After ducking into France to avoid a major storm and getting battered by nine-metre waves, the crew of HMS Mersey were only too glad to make land in Bermuda this week.

Having left Portsmouth on January 6, the Royal Naval ship was forced to pull into the port of Brest and skip her Azores stop altogether to dodge a significant weather system brewing in the Atlantic.

Mersey and her 48-strong crew remained in France for two days before charging out on a straight run to the Island, arriving just a few hours behind schedule on Tuesday.

“We were determined to make it to Bermuda as close to on schedule as we could and we made pretty good passage out of France,” Lieutenant-Commander Richard Hewitt said.

“The conditions could best be described as favourably rough. We were very happy to arrive in Bermuda and the crew is extremely excited about what lies ahead.

“It is this ship’s first deployment outside UK waters so it’s a big moment. For me to be commanding officer and taking the ship to the Caribbean is the pinnacle of my career.”

HMS Mersey is in Hamilton until Saturday, when she embarks on a seven-month deployment in the North Atlantic that will include counter-narcotic patrols.

During her short stay, crew members will be joining in a series of local educational and sporting programmes.

“We are here to work with and for Bermuda,” Lieutenant-Commander Hewitt said. “It’s an important partnership and it’s important that people in Bermuda see what we do.

“The crew will be involved in various sporting and social activities over the next few days. We have already spent some time with the [Royal Bermuda] Regiment since we arrived.

“We have some good rugby players on board that will be helping the Beyond Rugby programme and several school groups touring the ship.”

Over the coming weeks, HMS Mersey will be stopping at other overseas territories, including Anguilla, Montserrat, Grand Cayman and the British Virgin Islands. Her crew will also be on standby for disaster relief operations.

After leaving Bermuda this weekend, the ship will sail to Florida to pick up an eight-strong team of United States Coast Guard personnel to bolster their crew for counter-narcotics operations.

“We have received a wonderful reception since we arrived in Bermuda,” Lieutenant-Commander Hewitt said. “We have been made most welcome.

“I have never been to Bermuda before but it seems a fantastic place, I really don’t want to leave.”

HMS Mersey is the youngest of the original batch of River class patrol vessels.

She routinely patrols the waters around Britain and up to 200 miles in the Atlantic, ensuring that fishing boats and trawlers stick to quotas.

Today the crew will host an open day between 10am and 2pm to allow members of the public to tour the ship, which is alongside on Front Street.