A Moray native has navigated a Navy vessel into his hometown port after swapping life as a window cleaner for a career on the waves.
Able Seaman Jamie Bellingham spent his time travelling door-to-door with his bucket and cloth after leaving Lossiemouth High School.
However, living so close to the Moray Firth it did not take long for the 23-year-old to decide a life on the open water was for him.
AB Bellingham is now responsible for readying navigation systems and charts on board the Navy patrol vessel HMS Tracker.
The Lossiemouth man has now navigated the craft, which is usually based at Faslane on the River Clyde, through a succession of pinpoint manoeuvres into the town’s marina.
AB Bellingham was thrilled to be able navigate his vessel into the Moray port in front of his waiting family.
He said: “I’m very excited that the ship is able to berth in Lossiemouth and I can get the chance to bring my family on board to see where I work and what I do.
“It is only a small harbour and it is only the P2000-sized vessels that fit so it is rare that this type of opportunity presents itself.”
AB Bellingham joined the Navy four years ago after qualifying as a mine warfare specialist.
The yeoman toured the Middle East on operations outside of the UK on board mine counter vessels before joining HMS Tracker.
The 23-year-old comes from a military background – his father served more than 20 years in the RAF and spent five years as a fire-fighter in the Army.
HMS Tracker is currently travelling around Scotland and Northern Ireland as part of a three-week deployment.
During the coming days the vessel will visit Wick, Orkney, Stornoway, Portree and Tobermory to host school visits and take part in other community events.
The patrol craft is usually deployed in the protection of the submarines that use the dockyard port on the Clyde.
In the last week it has also completed a trip through the Caledonian Canal to take part in a joint exercise with the RNLI and Coastguard on Loch Ness.
