14 NAVY NEWS, FEBRUARY 2010
● HMS Monmouth’s Merlin Blackbird fi res decoy fl ares
● HM ships Pembroke (outboard)
and Grimsby (inboard) with RFA ● HMS Monmouth
Lyme Bay in Dubai
Picture: LA(Phot) Steve Johncock
Listening
IT’S GOOD to listen, and the
local fishermen and to listen to what they
w
b
sailors of HMS Monmouth
have to say.
are getting quite good at it.
It is all part of the ‘hearts and
minds’ initiative to help protect
o
We at Navy News report
law-abiding mariners in the Arabian
w
regularly on events in the Gulf Gulf.
t
region, with various ships
Such visits offer the chance to
a
patrolling and carrying out
meet and greet the very people
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maritime security operations
the Navy is deployed to protect,
a
to keep the sea lanes open
and the British are generally
well-received, strengthening the
r
for legitimate trade.
relationship between the locals
Those are military terms – not
and coalition forces.
f
the opaque jargon we sometimes
The material state of the fishing
g
find ourselves confronted with,
vessel can be assessed during an
m
but a little cold and calculating.
AAV, along with the morale and
b
So what, exactly, do they entail.
welfare of the crew, and the frigate will also
c
Just listen.
offer practical support by providing items
No, not you – that is what the ships do.
such as fresh water and gloves, for handling
s
Yes, they listen in on the airwaves, but so fishing nets, as well as first aid assistance
much more can be achieved face-to-face. where required.
p
So Monmouth does all she can to carry Masters can be tipped off about any
out AAVs. coalition activity in the area, and other
c
Sorry, more opaque jargon. She carries information, such as weather forecasts or
t
out Approach and Assist Visits, which is danger warnings, can also be imparted.
m
just another way of saying she sends small Unlike ‘maritime awareness calls’, which
a
groups of sailors and Royal Marines over are carried out over VHF radio, AAVs give
T
to fishing dhows to have a chat with the the ship the chance to converse face-to-face
o
Bay of plenty
F
a
t
o
BAY-class ships continue to prove their operational’.
a
worth in a wide range of tasks. The ship has also taken on the role
o
● HMS Chiddingfold is dwarfed While RFA Largs Bay transported troops of theatre primary casualty reception and
by an explosion, detonated by and equipment to Norway for exercises (see triage unit – American and Iraqi medical g
her diving team while training, in page 22) before being chosen to support the emergencies have regularly been recovered, s
the Central Arabian Gulf relief effort in Haiti (see page 2), sister-ship assessed, stabilised, and evacuated to m
Cardigan Bay was cementing her place as the medical facilities ashore.
k
hub of operations in the Northern Arabian With so many different nationalities
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Gulf, or NAG in military parlance. around the bazaars, Cardigan Bay has
I
Cardigan Bay has been in the to maintain a flexible approach with
Gulf for two years now, becoming regards the demands of culture and
c
all things to all people – mother ship cuisine.
f
for training teams and trainees, On a daily basis the auxiliary
floating airfield for coalition provides logistics support to all
p
helicopter shuttles, meeting units in the area – she is the
t
place and rest and recreation distribution centre for stores and
venue for those living in less mail and acts as a mini airport
H
salubrious surroundings. for all personnel moving in and
o
Her primary inherited role out of theatre (including the
p
from RFA Sir Bedivere was provision of accommodation).
to support the former Naval She regularly hosts senior
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Transition Team (NATT) in training visitors, providing a platform from
c
Iraqi Naval personnel and Marines in which an overview of the theatre
o
their defence of the oil platforms which are operations is gained.
so crucial to Iraq’s economy. This can include high-level diplomatic
c
As experience was gained in this meetings, such as the series which resulted
o
role additional training courses for in a working agreement between Kuwait
Iraqi personnel were formulated on the and Iraq over disputed territorial waters in
t
recommendation of ship’s staff. the Khawr Abd Allah waterway.
o
Latterly ship’s staff have taken on the Among the forces which look to Cardigan
direct training of Iraqi military personnel in Bay are the fast attack and patrol craft of the
d
fire-fighting, damage control and first aid in Iraqi Navy and US Maritime Expeditionary
w
addition to their normal duties. Forces with their Cougar boats.
Iraqi personnel trained on board have the Weather permitting, Cardigan Bay
additional advantage of finding themselves remains docked down for periods of a
immersed in an English-speaking maritime month at a time, providing a safe haven for
environment, which will help when they ‘go up to six ‘resident’ boats and visiting units.
● Lts Bunny Warren
● Monmouth’s boarding team carry out tactical training
(left) and Stretch White
in Monmouth’s Merlin
014-015_NN_feb.indd 1 22/1/10 14:16:50
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