photo: UK Crown Copyright 2017©

On 18 April HMS Enterprise (H88) returned home after an epic 35-month deployment. In almost three years she steamed 150,000 nautical miles, visited 20 countries while conducting maritime security operations, protecting Britain’s economy and rescuing those in danger.

With a 78-strong ship’s company the specialist survey ship Enterprise was at the heart of operations to prevent people-smuggling in the Mediterranean. She evacuated more than 200 British citizens from Libya, rescued 9,180 people attempting to undertake deadly crossings of the Mediterranean and destroyed 117 unseaworthy vessels used by people traffickers.