the west coast of Scotland

Scotland

in the summer of 1982 was changed by Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

's invasion of the Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...

in April 1982. HMS Hydra was converted in Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Naval Base for service as a Hospital ship

Hospital ship

A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....

- a replenishment at sea position was fitted, the yellow funnel painted white and red crosses painted prominently, and the starboard engine replaced - and she sailed on 24 April 1982, in company with her sister-ship (see photo ), with additional medical staff, for the South Atlantic. A BBC News report on that day described the ship as "... converted to a casualty ferry ... [whose] job will be to ferry wounded troops from the Falklands' beachhead to the hospital ship Uganda

SS Uganda

SS Uganda was a passenger liner, then cruise ship, hospital ship and troop ship between 1952 and 1986.-Passenger liner:Initially Uganda operated as a passenger/cargo liner of the British-India Steam Navigation Company , between London and East Africa, calling at Gibraltar, Naples, Port Said, Aden,...

; at this stage it was not at all certain quite how the ship would be used.

Her journey south took four weeks, crossing the line

Line-crossing ceremony

The ceremony of Crossing the Line is an initiation rite in the Royal Navy, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Marine Corps, and other navies that commemorates a sailor's first crossing of the Equator. Originally, the tradition was created as a test for seasoned sailors to ensure their new shipmates...

on 6 May (although the traditional ceremony was held the previous day, for operational reasons). She was a short time in the anchorage off Ascension Island

Ascension Island

Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...

for replenishment on 8 May. She was at position 35°S 35°W on 15 May and 45°S 47°W on 18 May. HMS Hydra joined sister ship HMS Hecla and SS Uganda

SS Uganda

(see ), in the "Red Cross Box" (48°30′S 53°45′W), about 45 miles (72.4 km) north of Falkland Sound

Falkland Sound

The Falkland Sound is a sea strait in the Falkland Islands. Running south west - north east, it separates West and East Falkland.-Name:The sound was named by John Strong in 1690 for Viscount Falkland, the name only later being applied to the archipelago and its two largest islands...

on 19 May.

A rendezvous was made on 25 May 1982 with the requisitioned P&O

Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company

The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...

liner, the troopship

Troopship

A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime...

SS Canberra

SS Canberra was an ocean liner, which later operated on cruises, in the P&O fleet from 1961 to 1997. She was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland at a cost of £17,000,000. The ship was named on 17 March 1958, after the federal capital of Australia, Canberra...

(see ), and the MV Norland

Norland

The Norland was a P&O roll-on/roll-off ferry operating between Kingston upon Hull in Yorkshire, England and Rotterdam Europoort, Netherlands and then Zeebrugge, Belgium. The 27,000 tonne ferry was built in 1974 by AG Weser, Bremerhaven for Dutch North Sea Ferries partners Noordzee Veerdiensten N.V...

(see ), in order to transfer casualties by the ship's Westland Wasp

Westland Wasp

helicopter (see similar aircraft operating with SS Canberra

SS Canberra

at ). The day after she arrived in "Red Cross Box 2" – at position 50°50′S 58°40′W on 30 82 May, she embarked 49 casualties from Uganda. Underway the next day, 2 June 1982, on passage for Montevideo

Montevideo

Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...

, she undertook the ship's first-ever replenishment at sea - a RAS(L) - with the oiler RFA Olmeda, in order to take on fuel. The ship arrived in the River Plate

Río de la Plata

The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...

on 6 June, disembarking her patients in the full glare of the world's media, eager for news and photographs. She sailed south at 2200 the same day.

The pattern of casualty evacuation was thus established, HMS Hydra worked with her two sister ships, HMS Hecla (see ) and HMS Herald, to take casualties from the main hospital ship Uganda

SS Uganda

(see ), operating in the declared "Red Cross Box", to Montevideo

Montevideo

, Uruguay

Uruguay

Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

(see ), where they were disembarked by a fleet of Uruguayan ambulances and flown by RAF

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

VC10 aircraft to the UK

United Kingdom

for transfer to the Princess Alexandra Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

Hospital at RAF Wroughton

RAF Wroughton

RAF Wroughton was a Royal Air Force station located just south of the village of Wroughton, Wiltshire, UK. It is south of the town of Swindon. The station was an operational military installation from the late 1930s through the 70s, during which time it served as host to maintenance units...

