4 NAVY NEWS, JANUARY 2012


● Hello, Mighty O... A tug assists Britain’s biggest warship into Plymouth and (below) never mind that he’s wearing a goon suit, all that matters is: dad’s back... a warm reception for 01 Flight, 829 NAS, at Culdrose Pictures: PO(Phot) Paul A’Barrow, RNAS Culdrose and LA(Phot) Rob Gillies, FRPU West


● HMS St Albans’ AB Aaron Stoker kisses Hannah Reeson – who’s just accepted his proposal, hence the sparkler... and (right) senior rates aboard HMS Ocean show their delight at returning home after 225 days away Pictures: LA(Phots) Keith Morgan, FRPU East, and Martin Carney, HMS Bulwark


Early Christma


operations in Libya came to an end.


everyone is home.


MONDAY October 31 But war isn’t


Officially, that’s the date when 2011. truly over until


No, the date to mark in the diary is Friday December 9 2011.


Ellamy, codename for the British effort in Libya, really ended. For


day the very last ship of 16 Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels committed to the operation finally came home: HMS Ocean.


that was the That’s when Operation approval: This is the


I’ve ever seen, you guys just made my day.


best thing


Her endorsement sealed it; the video promptly featured on the Beeb. And ITV. And BFBS. And ABC (the American and Australian broadcasters).


Britain’s biggest warship played a key role in toppling the Gaddafi regime.


Forty-nine times her Apache gunships struck a dagger into the belly of the beast – and 49 times the Army Air Corps helicopters returned safely to mother.


think they have really grasped how internationally famous they have become,” said Lt Kelly Cleeve, one of the brains behind the spoof.


ready to do the X-Factor fi nal if required.” [End of


“They have said they are


earlier – since when the Mighty O had rather dropped off the radar. So her homecoming on a


But that was a good two months


● Commander-in-Chief Fleet Admiral Sir Trevor Soar thanks the men and women of HMS Ocean for all they have done and (below) a low- key, understated welcome for one HMS Edinburgh rating Pictures: LA(Phots) Guy Pool, HMS Ocean, and Jason Ballard, FRPU East


brilliant winter’s morn would have been a relatively low-key affair, save for the 1,000 or so loved ones waiting expectantly on the jetty, a Royal Marines Band, some senior officers and a few local media. But that was before one video captured the Zeitgeist perfectly... and the world went a bit mad. [Beginning of international media frenzy.]


possibility


assault ship might not return to Devonport for Christmas. So when the ship’s company


‘re-imagining’ of Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You featuring lots of naval tomfoolery... and a sailor serving champers to a marine in the captain’s bath? One week and more than one


million hits on the internet video site Youtube (http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=SDZcGz4vmJc) later and pretty much the entire globe knew of HMS Ocean – helped in no small part by the diva herself, who ‘tweeted’ her


better than


There had been a distinct that


the helicopter


were told they would be back for the big day, the aviation department decided to mark the occasion with a spoof video. What


frenzy.] international media


There are two people in PO Stephen Cottam’s life who already possess the X-Factor: his fi ancée Sasha – also a petty offi cer – and the couple’s fi rst child, fi ve-week- old daughter Freya.


“It is the best thing in life to have your fi rst child, but it is the worst thing when you are forced to be parted from them,” said Stephen, one of Ocean’s landing craft maintainers. “I was lucky enough to be allowed home from deployment to see Freya being born. It was the most amazing experience. But it was a real emotional wrench to be torn away again with her so young. But it is so fantastic to hold her again – I can’t let go of her.


a


“Christmas is going to be the best ever. She is the only Christmas present I could ever want from my fi ancée.”


pleased Stephen is back. It has been a long time, much longer than expected. But it makes it even more special being so much nearer Christmas. Stephen has missed a large proportion of her life with Freya being so young.” Waiting for LAH


His fi ancée added: “I am so “It


reception range that the sailors realised they were internationally famous. has been crazy.


I don’t


In fact, the only people who hadn’t latched on to the worldwide sensation were the crew of the Mighty O themselves; it was only once they were within


mobile phone


of his partner Lauren Seymour for the birth before flying back to rejoin the Mighty O.


“It isn’t often you can make children’s wishes come true and I can do that this Christmas. Ashley’s arrival back home is the perfect end to a great year,” said an overjoyed Lauren.


When not producing babies and spoof videos, the men and women on the helicopter assault ship were, of course, rather busy with the task in hand.


The ship originally left Devonport back in April intending to be away for just a few weeks.


Libya worsened, Ocean broke


force and joined the UN- backed mission to protect Libyan civilians.


from the


But as the situation in away


The net result: 99 missions flown by ‘eye-in-the-sky’


Kings of 857 NAS to pave the way for those 49 Apache strikes to knock out military vehicles, installations and communications equipment, 225 days away from home (176 of them at sea), 40,000 more miles on the odometer and one tryant toppled.


All of which has demanded tremendous effort from the ship’s company and embarked air group, and considerable support and


impressed by the fortitude and professional attitude of my ship’s company. Despite the frequent changes in our programme and the uncertainty of when our mission would end, everyone has got stuck in to do what the Royal Navy does best with good humour, energy and professionalism.


Mugford was not one but two new arrivals: daughters Eva and Mya, aged 15 weeks. He was at the side


Ashley


programme, we are all delighted to be back home for Christmas. Our families and friends have been a huge support during this deployment and it’s wonderful to be home with them for this most special of family occasions, particularly for those of us with small children.”


REWIND a fortnight,


400 miles north, throw in some customary Faslane weather (ie


head “After the uncertainty in our


families – as the Mighty O’s Commanding Offi cer Capt Andrew acknowledged. “I have been


Betton hugely


forbearance from Sea


The last time CPO Grant Wilson saw his daughter “she was just tiny” – Charlotte was born just before the Sandown-class ship deployed to the Mediterranean. Seven months later, little Charlotte was “more baby- like”; she was also “full of smiles and joy”. As was dad.


“The time passed quite quickly because we were really busy. I think it was harder on the families back here.” Those were sentiments shared by his shipmate, LS Dawn Laughlan.


demanding moments of the deployment, she was working 18 or 20-hour days. “That was good because there was never a dull moment,” she added. Indeed, Bangor did what she


During the most


“It’s absolutely fantastic to be back – just brilliant,” he beamed.


rain) and the penultimate ship to return from the Libyan mission, HMS Bangor, came home. There was no global media frenzy surrounding the minehunter’s return, no 1,000 people waiting on the jetty. But there were babies. There are always babies.


was built for: finding and blowing up mines. She disposed of one 2,400lb mine off the port of Tobruk, then blew up a torpedo found lying on the seabed; both were sent to oblivion courtesy of her Seafox underwater drone. Those actions were the high point of more than 120 days at sea – 37 of them within range of the weapons of pro-Gaddafi forces ashore.


Despite such dangers and the punishing Mediterranean heat, not a single day was lost to defects or breakdowns throughout. For those reasons and many


more, Bangor’s CO Lt Cdr Neil Marriott said his ship’s company “should be rightly proud”. His boss, Cdr David Bence, Commanding Officer of the First Mine Countermeasures Squadron based at Clyde went even further. Bangor’s contribution to the


Libya mission, he said, “has been outstanding and has been far in excess of expectations. “HMS Bangor’s ship’s company epitomise everything that is great about our men and woman, from their stoic response


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