8 NAVY NEWS, OCTOBER 2009
We can – and
will – do more
“CAN more be achieved? Yes, it can be. Should more be
achieved? Yes, it will.”
Such were the forthright opening words of defence minister Kevan
Jones to representatives of charities, support groups, Forces – serving,
front-line and veteran – gathered at Whitehall for the MOD’s Welfare
Conference.
Their aim was to discuss care He spoke about bringing all his
and support for men and women men back to Bickleigh Barracks
who lay – and have laid – their two weeks into the POTL period.
lives on the line for this nation’s Col Stickland joked: “The
defence. reason we bring them back is
The conference heard they’ve eaten their parents’ fridge
that the Service Personnel empty and drunk all their father’s
Command Paper had passed its beer, and in all honesty their
fi rst year anniversary, and the civilian friends are bored of all the
principles contained within of stories they have to tell.
‘no disadvantage’ and ‘special “But they need to come back to
treatment where appropriate’ the brotherhood, to the clan.
for the military community were “The parades are utterly
beginning to become embedded marvellous, the groundswell of
in civilian life. affection it shows for us.”
But for many the issue is about The Royal did add one fi nal
how to spread the word of these note of warning about the possible
● Submariners from HM Naval Base Clyde form a guard of honour at the dedication of the Dundee memorial
Pictures: LA(Phot) Stu Hill, FRPU North
important changes to all those long-term effects of the Afghan
who need to know. campaign in the coming decade,
And that is not just through the however:
departments of Whitehall and the
“We have a potential car
councils of the UK.
crash out there. How do we
It is also to each member
track our people, how do
of the ‘military community’,
we track them when they go
encompassing within its reach the
To the eternal patrol
outside, and how do we care
men and women of the current
for them subsequently? So
Armed Forces, their families, and
I think it is a very relevant
SEVEN days after the solemn a ceremony last month with the
those who have ever served within
debate. voice of Neville Chamberlain
Duke of Gloucester performing
the military.
The conference welcomed
“Information is fundamental.
dolefully announced that
the unveiling honours.
speakers from the Department
We need to give them the
Britain was at war with
Also attending were the crew
of Health, the Department of
information when they are in the Germany, HMS Triton was
of Dutch torpedo recovery ship
HNLMS Mercuur, the head of
Schools, Children and Families,
service where to ask for help.” patrolling the Norwegian
the Silent Service Rear Admiral
and Kent County Council to
The green beret was followed
coast when she spied a
Mark Anderson and Flag Offi cer
bring their own perspective and
by Col David Richmond, who
submarine on the surface of Scotland Northern England and
experience to the debate.
walked to the podium with the
the North Sea. Northern Ireland, Rear Admiral
But it was the view from theatre
aid of a stick, and began with the
The boat refused to respond Martin Alabaster.
that brought many of the abstract
admission: “I have the unenviable
to recognition signals flashed on “This was the only Allied
ideas up against the harsh reality.
title of being the senior casualty.”
the Aldis lamp. Triton sent two submarine base without a memorial
42 Commando’s Commanding
As commanding offi cer of the
torpedoes into her side. and now we have something really
Offi cer Lt Col Charlie Stickland
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders,
Thus perished HMS Oxley, special,” said Dr Jeffrey.
spoke of the “cerebral soldiery”
Col Richmond was shot in the leg
the first British submarine lost in “There were a lot of people
demanded of his men in
by a single AK47 round north of
World War 2; all but two of her at the ceremony with tears in
Afghanistan, clearing a compound
Musa Qaleh in June 2008.
crew died. their eyes – veterans from Norway,
one day, sitting down to drink tea
He brought to the room his
Seven decades on, there is now
Six Dundee-based submarines were lost during the 1939-45
from France, widows from the
with the village elders the next.
own experiences of the confusing
a memorial to Oxley – and five
confl ict: HMS Oxley, sunk in error by HMS Triton; HMS Thames,
Netherlands.
His men lived among the people
period of immediate treatment
other boats ‘on eternal patrol’ – at
probably the victim of a mine; HNLMS O13 and O22, also probably
“The international good will
the majority of the time, not within
and the long process of recovery:
the former base from whence she
the victims of mines; the Norwegian Uredd destroyed by a mine
the Forward Operating Bases.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint. And
sailed.
near Bodø; and the Soviet B1 (formerly HMS Sunfi sh) sunk in
surrounding the monument
He said: “Basic mail was
that’s a diffi cult concept for angry
Submariners from HMS
error by the RAF off Norway.
was tremendous – as was the
naval presence. The result was a
absolutely fundamental to people’s
frustrated young men. Because
Neptune and sailors from HMS wonderful day, something quite
morale. The little satellite phones
they want to recover quickly.”
Portland gathered with WW2 their efforts in the northern North RNXS veteran and local special.”
were absolutely fabulous.”