, near Swindon

Swindon

Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...

. The hospital ship HMS Hydra made four such passages from the waters off the Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands

to Montevideo

Montevideo

, carrying a total of 251 British military casualties, many of them burns victims after the air attacks on landing ships

Landing Ship Logistics

The Landing Ship Logistic is a term used by the United Kingdom armed forces to describe the Round Table class landing ship used for support of amphibious warfare missions. These ships are operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary...

at Bluff Cove

Bluff Cove

Bluff Cove Bluff Cove Bluff Cove (Spanish: Bahia Agradable or Hoya Fitzroy is a sea inlet and settlement on East Falkland, in the Falkland Islands, on its east coast...

(see ). The last three 'lifts' of patients were made with departures from Grantham Sound, in the Falkland Islands, to Montevideo

Montevideo

on 14 June with 80 casualties, 24 June with 66 casualties and, finally, on 7 July 1982 with 48 casualties. Thirty of the ship's company had been trained, during the passage south. to support the medical staff as temporary nurses - many were called on for that assistance. Inspections to ensure compliance with International Committee of the Red Cross

International Committee of the Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...

(ICRC - see http://www.icrc.org/eng) conditions were carried out by ICRC staff, some transferring to the ship in an Argentine

Argentina

hospital ship aircraft on 12 June. An inspection was also made by Argentine naval officers in the estuary of the River Plate

Río de la Plata

.

After the surrender, to Royal Marines

Royal Marines

The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...

Major-General Jeremy Moore

Jeremy Moore

Major General Sir John Jeremy Moore KCB, OBE, MC & Bar was the commander of the British land forces during the Falklands War in 1982. Moore received the surrender of the Argentine forces on the islands.-Military career:...

, of the Argentine occupying forces on 14 June 1982, HMS Hydra stayed behind as the Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands

Hospital Ship, based in Stanley

Stanley, Falkland Islands

Stanley is the capital and only true cityin the Falkland Islands. It is located on the isle of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2006 census, the city had a population of 2,115...

(see ), until the airport runway was repaired and extended. After her last journey to Uruguay

Uruguay

, she returned south and went to anchor in Port William

Port William

Port William is a small fishing village in the county of Wigtownshire in south west Scotland. At present it comes under the administrative authority of Dumfries and Galloway...

(see ), Falkland Islands, on 17 July. The next day she weighed anchor and sailed into Stanley

Stanley, Falkland Islands

, to anchor near the damaged RFA Sir Tristam, spending a week in the harbour, undergoing self-maintenance.

She later visited most of the major settlements, providing transport for a civilian doctor to visit the scattered population, and was at Fox Bay

Fox Bay

Fox Bay is the second largest settlement on West Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It is located on a bay of the same name, and is on the south east coast of the island...

(see http://www.falklandsconservation.com/) from 15 to 17 August. She finally left Stanley

Stanley, Falkland Islands

on 27 August 1982, calling at Ascension Island

Ascension Island

on 9 September 1982, disembarking an advance leave party to fly home ahead of the ship.

HMS Hydra was the last unit of the original Operation Corporate

Operation Corporate

Operation Corporate was the codename given to the 1982 British military involvement in the Falkland Islands during the Falklands War. The commander of task force operations was Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse. Operations lasted from 1 April 1982 to 20 June 1982....

Task Force to return to the UK

United Kingdom

, arriving to an extraordinary welcome in Portsmouth

Portsmouth

on 24 September 1982; the Hydrographer of the Navy

Hydrographer of the Navy

Hydrographer of the Navy is a Royal Naval appointment. From 1795 until 2001 the post was responsible for the production of charts for the Royal Navy, and around this post grew the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office...

, Rear-Admiral David Haslam

David Haslam

Rear-Admiral Sir David W. Haslam KBE CB was a Royal Navy officer.David Haslam was born in Derby and educated at Ashe Preparatory School, Etwall and, from 1936, at Bromsgrove School, Worcestershire .He joined the Royal Navy as a Special Entry Cadet in 1941...

