NAVY NEWS, APRIL 2009 25
It’s a little odd hearing the phrase ‘cold They work closely with an RAF Hercules come down here, so most of the time
war’ nearly two decades after it seemingly which regularly conducts maritime patrols she’s either fi lling Clyde’s tanks (mainly for
passed into the realms of history (and you and reports the vessels it has encountered. exercise – she’s not much of a gas guzzler)
will hear it a lot on the Falklands). “Ten years ago we were being hit by 50 or the visiting Atlantic Patrol Ship.
And yet here are two immovable poachers every night,” says Steve. Which is something she’ll be doing until
protagonists facing off day after day, week The islands armed its fi shery patrol vessel, early next year, before popping back to the
after week, month after month. fi red a few warning shots, even set one UK briefl y, then returning to the islands for a
Las Malvinas are still burned into the poacher’s vessel alight. No poachers were four-year stint from 2010.
psyche of every Argentine. hurt. And few returned to Falklands waters. The ship is more than just a tanker. Like
And Falkland Islanders are still resolutely Clyde, she conducts patrols around the
British as the profusion of signs, banners
AND talking of returning to Falklands
Falklands – she is regarded very much
and Union Flags reminds you.
waters (dubious segue – Ed)...
as part of the small Task Force 337 which
“The islanders view themselves as British
After several weeks undergoing
safeguards this distant dependency.
– that what strikes you most of all,” says
maintenance in South Africa, RFA Black
“The Falklands are restful compared with
Clyde’s CO Lt Cdr Lovatt.
Rover made her way back across the South
the Gulf,” says Capt Norris. “But there is a
“In their living memory, they have been
Atlantic to resume her tanker/patrol duties
justifi ed reason for being here. We know
invaded. We reassure them that we are here
around the Falklands... but not before she
why we are here.”
and that we’re not going anywhere.”
called in on Tristan da Cunha, the world’s
Certainly the locals never let the military
These days, Argentina is resolved
most remote island community.
personnel forget that their presence is
to gaining dominion over the islands
The ship arrived off the sparsely-inhabited
welcome.
peaceably.
island (pop. 296) during holiday season;
“You get a really warm feeling from the
But that doesn’t stop a bit of testing the
locals decamp from the ‘capital’, Edinburgh
islanders,” says communications offi cer 3/O
water – maritime patrol aircraft skirting
of the Seven Seas, to the other side of
Digby Denby. “Whenever you talk to them,
Falklands air space, a fi shing vessel entering
Tristan for a break.
you feel that they are grateful that we are
the islands’ waters without permission. It’s
They returned to the ‘city’ to welcome the
here.”
only fair guests receive a welcome. An F3.
tanker sailors and take them on at football…
Or perhaps HMS Clyde.
once they cleared the cows off the pitch. The IT’S a feeling shared by Clyde’s sailors.
“It’s a bit weird really. It’s not like dealing
sailors lost heavily (one islander suggested “Falklanders view us as ‘their ship’,” says
with the Russians – the intensity certainly
they should change their name from ‘Black Lt Cdr Lovatt. “We have been very warmly
isn’t the same. But the Argentinians show
Rover’ to ‘Losers’…) welcomed and looked after. It’s really quite
that they want the islands,” says Lt Cdr
“The pitch was on a gradient which made a special feeling.”
Burke.
it diffi cult enough,” said 2/O Julian Parkin. There is something rather endearing about
Which is (a) why there remains a sizeable
“But we also had to dodge the pats.” Clyde’s role. To be sure, she’s a warship and
presence by Britain’s Armed Forces here and
When not dodging can do warry things.
(b) the Falklands is an operational theatre.
cow pats on remote
“
To come down here, to see
But so much of
It’s not a backwater (nor, in fairness, is it by
islands, it’s his job her work is more like
any means as intense as Afghanistan).
to navigate the places you’ve only seen the good old days
The Tornadoes are airborne pretty much
tanker safely – using
on TV, to get a feeling for
of the village bobby,
every day – they escort the airbridge fl ights
paper charts; Black on patrol, saying
from the UK in and out of the islands.
Rover is one of the what people went through “Good morning”
And HMS Clyde is out and about 282 days
dwindling band of
– and achieved – in 1982
to Mrs Miggins,
of the year.
ships which hasn’t dropping in on the
“Atlantic patrol ships come and go, but
gone digital yet. is quite profound. parish church for a
we are always here,” says Lt Cdr Lovatt.
