HMS Enterprise (H88)

HMS Enterprise in 2008

Enterprise's first operational overseas deployment was to the Mediterranean in October 2004, returning to Devonport in April 2005. She participated in a NATO exercise and conducted oceanographic and hydrographic surveys.[7]

Enterprise sailed in September 2005 to conduct survey operations in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin. She also conducted a collaborative hydrographic survey with the Saudi military.[7]

In 2007 Enterprise deployed for 19 months to West Africa, South Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. While in the Persian Gulf she worked off the coast of Iraq in support of the UK and Iraqi governments.[7]

Enterprise deployed in June 2009 for two years on an extended deployment to West Africa spending three months there before travelling through the Mediterranean to begin operations east of Suez later in the year.[10]

Enterprise moored at South Dock in London

On 10 June 2011, Enterprise returned to Devonport, having covered over 50,000 miles (80,000 km) during the deployment.[11]

Enterprise was dispatched to Libya in August 2014 to evacuate British citizens and diplomatic staff due to the increasing violence in the country. Over the course of two lifts, Enterprise evacuated a total of 217 civilians and landed them safely in Valletta, Malta.[12]

In June 2015, Enterprise replaced HMS Bulwark in the mission to rescue migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy.[13] By December 2015, Enterprise had been responsible for rescuing more than 2600 migrants.[14] By December 2016, this number had risen to over 9000[15] before Enterprise was finally relieved by Echo. In recognition of her contribution to the European Union's Operation Sophia and her lifesaving work, the ship was awarded the Firmin Sword of Peace, an award given to units of the UK Armed Forces who have gone above and beyond their normal role.[16][15]

On 9 January 2017, it was announced Enterprise had deployed to the South Atlantic to perform patrol tasks normally carried out by the Falkland Islands patrol vessel, HMS Clyde, while Clyde underwent three months of maintenance in South Africa. Aside from patrol duties, Enterprise was also tasked with updating charts of the region used by seafarers during her deployment.[17] Enterprise returned to Devonport on 18 April 2017 having steamed 150,000 miles (240,000 km) and visited 20 countries over a period of nearly three years.[18] Upon her return to the UK Enterprise underwent a short refit in Falmouth prior to returning to operations.[19]

Sailing from Devonport on 29 June 2017, Enterprise deployed in her secondary role as a mine counter measures command ship, assuming the role of flagship of NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2), primarily operating in the Mediterranean.[20] Returning to the UK a year later,[21] she completed a short refit in Falmouth[22] before deploying to Norway in October 2018 for Exercise Trident Juncture as the mine counter measures command ship for the UK minehunter taskgroup.[23]

In December 2019, she was reported to have sailed through the strait of Taiwan.[24]

On 5 August 2020, she was sent to Beirut to help survey the area around the docks following the 2020 Beirut Docks Explosion. [25]

The ship decommissioned on 30 March 2023.[2]