NAVY NEWS, JULY 2010


33


Falklands linchpin retires


WITH his antecedents, it was inevitable that Lt Cdr John Maskell-Bott would have a military career. His paternal grandfather was a


served in H and L-class submarines, mostly in the Med, and his father met his mother, a member of the Women’s Royal Auxiliary Corps, on a troopship returning from Singapore. His father-in-law was a Naval


stoker at Jutland, and his father served with the Grenadier Guards then the Royal Military Police. His maternal grandfather


Forty and out for Bob


FORTY years and one day after signing on the dotted line, Lt Cdr Bob Faulks has handed in his RN ID card to the CO of HMS Gannet, Lt Cdr Debdash Bhattacharya (pictured left). Bob specialised as an aircrew observer after completing officer training, and over the subsequent four decades served around the world, including being flight commander of a Naval Air Squadron on board the Canberra during the Falklands Conflict, an exchange with the US Navy, serving on board carriers HM Ships Illustrious and Invincible, and completing three appointments at HMS Gannet, most notably as Operations Officer.


He left full-time Naval service and joined the RNR Air Branch in 1996. Bob, who runs a busy health centre in Irvine as practice manager, was presented with a written citation from First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope. Gannet’s CO said: “Bob’s dedicated service to the Royal Navy and Royal Naval Reserve over a period of 40 years is truly impressive. “I feel honoured that he chose to spend his


last day of service with us at HMS Gannet, and I have no doubt that he will continue to feel a part of the community that is the Fleet Air Arm for years to come.”


Engineer Maintenance Test Pilot, and his son is a WEO in the Submarine Service and his nephew is serving with the Grenadier Guards in Afghanistan. Lt Cdr Maskell-Bott, who took up a post in the Falklands in mid- 2003, recently retired as SO2 J9 Liaison and Officer Commanding Hillside after 40 years Naval service. John joined up in September 1969 as an artificer apprentice, and did 12 months training at sea in HMS Jupiter before entering the Silent Service in early 1974 in HMS Swiftsure as a marine engineer, then at HMS Vulcan as an instructor of Swiftsure-class nuclear power control systems. Completing his officer training circuit in the early 1980s, he visited the Falklands for the first time in HMS Spartan, then spent most of his time ashore, at Foxhill, Devonport, Culdrose, Portsmouth and Swindon, before moving to the South Atlantic. He found his role as liaison


between military and civilian very rewarding, and hopes to spend part of the year in the Falklands during retirement. John’s last day of duty saw him don his Number One uniform for the final time to celebrate the Queen’s birthday in Stanley.


Bahrain handover


CDRE Tim Fraser has taken over from Cdre Tim Lowe as UK Maritime Component Commander in the Middle East. The handover was conducted


during a ceremony at the US Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain. The new man also takes on the role of Deputy Commander Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). Having served in the post for 19 months, Cdre Lowe is returning to the UK to take up the post of Commodore, Maritime Warfare School at HMS Collingwood. Cdre Fraser joined the Royal


He has extensive experience of serving at sea,


commanding the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious and Type 42 destroyers Gloucester and Cardiff. On assuming command Cdre Fraser said: “This is one of the most complex maritime areas that the Royal Navy operates in.


am looking forward to working alongside our coalition partners in the CMF focusing on our core aim of improving maritime security.”


I including Navy in 1982.


Arfur wins medal for logistics work


A SENIOR rate serving in HMS Ocean has been lauded by a city livery company for


his efforts in Afghanistan. WO(CS) ‘Arfur’ English has


been awarded the Royal Navy Medal by the Worshipful Company of Carmen for being the most outstanding non-commissioned logistician across the entire Navy,


following his exemplary


performance within the UK’s Joint Force Support Headquarters in Afghanistan last year. Arfur was deployed to Afghanistan for six months and was responsible for more than 2,300 Army, RAF and Royal Navy logisticians, being in charge of every aspect of support for all of the UK forces in theatre. His work included managing a complex supply chain, moving equipment, stores and feeding, accommodating and administering UK forces.


Arfur also monitored national and coalition operations and events, as well as the initial response actions across the entire field of logistics, such as attacks on convoys and bases – including Kandahar, where he was based. He watched over any delays within the supply chain caused by local unrest or disruption at border crossings and along supply routes, or direct security threats to people, supplies and equipment. To do this he had to not only


understand the implications to operations of each incident and deal regularly with command HQ in the UK and in theatre, but


l WO ‘Arfur’ English on board HMS Ocean


he had to do it whilst working wholly outside his mainstream specialisation of catering services. Drawing on his logistics


experience and broader military understanding gained through service in submarines and surface ships, combined with a natural ability to apply sailors’ common sense, WO English was well-equipped to undertake the challenges of this appointment.


