Casablanca Hire was present at another historic event in May when we hired out a range of marquees for the arrival of HMS Montrose in West India Dock, to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of her commissioning into the Royal Fleet.

The ship, a Royal Navy Type 23 Duke-class frigate, was in West India Dock until 3^rd June were it conducted a number of engagements and demonstrations of her inner workings and capabilities to local members of the Tower Hamlets Community, London-based groups and schools.

Casablanca Hire has all bases covered when it comes to providing furniture and marquees for any given event, generally providing bespoke packages of marquees, chairs and tables for a whole range of different uses.

It was no different when Casablanca Hire helped HMS Montrose mark her anniversary by providing marquees for a number of events on board the vessel, such as a commemorative luncheon held by the ship’s sponsor Lady Rifkin, attended by ten former and serving Commanding Officers.

HMS Montrose called into West India dock en route to the Baltic and gave the warship the chance to engage with some of her London-based affiliates, such as the Worshipful Company of Distillers. Casablanca Hire also provided marquees when the distillers organised a fundraiser on board in aid of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, of which the proceeds went to support those servicemen who have served or continue to serve in the Navy.

This will be the first time that the war ship has been seen sailing up the River Thames in twenty years of Royal Naval Service and is a great opportunity for children to learn about the warship. It is always a tremendous opportunity to take any warship up the River Thames into central London, the nation’s capital and it is also a great opportunity for all the hard working servicemen being able to experience all that London has to offer.

HMS Montrose’s base port is Devonport, in Plymouth, where she has been docked since late March having recently been deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean to support the disposal of chemical weapons, working alongside warships from Denmark and Norway. Her mission also included escorting merchant vessels who were tasked with transporting these chemical weapons for destruction.

On 3^rd June the great warship set sail from the West India Dock, leaving British waters for the Baltic where she will exercise with foreign navies with the increased tension in Ukraine. She will return to British shores later this summer at her namesake port of Montrose on the east coast of Scotland.

Casablanca Hire’s marquees helped set the tone for a long overdue stay at the West India Dock for HMS Montrose. We look forward to welcoming her back into London someday and hope it isn’t another 20 years before we see this great warship sailing up the River Thames. But for now, we wish her well on her journey and subsequent missions as she continues to fight the good fight for Rule Britannia!