A Dorchester man is serving aboard the Royal Navy’s fleet flagship during a major deployment to the Far East.

Chief Petty Officer Darren Holmes works in the weapons engineering department of HMS Albion. The 23,000-tonne amphibious assault ship left Plymouth at the beginning February for a 10-month mission designed to strengthen the United Kingdom’s ties in the Asia-Pacific region.

Darren is responsible for supporting a sophisticated array of communications equipment which enables HMS Albion to command task group operations at sea, together with a landing force of Royal Marines ashore. He also has responsibility for career management and training for more than fifty other weapon engineers.

“It’s quite a challenge to manage the career aspirations of such a large department but HMS Albion is a great ship and it’s a rewarding job, especially now we’ve been given such a high profile deployment”, said Darren.

In recent months HMS Albion has undertaken a busy programme of diplomatic visits and exercises with a number of regional partners, including Singapore, Brunei and Japan, while her embarked Royal Marines have ventured into the jungles of Borneo to hone their warm-weather skills.

In April, HMS Albion became the first Royal Navy ship to visit Indonesia for almost six years. Darren was part of a team who visited a local orphanage in Jakarta.

“It was a privilege to experience an aspect of Indonesian life that most tourists would never see. Despite being in quite a poor area, the orphanage wanted to share a traditional meal with us. It was the first time I’d eaten food served from banana leaves and it was excellent.”

“I was struck by how polite the children were. Although they didn’t speak much English, they were very excited to meet us and there was lots of singing – it turns out they are big Ed Sheeran fans”

“I was in the Sea Cadets when I was younger, so the Navy seemed like a good way to get ahead in the world. I’ve been to some amazing places in my career from Sierra Leone to South Georgia and the Falklands, and my family and friends are always interested to hear where I’ve been.”

HMS Albion’s Commanding Officer, Captain Tim Neild, said: “The presence of HMS Albion in the Asia-Pacific region demonstrates that the Royal Navy is a truly global force, ready to do our bit to promote peace, security and prosperity in a part of the world which is vital to the UK’s own economic ambitions.

“Chief Petty Officer Holmes is a first class senior rate and a valued member of the ‘A-Team’. Like all the sailors and marines under my command, he’s bright, motivated and incredibly proud to serve his country. They are the very best ambassadors we could wish for.”