Crew bid farewell to HMS Echo in decommissioning ceremony in Portsmouth

A ceremony has taken place in Portsmouth to say farewell to a Royal Navy ship which had a 20-year career.

HMS Echo was commissioned in the city and was the first of two survey ships designed for global oceanographic operations.

She was designed to be manned away from her home base in Devonport for periods of up to five years.

The 5,000 tonne ship has had a colourful Royal Navy career.

During two years of operations across the Middle and Far East around 2010, she discovered an unchartered sea mountain off the coast of Yemen and the wreck of a Second World War cargo ship off the coast of Libya.

HMS Echo also captured three-dimensional images of HMS Dasher, a Second World War aircraft carrier which sank off the Ayrshire coast.

HMS Echo’s Commanding Officer, Commander Adam Coles, said: “Being trusted with the final command of HMS Echo is a real honour, and I feel privileged to have served in her.”

Now the ship has been decommissioned, the Royal Navy will be using a different approach using more modern equipment, and a new survey craft will be introduced later this year.

The Royal Navy’s hydrographers and meteorological experts will continue to serve aboard ships across the globe but will also deploy in smaller teams around the UK and overseas.