, embarked for the passage from Spithead

Spithead

Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast...

, his flag

Maritime flag

A maritime flag is a flag designated for use on ships, boats, and other watercraft. Naval flags are considered important at sea and the rules and regulations for the flying of flags are strictly enforced...

flying from the ship's HiFix mast so as not to displace the Red Cross flag from the mainmast

Mast (sailing)

The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...

, and also notable was the salute paid to HMS Hydra by the NATO Commander, COMSTRIKFLTLANT, Vice-Admiral James A Lyons Jr USN

United States Navy

, and the ship's company of his flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

, (see ), lining the deck (the ship was on a routine visit to Portsmouth

Portsmouth

): his flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

saluting the junior ship in a signal tribute to her war service, rather than HMS Hydra saluting his senior flag

Maritime flag

as would be the normal maritime custom (both salutes being made using a Boatswain's call).

HMS Hydra was then converted back to her survey fleet role and resumed surveys in UK

United Kingdom

waters later in the year. Meanwhile, the ship's company went on leave, many having been away from home waters for eleven of the past twelve months.

HMS Hydra thus added a seventh Battle Honour

Battle honour

A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....

- South Atlantic 1982 - to her name.

United Kingdom waters 1982-83

HMS Hydra, freshly painted in her survey livery and with a large number of new faces among her 120 men, sailed Portsmouth on 25 November 1982 for surveys in the Western Approaches

Western Approaches

The Western Approaches is a rectangular area of the Atlantic ocean lying on the western coast of Great Britain. The rectangle is higher than it is wide, the north and south boundaries defined by the north and south ends of the British Isles, the eastern boundary lying on the western coast, and the...

. At first it was too rough to start surveying, so the ship anchored off Scalasaig

Scalasaig

Scalasaig is the main settlement on the island of Colonsay in the Hebrides of Scotland. It is home to the only port on the isle and thus all tourists must pass through it on the way to any part of the isle. It contains the island's General Store, Post Office, Cafe and Hotel/Bar....

, Colonsay

Colonsay

Colonsay is an island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, located north of Islay and south of Mull and has an area of . It is the ancestral home of Clan Macfie and the Colonsay branch of Clan MacNeill. Aligned on a south-west to north-east axis, it measures in length and reaches at its widest...

, on 28 November and weighed anchor to resume surveying the next day; after calibration of the Hyperfix chain being used for positional control, the sonar sweep and sounding began.

She broke off surveying and set passage to Greenock

Greenock

on 5 December, arriving alongside Greenock Pier the next day. She sailed out of the River Clyde

River Clyde

on 8 December, and was east of Jura

Jura, Scotland

Jura is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, situated adjacent and to the north-east of Islay. Part of the island is designated as a National Scenic Area. Until the twentieth century Jura was dominated - and most of it was eventually owned - by the Campbell clan of Inveraray Castle on Loch...

the following day, having resumed surveys. She broke off surveying on 13 December and sailed south for Portsmouth

Portsmouth

, securing outboard of the Tribal class frigate

Tribal class frigate

The Type 81, or Tribal class, was a class of seven general-purpose frigates for the Royal Navy designed during the 1950s that served throughout the 1960s and 1970s with limited service during the 1980s.-History:...

on 16 December 1982, before granting Christmas leave to the majority of the ship's company. Despite the interruptions due to bad weather, 250 square miles (647.5 km²) of surveying were completed in the three weeks on task.

She sailed Portsmouth five days into the New Year

New Year

and arrived on the survey ground, off the west coast of Scotland, on 7 January 1983, but surveying proved difficult owing to rough weather; the survey area was about 30 miles (48.3 km) north of the aptly named Bloody Foreland in the NW of Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. She was off Jura

Jura, Scotland

on 8 January and made passage through the Sound of Islay

Sound of Islay

The Sound of Islay is a narrow strait between the islands of Islay and Jura off the west coast of Scotland. It is approximately in extent from north to south and lies between Rubh' a' Mhàil on Islay and Rubh' Aird na Sgitheich on Jura to the north and Macarthur's Head and Rubha na Tràille to the...

on 10 January. She broke off surveying on 13 January and set passage to the River Clyde

River Clyde

, arriving alongside Greenock

Greenock

Pier a day later, sailing again for the survey ground on 17 January.

