3 NAVY NEWS, JULY 2007
Scarborough discovers Explorer
PATROL boat HMS
And it was four midshipman display our capabilities to the effectiveness and save lives at
Explorer celebrated
students, rather than the invited town,” said CO Lt Andy Brown. sea.”
her new affi liation
guests, who were transferred “It also served as an excellent As for Scarborough itself, it
first to a lifeboat, then via training opportunity for enjoyed long (almost 40 years)
with the people of winch to the yellow Sea King everyone.” and fruitful relations with assault
Scarborough by
of 202 Squadron based at RAF The RNLI ‘scrambled’ their ship HMS Fearless until she
demonstrating to
Leconfield. Mersey-class lifeboat, the paid off in 2002. More recently,
them what she can
And then, via winch again, grandly titled Fanny Victoria the resort has been bonded with
they were deposited back on Wilkinson and Frank Stubbs, tanker RFA Wave Ruler.
do. the small patrol vessel – not and their inshore vessel, the Explorer and the town’s
With the town’s mayor and especially easy given her rather only-slightly-less-grandly-titled council ratified their affiliation
MP plus other VIPs aboard, the limited deck space, although John Wesley Hillard II, for the back in January, but it was
Archer-class craft joined two of the benign North exercise. spring before the vessel could
the resort’s lifeboats and an RAF Sea conditions “Our crews benefited hugely call upon Scarborough thanks
search and rescue Sea King for certainly helped. from working with the Royal to her busy schedule. The boat
a mock disaster in South Bay. “The winching Navy and the Royal Air Force,” is back there again this month.
Explorer is based just along serial was a great said RNLI coxswain Wave
the coast in Kingston-upon-Hull opportunity Crookes. ● HMS Explorer speeds across
and serves not just that city’s to work “We’re very aware of the Scarborough’s South Bay as an
university but also students from with the importance of working with RAF Sea King closes in, watched
Leeds, Sheffield and York. lifeboat and other agencies to maintain our by the town’s lifeboat
Black is the
new yellow
VENERABLE she might be, but there’s
With engineers and electricians swarming over the
plenty of life left yet in minehunter HMS
ship, sailors dispersed to the four corners of Europe.
Cattistock, evidenced by two pieces of
Young officers could be found at HMS Collingwood
undergoing navigational and officer-of-the-watch
hi-tech equipment just fi tted. training on the bridge simulator.
The Portsmouth-based warship has celebrated Ratings could be found scaling the three highest
a quarter of a century as a commissioned peaks in England, Wales and Scotland
vessel. (Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis)
The anniversary passed while the ship was respectively, all accomplished within three
undergoing an overhaul; she emerged from days and despite a smattering of snow on the
that upgrade with SeaFox and WECDIS slopes of the Scottish mountain.
electronic charts. Other Cattistockers climbed even
The latter – described in layman’s higher... on foreign shores.
terms by Cattistock’s navigator Lt Hugh Five sailors took advantage of the
Harris as “a Tom Tom sat nav for a ship” RN’s adventure training exercise
– is becoming standard across the RN Bavarian Surprise in (surprise, surprise)
and RFA Fleets. the Bavarian Alps.
SeaFox will become the standard The Cattistock party was a mix of ● Lean, mean fi ghting machines... The Active Endeavour force heads for Taranto, as seen from the
piece of minehunting kit for Hunt and absolute beginners (bosun PO Gareth forecastle of HMS Montrose
Sandown-class warships as the existing Stockley) and relatively proficient skiers
Picture: LA(Phot) Shaun Preston, FRPU Whale Island
‘yellow submarines’ are phased out. who glided down the slopes of the Nebel
The mother ship’s Sonar 2193 finds a suspicious Horn near Bad Hindelang. By day temperatures
object and passes on the details to SeaFox, which is topped 22˚C; by night they dropped dramatically,
launched, locates and then destroys the mine (and ensuring the pistes were perfect.
Montrose plays an Active role
itself); Cattistock also carries a version of SeaFox Back in the UK, the entire ship’s company
minus the explosive charge but fitted with a camera converged in Portsmouth for a birthday party at the
THE men and women of HMS Montrose broke any ice and Ukrainian dance music
which can be launched to visually identify a contact. Royal Maritime Club (formerly the Royal Sailors’
shared their expertise at counter-terrorism proved a surprising hit with the Montrose
Sadly – and rather dully – the new piece of kit is Home Club), while officers also held a ladies’ night
operations with one of the ‘new kids on the team.
painted black (Spoilsports – Ed)... although the trial for wives and girlfriends, plus former Commanding
block’ in the global struggle against illegal With the partying over, the duo put to
version used by Cattistock on trials (pictured, below) Officer Rear Admiral George Zambellas, aboard
trade on the high seas. sea... and were promptly attacked by Greek
was orange and black. HMS Warrior.
The frigate was joined by a Ukrainian fast patrol boats.
The RN has ordered 16 SeaFox systems for £35m; There is one final birthday celebration and that
corvette in Crete as NATO allies The raiders had barely been thwarted
they will be fitted to Sandowns and Hunts over the is a cocktail party for its affiliates and supporters,
prepared to whip the Eastern European when the acid test began – finding,
next three years. including villagers from Cattistock in Dorset.
sailors into shape for Operation Active shadowing and finally boarding a
Endeavour. suspicious merchant vessel.
Active Endeavour was introduced And then the finger was pointed at the
barely a month after the terrorist Type 23 frigate. She played the role of
attacks on the USA in September 2001 femme fatale, carrying hidden contraband.
with Allied navies casting their net across It was left to the Ternopil’s boarding team
the Mediterranean on the lookout for to safely inspect the ship and find the illegal
people traffickers, drug-runners, terrorists and goods (which it did).
other criminals using the sea as a highway. By the time the two ships reached the Italian naval
The Ukraine – not a NATO nation – said it was base of Taranto, the Ukrainians’ board and search
willing to assist the campaign in 2005. operations were sufficiently honed to officially join
And so it was that the corvette Ternopil sailed the Active Endeavour force on patrol until the middle
into Soudha Bay to exercise with Montrose for of this month.
more than a week. As for Montrose, she has been committed to Active
First the important bit, however. An afternoon Endeavour since the turn of the year. She will be
of sport followed by a barbecue and karaoke session home in Devonport in a few weeks.
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