46 NAVY NEWS, JULY 2007
Red Rose day Blyth wakens
in Lancaster a sleeping
THE men and women of HMS
Lancaster took advantage of minnow
the relative proximity to their
namesake city to enjoy its
AFTER a demanding six months
freedom.
in the Gulf, the sailors of HMS
The frigate was in Barrow-in-
Blyth returned to sunny Faslane
Furness for the launch of HMS
(they assure us it was) to bring
Astute and the town’s maritime
HMS Penzance back to life.
festival.
The ship’s companies of the
Three other RN vessels were
two Sandown-class vessels have
dispatched to Cumbria to mark
traded places (as have the crews
the birth of the hunter-killer
of sister vessels Pembroke and
submarine: Falklands veteran
Ramsey as part of the Aintree
destroyer HMS Exeter plus patrol
deployment to keep the hulls
boats HMS Charger (associated
themselves in the Middle East for
with Liverpool’s universities)
up to three years).
and HMS Biter (associated
So after a fortnight’s well-
with Manchester and Salford
deserved leave, the Blyth sailors
universities).
arrived at HM Naval Base Clyde
The weekend festival saw
where a dormant Penzance was
3,500 Cumbrians visit Lancaster
waiting for them.
alone.
It took four days for the
And with Lancaster herself
minehunting sailors to get used
unable to sail up the Lune
to their new surroundings;
into the city which bears her
despite being sisters, Blyth and
name, 150 sailors were bussed
Penzance do possess some kit
around Morecambe Bay to the
which is different.
Lancastrian county town.
Once acquainted, the sailors
There they fell in before the
took Penzance to sea under the
historic castle for Lancaster’s
watchful gaze of FOST staff.
Mayor Cllr Helen Helme
“Taking over a ship en masse
to inspect the Colour Party
is especially challenging for the
and Guard, while her fellow
engineering teams,” said CO Lt
councillors chatted with the
Cdr John Craig.
platoons.
“They need to understand the
Cheered on by locals, the
intricacies of the ship’s machinery
ship’s company marched through
● Dart for dart’s sake... Two dummy Sea Dart missiles are loaded
on to the launcher as Southampton makes her way towards Chile
HMS Southampton is
– now Almirante Williams.
to make sure that it’s available
the streets before entering the
and (above) despite the artistic streaks of light, the ship slowly when required.
town hall for a civic reception
taking the ‘long way
The Type 42 was joined for
makes her way through the Panama Canal “There are little differences
(on the menu, appropriately, was
round’ as she heads to the
her journey to the Chilean port
of Mejillones by the French
between the Sandowns which
Lancashire Hot Pot).
Falklands to relieve her frigate FS Prairail for two days of
give each ship its own unique
Despite being weighed down
sister HMS Edinburgh.
exercises from jackstay transfers to
character.
by this fine stew, 11 sailors
“Personally, I find the biggest
promptly trotted out on the The destroyer – known as The
combined gunnery mission.
challenge is not saying: ‘Good
football pitch against local Saint – paid a lightning visit to
The two ships were joining a
morning, Captain, HMS Blyth’
police officers – and ran out 5-2 Peru as she continued her journey
much larger international task
when I answer the phone.”
winners. through the Americas bound
group, including vessels from the
The ship has just hosted
“The parade in Lancaster was for the South Atlantic
USA, Chile and Argentina
minewarfare students for a week’s
a wonderful occasion and an dependency.
for a major exercise as
training and is now in Scottish
opportunity to enjoy the warmth Callao, the port of
Navy News was printed.
waters conducting survey work
and hospitality of a proud city,” Peru’s capital Lima, was
The deployment has
around some of the country’s
said CO Cdr Richard Moss. home to the Portsmouth-
also seen the Saint pass
largest oil terminals.
“It capped a superb weekend based warship for just
through the Panama
in Barrow.” 48 hours.
Canal for the first
So there was a
time in her quarter-
Where gulls
lot to squeeze in: an
century life.
Avon call
official reception
Although her
for dignitaries and
passage of the man-
daren’t
Peruvian naval leaders,
made waterway
for Quorn
a press conference for
occurred by night,
the Peruvian media and,
numerous crew
YOU wait all year for a Royal
most heartwarmingly,
stayed up to witness the
Navy warship to visit and then
FASLANE pest controller John
a party for youngsters from
occasion.
two come all at once.
