Meet the ship's company of HMS Ocean

Standing in front of 415 of his ship's company - sailors, Royal Marines, Fleet Air Arm - Commanding Officer Capt Rob Pedre poses for a unique memento of HMS Ocean's deployment.

With the business end of the six-month tour of duty by the nation's flagship mostly done now she's completed her stint in the Gulf commanding US naval forces in Task Force 50, most of the ship's company could fall in for a group shot on the sprawling flight deck.

As well as the men and women in dark blue, there are the Royal Marines of 9 Assault Group - permanently assigned to the Mighty O to run her landing craft and amphibious operations - and the air and ground crew from RNAS Culdrose crewing the two Merlin helicopters aboard (one you can see lashed to the rear of the flight deck.)

Next stop on the helicopter carrier's deployment is Beirut - a very rare port of call for any RN vessel, let alone a capital ship.

She'll berth at the Port of Beirut to host a series of events promoting closer ties between the UK and Lebanon - in the military sphere and beyond.

Thereafter, thoughts of the ship's company turn increasingly to home with Ocean due to return to Plymouth before the end of the month.

And yes, we did count every person in the photograph...