10 NAVY NEWS, MARCH 2011


Clan destined for greatness


But we’re not interested in Her Majesty’s Ship Albion (well, not yet anyway). No, we’re interested in the vessel from which this photograph was taken – HMS Sutherland – where the ship’s company are preparing for another day of fi re, fl ood, air attack, torpedoing – basically everything the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (also known as FOST) can throw at them... In April Albion will lead the Cougar task group, an amphibious force heading to the Mediterranean and east of Suez to work with the UK’s allies.


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At her side will be HMS Sutherland, charged with protecting the fl agship from attacks by air and sea... not entirely unlike 2010. Last year the Type 23 headed to the USA with Ark Royal and Albion as escort. Ark, sadly, has passed into history. The assault ship has not – and she needs safeguarding.


Just in case any skills have faded aboard Albion and


MERGING slowly from the swirling, seething mist of a winter’s morn off Plymouth, the nation’s fl agship serenely prepares for another day of fi re, fl ood, air attack, torpedoing – basically everything the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (also known as FOST) can throw at her this day.


Sutherland since they returned from the United States in August, they’ve been given some ‘top-up training’ (the offi cial term is Directed Continuation Training) courtesy of the Flag Offi cer Sea Training and his team.


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morning mist gradually disperses in Plymouth Sound it reveals a multinational array of warships gearing up for today’s stern test. Three of the four horsemen are saddling up: conquest, war and death (and if the chefs struggle with the action messing, famine too might put in an appearance...).


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Indeed, it’s not long before the all-too-familiar smell of ‘minimist’ training smoke, shrill blast of whistles in the ops room and the deafening Loud Vocal Alarm (aka shouting) are commonplace aboard Sutherland. Throw in a bit of flooding, battle damage, some dodgy pirates, the odd missile attack, a few fast patrol boats, screaming Hawks, screaming PWOs. You


And so as the


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get the picture.


Not that the Fighting Clan/ Mighty Suth (we prefer the former) is passive in all this.


Group Royal Marines. They went in search of – and found – pirates.


off a-hunting, loosing a dummy torpedo at a suspected submarine. Having dispensed with foes under the water, the helicopter went after foes on the water, accompanied by the ship’s seaboats crammed with a boarding team from Fleet Protection


Sutherland’s upper deck gun


crews (pictured below) let loose with well-aimed walls of steel against fast inshore attack craft. Impressive though the miniguns and 30mm blazing away are, what you really want to see (and hear) is the crowdpleaser (also known as the 4.5in main gun – pictured above left in full effect). And having confi dently dealt with all the horsemen could


Her Merlin headed


throw at them, Sutherland’s ship’s company were fi lled, says their Commanding Offi cer Cdr Roger Readwin, “with a tangible sense of pride”.


He added: “Our motto is sans peur – without fear – by which HMS Sutherland and her company take great pride. “The scenarios played out whilst conducting sea training are extremely credible and it takes little imagination to realise what is at stake.


“I have never been more aware that individually we are strong but collectively we represent a formidable force which is able to reassure and protect, in order to maintain peace and security where our future operations takes us.”


 FOST through the eyes of trainee offi cers on HMS Albion, page 17


ship’s company now fully ‘bedded in’ following the work- up with Albion, the two ships will be exercising together on the latest Joint Warrior war games off Scotland’s west coast before they head off on Cougar.


With new members of the


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