Perhaps that’s not
“Our patrols provide a presence – cruise
entirely surprising.
– AB Mark Cross
”
spot of tea.
The remoteness
liners see us, fi shing vessels see us,
Black Rover is one of many of
Falklanders see us. We make ourselves
of the oldest ships in the RN-RFA inventory the settlements around the Falklands –
visible, reassure islanders. We’re a sign of
(she was launched in the autumn of 1973). particularly on the west island, ten times the
enduring support.”
“The ship’s been well maintained, well size of the Isle of Wight yet home to fewer
looked after. For a 35-year-old tanker in the than 200 people – means that Clyde can be
UNLIKE her sisters in UK waters, Clyde South Atlantic, at sea a lot of the time, she their main contact with the outside world.
cannot conduct boardings of fi shing looks good,” her CO Capt Stephen Norris “We ask if there’s anything we can bring
vessels – unless she has a local fi shery RFA says proudly. them, offer medical advice, take fresh fruit
protection offi cer aboard. She can (and The ship’s company take a lot of time to and veg, say ‘hello’, talk about any issues
does) keep tabs on them, and say ‘hello’ clean her. If people are proud of their ship, it affecting them, and highlight what we do.
from time to time. really does show.” “It’s a fantastic insight into island life and
In fact, the fi shery hunting grounds lie It does. a privilege to see such a different way of life.
a considerable distance offshore (Clyde “You picture tankers as dirty, smelly The longer you spend here, the more you
spends much of her time in coastal waters). things. They’re not. Half the time you would understand the locals and how passionate
Like tourism, fishing is big business in never know you’re on one,” Capt Norris they are about their islands.”
the islands, not the act of trawling and points out. PO Harding adds: “The islands are as you
selling hauls – the Falklands themselves are He’s right. The only smell of diesel is down imagine, but what strikes you is how the
too small a market – but the act of selling in the vast engine room (where, mechanics locals live – they have a very strong sense
licences to fish in the 160,000 (ish) square will be pleased to know, there is panel upon of community.”
miles of territorial waters. panel of gauges, dials and buttons, none of For AB Mark Cross, who grew up in Barrow
If I were to say ‘Illex and Loligo’ you that computerised rubbish…). – birthplace of Invincible and Sheffi eld – the
might conjure up characters from Virgil or Here the diesel engines power the tanker Falklands was “ingrained into us”.
perhaps Star Trek. They’re squid – and the through the oceans at 18-19kts. And here, via He adds: “It’s a deployment which I have
main reason trawlers from all over the world a series of narrow walkways and stairwells always wanted to do.
(Spain, Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan) you can climb from the bottom of the ship “To come down here, to see places you’ve
come here. Illex is popular in the Far East. to the top, emerging, via the funnel, on the only seen on TV, to get a feeling for what
The more expensive loligo fi lls plates in the bridge wing – an experience unlike any other people went through – and achieved – in
Mediterranean… but not as many as they in the RN. 1982 is quite profound.
used to. The tanker carries up to 4,500 tonnes of “When you go past Antelope and Ardent,
“Some nations have just stopped fi shing fuel (it takes about eight hours to top up the you still salute them – that’s incredibly
for a few years because of the cost of fuel tanks when they’re running low). poignant. There’s a huge sense of pride.”
and price of fi sh dropping,” explains Steve A typical RAS sees 250 tonnes of fuel
Waugh, fi shery protection offi cer. pumped across every hour – enough to give
That said, the fi sh business still generates a Type 42 ‘blue water legs’ for about three
well over £10m for the islands every year. days. Lusty or Ark require a little more.
That it does is thanks to a concerted effort They guzzle around 200 tonnes
by the fi shery protection team in Stanley – of fuel daily.
their home is a portable building stacked on Luckily for Black
top of an aged and rather ramshackle barge Rover, they don’t
which serves as the town’s ‘port’.
● It’s all Rover... (Top) The view from the tanker’s bridge roof and
(above) a check that everything’s running smoothly in the engine
room while (below) 3/O Digby Denby sends a quick Morse signal
to shore
pictures: la(phot) iggy roberts, frpu north, and hms clyde
024-025_NN_Apr.indd 2 17/3/09 11:25:10
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58