NAVY NEWS, JULY 2010


13


l The ship’s company of HMS Ocean line up in Procedure Alpha as the carrier prepares to cross the Atlantic on Exercise Auriga 2010 off the eastern seaboard of the United States An Ocean of experiences


SLEDGEHAMMER and nut spring to mind.


Ocean,


largest warship in the Royal Navy. And the nut? That’ll be Dean


Smith’s jet ski, weighing in at under 0.3 tonnes. The Navy’s helicopter carrier


was busy exercising off the coast of Cornwall when they were alerted to a jet skier in trouble.


Dean Smith had set off from


Fowey that morning and was touring the coast when his high- powered machine started taking on water.


Mr Smith sent a distress call, which was picked up by Brixham Coastguard, and Ocean, carrying out amphibious training at nearby Pentewan Beach, was alerted. It doesn’t matter how big or


small you are, if a fellow mariner is in trouble, you lend a hand. In this instance the command team did not have to hoick the mighty assault ship out of her training programme – they were able to send a sea boat away (which was still a good deal bigger than the jet ski...) Lt Cdr David Pickles, Ocean’s


l A sea boat from HMS Ocean, manned by AB Cora Wilkinson (helm) and AB Frazer MacLennan, dashes to the rescue of a jet skier


The sledgehammer? HMS at 20,700 tonnes the


Senior Air Traffic Controller, said: “We immediately launched our sea boat to provide assistance. “With AB Cora Wilkinson at the helm, assisted by AB Frazer MacLennan, the sea boat arrived at the scene within ten minutes and the crew pulled a relieved Mr Smith from the water – a little cold, but otherwise uninjured. “He was taken to nearby with his half-


Mevagissey,


submerged jet ski in tow, where the rescue team were greeted by a large crowd of well-wishers. “As professional sailors we are


well trained in responding to such incidents, and are pleased that we were in a position to be able to assist Mr Smith so quickly.” The rescue came while the


carrier was in the thick of an intensive five-week Operational Sea Training package designed


l The Queen meets Fleet Air Arm personnel on board Ocean


l Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Sir Alan Massey talks to sailors at action stations in Ocean’s ops room ship’s material state.


to test her amphibious capability before she sailed to join the Auriga 2010 deployment to the United States. Ocean had sailed from Plymouth on April 19 at the start of the Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) programme. She started with


a two-week work-up to bring everyone to a state of readiness, followed by the main three-week phase which started with a formal safety inspection and assessment of the


armed protesters while in Freeport,


Once again the forces of Brownia and Ginger were at loggerheads, and Ocean formed part of a UN task force enforcing an exclusion zone off Brownia, also known as the West Country. Thursday Wars tested the ship and her sailors with bomb and missile attacks, while there was also a ship protection exercise, guarding against hostile


deteriorating,


which looked remarkably like Plymouth.


With the political situation an amphibious


landing was required during the second week, and the final week saw Royal Marines of 42 Cdo attack terrorist bases ashore while the ship set up a receiving centre in Freeport to coordinate the evacuation of British nationals. The final inspection, conducted


during Thursday War, allowed Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Sir Alan Massey the chance to see Ocean’s progress for himself. A tired ship’s company was given the good news that Ocean had passed her ordeal, and they could prepare for their transatlantic deployment.


But before she left there was another high-profile visit,


this


time by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh. Ocean’s Commanding Officer, Capt Keith Blount, said: “It is a very special day because we like to think Her Majesty has special affection for HMS Ocean, and this is less a ceremonial event and more of a personal visit for her, to meet the families and friends linked to HMS Ocean and her ship’s company.”


The Queen met some of the


450 family and friends of those serving on board, who lined the jetty to see her. The VIP visitors met members of the ship’s company and air group before attending a lunch reception in the ward room. Before leaving, the Queen was presented with a bouquet by 11-year-old Hannah Mahony and eight-year-old Joshua Monks. The following day,


the


l Troops from HMS Ocean go ashore in the West Country


families were invited back for an opportunity to experience life on board the warship.


Pictures: LA (Phot) Guy Pool


l Firefighting training on board HMS Ocean


l The Duke of Edinburgh with Ocean’s Commander, Cdr Mark Taylor


l Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Sir Alan Massey chats with PO Caterer Warnes


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