2 NAVY NEWS, DECEMBER 2009
HMS E18
HMS Dasher
HMS Pursuer
Vikings/845 NAS/846 NAS/
HMS Quorn
857 NAS/FDG/Fleet FS(Air)
HMS Sabre/Scimitar
CNaTT
HMS Scott
HMS Lancaster
HMS Cumberland
HMS Iron Duke HMS Cornwall
HMS Enterprise
HMS Kent
HMS Monmouth
HMS Atherstone
HMS Chiddingfold
HMS Pembroke
HMS Grimsby
HMS Bangor RFA Wave Knight
RFA Lyme Bay
RFA Cardigan Bay
FASLANE
ROSYTH
HMS Gannet
HMS Astute
HMS Mersey
HMS Clyde
HMS Illustrious
800/801 NAS
HMS Express
HMS Exploit
YEOVIL
TON
HMS Gloucester Plus one ballistic missile submarine on patrol somewhere beneath the Seven Seas
DEVONPORT RFA Gold Rover
PORTSMOUTH
CULDROSE
HMS Daring
HMS Sceptre/539
ASRM
Fleet Fleet FocusFocus
A new Defender
WELL, that was 2009 – and with its passing so ends the
Noughties.
The decade began with the Navy ordering three Type 45
of our realm
destroyers and laying down the first Astute-class submarine.
And the decade ends with the first Type 45, HMS Daring,
THERE’S a new Defender of
about to formally enter service (see pages 23-25), the fifth, HMS
the high seas with the launch
Defender, running down the slipway (see right) and the first
of number five of six Type 45
Astute finally putting to sea (see page 7).
destroyer.
The opening decade of the 21st Century has, of course, seen
HMS Defender plunged into
commitments new (Afghanistan and anti-piracy operations,
the Clyde at Govan watched
notably).
by several thousand people –
But otherwise, plus ça change...
from the men and women who
We’re still chasing drug runners (with a considerable degree
built her to hundreds of local
of success) in the Caribbean; the curtain has almost come down
schoolchildren.
on HMS Iron Duke’s record-breaking deployment (see pages
Lady Massey, the wife of
16-17).
Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral
We’re still guarding our South Atlantic territories. HMS
Alan Massey, performed the
Gloucester and RFA Gold Rover headed to the idyll of South
honours, even giving the 8,500-
Georgia to practise aiding the distant archipelago (see page 4).
tonne a push to get Defender
There’s still an Antarctic patrol ship although this season the
moving down the slipway
duty is performed not by usual visitor HMS Endurance (thanks to
(although several tonnes of
her flooding incident 12 months ago) but, for the first time, HMS
lubricants possibly had more of
Scott (see page 4).
an impact...).
The time was precisely 4.20pm
There’s still a handful of Type 42 destroyers in service. HMS
on Trafalgar Day – a date chosen
York’s about to relieve her sister Gloucester (see page 4) while
more for the level of the Clyde
HMS Edinburgh has become the very last of this venerable class
than Royal Navy symbolism.
to receive a refit (see page 22).
The Band of HM Royal
HMS Sceptre is still in service (31 years and counting now...).
Marines provided the music
She’s been practising insertion operations with the Royal
while hundreds of balloons were
Marines off Plymouth (see page 6).
released into the air as Defender
There’s still no Royal yacht, but for ten or so minutes, HMS
began to move down the slip.
Express performed that duty carrying the Queen into the heart
Aside from thousands of
of the rejuvenated Gloucester docks (see page 19).
shipwrights, engineers and locals,
Sea Kings are still plucking people out of the sea (771 NAS)
the occasion was watched by
or off the mountains (HMS Gannet). The former is our Squadron
dignitaries from Glasgow and
of the Month (see page 12), the latter enjoys a far greater honour:
Exeter.
a commendation from the Commander-in-Chief Fleet for the
Both cities have agreed to be
selfless actions of its personnel (see page 12).
affiliated with the new destroyer
But there’s no longer an HMS Trafalgar; the hunter-killer
– motto fendendo vince (By
submarine pays off this month after making her final entry to
defending, I am victorious) –
Devonport (see page 6).
picking up where their namesake
There’s still a ballistic missile submarine on patrol 365/24/7
Type 42s left off.
(we can’t tell you which one or where it is...) and minehunters
Glaswegians have been without
still disappear over the horizon for months on end with NATO; the a ship since HMS Glasgow paid
latest to slot into a task group is HMS Quorn which has ‘enjoyed’ off four years; Exonians have only
a challenging crossing of the Atlantic (see page 4). been devoid of a warship since
Some commitments change. No longer do we try to stop oil May when their veteran destroyer
leaving Iraq, rather we encourage its safe passage by protecting was decommissioned.
its two oil platforms. HMS Kent has just finished her six months Defender now moves along
doing just that, handing over to her sister, HMS Monmouth (see the Clyde to the BVT yard at
page 5). Scotstoun where all the Type 45s
And some commitments are new. There’s a notable RN have been fitted out. She won’t
presence in Afghanistan (not just the Sea Kings of the Commando be going to sea until 2011...
Helicopter Force and 857 NAS, but engineers of MASU and ...whereas the second of the
staff scattered throughout that troubled land). They’re now joined six-strong class, HMS Dauntless,
by RN personnel supporting the RAF’s 78 Sqn (see page 9). has just left Scotstoun and should
Another addition to the RN/RM workload is supporting the be appearing in Portsmouth for
concerted international anti-piracy effort in the Indian Ocean. the very first time any day now.
The missions of HM Ships Cumberland and Cornwall (see page She’s due in her home for the
4) are just about done... but HMS Lancaster is now east of Suez next quarter-century in early
to pick up where they left off (see page 5).
December, when she’ll also be
And finally, the public celebrations of the centennial year of
formally handed over to the RN.
Naval aviation reached their climax with a magnificent fly-past
Picture: PO(Phot) Donny Osmond
over HMS Illustrious on the Mersey (see pages 20-1). marina Daring feature, page 23
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