HMS Hydra (A144) - Three Years in The Life of A Royal Navy Survey Ship 1980-83 - Commercial Refit and Surveys in Home Waters 1980-81

Commercial Refit and Surveys in Home Waters 1980-81

HMS Hydra was employed on surveys off the west coast of Scotland in the first half of 1980.

In the summer of 1980, she was taken in hand by Ocean Fleets, a commercial shipyard in Birkenhead for refit, with a depleted ship's company living ashore in lodgings in The Wirral. The ship's company moved on board on 7 November 1980 and, after sea trials and acceptance, finally sailed from Merseyside on 8 December for her home port of Portsmouth, where she arrived on 12 December.

She sailed Portsmouth on 8 January 1981 for "shakedown" and "operational sea training" (OST) in the Isle of Portland area. OST successfully completed, she sailed north late on 21 January in order to resume hydrographic surveys off the west coast of Scotland in the Little Minch, between the Isle of Skye and the Hebrides.

She anchored in Uig Bay, Isle of Skye on 24 January and began landing survey teams. The next day was one of Sabbath observance, so no surveying or helicopter operations took place - common practice on Western Isles surveys. Surveying resumed early on Monday with small naval parties looking after trisponders set up on geodetic control stations, ashore on the Shiant Islands and nearby Quidnish; these continued until breaking off for a visit to the major port of Bristol from 6–10 February, where the ship was alongside the Arnolfini contemporary arts centre in Bristol City Dock (now called Bristol Harbour).

Surveys were resumed on 12 February in the Little Minch, off the Isle of Skye, although very rough weather required the suspension of surveys on 17 February and the ship went to anchor. Seasonal gales are no good for boat surveying and hinder ship surveying, and the ship was again at anchor on 21 February, this time in Loch Snizort, Isle of Skye. Resuming surveys the next day, she recovered the "tidewatcher" (a surveying recorder landed to record tides), and also trisponder parties, before sailing for Loch Fyne to anchor for the night of 23/24 February. Boat surveying started in Loch Fyne the next morning and was completed before sailing for, and arriving at, the naval base at Faslane, Helensburgh on 25 February.

The security of the submarine base allowed the ship to grant many of the ship's company long weekend leave, many travelling to Portsmouth to see their families. As much of the surveying work in the Hebrides was done with submarines in mind, the period alongside in the naval base was useful for liaison between the officers and men of the Hydrographic Service and their submariner counterparts. The ship sailed on 12 March for Rona, anchoring in the Little Minch on 13 March. The next day, surveys resumed between Skye and the Shiant Islands. Surveys were concluded, trisponder parties and the sole tidewatcher recovered on 22 March, the ship sailing south the next day for her base port of Portsmouth, where she arrived on 24 March for maintenance and Easter leave.

HMS Hydra locked into number 3 basin on 27 March and, on 2 April, moved into number 15 dock for a routine dry-docking. Leave and maintenance completed, she sailed from Portsmouth on 27 April to resume Scottish surveys in the Minches, with a week's work to do; the night of 29/30 April was spent at anchor in Uig Bay (see ) and the ship was at anchor in Loch Flodabay, on the east coast of Harris on 3 May.

The next task was to the west of the Hebrides; this was a re-survey of an area done about a century previously, between the Monach Islands and the island of St Kilda. By 6 May the ship was surveying two-mile (3 km) lines, in the area to the west of Benbecula, on North Uist, to the south of the Monach Islands in the Outer Hebrides.

The ship broke off surveys and sailed south for a visit to the Isle of Man on 13 May 1981 arriving alongside in Douglas, Isle of Man the next day. She sailed 18 May, conducting a trial near Ailsa Craig, while on passage to the survey ground off the Monach Islands, arriving the next day. On 28 May she was anchored in Village Bay, Hirta - the largest of the four islands that make up St Kilda - allowing a walk ashore for some of the ship's company on the island, uninhabited since the last native St Kildans were evacuated in 1930; since 1957, there has been a manned military radar tracking station on the island. Weighing anchor the next morning, the ship resumed surveys.

She broke off surveys on 3 June and sailed for Bootle in Merseyside. The ship arrived alongside in Gladstone Dock two days later. Long weekend leave was granted and routine self-maintenance undertaken. Those on board, but not on duty in the evening or at weekends, were able to enjoy a "run ashore" in Bootle or Liverpool. HMS Hydra sailed Bootle on 15 June for the Outer Hebrides in order to resume surveys.

She broke off surveys and, after a passage south through the Sound of Mull on 1 July, she arrived alongside Greenock Pier, on the River Clyde on 2 July, granting weekend leave to the ship's company. She sailed Greenock on 6 July, returning to the Outer Hebrides survey area, before returning once more to Greenock Pier (16–20 July) and then, again, resuming surveys.

On 27 July the ship hoisted the flag of the Hydrographer of the Navy, (Rear-Admiral David Haslam CB ††), when he arrived by the ship's Westland Wasp helicopter - 415 Flight of 829 Naval Air Squadron. Scottish surveys were completed for the summer, and the ship headed south the next day for its home port, Portsmouth. The summer proved to be one of the wettest on record and this seriously detracted from the ship's ability to control its soundings by trisponder. In other respects, the weather was reasonably kind and boat work was possible for about half the duration of the survey.

The Hydrographer flew ashore early on the morning of Wednesday 29 July 1981. The ship, on passage south through the Irish Sea, changed to "Sunday routine" so that the ship's company could take part in the national public holiday for the wedding of HRH the Prince of Wales and the Lady Diana Spencer; adequate television pictures and a barbecue on the flight deck!

Arriving in Spithead on 31 July, the ship held a "Families’ Day" at sea, off Portsmouth, before securing alongside in the naval base, for summer leave and maintenance. Moved into C Lock on 3 August, the ship stayed locked in for a month, being moved to the sea wall on 2 September, before a "cold move" outboard of the frigate, HMS Lowestoft, the next day.