She passed round the Mull of Kintyre

Mull of Kintyre

The Mull of Kintyre is the southwesternmost tip of the Kintyre Peninsula in southwest Scotland. From here, the Antrim coast is visible and an historic lighthouse, the second commissioned in Scotland, guides shipping in the intervening North Channel...

to the Sound of Jura

Sound of Jura

The Sound of Jura is a strait in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The Gaelic name means "Sound of Disappointment". It is one of the several Sounds of Scotland....

on 18 January and resumed surveys the next day. Very rough weather forced the ship to shelter behind the island of Inishtrahull on 20 January, so little progress had been made before she broke off from surveys and sailed for Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

on 26 January. She was on passage through the Irish Sea

Irish Sea

the next day and arrived alongside in Antwerp on 31 January for a four-day visit. She arrived back in Portsmouth

Portsmouth

, her home port, on 5 February 1983 for a scheduled docking and repairs to defects. She moved into dry dock, and was docked down from 15–23 February, the dock being flooded up on 24 February.

HMS Hydra returned to sea on Monday 25 April 1983, for a brief trials and shakedown cruise prior to a week's Safety Operational Sea Training (SOST) at the Portland Naval Base, from 17–25 May. On completion of SOST, specialist equipment and trials personnel were embarked from the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment (AUWE), Portland, for a two-month oceanographic trials cruise, in the Rockall

Rockall

Rockall is an extremely small, uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. It gives its name to one of the sea areas named in the shipping forecast provided by the British Meteorological Office....

Trench area and off Bear Island (Norway). The prototype Depth Analysis System developed at the Admiralty Compass Observatory was installed on the bridge, and trials staff embarked to conduct a short trial while on passage to Scotland

Scotland

. Visits were made to Trondheim

Trondheim

Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...

and Lorient

Lorient

Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...

before the ship returned to her new base port of Devonport

HMNB Devonport

Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...

at the end of July 1983.

In early September 1983, HMS Hydra returned to Scottish waters and began surveys to the west of the Outer Hebrides

Outer Hebrides

for a proposed deep draught shipping route. The ship returned to Devonport

HMNB Devonport

on 21 October to prepare for a deployment to the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

.

Leading Seaman

Leading Seaman

Leading seaman is a junior non-commissioned rank or rate in navies, particularly those of the Commonwealth. When it is used by NATO nations, leading seaman has the rank code of OR-4. It is often equivalent to the army and air force rank of corporal and some navies use corporal rather than...

(SR) Pete Wooding (1925–2002) joined HMS Hydra in the early 1970s and was a member of the ship's company for some fifteen years, through to the mid-1980s -; he was awarded the BEM

British Empire Medal

The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...

for his service to the ship.

Final years - 1984-86

HMS Hydra sailed on 14 November 1983 via Gibraltar

Gibraltar

, Naples

Naples

Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...

and the Suez Canal

Suez Canal

for her first survey off the north coast of Oman

Oman

Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...

. Christmas

Christmas

1983 was spent at Dubai

Dubai

. 300 square miles (777 km²) of surveys were completed before the ship broke off for passage to Mombasa

Mombasa

Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....

for a period of assisted maintenance. Boat surveys of Mombasa

Mombasa

Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....

harbour were carried out. Sailing north to the Red Sea

Red Sea

The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...

, a brief call was made at Hodeida, in the Yemen

Yemen

The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....

Arab Republic, before passage north to the Suez Canal

Suez Canal

and through to the Mediterranean Sea

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

. A visit was made to Haifa

Haifa

and then the ship called at Gibraltar

Gibraltar

before conducting a short examination of the Chaucer Bank before returning to Devonport

HMNB Devonport

in mid-April 1984. The remainder of 1984 was spent surveying between St Kilda and Barra

Barra

The island of Barra is a predominantly Gaelic-speaking island, and apart from the adjacent island of Vatersay, to which it is connected by a causeway, is the southernmost inhabited island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland.-Geography:The 2001 census showed that the resident population was 1,078...

