Hundreds of people turned out in the rain for a tour of HMS Shoreham on Sunday
Launched at the Vosper Thornycroft yard in Southampton in 2001, she was commissioned the following year in her namesake Sussex town – the fifth Royal Navy vessel to bear its name.
In her 20 years of active service the minehunter has alternated her time between training/operations in home and northern European waters, plus extended stints in the Middle East – typically three years at a time – as part of the Royal Navy’s Gulf-based forces.
The ship has clocked up more than 120,000 nautical miles – enough to take her around the world five and a half times – and visited more than 30 ports at home and abroad while serving under the White Ensign.
The boat arrived at Shoreham Port on Friday morning for the start of it farewell tour
The boat was escorted in to the harbour by RNLI Shoreham Lifeboat all weather lifeboat
