NAVY NEWS, JULY 2011 HMS St Albans pictures: LA(Phot) Simmo Simpson
25
Teamwork helps keep Gulf sea lanes open
NO, THERE’S no tow-rope. It’s not a new form of eco- friendly propulsion or homing device for Royal Navy sea boats, but a friendly cetacean enjoying some sport with a
St Albans, and were conducting an exercise as the frigate took up her role on Operation Kipion – a combination of Operations Telic and Calash, keeping the sea lanes of the Middle East and off the Horn of Africa free of traffickers and pirates. Having left Portsmouth early
boarding party. The mariners are from HMS
last month on a six-month mission, the Type 23 has been busy on passage. Training is a constant feature of
life in a deployed warship, and St Albans is no exception. Having called in at Gibraltar as
she made her way into the Med, the frigate then completed her Operational Capability Confidence Check in Souda Bay in Crete. As well as honing the skills of
both the ship’s boarding team and the embarked Royal Marines version at the specially-designed facility, weapons and sensor systems are also put to the test. Lead Boarding Officer Lt
Ben Brocklebank said: “A lot of training and preparation has gone into getting both teams here to this stage.
“This has been a valuable
opportunity to have all of them work together and put both their team and professional skills to the test. “An essential part of this process
has been integrating the different skills sets that are brought by the Royal Marines boarding team and the ship’s team.” Commanding Officer Cdr Tom
Sharpe said: “HMS St Albans has spent the last five months preparing for this deployment and is now ready to deliver. “Given the political climate in
our anticipated operating area we must be prepared to cover the full spectrum of naval tasking, from routine engagements to high-intensity operations, and be able to switch between them with traditional flexibility.” It has not been all work. The ship made good use of
the Mediterranean climate by breaking training with traditional deployed activities such as flight deck sports, hands to bathe and barbecues. Best to get such things out
the way before reaching their destination – a combination of operational focus and extreme temperatures (in excess of 45°C) will decimate the numbers willing to run around the upper deck. Working as part of a coalition,
St Albans will scour the seas to identify potential freebooters and
deter the various illegal activities, whilst providing reassurance to those who use the sea lanes for routine and lawful business... ... a role which RFA Diligence
has been fulfilling for several months now. The forward repair/depot
ship has been on counter-piracy operations, but has had the odd chance for a stand-down. One such example was the
royal wedding, when a polo match was arranged at Dili Park (aka the Flight Deck). Now your average Royal Fleet
Auxiliary ship does not have its own string of polo ponies, so the matelots had to improvise. As the ship bid farewell to the
visiting Rear Admiral Jean-Louis Kerignard, the new Commander of Combined Task Force 150 – who had been on board for briefings, then watched part of the wedding with the ship’s company – the field of play was cleared and the teams lined up. With ponies made of mop
handles with cardboard cut-out heads, and makeshift plastic mallets with extended handles, the Royal Blues and Windsor Whites fought out a fiercely-competitive match, the Blues winning 10-5. Dili Park was then transformed
into a high street, the barbecue was flashed up and a street party ensued until the sun set, when the auxiliary resumed her pirate- hunting activities. At around the same time, minehunter HMS Middleton was just returning to the fray after a four-week maintenance period in Bahrain, during which time she had an engine change. Middleton has been operating
in the harsh conditions of the Gulf since early 2010, so a thorough overhaul was just the ticket before the ship embarked on a fortnight of intensive UK/US minehunting exercises in the central Gulf. Crew 6 joined the ship in
January this year, and as June drew to a close they were making their final preparations to return home – a welcome end to working a ship in seawater at 30ºC and air temperatures up to 45ºC. Finally, in our round-up of Gulf
Flight deck polo from Dili Park
activities, a rare chance to give the Crabs a chuck-up in our pages. Thanks to Ginger and Algy
and their light-blue pals, HMS Chiddingfold’s mission in the Gulf continues unabated. Cheery Chid had to put into
Dubai when she developed an electrical fault, and the shining knights of the RAF’s Command Support Air Transport, stepped in to deliver the vital parcel. Initially, a Hercules was going
to be despatched to fly the relevant part from Bahrain, but that would have taken longer, so the CSAT offered the services of their small twin-engined HS125 jet. Four hours later the part was in
the hands of the ETs on Chid, and shortly after the Hunt-class ship was back on patrol. It was, says Chiddingfold’s
CO Lt Cdr Charles Maynard, “a neat bit of teamwork in theatre between the RAF and RN. “A bit of lateral thinking meant
that we were able to return to operations with the minimum of delay.”
Action from the inter-mess bucketball competition on board HMS St Albans during the first week of patrols in the Gulf
AB Natalie Moore helps bring HMS St Albans alongside in Gibraltar
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 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52