Bellshaw hopes to give the bird
La Casa la Panchita children’s
How much the POs’ mess
Hot on the heels of HMS
to the base’s gulls to stop their
organisation.
saw of the canal is questionable,
Cattistock’s visit to Bristol, her
mating habits disrupting life at
And after all that, there was still
however.
sister HMS Quorn also found
the establishment.
time for the sailors to pay their
They were in action on the
herself in the heart of the great
For most of the year man and
respects to Admiral Miguel María
flight deck, rowing the 48 miles
beast get along very well on the
Grau Seminario – Peru’s equivalent
of the canal while Southampton
city on the Avon.
Clyde, but during mating season
to Nelson, a 19th-Century naval
transited. In accomplishing the
Cattistock headed to Bristol
the common gulls (which, despite
hero – who is honoured by an
feat, they raised £2,500 for the
to champion the Royal Navy’s
their name, aren’t common but
imposing and gleaming column ship’s charities.
suppression of the slave trade two
are a protected species) become a
overlooking the Pacifi c. Before entering the canal, the
centuries before.
nuisance.
Upon leaving Callao, Saint sampled the delights of
History was also on the
Some birds nest on the ground,
Southampton worked with two Barbados.
minds of the Quorn’s sailors,
often in or near one of the car
Peruvian warships, frigate BAP The Portsmouth-based
but the rather nearer past of the
parks, and in protecting their
Palacios and submarine BAP destroyer is a quarter of the way
Falklands.
nests, the gulls become rather
Pisagua. through her deployment. She
The minehunter’s visit to
aggressive.
Then it was south to meet an won’t see the Solent again until
Bristol coincided with the city’s
Enter the bird van man. Pest
old friend in Chile, HMS Sheffield Christmas.
Service of Commemoration for
controller John has been given a
the Falklands task force.
new van, fi tted with a loudspeaker
Her sailors lined up alongside
system to drive the birds away – a
more than 650 men and women
● Friends reunited... Former HMS Sheffi el, now CNS Almirante
sort of ‘scaregull’, if you like.
from the RAF and Army, plus
Williams, nearest the quay with, right to left, Southampton, CNS
The loudspeaker plays
numerous West Country veterans
Torres and France’s FS Prairail
recordings of gull distress calls,
of the 1982 confl ict, in the city’s
Pictures: LA(Phot) Chris Wenham, FRPU Whale Island
made typically when the birds feel
cathedral.
threatened by a predator.
The Falklands
By playing the tape, the hope
commemorations continued after
is that the gulls will fi nd a more
the Portsmouth-based warship
suitable nesting place for their
departed Bristol, too.
young, away from the hustle and
Quorn’s next stop was Poole
bustle of the naval base, while
Harbour, where 1 Assault Group
sailors and staff won’t have to
Royal Marines paid tribute to the
contend with irate birds.
green berets’ sacrifi ces 25 years
ago.
Campbeltown’s
A platoon of sailors joined the
Royals on a march through the
town and along Town Quay, while
fl iers pass MoT
their shipmates manned ship.
Before departing the Dorset
port, Quorn collected the Mayor
FRIGATE HMS Campbeltown of Melton, Cllr Pamela Posnett,
has welcomed her airmen – 210 20 Sea Cadets and staff from the
Flight – back aboard after they ship’s affi liated units TS Tiger and
received the thumbs up from the Venomous, plus nine-year-old
Naval Flying Standards Flight, Zoe Riley, winner of a schools’
aka Trappers. competition, for a trip up the
The Trappers are the Fleet Solent into her home port, via the
Air Arm counterpart of FOST, Needles Channel.
testing each ship’s flight roughly “It was a great pleasure to be
every 18 months. on board Quorn – not because I
210 Flight (of 815 NAS) had got a day off school but because it
their documentation checked, gave me an idea of what life at sea
were put through a two-hour is like for when I hopefully join
oral examination and finally a the Navy,” said Cadet Hannah
demanding three-hour sortie over Thompson from Loughborough.
Exmoor and northern Devon. Quorn’s CO Lt Cdr Mark
“Although a lot of work is Taylor added: “We hope that
required for the visit by the through days like this we can
NFSF, it’s really good when you bring HMS Quorn – and the
have succeeded – you know you Royal Navy – very much into the
are delivering the goods,” said hearts and minds of the inland
observer Lt Duncan Thomas. community of Melton.”
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