MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

HMS Nottingham in UK; HMS Liverpool bound south

HMS Nottingham returns to her home port of Portsmouth on Friday after a six-month operational deployment patrolling the South Atlantic conducting maritime security operations.

The Type 42 destroyer provided a maritime presence to protect the UK's interests in the region, helping maintain British sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Highlights of the trip included visits to South Georgia where the crew enjoyed the wildlife and scenery in one of Britain's most remote territories, and Rio de Janeiro where Nottingham helped commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Portuguese Royal Court's evacuation to Brazil. During the deployment Nottingham covered more than 25,000 miles, visited five different countries and three continents. She carried out a wide range of training including exercises with UK armed forces in the region and foreign navies. The ship's Commanding Officer, Commander Andy Price, said: "HMS Nottingham and her people have done magnificently well in the wide range of operations they have been asked to do over the last six months. They are a credit to the Royal Navy". Early April HMS Liverpool slipped from her berth in Portsmouth Naval Base bound for the seven month South Atlantic tour.