2 NAVY NEWS, OCTOBER 2009
Lt Col Kevin Oliver
Maj Tony Lancashire
HMS Dasher
HMS Pursuer
HMS York
845 NAS Vikings/845 NAS/846 NAS/
HMS Quorn
854 NAS/Fleet FS(Air)
HMS Sabre/Scimitar
HMS Victorious
CNaTT
HMS Iron Duke
RFA Fort George
HMS Cumberland
HMS Cornwall
HMS Enterprise
HMS Kent
HMS Atherstone
HMS Chiddingfold HMS Echo
HMS Pembroke
HMS Grimsby
RFA Wave Knight
Northern Diving Group
RFA Lyme Bay
RFA Cardigan Bay
FASLANE HMS Portland
ROSYTH
HMS Gannet
Long Lookers
HMS Mersey
800/801 NAS
HMS Gloucester
HMS Clyde
YEOVIL
TON RFA Gold Rover
Plus one ballistic missile submarine on patrol somewhere beneath the Seven Seas
CULDROSE PORTSMOUTH
DEVONPORT
HMS Trafalgar
Fleet Focus
Hungry Ducks strike again
WITH all the talk of Britain going soft, of the Navy ‘not
being what it used to be’ and the like, there’s a timely
reminder that there are men and women in this sceptred
isle who possess ‘the right stuff’ – in spades.
As befits 3 Commando Brigade’s lead role in Afghanistan over
the winter of 2008-09, its personnel and the myriad of disparate
units earn the bulk of the operational awards, including the first
Military Cross for a female sailor (see pages 4 and 5).
3 Cdo Bde are home, but the Afghanistan mission for the RN,
a burden largely borne by the Commando Helicopter Force.
They’ve now been joined by the Baggers of 854 NAS. For the
first time we lift the lid on their vital mission over Helmand (see
opposite).
Linked with the campaign against the Taleban is the dragnet
thrown across the Indian Ocean by Allied nations to tackle
drugs/arms/people smuggling and piracy, a mission currently
performed by sisters Cumberland and Cornwall (with a little
help from RFA Wave Knight). We’ve an in-depth article on their
combined activities (see pages 23-25). TIMING is everything in warfare,
“All my sailors are hungry for further promises to be a gruelling autumn
On the other side of the world, HMS Quorn has made a
co-ordination the key to success.
action.” One ship and 190 men and women cannot,
rare crossing of the Atlantic to visit the Big Apple with a NATO
The Navy News team laboured for many
Which they might get any day – although of course, save the world. Whenever Iron Duke
minehunting force (see page 7).
hours (news to me – Ed) to produce their
it’s the gods rather than the go-fasts which are has visited islands in the eastern Caribbean,
One thousand miles to the south there was some ‘top bombing’
finely-crafted August and September editions.
likely to provide the excitement. she’s shared her knowledge of disaster relief
from HMS Victorious which fired a Trident missile (minus
And within minutes of the presses rolling,
The ship is now into the second half of with local authorities.
warhead, naturellement...), one of the last acts of emerging from
the jungle drums began beating... News from
her deployment, with the emphasis shifting Such as the Trinidad and Tobago Coastguard
refit (see page 5).
the Caribbean... Drugs bust... HMS Iron
to disaster relief rather than stopping drug whose personnel spent a day aboard the frigate
And a little further south still, there’s the Iron Duke putting the
Duke...
runners now that the hurricane season is upon to observe the way she does things – all very
knife into drug runners (again) and gearing up for the hurricane
Last month, we featured the seizure of £33m
us. useful as next year the Commonwealth nation
season (see right).
of cocaine when a go-fast was intercepted off
To prepare for the demands which that will get patrol vessels very similar to our own
In the southern hemisphere HMS Gloucester has been
the South American coast.
period places on man and machine, the Type HMS Clyde.
showing what she can do to defend the Falklands by hosting This month, the ingredients are almost
23 needed a two-week break in Bridgetown, Cdr Stacey and his deputy XO Lt Cdr
local dignitaries (see page 14). identical. Drug runners. Eastern Caribbean.
Barbados, to prepare for the rigours to come. Alasdair Peppe joined the nation’s president and
And survey ship HMS Enterprise found the wreck of a Battle Cocaine (not quite as much). Go-fast (not
The engineers overhauled machinery after other VIPs at Independence Day celebrations,
of the Atlantic victim during her work off the African coast (see quite so Gucci). Interception by Lynx and sea
three months of demanding operations chasing while the rugby team challenged Trinidad
page 10). boat. All right about the time we were adding
drug runners (including two successful busts) Enthusiasts to a game.
