HMS ''Chiddingfold'' is a of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. She was launched in October 1983 by her sponsor, Lady Anne Kennon, and formally entered the service of the Royal Navy in October 1984. ''Chiddingfold'' is a minehunter, and her purpose is to find and destroy mines, not only in a time of war but also in peacetime. There are about a quarter of a million mines still active from the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

alone and they pose a major threat to both military and civilian ships. ''Chiddingfold'' is able to enter some types of minefields without the mines detonating. This is because she is made of

glass-reinforced plastic Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

and all fixtures within the ship are made of non-ferrous metals, keeping the ship's magnetic signature to the bare minimum.

Operational history

In January 2012, ''Chiddingfold'' began a year-long mid-life upgrade project, including the replacement of her engines, gearboxes, propellers and an upgraded thruster system; she was the first vessel of her class to undergo the refurbishment. In June 2014, ''Chiddingfold'' sailed in company with for a three-year deployment in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

. She returned to the UK in 2017 after being relieved by

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

. The long-term deployment to the Gulf was renewed again in mid-2020 when ''Chiddingfold'' returned to the region, again in company with ''Penzance'', to operate as part of 9 Mine Countermeasures Squadron from in

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

. In this role, crews for ''Chiddingfold'' rotate every four months.

Affiliations

''Chiddingfold'' has a connection with the village of

Chiddingfold Chiddingfold is a village and civil parish in the Weald in the Waverley district of Surrey, England. It lies on the A283 road between Milford and Petworth. The parish includes the hamlets of Ansteadbrook, High Street Green and Combe Common ...

, and every year they have a stall at the Chiddingfold fete. HMS ''Chiddingfold'' is also affiliated with the Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers, one of the City of London's Livery Companies.

References

External links

* 1983 ships Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessels {{UK-minesweeper-stub