Picture: LA(Phot) Martin Carney, HMS Bulwark


● A senior NCO watches as the jumpers leap into the Med and (above right) a RIB from the RN’s Gibraltar Squadron races to pick up one of the parachutists


Pictures: Cpl Al Crowe, BFHQ Gibraltar


Shooting tsars turn ’chuting stars


This is indeed ‘cool’. It’s also vital to the ability of Royal Navy frigates and destroyers to pummel targets ashore with their main 4.5in guns. These are the troops of 148 (Meiktila) Commando


W


E COULD not have put it any better than the cargo ship Belgian Reefer.


Forward Observation


Battery Royal Artillery leaping into the Mediterranean in the shadow of the Rock. The naval gunfi re support teams and naval gunfi re liaison offi cers are required to direct and co-ordinate the barrages from the guns of the Fleet – or NATO warships – anywhere in the world, jumping by day or night, carrying equipment. It was thanks to them that more than 550


rounds of high explosive shells crashed down with pinpoint accuracy on to Colonel Gaddafi ’s military machine during last year’s civil war in Libya.


The experts could have been parachuted into the Med to be picked up by HMS Liverpool, Iron Duke or Sutherland (which all fi red their guns in anger) – but as it was, they didn’t. But it’s a skill which needs to be maintained, so 20 personnel from the battle-proven formation spent fi ve days climbing into the back of an RAF Hercules… and then jumping out of it on Exercise Medsplash (no explanation needed…). They joined members of Fleet Diving Unit 1 and the Submarine Parachute Assistance Group – the latter, commonly known as SPAG, are at six hours’ to go anywhere in the world to leap into the ocean to help stricken submariners. For the 148 Battery troops, Medsplash gave experienced observers the chance to refresh their parachuting skills – and for NGLO rookies (who are actually Royal Artillerymen,


mostly commando-trained,


and employed by the Navy) the opportunity to complete the fi ve requisite jumps to qualify.


Leaping into the ocean is about as tricky as it gets – jumpers must release the parachute at the exact moment of impact to prevent being dragged along. Once in the water, the chuting stars (sorry) and their kit (in a waterproof container) should be quickly picked up by a small boat whereupon they’re taken to the mother ship – or ferried ashore if they’re conducting observations on land. “The parachuting itself involves kitting up in dry suits with life jackets, donning parachute harness and reserve, and packing and attaching equipment in a waterproof container,” explains Lt Col Tim Wood RA. “Approaching water, the key is to release the ’chute on hitting the water to prevent any chance of it dragging the parachutist. “The drysuits – and lifejackets – support the parachutist as he gets the equipment off and recovers his equipment, and with a bit of luck, he is picked up by a small boat as soon as possible. Lt Col Wood continues: “In the balmy of


waters the Mediterranean, bobbing


around for a while is no hardship – but in the cooler waters off Scotland and Norway, this can be critical. “Finally, depending on role, the parachutist moves to shore to conduct operations, or is recovered to the ship, where like James Bond, he rips off his dry suit (hopefully not leaking), puts his wet boots back on, and proceeds to tasks.” What’s the experience like? Well… as one of the jumpers put it… “If you don’t like


big expanses of deep water, and


being prepared to jump out of perfectly serviceable aircraft in the dark, to fl oat by yourself hoping that the Royal Navy will pick you up from a high seas swell, this is not for you…” For the forward observers, the chance to train around the Rock made Medsplash “a great exercise, making best use of time, resources and opportunity, and another chance for the highly-trained operators


of 148 Battery and the liaison offi cers to demonstrate their capability,” said Lt Col Wood. “You never know where it might be needed next.” Which is pretty much identical to the conclusion drawn by the SPAGers, who ran the overall exercise… The assistance group is always at six hours’ notice to take-off, twenty-four- hours-a-day, all-year-round, while at RAF Brize Norton, there is always a C-130 Hercules aircraft available in the event of a submarine emergency. Sixty SPAG members fl ew to Gib to jump into the bay – sometimes carrying out three jumps a day, and like the spotters, there was a mix of experienced parachutists as well as half a dozen novices. The team needs to learn how to fl y as low as 1,000 feet (305m) over a precise target, with parachutists jumping from the tailgate. “Gibraltar is ideal for this kind of training,” said Lt Jan Ziolo, SPAG’s Offi cer Commanding. “We get huge support from Headquarters British Forces, the weather and the sea states are usually good, and, of course, we can achieve a very fast turnaround from the sea back to the airfi eld. We don’t waste any time at all.”


CPO Neil Stevenson, the exercise co-


ordinator, added: “We plan to come back in July to rehearse the other part of the operation – that of building a fl oating triage and medical centre. “This is the fi rst time I have ever organised


this exercise and I am very happy with the way that it has gone.” ■ Royal Navy volunteers from the warfare branch are always required by 148 (Meiktila) Commando Forward Observation Battery RA. Interested applicants in the fi rst instance should consult RN DIN (2010DIN01-205), and contact 148 Bty at RM Poole on 01202 20 2276 or via DII at 3CDOX-29 CDO-148 BTY CPO CIS (CPO Glenister) for further information.


