14 NAVY NEWS, JULY 2007
620
● A tug assists HMS Manchester
A hive of activity
on a visit to Liverpool – the
closest the destroyer can get to
her namesake city
Picture: LA(Phot) Lee Durant
AS BEFITS her ship’s
herself with a new – and atypical
quarters of his crew.
badge, HMS Manchester
– mission: race close inshore and
No such clouds hang over the
has enjoyed an industrious
deploy 25 Royal Marines from 40
present Manchester, the first of
Commando in inflatable boats.
the final Batch 3, or ‘stretched’,
2007 after re-joining the Once safely landed, the
Type 42 destroyers.
Fleet following a lengthy
Royals directed the shots of She will celebrate her
refi t.
Manchester’s 4.5in with pinpoint 25th birthday shortly before
She spent most of 2006 out
accuracy thanks to the Bowman Christmas.
of action, receiving an overhaul
communications system installed.
courtesy of DML in Devonport.
That was pretty much the
The New Year opened with a
last act of Manchester’s Noble
bang. A week into 2007, the ship
Mariner.
The Mancunians celebrated the
found herself back in Devonport
exercise’s end in true RN fashion:
for Operational Sea Training – the
horse racing on the flight deck (in
eight weeks of exercises which
fancy dress) which, aside from
determine whether a ship is ready
being a hoot, raised more than
to deploy.
£700 for the ship’s welfare fund.
Having passed that challenge,
Given the size and importance
the ship headed first for the
of the city in Britain’s history,
North-West to catch up with
Manchester is only the third ship
affiliates in Manchester (although
to bear the name of the industrial
the destroyer herself was berthed
metropolis.
in nearby Liverpool).
Manchester No.1 was a hired
From there she continued
vessel used as a stores ship at the Norway......................................1940
northwards to take part in the
tail-end of the Napoleonic wars.
Spartivento................................1940
Neptune Warrior war game run in
Malta Convoys.....................1941-42
More than a century passed
Arctic.........................................1942
Scottish waters.
before the name was resurrected
Kuwait........................................1991 Battle honours
Those exercises were barely
in the form of the Town-class light
over when the Busy Bee – so
cruiser.
named for the insects buzzing
Class: Type 42 destroyer, Batch 3
Her career was chiefly
Pennant Number: D95
around Manchester’s badge
divided between the Arctic and Motto: Sapere aude, dare to be wise
– found herself across the North
Mediterranean theatres, serving
Builder: Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness
Sea for two weeks of ‘war’ with
Launched: November 24 1980
in the disastrous Norwegian
Commissioned: December 16 1982
NATO’s Exercise Noble Mariner
campaign and convoys to Russia, Length: 462ft
(see pages 25-27).
at the clash with the Italian Fleet
Beam: 49ft
As an air defence destroyer,
Draft: 21ft
at Spartivento and on the runs to
Top speed: in excess of 30 knots
Manchester was charged with
Malta.
Range: 4,000 nautical miles at 18
protecting HMS Illustrious from
And it was on the most famous
knots
attack from the skies, which meant
Displacement: 4,566 tons
es
convoy to Malta, Pedestal, Complement: 24 officers, 212
constant alertness from her crew in August 1942 that she was ratings, 4 civilians
working in eight-hour watches. torpedoed by fast Italian boats.
Engines: 2 x Rolls-Royce Olympus gur
gas turbines; 2 x Rolls-Royce
Having successfully protected With Manchester listing heavily
Tyne gas turbines
Lusty, the Busy Bee was called and ammunition running low, Weapons systems: 1 x Vickers 4.5in
upon to safeguard assault ship her captain controversially
gun, 2 x 20mm, 2 x Phalanx
automated machine guns, 2 x
HMS Albion, before turning her decided to scuttle the ship; he was Mk44 Miniguns
4.5in gun at targets ashore. subsequently court-martialled and
Helicopter: 1 x Lynx Mk 3 or Mk
As Noble Mariner reached dismissed from the Service, but
8 of 202 Flight, 815 Naval Air
Squadron Facts and fi
its climax, Manchester found his actions saved the lives of three
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