Royal Navy: HMS Chiddingfold back in action after shocking crash involving HMS Bangor in the Middle East

The Portsmouth-based ship HMS Chiddingfold carried out patrols alongside a Saudi Arabian task force today following the collision in January. Shocking footage showed the Hunt-class vessel slam into the Sandown-class minehunter HMS Bangor off the coast of Bahrain, which left it close to sinking.

A mechanical fault had caused the ship to lose control and hit the ship while it was berthed. Forces News reported £25m worth of damage was caused to the vessels, with the problem on HMS Chiddingfold thought to be a wiring issue. The gallery and the bedrooms were left in ruins.

Defence secretary Grant Shapps defended the Royal Navy at the time, saying something clearly went wrong but the fault and the subsequent damage was not caused by incompetence. He said an investigation was launched to identify the cause of the crash.

Four months later, sailors aboard the minehunter joined UK allies for vital patrols. The ship’s account reported on X: “As part of an exercise with Saudi-led Combined Task Force 152 of the Combined Maritime Forces, HMS Khalid and HMS Chiddingfold conducted a joint patrol. The patrol demonstrated interoperability between a Royal Navy unit and one of the UK’s key regional allies.”

Combined Maritime Forces is a 43-nation partnership based in Bahrain which patrols vital trade routes and shipping lanes to counter terrorism and piracy while providing a strong security presence in the region.