Comments (0)TWO Derby sailors, born just streets apart, are now serving together on board a Royal Navy ship in the Middle East.

John Edmunds and Joe Morton, who were both born and raised in Chaddesden, are now working side by side on a mine-hunter in the Gulf.

And the pair both have special events to look forward to at home – with a wedding in the pipeline and baby on the way.

They are serving on Bahrain-based HMS Atherstone as part of the Royal Navy’s Second Mine Counter Measure Squadron Crew Four mine warfare team.

Their squad has the task of searching for historic mines left over from previous conflicts, which could pose a risk to shipping.

Able Seaman Edmunds, 20, is a former pupil of Da Vinci Community School and joined the Royal Navy in February 2011.

He did his mandatory training on board HMS Brocklesby, off the coast of Scotland, before joining HMS Atherstone in Bahrain in June.

He recently proposed to his childhood sweetheart, Jodie Fessey, during a ship’s visit to Dubai.

The visit was part of a specially scheduled week which gave the ship’s company, who spend between five and eight months away from home, the chance to fly loved ones out to spend quality time together.

Able Seaman Edmunds, said: “I proposed when we were on a week’s down time in Dubai. It was a great feeling when she said ‘yes’ and it gave us something special to celebrate halfway through my time away.

“I’m looking forward to getting home to my fiancée in December.

“Crew Four is my first operational crew and working in the Gulf has been a steep learning curve. The extremely hot temperatures that we experience when launching and recovering drains you a lot; but I am enjoying the challenges.”

His colleague, Petty Officer Joe Morton, 28, is a former pupil of West Park School, Spondon, and joined the Royal Navy in September 2001.

He moved to Crew Four in April this year to start his third deployment to the Gulf.

His previous ship was HMS Quorn, on which he sailed to the Baltic region and the United States.

Between them the pair are responsible for operating the remotely-controlled Sea Fox mine disposal system.

The orange submersible, which looks like a mini-submarine, is used to search for and then destroy underwater hazards and old unexploded mines.

Able Seaman Edmunds is responsible for preparing the Sea Fox for its launch and recovery while Petty Officer Morton’s job is to control the Sea Fox through the water and onto suspicious objects spotted with the ship’s sonar.

A camera on the vehicle is then used to positively identify whether or not a mine or other dangerous object has been located.

Petty Officer Morton previously worked at a scrap yard before he joined the Navy.

He said: “I enjoyed it but I was young and wanted to see the world and live life to the full, which is why I joined the Navy.

“Since I joined up, I’ve been lucky enough to see the world as part of my job.”

Petty Officer Morton lives with his partner, Natalie, and their two sons. The couple have a third child due on New Year’s Day.

He said: “I’ll be back in time for the birth of my next child; it definitely gives me something big to look forward to for the rest of our time out here.”