Royal Navy survey ship HMS Enterprise returns from year-long NATO deployment

Royal Navy survey ship HMS Enterprise returned to her Devonport homeport in Plymouth on July 22, after spending over a year in the Mediterranean as flagship of NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 2.

Photo: Royal Navy

Enterprise handed over command of the SNMCMG2 to the German Navy.

Working primarily in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea, they were responsible for providing a high readiness MCM capability.

For 365 days HMS Enterprise flew the flag for NATO through the Mediterranean and Black Seas, training with the region’s navies – not just in the art of hunting mines, but disaster relief and search and rescue missions – and honing the ability of participating NATO forces to work seamlessly together.

With a NATO battle staff embarked, HMS Enterprise directed six major exercises, visited 40 ports, helped locate four WW2-era mines, worked with scientists to further the use of unmanned technology in finding objects underwater, and worked with around a dozen NATO and foreign navies.

“This has been a thoroughly enjoyable and professionally rewarding deployment. We have spent a year and a day assigned to NATO,” said Commander Phil Harper, Commanding Officer HMS Enterprise.

“We’ve visited every European country with a Mediterranean or Black Sea coast and exercised with nearly every NATO nation. Some of the crew even made it to Batumi in Georgia in support of NATO.