Defender's deployment dosh - nine-month Middle East mission raises £7,500 for RNRMC

Don’t worry: the sweat, the pain, the aches, the tears were all worth it..

Lt Cdr Jason Eacock, HMS Defender’s second-in-command, and ET(WE) Rhys Davies sweat in the Middle East sun during a ‘row the Suez’ challenge – just one of a string of fun/sporting events during the destroyer’s nine-month deployment to the region.

The demanding stint in the Gulf – mostly assigned to a US carrier strike group – allowed the 230 sailors and Royal Marines to let their hair down on occasions, with ‘whole ship’ activities organised to keep up morale and help the RNRMC.

Now back from both deployment and subsequent leave, crew have had the chance to tally their efforts (£7,500 or well over £30 apiece) and hand it over to the charity

Some of the events tapped into fund-raising activities back in the UK, like the Road to Twickenham.

Others were Defender-only affairs from the flight deck summer fête to a charity auction (AB(Sea) John Burns paid for the privilege of trading places with CO Cdr Steve Higham for a day) while the senior rates’ mess and wardroom gave up all their leftover dib-dobs from the various foreign ports visited while away.

“The ship’s company took immense pride in raising this money for such a worthwhile cause,” said Lt Cdr Sean Trevethan, Defender’s Senior Naval Officer.

“It is of course the charity that so many of our sailors and marines can relate to. They did have fun along the way and, dare I say it, got a little fitter too!”

After two deployments to the Gulf, Defender has now begun an extensive refit/upgrade package in Portsmouth Naval Base.