| Place | Arrived | Departed |
| Portsmouth | 8th Oct 1960 | |
| Ponta Delgarda | 12th Oct 1960 | 13th Oct 1960 |
| Ponta Delgarda | 18th Oct 1960 | 21st Oct 1960 |
| Santa Cruz | 27th Oct 1960 | 29th Oct 1960 |
| Gibraltar | 3rd Nov 1960 | 11th Nov 1960 |
| Naples | 18th Nov 1960 | 21st Nov 1960 |
| Malta | 27th Nov 1960 | 30th Nov 1960 |
| Gibraltar | 9th Dec 1960 | 10th Dec 1960 |
| Portsmouth | 13th Dec 1960 |
On completion of our shakedown trials and work-up at Portland the ship and its company were deemed fit to join the fleet and after exercise Squarebash VIII we felt we could take on the world single-handed. At midnight on the 8th October we sailed from Portsmouth and into the Atlantic encountering strong 50 knot winds which left a few of us green about the gills, but it was calmer by the time we rendezvoused with HMS Verulam and HM Submarine Artemis with whom we carried out exercises and certain other trials with RFA St. Margarets.
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On completion of exercises whilst proceeding toward Gibraltar we intercepted a distress message from the Greek merchant ship 'Kyra Marouk' advising that she had an acute case of appendicitis onboard. We successfully transferred the patient to Londonderry and then proceeded at best speed to Casablanca where the patient was transferred ashore to hospital where he recovered. On arrival Gibraltar we had an eight day period of planned maintenance before proceeding into the Mediterranean for more anti-submarine exercises with HM Submarines Artemis and Grampus. On the 15th November we made a quick visit to Naples to drop off JME Freshwater who was another appendicitis case, this time ours.
The 18th November saw us visiting Naples for 4 days coinciding with a visit of a number of units from the US 6th Fleet. We berthed stern to on the Mola Angionio alongside the Salem Class Heavy Cruiser USS Des Moines. Naples was everything we were told it would be and more. Visits to Pompeii and Rome were also enjoyed by most of the ships company. We departed Naples on the 21st November for more exercises and managed to talk the American nuclear submarine into letting us have a ping at her.
27th November we arived Malta and for a change carried out some gunnery shoots, departing on the 30th November for Gibraltar and a quick rabbit run ashore before arriving Spithead late on the 12th December, proceeding into harbour on the 13th December and eventual Christmas leave
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