CHEERING crowds have welcomed HMS York home to Britain following a wide-ranging deployment to the South Atlantic and Libya.

Families and well-wishers gathered at Portsmouth Naval Base as the Royal Navy warship sailed into base, greeted by a 15-gun salute to the Second Sea Lord, a fly-past from her Lynx helicopter and an arc of water fired from the jets of the tugs pulling her in.

She had left the UK on February 11 on a deployment including Libya, the Falkland Islands, Malta, Gibraltar, Madeira, Chile, Peru, Panama and Georgia.

The voyage totalled 26,858 miles - further than the circumference of the world - and Commander Simon Staley, HMS York's Commanding Officer, said it included "an incredibly diverse range of tasks" with never a dull or quiet moment.

He said his Ship's Company rose to every challenge, and said: "They have proven to be the most professional and very best ambassadors for the Royal Navy and this country that I have ever served with.

"We are of course delighted to be home, back to our families and friends who have been nothing short of brilliant in their unstinting love and support for us whilst away."

HMS York originally set sail for Palmas, Gran Canaria, but was diverted to Malta to collect 1.5 tons of medical equipment - a gift from the Swedish Government - and take it to Benghazi in Libya.

In port, Her Force Protection Group Royal Marines (FPGRM) set up a cordon to protect the ship and allow lorries to take the aid to local hospitals, and she also picked up 43 refugees, many of them women with young children, and oil field workers.

The destroyer took the refugees to Malta then sailed to Gibraltar and Madeira, then towards the Falkland Islands.

She spent eight weeks patrolling the Islands as a deterrent and reassurance to British citizens there and also visited South Georgia for 12 days to support the British Antarctic Survey.

After the Falklands, HMS York headed west into the Magellan Straits and Patagonia Canal for a three-day pilotage through to the Pacific Ocean, then north towards Lima in Peru.

On the way, she was refuelled at sea with a Chilean tanker, which the Royal Navy said helped cement ties with their Chilean counterparts.

Speaking at the homecoming yesterday, one of York's crew, Engineering Technician (Marine Engineer) Andy Rae, 25, of Normanton, Wakefield, said: "I'm really looking forward to spending some time with my family it's been a long time away."