HMS Hurworth (M39): The Minehunter Whose Divers Earned Gallantry Medals

A Notably Durable Design

HMS Hurworth was built in 1985, a Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel, part of a class whose glass reinforced plastic hulls were specifically designed to minimise magnetic signature and resist the shockwaves of nearby mine explosions.

Crewed by five officers and 39 ratings, she carries the Seafox mine disposal system, a truly world-leading piece of technology that has helped keep the Royal Navy's mine countermeasures capability among the most advanced in the world, remarkable longevity for a design now approaching its fifth decade of service.

Rescuing Survivors of the Herald of Free Enterprise

HMS Hurworth's crew took part in a harrowing rescue operation in March 1987, while the ship was visiting Ostend, when the ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsized shortly after leaving the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, a disaster that claimed 193 lives and remains one of the worst peacetime maritime tragedies to affect a British-registered vessel.

Two of HMS Hurworth's divers were awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for their part in the rescue effort, entering freezing, chaotic waters to save survivors trapped in the stricken ferry, a remarkably brave piece of individual heroism carried out under appalling conditions.

The First Gulf War

HMS Hurworth deployed to the Persian Gulf for the First Gulf War in 1991, part of the substantial Royal Navy minehunting effort supporting the international coalition assembled to liberate Kuwait following Iraq's invasion, clearing Iraqi mines from waters that coalition naval forces urgently needed to use, dangerous and painstaking work carried out under real operational pressure.

Still on the Front Line

HMS Hurworth received a major sonar upgrade and has continued to deploy repeatedly to the Persian Gulf as part of the Royal Navy's ongoing minehunting presence operating out of Bahrain, protecting international shipping lanes in one of the world's most strategically vital and historically mine-threatened waterways.

Remarkably, despite her 1985 build date, she remains among the most capable mine countermeasures vessels afloat today, a genuine testament to the quality of her original design and to the value of the steady modernisation programmes that have kept the Hunt class relevant across four decades of continuous service.

Out of Service by 2031

In 2026, defence minister Luke Pollard confirmed to Parliament that all five of the Royal Navy's Hunt-class minehunters — Ledbury, Cattistock, Brocklesby, Middleton and Hurworth — will be phased out as crewed vessels by 2031, as autonomous mine-countermeasures systems take over their role.

This is a live article which will be updated when more information is available.