14 NAVY NEWS, MARCH 2011


NOW that’s just showing off... But then, when you’re making your very first appearance east of Suez, why not celebrate? Of course, this impressive demonstration by Mk8 Lynx ‘Charger’ of 815 Naval Air Squadron isn’t for show. It’s a test of the helicopter’s defensive aid suite – a vital piece of kit for any Lynx or Merlin deploying to the other side of the great man-made waterway. The Lynx is no stranger to these waters, but its steed is. Never before has HMS Iron Duke ventured ‘somewheres east of Suez’ – despite a proud career stretching back two decades. Well, not this Iron Duke. Her forebear, the very first Iron Duke (an 1870 ironclad), was reportedly the first capital ship to pass through the then-new Suez Canal in 1871 as she made her way to the China Station.


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pictures: la(phot) james crawford, frpu west


Her 21st Century successor won’t be going much beyond 64˚E as she takes over as Britain’s Gulf patrol ship from HMS Cumberland. These are strange waters for Iron Duke (if not her crew – few are the sailors who have not deployed to the Gulf) as structural issues with the ship have meant she’s been confined to Atlantic and Caribbean waters for the past two decades.


“Having never been east of Suez, the ship had to fi t – and prove – in just a few months all the enhancements and upgrades that other 23s have accumulated over the last ten years,” explained her weapon engineer offi ce “Coming on top of n etty intense time, but


Having never been e – in just a few months other 23s have accumu


“Coming on top of normal deployment preparations, we had a pretty intense time, but there was huge satisfaction in sailing on time wit


with all systems ready to go.” be t


After a brief stop in Gib (the ship’s first foreign run ashore in more than 12 months) the frigate made for Souda Bay in Crete and the NATO ranges used to test communications, sensors and weapons before passing through Suez.


As well as thoroughly testing that kit, they were inspected by Commodore Portsmouth Flotilla, Cdre Rupert Wallace. He found the Iron Duc


ough e Portsmout He found the Iron Ducks possessed by “clear enthusiasm” and “a


strong sense of readiness for entry into theatre”. In recent years, passage through Suez has become a more tense affair thanks to the global security situation: ships are closed up, the upper deck guns are manned, the Gully-Gully man is a thing of the past.


strong sense of readine In recent years, pass fair thanks to the glo the upper deck guns ar the past.


There was additional tension for Iron Duke; she sailed through the canal as civil unrest gripped Egypt’s urban centres.


There was additional decks that is.


canal as civil unrest grip As it was, the transi


decks that is. As it was, the transit was uneventful. Uneventful on the upper cer Lt Cdr Martin Hoather.


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Down below the ship’s company were partaking in the ‘row the Suez’ challenge (as much a part of RN sporting activities these days as the Rock Race... which Iron Duke also completed in Gib). Just under half the ship’s company climbed on a Concept 2


rowing machine and pulled at the ‘oars’ for 2,000 metres each, completing the 162km (100 mile) journey in a little over 11 hours. Once through Suez, warships are in an operational theatre whose complexity is matched by its scale. If you think that the Gulf is ‘just around the corner’ once you’re through Suez, think again. It’s a 4,000-mile journey from the canal’s exit to the tip of the Gulf – roughly the equivalent of sailing from Portsmouth to Florida. s


Po op


It’s here too that counter-piracy/terrorism/smuggling operations begin in earnest.


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But with those finally resolved, she could finally make for waters which have become the Type 23’s typical stomping ground.


C ng d deployed big bo


“We’ve had a busy start to the deployment transiting into areas, but now we are settling down as we wait for our fi rst big bust,” said LS(AWT) Jason Rogers.


board Iron Duke according to her Commanding Offi cer Cdr Nick Cooke-Priest


deployed to the region before, Iron Duke and a signifi cant number on board have not. “We are perfectly matched to the likely tasks and operations we will undertake, and we are confi dent of making a worthy contribution to security and stability in the region.” These troubled waters are certainly not the place you’d wish to


Cdr He


suffer serious facial injuries requiring urgent medical treatment... as befell a fisherman.


He was knocked unconscious and left with nasty wounds when a loose wire struck him in the face aboard the Korean fishing vessel MV Golden Lake in the Gulf of Oman. The nearest vessel in a position to offer aid was the Type 23... but she was still 170 miles away. The frigate put her foot down and once within range, the ship’s doctor Surg Lt Mike Robinson was put on board the Golden Lake courtesy of the sea boat. He stabilised the casualty sufficiently for the fishing vessel to continue on its way to the nearest port where the injured fisherman could receive more permanent care. After further operations in the Arabian Sea, Iron Duke took over as the Operation Telic frigate from HMS Cumberland. The two ships met off Oman for a morning of briefi ngs and exchange of equipment, before Cumberland conducted a sail past as the departing vessel (pictuerd below – and see opposite). After the handover, Iron Duke linked up with other Coalition warships for an operation deliberately targeting suspected drug- runners, Operation Scimitar Oryx, before passing through the Strait of Hormuz to assume Gulf duties.


He added: “Whilst many of my ship’s company have


boarding team has been great, it breaks up the routine and brings in something different.” Such comments capture the “tangible anticipation” on


Shipmate Ch ‘Shacks’ O’Neill added: “Being in the


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