As the Sir Galahad inched its way through the mine-infested waters into the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr it was in the careful hands of Captain Roger Robinson-Brown.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship, carrying 200 tonnes of humanitarian relief supplies, was the first aid vessel to arrive in the strategically vital port yesterday afternoon.

Guiding her through the treacherous approach was Commanding Officer Robinson-Brown, a veteran of more 30 years at sea and of the Falklands, Bosnia and the last Gulf conflicts.

Following the ship's progress was his wife Lorraine, who predicted her husband's cool head would get him through whatever the war threw at him.

She said: "Roger is always good in a crisis. He is generally a laid-back character and when something goes wrong he goes into top gear. He will get on with the job he has to do."

Mrs Robinson-Brown, from Hove, last saw her husband on January 15 when he set sail with the Royal Navy fleet making for its pre-war stand-off with Iraq.

Since then, contact between them has been limited to emails and the odd snatched phone call.

Mrs Robinson-Brown said: "I always know when it is Roger calling by the crackling before he comes through. He has been generally upbeat and morale seems good.

"He doesn't talk about operations but he has mentioned the lack of sleep - sometimes as little as six hours in three days.

"They are constantly being alerted about Scud missiles or potential chemical attacks and have to jump into their protective suits."

Roger, 51, is father to two daughters, Katherine, 22, and Laura, 19. Laura is serving as Second Lieutenant with the Royal Engineers on a gap-year commission. She wanted to serve in the Gulf but her commanding officer overruled her.

In his emails home, Capt Robinson-Brown has told Lorraine and the girls not to worry about him.

She said: "He keeps saying there is nothing to worry about and that everything is perfectly fine but of course we can't help worrying.

"When the two helicopters from the Ark Royal collided, I knew logically it could have nothing to do with Roger but, just for a flash, it crossed my mind.

"I knew they were transferring captains between ships for meetings - could he have been involved?"

Mrs Robinson-Brown said she had suffered one or two sleepless nights as they waited for news of the Sir Galahad docking in Iraq.

"But that was because we expected him to go in earlier and there have been a lot of delays," she said.

The Sir Galahad was supposed to dock in the deep water port of Umm Qasr - essential for allied military as well as relief operations - days ago but was delayed by unexpectedly fierce Iraqi resistance in surrounding areas which meant the port was not secure.

Dolphins trained to track mines were airlifted to the port to search the 60-nautical-mile Khor Abdallah waterway leading to it.

The long-awaited aid finally got through yesterday afternoon after allied forces laid siege to Basra following a devastating tank battle victory.

Sir Galahad and other ships act as support vessels for the Royal Navy but they are always just behind the front line.

Mrs Robinson-Brown said: "They can be vulnerable although Roger has not yet encountered enemy fire."

She said her husband was pleased his role in the war involved bringing humanitarian aid to ordinary Iraqis.

"He has never spoken of his views on the war but the humanitarian side of things is quite important to him."

Capt Robinson-Brown was recently part of Operation Silkman to take aid into Sierra Leone.

"He felt the British contribution made a terrific difference there. When his friends learnt of his role this time, they all said this was right up Roger's street."

The aid the Sir Galahad is carrying is destined for Iraq's second city, Basra, which faces a humanitarian disaster as the military stand-off in the city shows no immediate signs of abating.

British forces there have laid siege, hoping for a successful uprising by the city's Shiites.

The city's water supply was cut off a week ago and just 50 per cent has been reconnected by engineers from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The allies had hoped the arrival of aid would persuade normal civilians the coalition forces were in Iraq for humanitarian reasons.

Mrs Robinson-Brown said she and her family were coping under the strain of war.

She said: "I'm not in a state and the girls are fine. We're very, very proud of Roger and what he is doing and of all the armed forces in general."

She and her daughters have been sending "goodie bags" out to Capt Robinson-Brown.

"We started off sending chocolate but as soon as the weather warmed up, that wasn't practical - I think the last lot got through for Valentine's Day. Since then I have been sending boiled sweets which take about two weeks to get through.

"It's comfort food and they needed it. They have stocks of jelly babies for the troops."

Mrs Robinson-Brown does not know when she will hear from her husband again and doesn't expect to see him until May.

The couple celebrate their silver wedding anniversary in July and are hoping the war will be over long before then.

She said: "I'm used to Roger being away for months at a time.

"We were joking recently that although we have been married for 25 years, with all the time he spends away, we've probably only been together ten years."

Last night aid agencies described the Sir Galahad shipment as a "good start" but expressed concerns over British soldiers distributing the supplies.

There are fears that the most needy Iraqis are in areas outside army control where deliveries are not being made.

The number being reached by the Red Crescent aid agency and troops is also dwarfed by the one million plus people in Basra.

There were also safety concerns after one delivery destined for vulnerable Iraqis was taken by fit young men and a second was fired at.

Military planners have yet to decide where this delivery will be sent but there is little prospect of it reaching the centre of Basra, where Ba'ath party paramilitaries have forced a stand-off with British troops.

Like all families with someone involved in the war, Mrs Robinson-Brown is watching the TV and tuning into news bulletins.

However, she said: "The TV is full of opinion and supposition. It is like a frenzy sometimes. Although it is sometimes good to see pictures, I'm now limiting myself and prefer to read the newspapers."

Mrs Robinson-Brown has accepted the conflict could take considerably longer to resolve than was at first thought.

"Until then, like everyone else, we have to watch and wait. When it is over, it will be lovely to have him home safe and well."