10 NAVY NEWS, AUGUST 2007
Penzance
● HMS Portland (foreground) in company with the Russian cruiser Admiral Chabanyenko in the surprisingly-glassy mid-Atlantic
arrives in
nick of time
MINEHUNTER HMS Penzance
broke off from survey work in
Scottish waters to stop a fi shing
vessel sinking.
The Prospect was going down
by the bow and her two crew had
already abandoned her when the
Sandown-class ship responded to
the mayday calls.
Two hours later, Penzance
was off the Isle of Bute where
lifeboats from Largs and
Tighnabruaich were already on
the scene, using their pumps to
bale out Prospect.
But the RNLI crews were
losing the battle. In the 15
minutes before Penzance arrived,
the fishing vessel had sunk more
than 3ft – and within another ten
she would be gone completely.
Four crew from Penzance were
hurriedly ferried across to the
stricken vessel with an emergency
pump and within another 15
minutes had the Prospect back
on an even keel.
Further inspection revealed a
faulty sea cock in the trawler’s
bilge, which the Penzance team
promptly fixed.
“The party had minutes to
assess an extremely hazardous
situation and make decisions
which ultimately resulted in the
saving not only of the vessel,
but also the livelihoods of the
fishermen,” said Penzance’s CO
Lt Cdr John Craig.
“It’s an excellent example
of what can be achieved when
people pull together for the
common good.”
It’s been quite an eventful
summer for the Faslane-based
warship (which is actually
crewed by the good folk of HMS
Blyth... whose ship, in turn, is
being looked after in the Gulf by
Penzance’s sailors).
Penzance has been working
off the west coast of Scotland
No fracas over FRUKUS
conducting seabed survey work,
especially around the Orkneys
and Shetlands.
Off Sullom Voe in the latter,
FROM Force for Good to
stern – a challenge for sports field, Portland’s
PO(D) Alan Dickman found a Four for Good...
aircrew and the flight performance at the
British Mk15 buoyant mine, still Frigate HMS Portland
deck team alike. business end earned her
sitting in its launch trolley. joined an international group of
The Russian and sailors the title of top
The explosive had once been warships from the USA, Russia
British warships FRUKUS, the third
part of a minefield to protect and France for the annual
accompanied each successive year a
locally-based Catalina flying FRUKUS exercise to foster
other almost to within Royal Navy warship
boats from attacks by U-boats. warm relations between nations
sight of American has lifted the trophy.
Diver Ryan Campbell fixed of the sea.
shores, where they FRUKUS was
a plastic charge to the rusting FRUKUS – France, Russia,
were joined by the the curtain-raiser to
device, which was safely blown UK and USA – has been around
other FRUKUS Portland’s Caribbean
up – after local farmers and oil since the late 1980s, as RUKUS,
participants: Arleigh deployment, where
workers had been warned. until the French joined in in
Burke destroyer USS she has taken over
Laboon and French from HMS Ocean in the
And whilst in the Shetlands, 2002, with the four nations
stealth frigate FS La war on drug-runners, as
the ship paid its respects at the taking it in turn to run the war
Fayette. well as being on station during the
wreck of the Royal Oak. games.
First the quartet got down to hurricane season.
Divers inspected the state of This year, that honour fell to
the serious business: a sports’ And with that latter role in mind,
the sunken battleship and the the Americans, with the force
day, involving football, softball, the Devonport-based frigate sailed
White Ensign (replaced each year mustering in Norfolk, Virginia.
volleyball and tug-of-war, which into the Turks and Caicos Islands
by comrades from the Northern Portland had already joined
Portland narrowly won. with vital rescue kit aboard.
Diving Group). up with the Russian participant
While the sailors grappled on The warship offered to ferry
“The ship is in excellent – cruiser Admiral Chabanyenko,
the sports field, bigwigs conferred fire-fighting and hydraulic rescue
condition – and absolutely part of the Northern Fleet in
to discuss how the exercise should tools across the Atlantic donated
enormous,” said XO Lt Chris Severomorsk – as she steamed
run and how the four nations by their Dutch manufacturers
Flaherty. across the Atlantic.
should best communicate. Holmatro.
“It was also very eerie and I The duo conducted various
● All smiles... Sailors line up on the fl ight deck for Portland’s arrival
With the talks and sports over, After handing over the
was humbled at the thought of manoeuvres, including landing
in Bridgetown, Barbados
the quartet put to sea for the core equipment in Grand Turk,
those fellow sailors who lost their the Chabanyenko’s twin-rotor
element of FRUKUS. Portland sailed west along the
lives.” Helix helicopter on Portland’s
● (Below) Portland’s fl ight deck offi cer guides the rather ungainly
The key aim is to see whether chain to Providenciales, the first
Russian Helix helicopter in to land
a diverse task force can enforce a time a British warship has visited
Pictures: LA(Phot) Luis Holden, FRPU Whale Island/Lt Cdr ‘Harry’ Palmer
(fictitious) UN Security Council the most populous
specialist legal advice
Resolution. island in the British
A myriad of tests, exercises and Overseas Territory in
manoeuvres ensued: helicopter two decades.
to forces personnel
operations, attacks by small fast There the theme of disaster
craft, air assaults, man overboard relief persisted, with Portland’s
drills, culminating in Russian sailors discussing the best possible
Naval Infantry storming Portland, ways to cope with a natural
Suffered a Military Injury? playing the role of suspicious disaster – chiefly a tropical storm
We deal with all types of injury claim involving
merchantman MV Death Star. – should it strike
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All four ships and their and Portland will remain in the
‘no win no fee’ specialist military legal
companies were marked and Caribbean throughout the 2007
advice scheme. assessed by a panel of experts; hurricane season before returning
combined with victory on the to Devonport.
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A LEADING SPECIALIST IN MILITARY LAW
0010_NN_Aug.indd 110_NN_Aug.indd 1 118/7/07 15:33:068/7/07 15:33:06
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