Two Royal Marines – Lt Col Kevin Oliver and Maj Tony the finishing touches to our September issue.
around the Caribbean. The Iron Ducks have built up a bit of a
Lancashire – navigated a section of the (in)famous North-West So here’s what you missed: a patrol aircraft
Some sailors found time to fl y their families reputation on their ‘tour’, but weren’t quite
Passage in a tiny boat (see page 14). spied a suspicious craft tearing through the sea
out to enjoy the Barbadian sun, others took strong enough to beat the home side. Nor too
And even further away from the UK – but in a location not and directed the Portsmouth-based frigate to
part in community projects around the island. were the ship’s golfers, who were beaten during
quite as remote – various sailors and submariners enjoyed close in – which she did, by night, sending her
Lt Steve Taylor led a team of volunteers to fi x a contest with local talent at the Millennium
several months on exchange with the navies of New Zealand and Lynx aloft and putting her RIBs in the water
the house of a local veteran during a community Lakes Golf and Country Club.
Australia on Exercise Long Look (see page 18). with their RN crew and US Coast Guard
day arranged by the Barbados Legion. By the time the golfers and rugby players
In home waters, HMS Ark Royal was treated to an air show boarding officers aboard.
Meanwhile, deputy logistics offi cer Lt Gary returned to the ship they found a ‘pleasant’
by the Red Arrows to mark her emergence from a mini refit As the boats approached the go-fast, bales
Turner hosted 40 youngsters from the National surprise. The ‘mobile FOST team’ were visiting
(see page 9), while her sister Illustrious is gearing up to bring began to be tossed into the ocean. All had
Council for Substance Abuse aboard Iron to make sure the ship’s company were still
the curtain down on Fly Navy 100 celebrations with a visit to been ditched overboard by the time RIBs and
Duke. running at full tilt. Nor was there any let-up for
Liverpool (see page 7). go-fast met, but the Coast Guard team reckon
“We gave the children, all of whom have had the 815 NAS fl ight, who were inspected by a
HMS Daring was one of the stars of the show at Navy Days
around 150kg cocaine was dumped with a
their lives affected by drugs, an overview of our roving Fleet Air Arm team.
(see page 22). She’s also our ship of the month (see page 12).
wholesale value of £6m (the street value is
law enforcement work and our recent counter- Thankfully the guests were only on for a
Current and former Fleet Air Arm personnel gathered at the
roughly double).
narcotics successes,” said Lt Turner. few days. They were deposited in Puerto Rico,
National Memorial Arboretum to consecrate a monument to
And for those readers who wonder why a
“The students seemed to thoroughly enjoy where the sailors let their hair down – apart
fallen fliers in the centennial year of naval aviation (see page 10).
British warship is chasing drug runners in the the visit and had a great time meeting the ship’s from those who were hosting the country’s
It’s not the only act of remembrance this month: HMS
eastern Caribbean, 4,000 miles from home, well company.” Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock or
Portland joined submariners past and present at the dedication
this particular ‘takedown’ was a co-ordinated On the sporting front, the Iron Duck’s those climbing rocks on a mini-expedition to
of a memorial to the wartime base in Dundee, HMS Ambrose
strike which involved the UK’s Serious and rugby team suffered the fi rst defeat of their the rainforest.
(see page 8).
Organised Crime Agency – unofficially dubbed ‘tour’ at the hands of Barbados RFC. The Mercifully, the ship wasn’t called upon to
Further north, the men of the Northern Diving Group returned
Britain’s FBI. ship’s golfers took their clubs to the exclusive assist in the wake of the fi rst hurricane of the
to the wreck of HMS Royal Oak to commemorate the 70th
“Coming so soon after our drugs seizure Royal Westmoreland, a par-72 course favoured 2009 season.
anniversary of her loss; we’ve some stunning images of their dive
last month, this additional success – which by former Ryder Cup winner Ian Woosnam. Hurricane Bill skirted the Caribbean before
(see page 19).
has disrupted the flow of drugs out of South And for the fi rst time, the frigate mustered a heading up the Eastern Seaboard of the USA
And finally, there was a broadside from HMS Victory to mark
America – is clear proof that the Royal Navy basketball side under the direction of LWEA and Canada without causing any signifi cant
the official launch of the National Museum of the Royal Navy (see
is making a significant contribution to the Simon ‘Bish’ Bishop. damage.
page 13).
international counter-narcotics mission in the And all the while, the engineers were still Wait. What’s that? The drums are beating
region,” said CO Cdr Andrew Stacey. at work caring for the frigate ready for what again... Picture: Lt Gary Turner, HMS Iron Duke
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