Sandown Class mine hunter HMS Bangor will visit North Ayrshire from June 14 to 16 and will be open to members of the public. The 450-tonne ship is calling at Largs as part of the year’s celebrations of the 750th anniversary of the Battle of Largs.
And this June weekend marks the Gathering of the Clans with many festivities planned within the town.
For the first time in more than a decade, a Royal Navy warship will be alongside at Largs Pier for the weekend.
Open to visitors on both Saturday and Sunday from 10.30am-4.30pm, the ship’s crew is looking forward to welcoming members of the public on board to have a look around and to chat about the ship and the role of today’s Royal Navy in protecting the nation’s interests at home and further afield.
And a number of the ship’s crew will get involved in the celebrations shoreside.
“Unlike the Vikings all those centuries ago, while we may be arriving in a warship we are most certainly coming in peace,” said HMS Bangor’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Toby Shaughnessy.
“It is a pleasure to be able to support this event which is part of the on-going celebration of 750 years since the Battle of Largs.
“HMS Bangor is based only a handful of miles up river at HM Naval Base Clyde and it is nice to be able to bring her to one of our neighbouring ports in her home area.
“We particularly look forward to welcoming local Largs people and tourists alike on board on both Saturday and Sunday and hope that many will take the opportunity to explore this modern ship and chat to us about her and our experiences in the Royal Navy.”
As well as the public, a number of groups of young people will get the chance to tour the ship on Friday – these include Ardrossan Academy, Auchenharvie Academy and TS Gannet, Ardrossan’s Sea Cadet unit.
Minehunter HMS Bangor is one of seven Sandown-class mine countermeasures ships based in Scotland. HMS Bangor spent most of 2012 in and around her home port of Faslane, with visits over to her affiliated town in Northern Ireland and demanding multinational exercises such as Joint Warrior off the coast of Scotland.
[mappress] Press Release, June 11, 2013; Image: Royal Navy