MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

HMS Cardiff concludes S. Atlantic deployment.

HMS Cardiff returns from South Atlantic deployment next Friday (22/10) having had a West African school named after her. Sierra Leone president Ahmad Kabbah was so impressed with building work carried out at a Freetown school by 100 HMS Cardiff sailors he renamed the institution in their honour.

Hill Station Preparatory School is now preceded with the word Cardiff to thank the crew who built and fitted out four brick classrooms over a week in June. Relationships with the ship and Sierra Leone were further strengthened when President Kabbah, who studied many years ago at the University of Cardiff, visited the ship and inspected a Guard of Honour.

Commander Mike Beardall, the ship's Commanding Officer, said: "HMS Cardiff is extremely proud and honoured to be recognised by the president and school in this way. The ship's company who worked at the school did a tremendous job in extreme heat and we are delighted that the ship's name will live on in Sierra Leone."

Cardiff left Portsmouth last April for a six-month deployment to West Africa and the South Atlantic. While visiting Sierra Leone the Type 42 destroyer also embarked local fisheries ministry staff and intercepted a suspect, unregistered vessel which was subsequently arrested by the authorities for illegal fishing.

Before heading to the Falkland Islands, HMS Cardiff stopped off in Rio de Janeiro for a break with several of the ship' company visiting Casa Jimmy's orphanage which was set up by Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin fame. A bundle of charitable donations brought from the UK were handed out to delighted children. The ship's three-month Falklands patrol included Exercise Purple Strike ? a joint training effort with the resident Army infantry company.

Cardiff's return journey included staging Defence Industry Days in Valparaiso in Chile and in Callao, Peru, allowing her to show off various items of equipment to visitors. The deployment has been a particularly memorable one for Chief Petty Officer Nick Pocock. He won first prize in the ship's raffle - a flight over the Falklands in an RAF Tornado. The draw raised £400 for the ship's charity ? Craig Y Parc School in Cardiff. Cdr Beardall said everyone onboard was looking forward to returning home after a successful and varied deployment. "The ship's company has performed magnificently over the last six-and-a-half months and has been fine ambassadors for the country in many varied regions from North Africa, the South Atlantic, both sides of South America and the Caribbean Sea.

"They can all be justly proud of their achievements across the globe and are now ready for some well-earned leave".

Next up for Cardiff is a period of maintenance, before her final deployment in February to the Mediterranean. She will decommission in August. (RN)