20 NAVY NEWS, AUGUST 2009
me
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R’s
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Between the sun
and the moon
FORGET Brownia and
bad at the latter too. launching (simulated) missile to co-ordinate Sunland’s aerial
Mustardia.
The destroyer men and women strikes against the foe’s warships. defences, as well as generally acting
In South America they’re a little
competed in football, cross- Before Teamwork South moved as the ‘command and control hub’
more ethereal.
country and tug-of-war contests, into the final stage, the 22-strong for the fictitious nation’s forces.
On the other side of the Equator,
achieving an extremely respectable task force also took the opportunity This all-out war was not the last
the traditional squabbling nations
2nd overall (more on that later). to conduct a ‘photex’ – sailing
act of Teamwork South, however.
in RN war games are replaced by
After the initial work-up in formation while helicopters
No, the exercise ended in
phase, the tempo steadily buzzed around overhead
Sunland and Moonland.
Iquique, along the coast from
increased as the task group taking photographs.
The names might change, but
Mejillones, where the ships taking
put to sea. Those of you with a
not the scenario.
part in the exercise paid their
The Type 42 participated keen eye may recognise
Sunland and Moonland are at
respects at the wreck of Esmeralda,
in live medium and the presence of two
loggerheads – as HMS Manchester
sunk in battle with Peru in 1879.
close-range gunnery, Type 23 frigates now
found when she joined 21 other
Her iconic captain who went down
air defence, boarding, under the Chilean flag
warships for a massive exercise off
with the ship, Arturo Prat, became
surface and sub- – Almirante Cochrane
the Pacific coast.
a Chilean national hero.
surface exercises which (previously HMS
Teamwork South is a Chilean-
The visit to Iquique also gave
included firing 45 High Norfolk) and Almirante
led exercise staged every two years.
Manchester the opportunity to
Explosive rounds from Lynch (formerly HMS
For the 2009 war games, Britain,
her 4.5in main gun on Grafton).
host many of her newly-made
France, Brazil and the USA all
to simulated enemy targets And so to the Sun and the
friends and for some members
sent surface ships and submarines
on an Andean mountain range – Moon.
of the ship’s company to attend
to ‘play’ with the host nation.
which makes a welcome change With the photo opportunity
the US Independence Day
Those ships gathered in
from pounding Cape Wrath. done, the 22 ships split and
celebrations aboard USS Doyle.
the northern Chilean port of
The ships conducted prepared for the final scenario
Teamwork South was the last
Mejillones on the longest day of replenishments at sea with a as Sunland (good) came under
major exercise for the ship as
the year for the inaugural phase of Chilean tanker while under increasing pressure from
her seven-month South Atlantic-
the exercise: a mixture of briefings sustained attack from threats Moonland (bad).
Pacific deployment draws to a
for the staff and team-building including aircraft, fast patrol boats To that end, Manchester was
close.
sports for the numerous ship’s and submarines. part of a task force defending the Her place south of the Equator
companies. Luckily Manchester’s Lynx was good guys from the bad. has already been taken by sister
We’ll take it for granted that on hand to fend off said surface And given her expertise in air ship HMS Gloucester (see page
Manchester knows her stuff when and sub-surface forays, and also warfare, it was simply common 6), with Manchester due home in
it comes to the former. She’s not took the fight to the enemy, sense that the destroyer was picked Portsmouth on August 11.
Tugs, strays and dodgy decisions
NOW for those sporting results in full... running around the beach. second period.
The ship faced two Chilean tug-of-war After that the course took the athletes Now enter the referee. After the Chileans
teams and one French in the group stages. over tarmac and rough parts, down some had pulled one goal back, they pressed for
The French were comprehensively slopes and then up some very long hills an equaliser. According to the ship, ETME
beaten, as were one of the Chilean teams, through terrain which appeared to be more Stephens then made a tackle “that even
although ‘Chile 4’ proved too strong, leaving ‘cross-desert’ than ‘cross-country’ John Terry would have been proud of”...
Manchester in second place. Mid Maygor posted the fastest Mancunian and according to the man in black, ETME
The cross-country was a five-mile time (30m 41s) in 11th place while the first Stephens made a foul tackle.
slog around Mejillones, featuring typical Brit in the over 30s group past the post was The locals promptly dispatched the
obstacles and challenges – severe heat, CPO Fowler (32m 8s) in seventh place. resulting penalty, then bagged a fourth
hills – and not so typical ones – beach, And so to the (artificial) football pitch. as the dubious decision rather knocked
desert, dogs. Manchester were drawn against a solid Manchester for six.
The latter rather got in the way of the start Chilean team (one of four in the contest). Despite the Brits best efforts they
of the race, with runners jostling for position Enter AB Redmond, star striker who gave couldn’t find a leveller and bowed out of the
trying to avoid each other and stray mutts the Brits a 3-1 lead by the early stages of the tournament 4-3 losers.
020_NN_August.indd 1 21/7/09 16:08:07
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