38 NAVY NEWS, DECEMBER 2009
Chatham
● Coming your way – HMS Ocean, in
miniature, with builder Richard Thurston
● Caption
Picture: Denise Bradley (Eastern Daily Press)
makes
Ocean model is
its mark
tribute to father
NO – it’s not a mirage – that chap in the picture is considerably
larger than the aircraft carrier.
TWO influential tourist chiefs
That’s because this carrier – HMS Ocean – is a superbly-
with no place to go – where
crafted scale model built by Richard Thurston, whose father
better to spend a few hours than
Raymond was a Royal Marines commando aboard the ship
at Chatham Historic Dockyard?
during the Suez campaign in 1956.
Strictly speaking, Mike
That is the configuration that Richard chose for his model,
Bedingfield of Tourism South
in honour of his father, and the result is a spectacular tribute
East and James Berresford of Visit
to the green beret, who died in 2001.
England were on a fact-finding
Among the radio-controlled features are 186 LED lights,
tour around the country, but
moving radar antennae, working anchors, a smoking funnel,
they set off on the rest of the trip
the sounds of idling helicopters and attacking aircraft (with
mightily impressed by what they
suitable replies from the Bofors) and a Royal Marines band
saw on the banks of the Medway.
on one of the lifts, playing Heart of Oak.
Everywhere they looked
The whole radio-controlled programme lasts about eight
they would have seen historical
minutes.
buildings shaking off the sands
Ocean, commissioned at the very end of World War 2,
of time by entertaining and
operated aircraft as diverse as Fairey Fireflies and jet fighters
educating visitors as they are put
– Winkle Brown sealed the carrier’s place in the annals of
to use for a second time through
aviation when the test pilot par excellence walked the thin line
imaginative projects such as the
between triumph and disaster by landing the temperamental
Ropery, where methods dating
Sea Vampire on Ocean’s flight deck – a world first.
back to 1618 are still used by
modern-day ropemakers.
And just to prove the yard
has truly caught the eyes of the
world, the Chatham Historic
Codrington blue
Dockyard Trust wound up the
current visitor season by adding
two more awards to its collection. plaque unveiled
The trust was joint winner of
the Leisure and Tourism category
A BLUE plaque has been unveiled Faslane plays it
Do you
recall the
as well as being rated ‘highly
at the former home of Admiral Sir
commended’ in the Service
Edward Codrington in Brighton.
category for its education service,
The British officer commanded
making it eligible for a share of
the Orion at Trafalgar, and is
the KOS Media £1m Business
highly regarded in Greece as his
Challenge advertising and
Anglo-Franco-Russian squadron’s
marketing prize fund.
destruction of the combined
Judges referred to the Historic
Turkish-Egyptian fleet at the Battle
safe (and green)
COPPs?
A LOCAL heritage group in
Hampshire is studying the
activities of a wartime combined
operations unit and hopes Navy
News readers may be able to help
Dockyard as “a jewel in the
of Navarino paved the way for Greek
them develop the story.
crown of Kent, a fantastic place
freedom from the Ottoman Empire
Discover Hayling is looking at
to visit that will excite, educate – though his contemporaries did
COPP – Combined Operations
not quite see him as a man of the
LOOKING for a safe, energy-
in recent weeks have staged both morning with a mobile unit at
and entertain visitors of all ages.”
a health and safety exhibition and the north end of the base which Pilotage Parties, who were trained
The historical treasures of the world as his heavy-handed tactics
efficient and environmentally-
their third annual Energy and moved south and across to in covert operations, reconnoitring
Medway towns are not limited ruffled diplomatic feathers more
friendly place to work?
Environment week. RNAD Coulport explaining how and surveying beaches and
to the growth of the Royal Navy than once.
