Best wishes from HMS Medway

At least we don’t (usually) have to worry about hurricanes on top of Covid-19.

Top: HMS Tyne, sister ship of HMS Medway
Centre: Quickfire light armament
Bottom - The equivalent on HMS Medway Queen 1940

HMS Medway Queen
​ Memories of Dunkirk

Medway Queen is affiliated to HMS Medway; a river class patrol vessel, commissioned in Chatham last September.
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Lieutenant Commander Jim Blythe, the current Commanding Officer of HMS Medway, has written with his best wishes for the Medway Queen Preservation Society. HMS Medway is currently deployed to the Caribbean where they will defend the nation’s security and promote UK interests. Lt. Cmdr. Blythe tells us that “the Caribbean is currently in a difficult situation. With the global pandemic and hurricane season around the corner the Caribbean nations now more than ever are looking towards us for assistance. We are therefore poised to act in whatever capacity they require.” He goes on to tell us that the ship has recently completed maintenance tasks and has embarked key stores so as to be ready to give assistance when a hurricane hits.  To “be able to deliver life-saving supplies to the worst affected areas.”

Lieutenant Commander Blythe has commanded mine-hunters in the past and was the navigator in HMS Cardiff during the 2005 Spithead Review. He was kind enough to comment that he found the mine-sweeping and Review of the Fleet chapters of our book “The Medway Queen” particularly interesting. Naturally we hope to welcome him and any other members of the ship’s company to Gillingham Pier and Medway Queen when visiting becomes possible again.​



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HMS Medway affiliated to Medway Queen