The grand HMS Mersey has arrived "home" for five days to be awarded the Freedom of Sefton.
The ship, first launched in 2003, is among the busiest in the Royal Navy Fleet averaging 220 days at sea each year. She is based in Portsmouth but has arrived on Merseyside ahead of the formal ceremony at Bootle Town Hall.
Members of the ship's company will first join councillors tomorrow, Thursday, April 13. On April 16, the Freedom Scroll will allow HMS Mersey's sailors to march the streets of Sefton with bayonets fixed, colours flying and led by a military band.
