A ROYAL Navy Lieutenant from March took part in a special rendez-vous in the warm waters of the Middle East.

Lieutenant Ian Shropshall was among the crew of a submarine which met up with a frigade from the same Welsh town.

The two Llanelli-affiliated Royal Naval units made time within their busy programmes to spend a few hours training together on their respective vessels.

Lt Shropshall, Operations Officer onboard HMS Trenchant, spent time on the Type 23 frigate HMS Monmouth.

He relished the opportunity to swap roles for a few hours and experience life above the water.

He said: “Monmouth’s Ship’s Company were excellent hosts and made us feel very welcome.

“It is always good to see how another part of the Royal Navy does its business. “It makes quite a change in the middle of our deployment to have so much space, fresh air and sunshine!”

Leading Engineering Technician Steve Pinder from HMS Monmouth, who has hopes of joining the Submarine Service, enjoyed the change of scenery.

He said: “This was a fantastic opportunity to experience life underwater first-hand.

“The crew of Trenchant was very hospitable and I look forward to joining their branch in the future.

“I was particularly interested in the differences in weapons systems.”