HMS Atherstone (M38) is a Hunt-class

Hunt class MCMV

The Hunt class is a class of thirteen mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy. They combine the separate role of the traditional minesweeper and that of the active minehunter in one hull...

 minesweeper

Minesweeper (ship)

A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...

 of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

. She was launched on 1 March 1986 and commissioned on 17 January 1987, the tenth ship of her class.

The present HMS Atherstone is the third ship to bear the name. HMS Atherstone was built by Vosper Thornycroft

VT Group

VT Group plc was a British defence and services company, formerly known as Vosper Thornycroft. The Company had diversified from shipbuilding into various engineering and support services, becoming involved in many areas of provision through five main operating groups: VT Communications, VT...

 shipbuilders at Woolston, Southampton

Woolston, Southampton

Woolston is a suburb of Southampton, Hampshire, located on the eastern bank of the River Itchen. It is bounded by the River Itchen, Hampshire, Sholing, Peartree Green, Itchen and Weston.The area is rich in maritime and aviation history...

. She was launched on 1 March 1986 by Mrs Amy Jarvis, the wife of Mr Pat Jarvis, CB, the Deputy Controller of the Navy at the Ministry of Defence.

She was accepted into service on 28 November 1986 and commissioned in Portsmouth in early 1987. The ship has a close association with the town of Atherstone, Warwickshire

Atherstone

Atherstone is a town in Warwickshire, England. The town is located near the northernmost tip of Warwickshire, close to the border with Staffordshire and Leicestershire and is the administrative headquarters of the borough of North Warwickshire.-History:...

, and is currently part of the 2nd Mine Countermeasure (MCM) Squadron based at Portsmouth, England.

HMS Atherstone has recently returned from the Gulf as part of Operation Telic

Operation Telic

Operation TELIC was the codename under which all British military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the Invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on 22 May 2011...

 in the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

, in support of Coalition operations to promote and maintain peace in the Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...

. She helped to provide assurance to merchant shipping, by conducting mine-countermeasure surveys in the main shipping routes throughout the region.