JUST 37 days, 3 hours and 7 minutes after leaving the Canary Islands, a team of four submariners aboard HMS Oardacious have completed their 3,000 mile row across the Atlantic sponsored by BAE Systems in Barrow

Lieutenant Hugo Mitchell-Heggs, Lieutenant Callum Fraser, Petty Officer Dylan Woods and Engineering Technician Matthew Harvey safely arrived in Antigua on Saturday night.

The team hopes to have raised over £100,000 for the Royal Navy and Royal Marine mental health charity.

Support for the bid came from a wide range of organisations, including BAE Systems in Barrow.

Neil Doherty, BAE Systems' senior corporate social responsibility manager, said: "We've tracked their progress across the Atlantic and are delighted to have seen them reach the Caribbean without major mishap.

"Two of the team kindly came to Barrow to talk to employees about the challenge which really set imaginations running.

"Working closely with the Submarine Service we were only too keen to support and look forward to hearing and seeing more about the epic trip."

The race was not without its challenges, as the first few days at sea were dominated by seasickness, technical problems with boat equipment and surfing down huge waves that clocked up double figures on the log.

Lt Cdr James Tuhey, support team manager to HMS Oardacious, said: "Spirits remained high, with the usual cheerfulness and sense of humour exemplary in the Submarine Service coming to the fore which have certainly helped them through when times have been tough.

"Most recently the boat suffered a capsize in the middle of the night, which resulted in no more than a chipped tooth and one broken oar.

"It was a great test to the team, and showed how our spirit and ethos allows us to keep going when hit hard, following our drills, keeping calm, and addressing the priorities to get themselves back in to a safe state to keep on tackling whatever the Atlantic Ocean wanted to throw at them."