Skills for life in Ocean


BIKERS in HMS Ocean stand a better chance of a safer future thanks to the efforts of a shipmate. LET Grant Midworth arranged an Enhanced Rider Scheme package for the bikers to ensure they have the skills to stay safe. With many sailors commuting home from their base port each weekend, motorbikes are a popular mode of transport. However, motorcyclists are by far the most vulnerable of all road users – in Britain alone the death and serious injury rate is 16 times higher if you


Agency launched the Enhanced Rider Scheme aimed at saving lives, and the scheme has been promoted on board as one of a number of initiatives aimed at ensuring sailors remain ‘Fit 2 Fight’. “The fitness and welfare of our people is something we take very seriously on board Ocean,” said Lt Cdr Brewer, the ship’s First Lieutenant. “If this course prevents someone from being injured on the road it will be worthwhile.”


Safety trophy for Junglies


THE Navy’s coveted prize for flight safety has been awarded to the Commando Helicopter Force. Royal Marines and Royal Naval personnel of the CHF gathered to watch Rear Admiral Tom Cunningham, Chief of Staff (Aviation) present the Fleet Air Arm’s Bambara Flight Safety Trophy for 2009 to the youngest member of 845 NAS, AET Russell Elliot, on behalf of the CHF. The prize is awarded annually to the FAA unit


that is assessed as having the best flight safety record, and the CHF is a group of four RN squadrons and supporting elements, integrated under the command of an HQ, established to operate Sea Kings and Lynx in support of UK forces.


l Chief of Staff (Aviation) Rear Admiral Tom Cunningham presents the Bambara Trophy to AET Russell Elliot


After the award ceremony, Admiral Cunningham praised the CHF and its squadrons for their outstanding achievements on global exercises, and in particular the two years they have been deployed in Afghanistan. He further praised both aviators and support personnel who have worked exceptionally hard in supporting UK and international forces in Afghanistan despite the obvious dangers from the Taliban but also the enormous environmental challenges of flying and maintaining the aircraft in extreme heat and dust. Whilst Russell may be the youngest member of the squadron he has packed a lot of action into a short naval career – previously deployed to Iraq and recently returned from Afghanistan after a three-month tour, he was due to deploy across the Atlantic as Navy News went to press, and will return to Afghanistan in November for a further three months.


ride a bike than if you drive a car. In 2007 the Driving Standards


His citation says the senior


rate’s adaptability, professionalism and outstanding performance in arduous conditions mark him out as a truly Joint and Naval logistician and a warrant officer of some calibre. For the past five centuries, the


Worshipful Company of Carmen has served both the City of London and the transport industry. Dating back to the 13th Century,


the fellowship of Carters carried Royal chattels around London. Today, the Carmen’s goal is to reflect the industry in all its modes through personal fellowship, with the focus on surface transport, including road and rail, goods and passengers, and to recognise and promote achievement and the advancement of knowledge in the transport profession.


l Dave Williamson RMR


Heat is on for RM Reservist


WHEN customs officer Dave Williamson takes a break from his day job, you may find him cooking – but this is no hobby. Because Dave, 48, is a Royal


Marines Reservist who is currently working in the kitchens of Forward Operating Base (FOB) Jackson in the Sangin area of Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It is the first tour of duty for the


Warrington man, and he said he’s getting used to his new workplace – despite the heat. “It’s absolutely, totally different


from my day job but I’m definitely still loving it,” he said. “Settling in was difficult at first – acclimatising while spending all day on your feet.


hydrated: “I drink a lot of water – at least three litres a day.” Working alongside Dave is a team of six chefs who provide three square meals a day for the several hundred people living there – 40 Commando RM, all attached ranks, Afghan interpreters and all the locally-employed civilians. A typical day for the chefs means getting up at 0430hrs and preparing breakfast – there is always a cooked breakfast – lunch offers four main choices with vegetables, and fruit bars and packets of mixed nuts, then there is a lull before preparation for dinner begins. Dinner offers three options, plus a soup starter and dessert, and with a bit of luck the chefs can knock off work by about 2030hrs.


Navy ties in with Panthers


THE Royal Navy has become strategic partners of the Peterborough Panthers speedway team as recruiters seek potential submariners,


engineering technicians. Lt Matt Paterson, one of the


fast jet pilots and


regional business managers with the Naval Regional Command Eastern England, believed the Panthers’ outlook matched that of the type of people the Navy is looking to recruit in those three key areas. So Matt will be taking his RN visibility team and mobile recruiting assets to each of the Sky Sports Elite League team’s home games this season, and hopes to talk to young fans about their career choices.


Sultan top man


THE RN Engineering Training School has a new boss – Cdre Mark Slawson. HMS Sultan trains Marine


and Air Engineer officers and technicians and is the largest engineering training facility in Europe, teaching more than 2,000 RN apprentices every year. Cdre Slawson also assumes the mantle of Commandant of the Defence College of Electro- Mechanical Engineering,


with


sites at Bordon, Arborfield and St Athan.


“But coping with the heat is not a problem now, although it’s only going to get hotter.” And hot means hot. The temperature outside is already well into the thirties and rising fast, but in the galley the mercury rises much higher – in the height of the Afghan summer, when it’s around 55°C outside, the galley can be as hot as 72°C. Dave copes by keeping himself


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