last journey to Uruguay, she returned south and went to anchor in Port William (see ), Falkland Islands, on 17 July. The next day she weighed anchor and sailed into Stanley, to anchor near the damaged , spending a week in the harbour, undergoing self-maintenance. She later visited most of the major settlements, providing transport for a civilian doctor to visit the scattered population, and was at Fox Bay (see ) from 15 to 17 August. She finally left Stanley on 27 August 1982, calling at Ascension Island on 9 September 1982, disembarking an advance leave party to fly home ahead of the ship. HMS Hydra was the last unit of the original Operation Corporate Task Force to return to the UK, arriving to an extraordinary welcome in Portsmouth on 24 September 1982; the Hydrographer of the Navy, Rear-Admiral David Haslam, embarked for the passage from Spithead, his flag flying from the ship's HiFix mast so as not to displace the Red Cross flag from the mainmast; also notable was the salute paid to HMS Hydra by the NATO Commander, COMSTRIKFLTLANT, Vice-Admiral James A Lyons Jr of the United States Navy, and the ship's company of his flagship, (see ), lining the deck. The American ship was on a routine visit to Portsmouth; his flagship saluting the junior ship in a signal tribute to her war service, rather than HMS Hydra saluting his senior flag as would be the normal maritime custom (both salutes being made using a Boatswain's call). HMS Hydra was then converted back to her survey fleet role and resumed surveys in UK waters later in the year. Meanwhile, the ship's company went on leave, many having been away from home waters for eleven of the past twelve months. United Kingdom waters 1982–1983 HMS Hydra, freshly painted in her survey livery and with a large number of new faces among her 120 men, sailed Portsmouth on 25 November 1982 for surveys in the Western Approaches. At first it was too rough to start surveying, so the ship anchored off Scalasaig, Colonsay, on 28 November and weighed anchor to resume surveying the next day; after calibration of the Hyperfix chain being used for positional control, the sonar sweep and sounding began. She broke off surveying and set passage to Greenock on 5 December, arriving alongside Greenock Pier the next day. She sailed out of the River Clyde on