NAVY NEWS, JULY 2010


25


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Daring’s CO Capt Paddy McAlpine, “hard work, challenging”. He continues: “Yes, we’re going through the pain barrier. But this should be what people join the Navy to do. “My worst day is probably better than most people’s best days. There are 33,000 people in the Navy who probably envy what we’re doing.”


But at this very moment, possibly not. On the bridge gunnery offi cer Lt Dave Thompson is watching a small craft, the Oddjob, which is bearing straight for Daring – and being pigheaded about it. She’s ignoring all the instructions the Yorkshireman is giving her to turn away. Two young offi cers are peering out of the side windows with binoculars, trying to track two low-fl yin Hawks.


g


there’s choreographed chaos as RFAs Largs Bay and Wave Knight turn sharply to avoid the jets and HMS Gloucester manoeuvres frantically between them. Down in the operations ‘complex’, CPO Button is pacing about the consoles – he reckons he’s walked three miles today trying to help direct the battle. “The ops room is getting a bit frantic,” says the chief.


“Lower your voices. Keep calm and carry on.”


In the approaches to Plymouth


, she’s several Morris Ed).


... the type 45 zone... the type 45 zone... th


picture: la(phot) martin carney, frpu west


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