8 NAVY NEWS, NOVEMBER 2009
Public eye and DSEI
IT’S been a non-stop month for HMS Somerset in
the public eye: the good folk of Devon, London and
the frigate’s namesake county have all benefi tted
from tales of her recent exploits.
Straight from Navy Days in Devonport (she
left the show early just to get there in time)
Somerset headed for London
The frigate was the RN’s representative
at DSEI – Britain’s biggest ‘supermarket’ for
military kit – at the ExCeL Centre in London’s
Docklands.
The Type 23 served as a backdrop for fi rms
to show off their wares, hosted tours of foreign
delegations and welcomed First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope
aboard.
Meanwhile, Lt Jim Harkin and AB(Sea) Danny Tregarthen set off
in search of dosh. The pair plan to trek across 100km of the Sahara
in nine days to raise money for Help for Heroes.
They’d already collected £900 at Navy Days and added to
their tally courtesy of defence giant Finmeccanica (who own
AgustaWestland inter alia) who agreed to sponsor the trekkers. Jim
and Danny set off this month with the aim of raising £5,000.
Londoner AB(Sea) Tony ‘Tanzy’ Lee took the opportunity of the
visit to his hometown to hold a christening for his son, inviting all
his shipmates to attend.
From London, it was back to the West Country – not Devon, but
Somerset.
The ship’s company tore around the county in a single day as they
visited affiliates and outlined what the Type 23 had been up to since
they last dropped in.
So that meant popping in to Baytree Special School, Bridgewater
College, Downside School and Somerset Legion House, among
others.
At the college, CO Cdr Andrew Burns gave a presentation to
students on the ship’s Taurus 09 deployment to the Far East with
an amphibious task group (mixed with a bit of anti-piracy work on
the way home), while his sailors answered questions on life in the
21st-Century RN.
Next to Weston-super-Mare and Baytree School which caters for
young people with severe learning diffi culties and/or profound and
multiple learning diffi culties.
It has up to 67 pupils aged between 3 and 19 years, and prides
itself in good working relationships with a range of local schools and
colleges and provides opportunities for pupils/students to integrate
with mainstream peers with placements geared to individual
needs.
The sailors took part in a variety of activities with the children
from helping them with their school work to playing with them in
the playground.
“The work of the staff of Baytree School was humbling to
witness,” said CPO Jason Jones. “The patience shown by them and
the positive effect they had on the children was incredible.”
Still in Weston, there was time to see the guests at Somerset
Legion House which is run by the RBL to give Service and ex-Service
personnel a break as they recover from illness, hospitalisation or
bereavement.
On to Bath and Downside School, a boarding school for boys
and girls, and another talk by Cdr Burns on Somerset’s recent
achievements.
And fi nally to the historic city of Wells where the sailors helped the
RN Presentation Team with their talk/display for 120 or so locals.
“The day in Somerset was a great opportunity to meet with a
number of affi liations and to develop our relationship with them,”
said Cdr Burns.
“It’s important that we make the effort to keep in close contact
as it allows us to inform the wider community about what the Royal
Navy is achieving at sea. It was a really enjoyable day.”
● AB(CIS) Illana Venetti and CPO Jason Jones join in the fun with
pupils of Baytree School
The gunship ship
THIS is the unmistakeable – and further work with the carrier. when she opened her gangway to visitors
rather imposing – sight of an Apache
“Due to our commitments in Afghanistan for fi ve and a half hours during a four-day
gunship.
the chance to carry out such training is stay on Wearside.
But what you can’t tell from this close-
limited, but with HMS Ocean sailing past our Other duties in Sunderland included
up is that it’s parked on the fl ight deck of
front door we were able to make the most hosting an offi cial reception and giving
Britain’s biggest warship.
of this opportunity,” said the appropriately- guided tours of Britain’s largest warship to
It’s been five years since the most potent
named Lt Matt Punch, the RN maritime the region’s Sea Cadets.
helicopter in Britain’s arsenal set down on
operations offi cer with 4 Regt. On the sporting front, the rugby team
HMS Ocean.
“Operating from a ship’s deck is a new took on Blaydon RFC while football fans
Ocean was at the heart of revolutionary
challenge for our pilots who are more used were treated to a tour of the impressive
trials to test the ability of the Apache to
to the dust of Afghanistan, but is well within Stadium of Light, home of Premiership side
operate at sea when the gunship fi rst
the Apache’s capability. Sunderland AFC.
entered service with the Army Air Corps.
“128 deck landings to qualify eight pilots “We really enjoy being able to bring
As yet demands of war in Iraq and
in only two days is more than we could have this great ship into Sunderland,” said
Afghanistan have meant that the Mighty O
hoped for. We’re in an excellent position to Commanding Offi cer Capt Simon Kings.
hasn’t deployed with Apaches, but after that
carry out further maritime training in 2010.” “We are lucky enough to have really strong
fi ve-year hiatus, defence chiefs are keen to
The Apache’s not the only rare ‘bird’ to ties here with our affi liated city and we
see the gunship go to sea more often.
drop in on Ocean. The carrier’s used to always get a great welcome.
To that end, two Apaches from 4
hosting the Lynx, but normally the ‘skidded’ “The hospitality we receive in Sunderland
Regiment AAC from Wattisham in Suffolk
variety of 847 NAS. is always second to none – we’re proud
fl ew aboard the helicopter carrier. Instead, it was the wheeled variant of that the Sunderland people have taken us
They brought with them ground crew the agile helicopter which dropped in on so much to heart. And it’s always nice to
and eight pilots, many fresh from front-line the ship as 702 NAS brought student pilots be able to give something back, which is
operations in Helmand where they’ve been and observers along for some deck landing why we like to be able to open the ship up
supporting Allied troops. experience. for visitors.”
The Army Air Corps pilots conducted a The Apaches and Lynx were on board as This was the ship’s sixth visit to the city;
series of day and night landings (128 in all) Ocean paid her fi rst visit to Sunderland in she was granted the Freedom of Sunderland
on Ocean’s sprawling deck to achieve their four years, catching up with old friends. back in 2004.
‘deck qualifi cations’, opening the way for Some 5,000 Mackems toured Ocean Picture: LA(Phot) Bernie Henesy, HMS Ocean
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