30 NAVY NEWS, DECEMBER 2010


Shock to the system for Afghan fledglings


IT IS tough out on the ground in Afghanistan – the troops on patrol richly deserve that


● The visiting party at Raleigh’s sea sense training centre on the River Lynher Picture: Dave Sherfield (HMS Raleigh)


VIP party tours


Raleigh


THE Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall spent a day at HMS Raleigh to see how the Royal Navy turns civilians into sailors. Lady Mary Holborrow and a number of her deputies met a group of trainees on the second week of their nine-week basic course as they tackled the new high ropes facility. They also saw how decommissioned minehunter HMS Brecon is used to support training from her berth on the River Lynher, and again the visitors had the chance to talk to trainees in situ about their experiences of the Navy thus far. Also on the agenda for the


group was a look at the Damage Repair Unit, and a demonstration of how sailors are trained in fire- fighting techniques. Capt Steve Murdoch,


Commanding Officer of Raleigh, said: “We were delighted to show Lady Mary and her Deputy Lord Lieutenants the diverse range of training carried out here at HMS Raleigh.


“Basic training is just one part of our business and the visitors were able


specialist training that we provide in areas such as seamanship to the wider Royal Navy in preparation for worldwide operations.”


Milestones celebrated


TWO Observer instructors at Culdrose have reached milestones in their career – though one is some way ahead of the other. RN Reservist Lt Cdr


Lewis, has clocked up 4,000 flying hours since first climbing aboard an 849 NAS Sea King as an Airborne Early Warning Observer back in the mid-1980s. He passed the 4,000 mark as an


‘Dicky’ ● Pearly Queen Doreen Golding with personnel from HMS President ‘Royal’ reception


instructor with the same squadron, now flying Airborne Surveillance and Control Sea King Mk 7s. Lt Serena Davidson, the first female Observer instructor on the training squadron, has just passed her 1,000th hour aloft – and a pretty mixed bag those hours have been, from the jungles of Sierra Leone to the arid plains of Afghanistan.


have celebrated the landmark with Dicky, who was her instructor when she achieved her very first flying hours.


And Serena was delighted to


IT WAS hardly a surprise to see a decent Naval presence at the London Pearly Kings and Queens Costermongers’ Harvest Festival parade and service.


Because one of the event organisers, Larry Golding,


Glory Association, Gerald Evans, and secretary Patrick Williams, took


Pearly King of the Old Kent Road, is proud of his time in the Mob. Having got a taste of the life as a Sea Cadet in Hackney, he joined up in World War 2, his last ship being HMS Glory. The former chairman of the HMS


the


part in the parade, along with a contingent from London Reservist unit HMS President. Sadly, Larry himself was unable


to attend because of ill health – he had wanted to show off his new pearly suit, decorated with anchors, squadron badges and, naturally, an aircraft carrier on each trouser leg. Having worked


his wife Doreen to stage the event, Larry said that under the circumstances a picture and report would make “an old matelot very happy.”


Phoenix makes a difference


A NEW group of Phoenix Project students from Helston Community College have made their first visit to Culdrose to get a taste of life at a naval training establishment. The youngsters joined an existing group which has been taking part in activities on the air station since February as part of a mentoring programme.


The MAD (Making a Difference) project follows on from the year the young people have spent with the Helston Phoenix Mentoring Team, and as well as activities


on the base they will take part in community-based projects in and around the Cornish town. Phoenix is intended to develop discipline and team-building, and to generally encourage students referred to the project by the college.


Firefighting training has been identified as an activity with the required ethos, and the capability of improving confidence and self- esteem.