Premiere event for the premier ship


THE thing about being a sailor on the nation’s fl agship is that you never know when you might meet a former Harry Potter star at a movie premiere in a


foreign capital… One of HMS Bulwark’s ship’s company is flanked


by actors Rupert Grint (on the right), known to most people under 30 as Ron Weasley from the hugely- successful wizard franchise, and relative newcomer Lachlan Nieboer, who’s previously featured in Downton Abbey and Dr Who-spinoff Torchwood, in Oslo’s Folketeateret at the premiere of multi-million- pound WW2 movie Into the White. The war fi lm brings a true story from the German invasion of Norway to the big screen, with Rupert


playing the part of an RAF gunner and Lachlan stepping into the role of a Royal Marines captain.


a German bomber over central Norway between Trondheim and Bergen.


In April 1940 an RAF fi ghter was forced to crash land after downing


After initially taking pot shots at each other, the surviving crew on both sides were forced to take refuge from the elements in the same cabin (think Hell in the Pacifi c… but with Brits and Germans in a hut surrounded by snow…). With Bulwark in Oslo as she made her way from the Baltic to the Arctic for Exercise Cold Response (see page 22), her captain and a couple of dozen members of the assault ship’s company were invited to provide a suitable military backdrop to the event, lining the red carpet. When not attending fi lm premieres, Bulwark has spent the past month or so training around the Baltic, fl ying the fl ag for Blighty and taking part in ceremonial events. Perhaps the most moving of the latter came at one of the most


hallowed sites on Polish soil: the Westerplatte in the Polish port of Gdansk, once the site of an ammunition depot, today dominated by a huge monument in the form of an inverted sword with only the hilt and handle visible. It was there, at 4.45am on Friday September 1 1939 that the first shots of the second global conflagration of the 20th Century were fired when the guns of the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein roared, heralding a week-long assault on the Westerplatte peninsula and its garrison of around 225 Polish troops. They held out in the face of infantry assaults, naval bombardment and Luftwaffe attacks until the exhausted defenders surrendered. For 15 dead, they inflicted 30 times as many casualties on their attackers. More than 70 years after that bravery – likened by many Poles to the stand by the Spartans at Thermopylae – Bulwark’s senior marine engineer Cdr Nigel Wright laid a wreath on behalf of his shipmates. Bulwark herself was ten miles away across the Bay of Gdansk in the harbour of Gdynia. Before arriving in the port, the assault ship was greeted by two


Polish frigates – ORP General Kazimierz Pułaski and General Tadeusz Kosciuszko – to practise replenishment at sea manoeuvres; the two host ships also took part in an exercise to shield Bulwark from attack by sea and air, and conducted a short exchange of personnel to experience life aboard a different warship. Once in Gdynia, the ship was visited by First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, who was in Poland to discuss ongoing co-operation with the Polish Navy – as well as Bulwark he toured the host’s specialist diver training centre. Around 4,000 Gdynians braved freezing conditions to queue for


hours to tour Bulwark – there’s no amphibious assault ship in the Polish Navy’s inventory. And 15 brave Bulwarks took on the challenge thrown down by


Ogniwo Sopot – the second best rugby team in Poland. Bulwark conceded just shy of 100 points while scoring a consolation try and conversion towards the end of the match. After passing beneath the 1,600ft central span of the magnifi cent Øresund Bridge linking Denmark with Sweden, Bulwark negotiated the Kattegat, where she carried out some very useful training with the Swedish marines. The latter are experts in the use of the CB90 fast combat boat (which is also currently being assessed by the Royal Marines at Instow as part of future landing and assault craft requirements for the future Fleet) and met up with Bulwark off Gothenburg. The Swedes showed off their 40kt boats – quickly dubbed Swedie Gonzalez by Bulwark’s ship’s company – racing past the assault ship (top speed 18kts) in a series of combat demonstrations, before slowing down to enter her dock. And in return, the Royal Marines showed off their small Zodiac


raiders – small infl atable boats capable of carrying half a dozen commandos in combat kit at speeds up to 20kts – and in particular its navigational aids. The Swedes were also introduced to English tea (served, of course, out of suitably Union Jack-adorned mugs…). Next stop the narrow, misty waters of Oslofjord and a berth in the


shadow of one of the Norwegian capital’s landmarks, the mediaeval Akershus Fortress. Whilst alongside, the ship hosted an offi cial reception, Capt Burton maintained tradition by calling on the fortress’ commandant and laid a wreath to Norway’s fallen at a nearby memorial, and Bulwark’s teddy bear mascot Prince Bishop continued his globe-trotting adventures. Aside from posing with stars at the fi lm premiere, the teddy visited


the town hall, saw Munch’s The Scream at the National Gallery, was delighted to meet a myriad of Norwegian bears when they came aboard with youngsters, and was treated to a run ashore (although he – and not a few matelots – baulked at the asking price for a beer: between £6.50 and £8).


14 APRIL 2012: www.navynews.co.uk


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