Oh well, there is one place that
The former attracted 19 personnel can save energy and providing pilot markers for
– opposite the dockyard, at the The plaque, organised by the
should figure high on your list –
money at home and work. landings on enemy shores in
western anchor point of the chain Montpelier and Clifton Hill
Clyde Naval Base.
safety-related companies to the
Interactive displays and free Europe, the Middle and Far East.
which defended the yard in the Association, was unveiled by the
That should come as no
establishment, and as well as
goodies, including a driving This particular unit was formed
17th century, was the site of Greek Ambassador, and marks the
revelation to those who work on
dozens of stalls featuring the latest
simulator which shows how to save in January 1943 under Lt Cdr
an excavation which uncovered period between 1828 and 1832
the Clyde, as the base meets its
in safety equipment from suppliers
on fuel and cut carbon emissions, Nigel Wilmott, a navigating officer,
a very rare full skeleton of a which Codrington spent in the
green targets across the range.
such as Bravi UK, Omniflex, MSA
proved popular. and trained on Hayling.
prehistoric and now-extinct Regency town after the Battle of
But managers at Faslane are
Ltd and Quattro, there was also a
Richard Ireland, of Clyde’s The unit was responsible for
straight-tusked elephant. Navarino.
not resting on their laurels, and
safety-related play.
AKT Productions are a Waste Forum, said: “Energy and taking soil samples and detailed
theatre-based learning resource – Environment Week has been a measurements on a clandestine
a group using the thrill of the great success. visit to Gold Beach months before
greasepaint (and a good story) as “It’s down to initiatives like this the D-Day landings, and when
an educational tool. that environmental issues are at rumours of their success reached
For Faslane it had to be a the forefront of people’s minds. American ears the unit went back
maritime theme, so there won’t “Saving energy makes sense and repeated their success at the
have been many dissatisfied punters from a financial point of view as Omaha Beach site before slipping
as the action unfolded on an oil well and there really is something back to their base.
SHIP of the MONTH
rig, involving the death of a man. everyone can do to help. Winston Churchill later asked to
And far from being no questions “HM Naval Base Clyde is meet the unit’s chief protagonists,
asked, the audience was invited to meeting its targets on waste and Maj Logan Scott-Bowden and Sgt
become involved, ensuring no one recycling, energy consumption, Bruce Ogden-Smith.
left in a mystified state as to who gas use and fuel. If anyone has any information
was responsible and how it could “We aim to improve these or memorabilia, including
have been prevented. targets and are confident we are photographs, contact chairman
Collectors’ Corner
The energy and environment doing a good job of helping the Robin Walton on 023 9271 8441
Build an exciting and interesting collection of B&W and coloured postcard
roadshow started on the Monday environment.” or on
robin@waltondesign.co.uk
sized photographs of ships and aircraft of the Royal Navy and RFA’s.
Game reserves muck in
Only £12.50 UK £14.50 Overseas ROYAL Naval Reserve units from
around Scotland and Northern Ireland
I YEAR’S SUBSCRIPTION
have taken part in a major recruitment
and training weekend at Clyde Naval
Base.
Which includes ONE NEW postcard sized photograph
As well as allowing current reservists
to hone their skills, the weekend was
of our featured vessel each month.
something of a revelation for potential
new recruits, who were able to get
involved in activities ranging from small
arms handling to sea survival drills, fire
fighting exercises to waterborne drills
with the Royals.
Units participating included
Greenock-based HM ships Dalriada
(Greenock), Scotia (Edinburgh and East
Coast) and HMS Caroline (Northern
Ireland).
Reservists and potential recruits
greeted Prince Michael of Kent in his
role as Honorary Rear Admiral RNR.
The Prince spent a day touring
Faslane, taking time to chat to those
involved and witnessing first-hand the
training being put into action.
Cdr Andrew Cowan, Dalriada’s
Photographs can also be purchased individually for £1.20 each (minimum of three). CO, said: “The showcase weekend has
been really useful, both in allowing our
Send Cheque/P.O. together with name and address of subscriber to
current reservists to keep their own
skills up to scratch, as well as illustrating
Anne Young at…
to new recruits just some of what we get
involved in.”
Navy News, HMS Nelson, Queen Street, Portsmouth PO1 3HH
Almost 100 reservists, including 35
Or phone on – 023 9272 6284
from the Glasgow area, 36 from the
Scotia catchment and 24 from Northern
Ireland, took part, and they were joined
● The sky’s the limit: a leadership and problem-solving
Cheques payable to: Navy News
exercise at Garelochhead Training Camp by 76 potential recruits.
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SEND FOR FREE PHOTOGRAPH LIST!
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038_NN_dec.indd 1 20/11/09 15:09:35
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