A sample of life at sea aboard HMS Richmond

HMS Richmond welcomed two United States Navy (USN) Midshipmen and two Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme (DTUS) Officer Cadets (OCs) to experience life at sea on a Royal Navy Frigate.

The DTUS Officer Cadets were on board to gain experience in the Royal Navy prior to a future career with the Service and as part of their training scheme.

OC Adam Michael said of the opportunity, “Our time in HMS Richmond has given us a fantastic insight into our future careers. It has also given us a wider understanding of life on board a warship and a greater appreciation of the many roles beyond engineering.”

Similarly, the US Midshipmen joined as part of an exchange programme with the USN and are currently studying for their degree before they commission as Officers.

The four prospective mariners joined Richmond in Portsmouth as the ship was activated on escort duties for a Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (Navy) task force transiting the English Channel.

It wasn’t all work, however, as the Midshipmen and Cadets experienced a brief port visit to Den Helder, Netherlands where the ship’s company had earned some downtime from a busy programme.

Midshipman Kinnunen added that the, “experience aboard HMS Richmond has been highly informative. Not only have we learned more about life on board a ship, but we have also learned about the British people, their culture, and their Navy.”

Next up for Richmond is a return to her home base port of Portsmouth for a couple of weeks of maintenance before summer leave.