Ocean Back At Sea After £30m Refit

>The Royal Navy helicopter carrier HMS Ocean has started its sea trials following a 12-month refit and upgrade. (UK MoD photo)i>The Royal Navy helicopter carrier HMS Ocean sailed from her home base at Plymouth to start sea trials today, Wednesday 24 September 2008, following a major period of maintenance and upgrading work.>> HMS Ocean, one of the most powerful and flexible ships in the fleet, has successfully completed a complex 12-month upgrade and maintenance programme worth more than 30 million and undertaken by Babcock Marine at HM Naval Base Devonport Royal Dockyard.>> The next few weeks will see HMS Ocean carry out intense sea trials that will test not only mechanical sustainability, but also the people; many new crew members having joined the ship since the project started. The ship's Commanding Officer, Captain Simon Kings MBE, said:>> "I am immensely proud to be taking the Royal Navy's s largest warship back to sea after such a long period of maintenance and look forward to the challenge of regenerating her operational role as the Royal Navy's high readiness amphibious assault ship. Getting back to sea has been the result of much hard work by both Babcock Marine and the ship's company working together to deliver HMS Ocean.">> A tried and tested programme of exercises will focus initially on sea safety and then gradually build up to equipment calibration and then flying operations with embarked helicopters before operational sea training begins in earnest in November 2008.>> The ship started the second docking period of her life in September 2007 and is now undergoing sea trials before returning officially to the Royal Navy's fleet as an operational warship in October 2008.