HUNDREDS of well-wishers cheered the crew of HMS Monmouth as sailors marched through their home town on Saturday (March 30).

The 140-strong company, along with The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, brought the traffic to a standstill as it exercised its freedom of the town by parading through it.

And the civic and military display saw the announcement that the crew will be leaving “the Black Duke” temporarily as part of a new Royal Navy strategy in the Middle East.

The ship is going in for a refit in Devonport, and its crew are instead being deployed to sister ship HMS Montrose as part of a three-year operation.

They will be doing four-month rotations on the Bahrain-based boat, carrying out escort duties in high-threat areas such as Yemen and missions to stop illegal arms and drug smugglers.

On Saturday, with bayonets fixed, the ship’s company marched from Drybridge Street into Monnow Street to the beating of drums and flags flying before lining up for inspection by civic dignitaries, including the Lord Lieutenant of Gwent, Brigadier Robert Aitken CBE, and Monmouth town mayor Cllr Terry Christopher.

The sailors then continued along Monnow Street, performing an “eyes right and salute” at the Shire Hall before being dismissed at Castle House.

The name of HMS

Monmouth is one of the longest standing in the Royal Navy, going all the way back to 1666 – the year of the Great Fire of London.

The ship has recorded more battle honours that any other Royal Naval ship in its long history, which marks its 353rd anniversary this month.

The current boat, a Type 23 frigate, is the seventh to carry the name after being launched in 1991, with the company being given the Freedom of Monmouth in 2004.

At the parade, ship’s captain, Commander Will King, said they would be taking part in a new naval initiative called forward deployment by joining HMS Montrose as its new starboard watch.

“Our ship’s company is the first to do this. We’ll be taking the sister ship to Monmouth, HMS Montrose, which will be permanently stationed in Bahrain in the Middle East and as such, the two crews will be swapping, doing four months on and fours months off,” he told the crowds.

The crew will only be the second watch rotation to take on the duty, after Montrose left Devonport in October.

“We fly out, which is unusual for a whole ship company. Usually you sail with the ship all the way out to the Gulf,” said Leading Seaman Kieran Dixon.