NAVY NEWS, OCTOBER 2010


3


Early-morning wake-up call


South Atlantic. In a multi-national operation, the destroyer,


Enforcement Detachment (LEDet) from Cape Verde,


nab a suspect yacht transporting cocaine worth an estimated £40m towards Europe. Gloucester was less than a week into her seven-month deployment, still north of the Canary Islands and conducting training exercises while keeping an eye on passing traffic – standard procedure for allied warships these days. The request to assist in tracking


down and capturing a known drug-smuggling vessel sailing from South America came from the UK’s Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). They were working on French and Italian intelligence while the co-ordinating body was the


Analysis and Operations Centre (Narcotics) or MAOC(N),


the Portuguese capital Lisbon. And at the sharp end,


based in


the arresting authorities were to be the Cape Verde LEDet, rushed to the scene by the Royal Navy.


surprised smugglers in the yacht Tortuga. Lt


Timmy Elliott, Flight call Maritime


carrying a Law to


HMS GLOUCESTER delivered an unwelcome early- morning wake-up call to a couple of drugs-runners in mid-ocean within days of her starting her deployment to the


● Advised by Ops Offi cer Lt Tom Rowley, Gloucester’s CO, Cdr David George, considers his options


Observer in the ship’s Lynx helicopter,


himself to the fact that the only shots he was going to take along his M3M .50-calibre machine-gun sight were with the high-definition evidence camera, snapped a pair of bleary faces. He said:


a Lynx sat on top of you is none too quiet.


later, with the Cape Verde team picked up along the way,


Fighting G delivered an early- morning wake-up


to Three days and 1,500 miles


the two


cabin, went back in, and then poked out again as if to check he wasn’t imagining things. “I guess it must have been one those really bad waking up


of mornings!”


The actual impoundment had to be conducted by the Cape


poked out from the “Then one head


took a while to wake up,


“They even though having reconciled


Verde LEDet, a team of five law enforcement and judiciary officials, but LS Nick Summers was their chauffeur, delivering them to the yacht in Gloucester’s seaboat. LS Summers said: “There was


just an edge because we weren’t sure if they [the yacht] had weapons – although if they had tried anything, with everything the ship had pointed at them, it might not have gone so well for them. “I was more worried about getting the boat alongside though. “It’s not so easy to get five people between two tiny boats in the oggin, especially if they’re not used to jumping across. “A couple of them weren’t too


keen – fair enough really.” A hitherto unsung part of the


operation was the 300-mile tow back to Mindelo, Cape Verde. Speed was imperative to allow a full search to be made and charges brought within the legal 48-hour deadline of the arrest – but yachts are not designed for towing. PO Lee Shaw, an experienced


yachtsman, was one of the not-so- lucky sailors involved. “Let’s just say that it didn’t smell any more pleasant by the end than it did at the beginning, and it wasn’t exactly at Captain’s rounds standards to start with,” said PO Shaw. “It wasn’t a boat I’d have chosen to cross the Atlantic in anyway – you might think drugs smugglers would have something a bit more flash.”


● HMS Gloucester’s seaboat circles the yacht as the destroyer stands by


The effort proved worthwhile when the yacht was finally lifted out of the water, and 30kg of raw cocaine was found stashed along the stern transmission near the rudder. The bust was an exciting start to a long deployment, and the


● HMS Gloucester’s Lynx inspects the target yacht


ship’s company enjoyed following the media attention.


Commanding Officer Cdr


David George said: “You’re on your way somewhere and you get diverted at a moment’s notice to go take down some bad guys, there’s some good PR, and then you’re back on your way as if nothing had happened. “That constant shifting-target


and variety is one of the things I love about being in the RN. “Fingers crossed, there’ll be some more for us. “The ocean is a vast place for


dubious types to hide in, and it’s a long way from people’s front rooms – but the drugs on UK streets aren’t.


“This is why the Royal Navy is out on the high seas, day in, day out.”


Gloucester is now back en route


to the Falklands to take over from HMS Portland as the Atlantic Patrol Task (South) ship. Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox


said: “This is another example of the great work the men and women of the Royal Navy carry out around the world which helps protect us at home. “The Royal Navy plays a crucial role in intercepting drugs that could be destined for Britain’s streets.I am very proud of their efforts.” A planned port visit in South





America by the destroyer has had to be cancelled at short notice.


A Royal Navy spokesman said:


“We can confirm that Uruguay withdrew diplomatic clearance for HMS Gloucester to visit Montevideo 15-17.


from September “The ship, which is currently


deployed in the South Atlantic, was scheduled to make a short, routine port visit. “We are obviously disappointed with this last-minute decision by Uruguay but respect their right to make it. “We have a long-standing close defence relationship with the Uruguayans; this incident will not affect those good links.” HMS Portland bids farewell to Falklands – pages 10-11


 Rough ride north


ROUGHERS. Goffer. Shipping it green. A big sea, in layman’s terms – and always fun in a Type 42... The 42 in this


Manchester, and the roughers were the calling card of Hurricane Igor, a nasty little Category 3 storm (winds upwards of 130mph) which swept past Bermuda. The Busy Bee, in the


Caribbean on anti-drug- running and disaster relief duties,


had spent “a


couple of uncomfortable nights” dashing some 900 miles north to stand by as Igor passed directly over the British Overseas Territory. The Governor of Sir Richard


Bermuda,


Gozney, had requested that the destroyer was on hand so she could give assistance should Bermuda suffer major damage – in such circumstances the ship’s Lynx is of particular value, being able to conduct a rapid aerial survey. In the event Igor passed close to


● HMS Manchester crashes through heavy seas as she dashes north for Bermuda to stand by as Hurricane Igor approaches the island


the west of the Island in the small hours of the night, having weakened to a Category 1 hurricane with winds up to a ‘mere’ 95mph. HMS Manchester arrived off


case is HMS


Bermuda a few hours after Igor had passed and was able to launch her Lynx to survey the Island. “Having been tasked to stand


by Bermuda, it was important to get there as quickly as possible after Igor has passed through,” said Manchester’s Commanding Officer Cdr Rex Cox. “This involved a sporty fast


dash north, surfing in behind the hurricane eye so as to be in a position to conduct humanitarian and disaster relief as required. “Fortunately Bermuda suffered


only slight


damage and no casualties and Manchester can now return to the Caribbean Sea and position ready for the next severe weather


event.”


Manchester had been conducting counter-narcotic operations in the Caribbean Sea when the order was given to travel north.


She also had to cancel a planned visit to St Kitts which was part of their Independence Day celebrations. During the passage north from her operating areas in the Caribbean basin the ship encountered two days of heavy seas with seven-metre (25ft)


waves that had been whipped up by the hurricane. “It was excellent that Manchester


was able to send in her helicopter,” said Governor Gozney. “From this flight we were able to get the complete picture as to what had happened.


Before her dash north, Manchester had been helping local communities in the Caribbean, with plenty of sailors stepping forward to do their bit. Taking Barbados as an example,


Lt Penny Armand-Smith spent four days at a camp for disabled children, helping with supervision,


playing


games, singing and making costumes for the Camp Friendship carnival. And a dozen of Penny’s shipmates


volunteered to help paint the house of Mrs Elaine Hinkson, widow of a World War 2 veteran and a member of the Barbados Legion. Despite typical Caribbean weather – sunshine and heavy showers – they managed to achieve much more than planned.


Previously, on Grand Turk in the


Turks and Caicos chain, 13 sailors joined the local Rotary Club in clearing a park of rubbish and cutting back overgrown acacia trees, providing a more manageable open space for the islanders.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48