9th Mine Counter-Measures Squadron

[3] In its original guise, the 9th Mine Sweeping Squadron (MSS) was formed of four Ton-class sweepers – HM Ships Appleton, Kemerton, Flockton and Chilcompton which were specially fitted for the rigours of operating in the Persian Gulf.

The ships had their pennant numbers painted in Arabic on the stern and carried a funnel badge featuring a dhow on a yellow background.

Up until the early 2020s, the squadron usually consisted of two Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessels and two Sandown-class single role minehunters on three year rotations, supported by a Royal Fleet Auxiliary Bay-class landing ship, normally RFA Cardigan Bay.

[6] As of December 2024[update], assigned units were: With the planned retirement of all the remaining Sandown-class vessels by 2025, and their replacement with both autonomous minehunting systems and supporting "motherships", at minimum a new configuration of the squadron was likely.

[8][9] In April 2024 a gap in the capability of the squadron was created when Cardigan Bay deployed, initially to the Mediterranean to contribute to the British presence there in the context of the Israel-Hamas War, and then, in August, to the U.K. for refit.