8 NAVY NEWS, SEPTEMBER 2011


HMS Grimsby (seen from HMS Chiddingfold) exercises with a Jordanian patrol boat in the Gulf of Aqaba


 HMS Bangor rafts up alongside HMS Ocean in the Med to take on fuel and stores Picture: LA(Phot) Guy Pool


Flying the flag, from Aqaba to the Avon


THE Royal Navy’s minehunter flotilla has been in great demand in recent months, in home waters as well as off


foreign shores. That is perhaps not surprising,


as the Navy is regarded as the world leaders in mine countermeasures work – and has to exercise regularly in different environments and with different forces to maintain that excellence. HMS Middleton, for example,


which is one of four RN minehunters based in Bahrain, hosted guests including the US Navy and the UK Maritime Component Commander, for a day at sea. The guests were briefed on


the Hunt-class ship’s capabilities, saw equipment demonstrations and even got their fingers on the trigger for some live gun firing. Two of the four Middle


East-based ships – HM ships Chiddingfold and Grimsby – recently returned to the UK after their lengthy deployments. Taking their places are two


Sandown-class vessels, HM ships Quorn and Ramsey, which are scheduled to remain in the Gulf for up to three years. For Quorn that meant a two-


month transit from Portsmouth – 6,500 miles, two oceans, three seas and 11 ports in all. And, of course, these days a


transit for a Royal Navy ship is as important as her arrival and deployment in theatre, as maritime


security operations (MSOs) and exercises kick in almost as soon as she leaves the jetty. For Quorn this meant checking


the Med, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea for unlawful maritime activities as well as the usual in-house diversions – fire drills, man overboard exercises and so on – while becoming acclimatised for the heat of the Gulf. The last of the quartet, HMS


Pembroke, recently changed her crew – the teams cycle through the ships every six months or so while the ships remain on station. There was barely time for


Crew 1, under Lt Cdr Richard Hutchings, to secure the mess decks and sniff out the victuals before their ship slipped her moorings in Dubai and sailed for some shakedown training. She then visited Abu Dhabi in


the United Arab Emirates, where she joined elements of the Cougar task group for Sea Khanjar, an exercise with regional forces. And then it was on to the


bread-and-butter stuff – MSOs and more exercises with regional and coalition ships. Chiddingfold and Grimsby


stopped off at the port of Aqaba in Jordan on their way back to the UK – a chance for the Royal Navy to strengthen its links with the Royal Jordanian Naval Force as well as giving the ship’s companies a break after a long stint at sea. As they left the Gulf, the pair


had each embarked a junior Jordanian officer for the passage


to Aqaba, training with their RN counterparts and offering the Brits an insight into how their own ships operate. Once alongside, some of the


visitors made the trip to the fabled ancient city of Petra, while the two Commanding Officers were given a tour of the Jordanian naval base and attended an evening reception at the Aqaba Yacht Club. Cdre Tim Fraser, Commander


UK Maritime Component Commander (UKMCC) Bahrain, also attended the reception, as Jordan and her waters are covered by the Joint Area of Operations for which UKMCC has responsibility. On leaving, the RN ships conducted a manoeuvring exercise with a Jordanian patrol craft. Lt Charles Maynard, CO of Chiddingfold said: “Our visit to Jordan has been very successful. “Jordan is a cherished regional


partner and visits like this are important to strengthen and build upon our existing relationship. “The Jordanians could not have


done more for us – their hospitality has been second to none.” Turning our attention west of


Suez, HMS Bangor has been on duty off North Africa since mid- June, keeping the sea lanes open, enabling humanitarian aid to reach the Libyan people. When fuel ran low, transits to


logistics ports meant long periods off task, so a more convenient solution was sought. Following discussions with


HMS Ocean’s command team, rafting looked like a good option. With the blessing of Ocean’s


CO, Capt Andrew Betton, Bangor drew closer to the towering flank of the assault ship, and in perfect conditions the berthing plan was adapted and put into action. In the first known rafting


between a helicopter carrier and minehunter, Bangor took on fuel from Ocean’s landing craft fuelling


little sporty – 20 knots of wind and a two-metre swell – the guests were treated to a busy day showing off the ship’s capabilities. Cattistock then went on passage


to Bristol for the city’s Harbour Festival, pausing en route to conduct a winching exercise with a search and rescue helicopter from RAF Chivenor in Devon. Two trainees from the Hong


Kong Government Flying Service were lowered to the ship, and given a whistle-stop tour, then the ship’s CO, Lt Cdr Adam Northover, and Weapon Engineer Officer, CPO Mark ‘Bungy’ Edwards, were winched up to the aircraft for a bird’s-eye view of their ship before returning to sea level. The ship then continued on


to Bristol, up the River Avon and under the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge, to take her place at the heart of the festival. More than a quarter of a


million people attended, and more than 5,000 of them went on board Cattistock and the two Archer-class patrol boats, HM ships Raider and Tracker, which attended the event.


HMS Cattistock sails beneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge on her way to the Bristol Harbour Festival Picture: LA(Phot) Joel Rouse


points and her ship’s company took advantage of the facilities and stores on the big ship – the needs of a 500-tonne vessel and crew of 38 was not going to make much of a dent in the 20,000-tonne carrier, with around 700 people on board. Whilst alongside, Bangor’s


clearance divers conducted a hull swim to reassure Ocean’s command team that nothing had been inadvertently picked up in transit – and that everything was still where it should be. It is not just the far-flung minehunters which are kept busy. Hunt-class ship HMS


Cattistock welcomed seven visitors from her namesake village, including a parish councillor and a publican, for a day at sea. And though conditions were a


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