, off the west coast of Scotland

Scotland

, with a short period on oceanographic work in northern waters. A detached party carried out a boat survey of Loch Melfort.

She spent the early part of 1985 continuing a survey of the Sea of the Hebrides

Hebrides

. On 10 September 1985 she sailed from Devonport

HMNB Devonport

to continue surveys in Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

n waters, which she had started in 1984, and this work continued until January 1986. In mid-January she was ordered to proceed to assist with the evacuation of expatriates from the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen

Yemen

. She assisted HM Yacht Britannia with the evacuation of 49 civilians before being released for the homeward passage to the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

. She arrived in Devonport

HMNB Devonport

on 27 February 1986 wearing her paying-off pennant. She was decommissioned and put on the disposal list on 31 March 1986.

_{For information about the Survey Ships Association, see http://www.surveyships.org.uk}

Commanding officers

Commander John Paton RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

- 1966-1967
Commander Robert A G Nesbitt RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

(d. 1979) - 1967 to July 1969
Commander Michael J Baker RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

- August 1969 to - November 1970
Acting Commander Roger O Morris RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

† (CB 1990) - November 1970 to March 1972 (see also 1979-80 below)
Captain David W Haslam OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

- †† (KBE 1984, CB 1979) (1923–2009) - March 1972 to 1973
Captain R Chester Read FRICS
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is an independent, representative professional body which regulates property professionals and surveyors in the United Kingdom and other sovereign nations....

RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

§ (CBE 1980) (1925-2005 - see ) - 1973 to June 1975
Commander Richard J Campbell FRICS
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is an independent, representative professional body which regulates property professionals and surveyors in the United Kingdom and other sovereign nations....

RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

§ - June 1975 to February 1977 (see also 1980-82 below)
Commander Robert I C Halliday FRICS
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is an independent, representative professional body which regulates property professionals and surveyors in the United Kingdom and other sovereign nations....

RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

- February 1977 to January 1979
Captain Roger O Morris FRICS
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is an independent, representative professional body which regulates property professionals and surveyors in the United Kingdom and other sovereign nations....

RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

† (CB 1990) (1932-) - February 1979 to January 1980
Commander Richard J Campbell FRICS
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is an independent, representative professional body which regulates property professionals and surveyors in the United Kingdom and other sovereign nations....

RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

§ (OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

1983; promoted Honorary Captain RN on retirement. See portrait at ) (1933-) - January 1980 - October 1982
Commander David C B Webb RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

(1943-) - October 1982 to July 1984
Commander Charles F Heron-Watson RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

- July 1984 to March 1986

_{Commanding officers from 1966 were qualified in Hydrographic Surveying (Charge Grade)}
_{† Promoted to Rear-Admiral 28 January 1985 and Hydrographer of the NavyHydrographer of the Navy
Hydrographer of the Navy is a Royal Naval appointment. From 1795 until 2001 the post was responsible for the production of charts for the Royal Navy, and around this post grew the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office...

1985-1990}
_{†† Promoted to Rear-Admiral 7 July 1975 and Hydrographer of the NavyHydrographer of the Navy
Hydrographer of the Navy is a Royal Naval appointment. From 1795 until 2001 the post was responsible for the production of charts for the Royal Navy, and around this post grew the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office...

1975-1985}
_{§ Qualified Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

submariner, transferring later to the Hydrographic Service}

From September 1981, her ship's company of 120 changed little for a year, notably the addition of wartime medical staff in April 1982. All the ship's company involved in Operation Corporate in 1982 were awarded the South Atlantic Medal

South Atlantic Medal

The South Atlantic Medal is a British campaign medal awarded to British military personnel and civilians for service in the Falklands War of 1982, between the United Kingdom and Argentina; 29,700 were issued...

(see ), with rosette, engraved with their rank, name and ship's name.

Ship's name and battle honours

The late 1960s

1970s - and five years away from the UK

Commercial refit and surveys in home waters 1980-81

To West Africa and surveys in the Caribbean 1981-82

Hospital Ship: The Falklands War of 1982 (Operation Corporate)

United Kingdom waters 1982-83

Final years - 1984-86

Commanding officers

Further reading