HMS Ledbury (M30), the third ship of the name, 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 December 1979 and commissioned on 11 June 1981, the second ship of her class. She cost £65 Million at time of building, which was the most expensive cost per metre for any class of ship built by the Royal Navy. Most of this cost went into the research and development of Ledbury's Glass Reinforced Plastic Hull

Hull (watercraft)

A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...

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She is currently attached to the Second Mine Countermeasures Squadron (MCM2), based in Portsmouth. Ledbury underwent a docking maintenance period, commencing Jun 2009, to fit the new 'Seafox' Mine disposal equipment. This new equipment (replacing the French built PAP RCMDS) is a significant improvement in both mine detection and disposal technology.