He praised the superb work of
veterans, international dignitaries, Sea and Arctic, conducting patrols historian Dr Andrew Jeffrey was Post submarine ceremonies in
He added: “There is huge faith
Selly Oak Hospital – “I wasn’t
and some of the widows of the 296 in and around Norwegian shores, determined to see the sacrifices Dundee, HMS Portland remained
in the casualty system. That is
treated any differently from any
men lost operating from HMS intercepting U-boats bound for made by Ambrose men of all on Tayside to open her gangway
hugely important for the moral
other patient. Nor should I have
Ambrose in Dundee. the Atlantic, and attempting to nationalities honoured. to visitors before making her way
component.
been” – and paid tribute to the
The Tayside base was used safeguard convoys to and from His efforts bore fruit when around to Faslane.
“I did have men airlifted out
unit’s support to the families of
not just by British deeps but also Russia. developer Unicorn Property There she’ll take part in the
all over Southern Afghanistan. In
those in its care.
their comrades from Norway, the Seventy years on, only the two Group donated the land on the latest Joint Warrior war games
terms of those men, the system
But he added: “Recovery has not
Netherlands, Poland, France and docks and the former cipher/ site of the former base for a (previously Joint Maritime Course/
works.”
fi nished when you leave Selly Oak.
the Soviet Union. WRNS office (now converted into monument, titled ‘Still on Patrol’. Neptune Warrior) which starts at
He also stressed the
You are barely at the beginning of
Boats from Ambrose focused flats) survive of Ambrose. It was formally dedicated at the beginning of this month.
improvements in the rear
your journey.”
organisations in theatre: “It is a
Col Richmond highlighted the
hugely powerful resource to the
need for the welfare ‘bubble’ not
man in the fi eld to know that
to stop when a Service person left
you’re well-supported behind.”
Selly Oak.
He did point out some failings
He described Headley Court
Royals test pirate boat
in the limited JPA provision for his
as “the jewel in the crown”, and
men.
urged all those present to put every
The commando offi cer then
effort into ensuring the quality of
IT’S small, it’s black, it goes like the clappers – and it could be the engines – and can reach 30kts from a standing start in seven
focused on the time back at home
the treatment there endures.
next weapon in the war against pirates. seconds.
for his men, the essential need
But he brought to the room
Currently whizzing around the Solent is a new fast craft developed As it stands at present, the P950 is too big to be carried by the
for R&R and the process of post
a caution about the perception
specifi cally with boarding operations in mind. destroyer/frigate fl eet, but it could be carried by the RN/RFA’s
operational tour leave (POTL) for
within the Forces of the Armed
The Pacifi c 950 (the 950 stands for centimetres – the length amphibious vessels, or dropped out of the back of a plane.
‘normalisation’.
Forces Compensation Scheme.
of the boat, or 31ft in old money – has been tested by the Royal It’s designed to carry up to 16 commandos in full kit, or kayaks/
Marines and by their French counterparts. infl atable boats/grenade launchers/machine-guns depending on
The Arctic 28 is the commandos’ current weapon of choice when what the Royals need to do.
it comes to boarding/anti-terror operations. The Navy News team aren’t huge fans of RIBs. We have a
But with Whitehall looking to shift away from petrol-driven boats tendency to (a) get wet (b) suffer sea sickness and/or (c) hobble
– both for safety and economic reasons – the fi rm behind the Arctic off like Quasimodo with crippled backs after the boat’s repeatedly
28 (a) went metric (28 stands for feet ) and (b) went diesel. landed back on water with all the give of a block of concrete.
The result is the BVT Halmatic P950 which has spent the spring Well, after a spin in the Solent in a sea state 3-4, we only suffered
and summer undergoing extensive tests and trials. (a) – fairly inevitable when you’re racing along at 40+ knots in a
The fi rm has moved from its well-known sheds at Portchester open boat. And, for a craft which punches through the sea at a
to an old store in Portsmouth Naval Base. It’s not a shipyard but a fair pace, it’s surprisingly quiet; fl at out, the drone of the engine is
‘small boat centre of excellence’. largely drowned out by the slap of the boat hitting the waves.
The move has allowed Halmatic to revamp its production line “The MOD wants to get away from petrol-driven boats for
allowing it to produce its small craft/RIBs faster – and more various reasons in the next few years,” explains Andrew
effi ciently. It is currently half-way through producing Pacifi c 24 sea Hughes, programme director at BVT Halmatic. “We’ve
boats for the Fleet. pre-empted them with the P950, which has also
So far just two P950s have been produced at trials models (yours been designed with boarding operations, so
for about £1m, depending on what military kit you’d like installed). anti-terrorism and anti-piracy, in mind.”
The P950 is wider and longer than the Arctic 28s it is designed Picture: BVT Surface Fleet
to replace, nearly matches it for speed – but driven by two diesel
008_NN_Oct.indd 1 22/9/09 12:30:51
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