32 NAVY NEWS, MAY 2010

Deep-sea sportsman is lauded

SUBMARINES and sport do not always sit well together – it’s difficult to practise a golf swing or cover drive hundreds of feet below the Atlantic, for example. But CPOET Stuart Adams managed to combine the two over two decades. Stuart, who leaves the Navy

later this year, earned his Dolphins in HMS Resolution in 1990, going on to serve in T-boats Trenchant, Tireless and finally Talent. He represented the Navy and Combined Services at cricket and football, competed at a high level at table tennis and was Submarine Service champion golfer, while as a younger sailor he was a member of the RN vaulting display team. A special cake to mark his 25

awarded a commendation for his contribution to the Silent Service. CPO Hill (54) has spent 28

h

years in the Navy, baked by the chefs – or logisticians (catering services (preparation)) – on board Talent reflected his sporting prowess, having been decorated with icing-sugar cricket stumps, bat and ball and featuring the words ‘It’s Over’. The sport theme continues in Civvy Street – Stuart will spend more time helping his son Taylor pursue his karting ambitions. CPO Coxn Patrick Hill has been

years of his 39-year career beneath the waves, serving in five nuclear- deterrent boats including two of the four Vanguard-class bombers. He has served in 18 submarines,

starting with the diesel-powered HMS Opossum and finishing with attack submarine HMS Superb. CPO Hill, who retires at the end

of the year, was presented with his commendation by Vice Admiral Peter Wilkinson, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel).

Officer’s flying visit

met

some of the next generation of air engineering technicians at HMS Raleigh.

THE head of the Fleet Air Arm, Cdre Martin Westwood,

The Commodore FAA joined 11 Drake Division trainees – who were in the second of nine weeks’ initial training – for lunch, and was briefed on how the Cornish base trains young sailors.

l It is unusual for two officers married to each other to serve in the same ship, and pretty much unprecedented for their daughter to also be on board at the same time. But the Storey family have managed it – although the ship in question, HMS Playpark, is landlocked and unlikely to fly a White Ensign. Pictured are Lt Cdrs Naomi and Andrew Storey with daughter Sophie at the helm; Sophie can count on a good Naval heritage as her great grandfather, Charlie Howard, is a retired Chief

l Admiral Massey joins in a squad run at Dartmouth

Picture: Craig Keating (VT Flagship)

Admiral on the run

NO sooner had Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Sir Alan Massey arrived on a visit to Britannia Royal Naval College than he changed into sports kit and joined the squad run to Dartmouth Castle and back. The run,

at just over four

miles, is now being developed as a challenge to be run each term by all uniformed members of the College. Vice Admiral Massey spent some time chatting to staff and

MORE than 50 unemployed young people from south-east Cornwall tackled an obstacle course at HMS Raleigh in a bid to increase their confidence and motivation. The challenge was organised by Liskeard Job Centre Plus in conjunction with the Royal Navy, though the group was split into four teams, each

officer cadets during his two-day visit, as well as giving an after dinner speech at the New Entry Mess Dinner and making himself available for frank exchanges of views and comments. Core Stream Commander

Training Cdr Jeff Short said: “The Second Sea Lord was hugely impressed by the drive and enthusiasm of everyone at the college and it was a most successful visit.”

Raleigh provides a challenge

coached by a representative of one of the Armed Forces and the police. Local employers, who fill vacancies funded through

the Young Person Guarantee, were also invited to join in with the challenge to allow them to meet those taking part in an informal situation while the participants, aged 18-24, get information about jobs.

A ROYAL Navy engineer who was swept overboard by a freak wave has received a top honour for saving his colleague from

Award for lifesaver

when they were swept off the flight deck by a freak 40ft wave. Alan’s colleague,

a

drowning.

PO Alan Murphy (27) has been awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery for keeping his unconscious comrade alive in freezing and stormy seas. The pair were on board Type

23 frigate HMS Somerset off Plymouth in January last year

leading

hand, hit his head on the side of the ship and his lifejacket failed to inflate automatically. “I swam over to him and tried to manually inflate his jacket but this was impossible because of the size of the waves – it had suddenly become stormy and they were huge,” said Alan.

“So I did all I could to keep his head above water which was not

easy because I was swallowing a lot of water too. “After about five minutes he became unconscious. “The ship was moving at speed

and we lost sight of it at one point. “When I saw it coming back

towards us it was a huge relief, but it was still a massive struggle keeping hold of my colleague and trying not to swallow water myself. “I tried to remain calm and confident that someone would see us very soon.”

The pair spent about 15 minutes in the water before the ship’s sea boat arrived on the scene. “It seemed to come out of

nowhere – I could not see it approach because of the size of the waves,” said Alan. After being treated on board HMS Somerset by medics they were taken by helicopter to hospital in Plymouth. Alan was discharged later the same day; his colleague spent two days in intensive care but has since made a full recovery.