As a consequence, Lt Neil Laing, the air station’s Fire Officer,


and PO Mark Wadham, one of his watch managers,


initiated


Culdrose’s involvement – physical fitness, enthusiasm and discipline are all hallmarks of a good firefighting team, as well as the Royal Navy in general, and these qualities are readily embraced by the students. One activity saw the cleaning-up of an area around Helston’s Grylls Monument, erected in 1834 in memory of Humphrey Grylls, a prominent townsman during the heydays of Cornish mining.


hard with to see some of the the


Charlie Talmage was just such a rookie at the start of the summer, when he began his first three-month operational tour to the country. The 30-year-old officer lived in Camp Bastion, flying his Sea King Mk4 helicopter in and around the Green Zone in Helmand as part of 846 Naval Air Squadron, which with sister squadron 845 NAS, has been operating in Afghanistan for the past three years. Lt Talmage’s journey began with an air of trepidation when he boarded an RAF Tristar aircraft at Brize Norton for the first leg of the journey to Camp Bastion, via Kandahar.


to


trying to understand what sort of environment he would be working in for the next three months. “Just as you have convinced


The flight gave plenty of time consider


what lay ahead, ● Lt Charlie Talmage in the cockpit of his Jungly Sea King


yourself that you will be able to cope with the pressures ahead, you find yourself putting on helmet and body armour for the final descent into Kandahar,” said Lt Talmage. “There is


aircraft but everyone soon relaxes when the wheels touch down on the runway.”


a tension in the


Charlie Talmage arrived at Bastion and was straight into three days of briefings on subjects as varied as air traffic control procedures to battlefield hygiene. For the aircrew it’s a welcome relief when they can swap the classroom for the cockpit.


After a quick connecting flight,


“It’s why I have been training for four years – to actually do the job which the Junglies have been doing here in Afghanistan for three years,” said Lt Talmage. “But it’s a shock to the system the first time you strap into the aircraft with the cockpit temperature above 50°C.” The first flights Lt Talmage completed were in-theatre training sorties consisting of day and night dust


landings, allowing him to get used to flying the Sea King Mk4 in Afghanistan’s challenging environmental conditions. “Out here you are always flying the aircraft on the edge of its envelope,” he said. “ You trust what you have learnt


during operational flying training back home and your confidence is boosted massively by the training sorties.”


With training complete, the job


begins in earnest. Lt Talmage found his first few operational flights a real experience.


“It all looks so peaceful from altitude, but when you fly into the patrol bases at low level you can see close-up how professional the ISAF ground troops need to be to go about their daily business of bringing peace to the area,” he said. On average, a Royal Navy Sea


King Mk4 pilot will fly about 120 operational hours during a tour,


much-bandied epithet ‘hero’. And it is tough in the air, especially for a Helmand rookie. Royal Navy helicopter pilot Lt


and will face challenges of landing in confined spaces by day or night, with the potential to lose all visual references as the ochre Afghan dust blows around the cockpit. “I learnt a lot, both about flying and the problems faced in helping the


Afghan government, and


have really enjoyed contributing personally to assist the effort on the ground,” concluded Lt Talmage. Whilst in Afghanistan the Sea


King Mk 4s come under the command of the Joint Helicopter Force


(Afghanistan)


commanded by Lt Col Paul Tennant of the Army Air Corps. JHF(A) in turn is part of the


Joint Aviation Group (JAG), commanded by Capt Paul Shawcross RN. And above JAG is the 3rd Marine


Aviation Wing (Forward), run by Brig Gen Andrew W O’Donnell Jr USMC – which imparts a strong multinational, multi-Service feel to helicopter operations. Back in the dark blue world, the Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) consists of five squadrons, four Naval Air Squadrons and a Combat Support Squadron. The RN/RM CHF, established to operate helicopters afloat or ashore in support of UK forces, flies Sea Kings (845 and 846 NAS and 848 NAS Training Squadron) and Lynx (847 NAS) that specialise in amphibious warfare. The pilots combine commando


combat and survival skills with edge-of-the-seat flying, operating helicopters in extreme climates and conditions, in terrain ranging from the Arctic to tropical jungles. Their work with Royal Marines


and Army units in Borneo in the 1960s earned them the moniker ‘Junglies’, which current and veteran Junglies covet to this day.


