It’s been another grey week with RN and RFA ships providing the mainstay of work at the docks.

The crew of the Royal Navy mine counter measures vessel HMS Penzance arrived at the docks to a warm welcome from family and friends after a mammoth three-year deployment to the Gulf. The ship stored and changed some crew before heading to her base at Faslane in Scotland.

The Sandown Class minehunter has spent over 7,500 hours at sea – 44 weeks – and steamed in excess of 34,000 miles during her time in the Middle East, taking part in numerous mine warfare exercises with US, French and regional navies and visited 12 nations to foster strong ties between them and the UK.

The Royal Navy hydrographic survey ship HMS Echo has dry-docked following her deployment to the Mediterranean with the European Union Naval Force Mediterranean task group on Operation Sophia, preventing the illegal trafficking of people from Africa to Europe.

HMS Pembroke, another minehunter, is expected to berth on Friday for just two hours to refuel.

RFA Lyme Bay continues her refit in number 2 dry-dock. RFA Tidespring has sailed to undergo her final evaluation trials before joining the Fleet. Her sister ship RFA Tiderace has arrived at the US Naval base in San Diego, home to the US Pacific fleet. From San Diego Tiderace will sail for the Panama Canal, eventually arriving in Falmouth in mid September.