A WAYWARD pigeon has swapped its usual cree for a Royal Navy frigate after losing its bearings over the North Atlantic.

Paul the pigeon, which is actually a female, was adopted by the crew of HMS Somerset after landing on the vessel last Friday.

The confused bird, which is believed to originate from the Redcar area, has been made to feel right at home as crew fed and watered their latest recruit.

Petty officer Kristen Hughes was the first to spot the exhausted racing pigeon on the deck of the ship.

Since her unexpected arrival, Paul has become a popular feature on deck and she has enjoyed the best hospitality from the ship’s 185 crew members.

The chances of the lost bird winning her race are definitely over after she abandoned the sky for the ocean waves when she was 300 miles out to sea.

Paul picked up her name before she was caught by Leading Seaman William Hughes, an ex-pigeon fancier himself. He quickly discovered that he was in fact a she but the name stuck anyway.

Now the crew are hoping to reunite the lost bird with her owner but how and when is an issue yet to be resolved.

Their feathered friend has a race ring around one leg and an identification ring on the other which reads NEHU NY 2012 1703.

Leading Seaman Hughes said: “It was a stroke of luck that Paul found Somerset. We just hope we can reunite her with her owner.

"She will certainly have a few sea stories to tell her fellow pigeons."

The pigeon continues to build her strength, by eating breakfast cereal and resting in a makeshift coop alongside the Merlin helicopter in the ship's hangar.

The crew, who are involved in a busy training exercise, are receiving regular reports on Paul's progress.

With the ship so far from land this pigeon is enjoying a cruise for the time being and she certainly appears to have settled into life onboard a Royal Navy warship at work.

Lieutenant Mark Gilbert, the ship's flight commander, said: "The Royal Navy is used to saving life at sea and providing assistance to those in need.

"Caring for a lost pigeon seems like a natural extension to our versatile capability."

Do you know who owns Paul the pigeon? Contact the newsdesk on 01325-505054.