John's Naval, Marine and other Service news - .Glorious homecoming in Plymouth for Navy’s star ship

LS Mark Reynolds embraces his wife Amy and the couple's 12-week-old daughter Theia. Pictures: LA(Phot) Ben Shread, FRPU West

WHAT could be better than a glorious bank holiday in the South West?

A glorious bank holiday in the South West blessed by the return of survey ship HMS Enterprise after nine months away, of course.

Her mission done charting the waters east of Suez, the star ship (sorry) of the Royal Navy’s hydrographic fleet sailed up the Hamoaze yesterday to a noisy and colourful welcome from loved ones.

She returned having found undiscovered wrecks, stunning and previously-uncharted ocean features, and with the wider Enterprise family having grown by five since departing last autumn: five babies were born to the ship’s company while deployed.

One new father Leading Seaman Burt Reynolds said his daughter’s birth was late after he arrived home from the other side of the world: “The ship flew me back once my wife went into hospital, but despite that my daughter still decided to be six days adrift!’’

Freya and mum Angela Greenslade wait impatiently for ET(WE) Andrew Greenslade

LS Mark Reynolds from Coventry was nearly rushed off his feet by his family when he stepped off the ship. His children Phoebe, seven, and Ethan, five, dropped their ‘welcome’ banner and were first to hug their father.

Waiting with their new daughter Theia, 12 weeks, was his wife Amy. As he cradled Theia, Mark said: “It was a good deployment, but I’m so happy to be back, especially to see Theia – I last saw her when she was three weeks old and now she’s double the size and so cute.

“I came back for her birth and flew back to the ship which was a fantastic experience. I’m now very keen on sleeping in a bigger bed and having home-made food and having some normal family life.’’

His wife added: “This is a special day – having Mark back and I’m hoping we can have a normal life for a while with him, for him to see Theia growing fast, while Phoebe wants him to see her improving swimming.’’

The boys are back in town...

Mark’s mother Angela, from Wirral, said: “I always get very excited on these occasions. I think I embarrass

him shouting at the ship louder than anyone else. I never get used to them coming back, even though my other daughter is also a navy medical assistant at Lympstone and my other son is joining the Navy soon.’’

The bulk of Enterprise’s deployment was focused in the Red Sea, where the ship’s hi-tech sensors revealed a Grand Canyon-style feature on the seabed.

Having boldly gone (sorry) over 1,220km² of ocean with her sensors – that’s an area 15 times the size of her native Plymouth – Enterprise will feed her data to the UK Hydrographic Office which produces the 3,300 Admiralty charts used by the RN and many other seafarers.

A picture-perfect moment for LStd Richard White and the ladies in his life: Sophie and Imogen

Among the charts to be updated as a result of Enterprise’s efforts, those covering Dubai’s Port Rashid harbour, where the ship found two previously-undiscovered wrecks.

“We’ve been gathering oceanographic and hydrographic data for merchant mariners and for military use on what has been a successful deployment,” said Cdr Derek Rae, Enterprise’s Commanding Officer. “But first and foremost we are a Royal Naval warship and where we operated there is pirate activity. We were able to reassure merchant ships by our mere presence that the Royal Navy was acting in their interests and that we mean business if they needed us.’’

As for Enterprise’s joyous return, Cdr Rae said it was “very uplifting to see the families cheering us back in Plymouth. They are owed a lot of gratitude from the Navy because without their support back home looking after the children and keeping the home going we could not go about our work.’’