(JHF(A)), ● Abigail Thorn


Trophy has new setting


FOR the past two years, Chappel Church of England primary school in Essex has presented an award for outstanding achievement to a deserving pupil in the final year at the school. The prize is awarded in memory


of Les Sayer, and is given to a pupil who shows fortitude, compassion and strength of character, with or without academic aptitude. These were the very qualities which made Les Sayer an exceptional individual – a man who started life as a Barnardo’s Boy and went on to achieve great things during his life. Les died at the age of 91 in November 2008.


Royal Navy Historic Flight, has until now had no permanent home at the school. That has now been rectified thanks to the generosity of Colchester


joinery company A. Barber & Son, who made and installed a trophy cabinet especially for the purpose.


Observers on lookout for litter


A GROUP of Observer students from Culdrose joined a committed group of local civilians to carry out the annual Marine Conservation Society’s Beachwatch Litter Survey at Hendra Beach, the east end of Praa Sands. Part of a national event which has taken place every autumn since 1993, it involves a detailed survey of the rubbish found on some 400 beaches, along with the sources.


Report is instrumental in focusing the attention of Government, industry and the public on their responsibility to keep the seas and beaches clear of litter. The Hendra Beachwatch


was attended by 39 volunteers, including local residents and members of Helston Baptist Church.


The Observer students split into small groups and skirmished sections of the beach, presenting every ‘non-natural’ item found to the more experienced ‘form-fillers’


The resultant Beachwatch ● Members of 750 NAS and other volunteers at Hendra Beach


in the group who worked through a complex questionnaire. A competitive


spirit quickly


grew and many over-enthusiastic races for the most interesting pieces of litter ensured the task remained fun and was exhaustive. The result was clear to see – this year the team removed 45kg, bringing the 12-year total


of rubbish removed to 645.5kg, or well over half a tonne. The survey recorded over 3,000 items of rubbish, including polystyrene and plastic pieces, plastic nets, rope and line – all particularly hazardous to wildlife – even though the local authorities regularly clean the beach and litter bins are provided.


Catering with class


FROM beginners to those seeking to climb the promotion ladder, students at the Defence Maritime Logistics School (DMLS) have been awarded prizes to celebrate their achievements. And members of staff also stepped into the spotlight, including Lt Jeff Wright, who received a commendation for his commitment to training junior officers undertaking their initial logistics officer course. L/Cpl Mark Starling was the recipient of the first


Terry Morris Award for fortitude – the only Royal amongst sailors on the 26-week Defence Chefs course, Mark impressed his instructors, despite no previous knowledge of the subject. Cdr Nic Dodd, Commandant of the DMLS, said: “It is hugely important that we pay tribute to those staff and students who have achieved excellence, both to recognise their hard work and success and to encourage others to follow their fine example.” The prize-winners were: CH Cole, Std Davis


and Wtr Croston (HMS Montrose), Ch Stoko (Manchester), CH Mason (CHF), Mne Starling (FPG)RM, LCH Parry (St Albans), SC Mbah and LStd Cruickshank (Ark Royal), POCS Brown (Edinburgh), POCS Wiggins, Wtr Booker and Wtr Devereux (Nelson), LWtr Weir and POWtr House (MOD Main Bdng), LSC Francis (York), POSC Morgan (Neptune), S/Lt Gorst and Std Nadakuca (Cumberland), SC Adams (Drake), RFA CH Hartley (RFA Fort George), RFA Catering Assistant McKenna (Bayleaf), RFA Catering


McKillop (Fort Victoria) Logs Walters (Scotia), LCdt Tree (Gravesend SCC Unit), Lt Thombs (Argyll), Lt Castleford (BF Falkland Islands). Commendations: CPO Cliff )Raleigh), CPO Tilson (DMLS), PO LOng (Cornwall), WO Costin (DMLS), Lt Wright (BRNC), Lt Cdr Matthew (DMLS). Navy cooks up a storm – p38


 Assistant building and


The winner of the trophy – which features a Swordfish aircraft – in 2010 was Abigail Thorn. The trophy, donated by the


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