Alan said he only found out about the award a few days ago and was shocked at first.

l PO Alan Murphy

“I had not thought about the incident for months as it was over a year ago, and never expected anything like this.

“But it has sunk in now and I feel proud and honoured.” His citation reads: “If it were not for PO Murphy’s tenacity in holding on to his drowning colleague while endangering his own life in extremely inhospitable conditions, there is no doubt his colleague would have lost his life.” Currently studying for a degree in electronic engineering at Portsmouth University, he transfers to Dartmouth in September to train as an air engineer officer.

l Trainees Beyonce Morgan and Alex Ritchie (background) prepare breakfast at Antony School

Picture: Dave Sherfield

Breakfast training session

TRAINEE Navy chefs went back to school to practise their skills while promoting the concept of a hearty breakfast to start the day – and the benefits of using local produce.

The chefs – all right, logisticians

(catering services (preparation)) – produced cooked breakfasts for 120 children, staff and other guests at

Antony Church of

England School, close to their base at HMS Raleigh, Torpoint, in Cornwall.

Most opted for the full English – sausage, bacon, hash browns and egg – while others preferred scrambled eggs on toast yoghurt.

or

All the produce was donated by local companies or supplied at a special rate. LLogs Stuart ‘Yoz’ Yeomans, an instructor at the Defence Maritime Logistics School at Raleigh, was in charge of the Navy team of three trainees in the 19th week of their 26-week Defence Chefs course. LLogs Yeomans said: “The

Royal Navy fully recognises the benefits of healthy eating and a good breakfast to start the day. “Chefs on board ship can be required to cater for over 1,000 people, depending on the type of ship and tasking.

“Cooking for the school was an excellent opportunity for the junior chefs to put their training into practice.” The visit was part of Farmhouse

Breakfast Week, now in its 11th year.

Training squadron displaced during renovations

A TRAINING squadron at Culdrose has moved into temporary accommodation as part of an upgrade in kit and facilities. 750 NAS will be retiring the

l Rear Admiral Chris Snow is briefed on Sultan’s training initiatives

Picture: LA(Phot) Darby Allen

Thumbs up for Sultan

TRAINING at one of the Royal Navy’s engineering schools has been given the thumbs up by one of the Service’s top training chiefs. Rear Admiral Chris Snow, Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST), was taken on a tour of HMS Sultan in Gosport and updated on their Defence Training Rationalisation. Shown around the Royal Air Engineering and

Naval

Survival Equipment School and the Royal Naval School of Marine Engineering and Nuclear Department, Rear Admiral Snow said he was impressed with the training initiatives.

“It has been a pleasure to return to HMS Sultan since my last visit six months ago, to see the very

high quality of training going on, and the enthusiasm displayed by staff and trainees,” he said. On visiting

the air school,

Rear Admiral Snow was briefed on survival equipment and engineering training, with a focus on recent improvements. These include computer-based

work and a strong emphasis on RN values which have had a dramatic effect on the determination of Phase 2 trainees to complete their training.

His visit also took him to the nuclear department to discuss future possibilities in submarine training, and included a tour of the Health Physics facilities used to train RN doctors prior to joining submarines.

Jetstream T2 next year, replacing them with King Air 350 ERs. To pave the way for much of the new support equipment, the squadron buildings and hangars needed to be renovated and brought up to date. So 750 is sharing a temporary

facility with the Hawk jet squadron at the Cornish air station. “The hardest part of the move

was trying to find a suitable location for us to move to,” said Lt Cdr Nick Armstrong, CO of 750 Squadron. “We had to keep training students throughout the process, and much of the real estate at Culdrose is already being used by other squadrons or earmarked for future long-term development. “We were mindful that ours was a temporary move,

and

therefore erecting large permanent structures wasn’t an option. “However, by separating the squadron into three distinct groups – aviators, engineering support and simulation – we were able, with the addition of a couple of temporary buildings, to achieve a more-than-

l Rear Admiral Simon Charlier, Chief of Staff Aviation, with Lt Cdr Nick Armstrong, Commanding Officer of 750 NAS

Picture: LA(Phot) Jenny Lodge

satisfactory solution that allowed training to continue.”

The squadron took the

opportunity to mark the official opening of their temporary facility during the visit to Culdrose by Rear Admiral Simon Charlier, Chief of Staff Aviation. Lt Cdr Armstrong added: “In

order to stay flying throughout the move we treated the evolution as if we were detaching to a completely new air station rather than a site only 1,000 metres closer to our own air traffic control tower. “I was very pleased, therefore, to be able to mark the end of the so-called detachment phase and

return to our normal operating routines by asking the Admiral to unveil a small plaque to mark the occasion. “We can now operate from this site for another 40 years, although we rather expect the new facility to be completed somewhat sooner than that.” 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