NAVY NEWS, AUGUST 2007 23
Power to the people
MORE than 250 sailors and aircrew limit the flood waters’ effect on the electricity
Cdr Stuart Borland, normally HMS Ocean’s
helped to retain the electricity supply to
installations. Weapon Engineer Officer, but now coor-
thousands of homes in flood-stricken
The teams were initially not hopeful. “When dinating the RN’s relief operation around
Gloucestershire.
I arrived at Castle Mead, it was worse than Gloucester, praised the united effort which
Personnel were drafted in from across the
I imagined – even the goal posts in one field saved the power.
Navy to assist the huge relief operation along
were submerged,” said AB Ross Gemmell. “Despite the rising water and uncomfortable
the Severn valley as waters threatened to engulf
But once the sailors got to work they were conditions, the RN teams and local fire brigade
two substations at Walham and Castle Mead.
amazed by the ‘blitz spirit’ of everyone working worked through the night into the early hours
After an initial batch of 100 sailors from
to a common aim. and helped make good the defences,” he said.
Devonport – chiefly HM Ships Ocean and
“It was a hard job that needed to be done,” “Despite the long hours and conditions and
Northumberland – arrived at the weekend, a
said AB Ricky Stenning. “We were fed on-site rising waters, the spirits of personnel are very
further 100 personnel were dispatched from
by the Salvation Army and by an Army field high. They’re keen to volunteer for whatever is
RNAS Yeovilton as the crisis deepened.
kitchen when we got back – cold and wet.” required in the next few days.”
They were immediately split into teams of
At Walham the Severn peaked just two It’s not only power that the Naval person-
25 to fill sand bags and place them around the
inches below the top of the sandbag bound- nel have kept flowing as they ensured that
two substations.
ary wall, while the rising waters at Castle water supplies are restored to people within
The Navy’s
Mead did eventually force electric company the area.
sailors worked
Central Networks to switch off supply to The sailors from Yeovilton, alongside
through the
thousands of homes. Gurkhas from the Infantry Battle School and
night and
But, under the lead of Capt Mike firefighters from the Fire Brigade, were kept
the walls of
Postgate RM of HMS Ocean, the Navy busy carrying and laying pipes at the flooded
bags they
team continued to labour alongside Mythe water treatment centre in Tewkesbury
erected
other military and civil authorities to that – when working – supplies water to up to
helped
drain the water away from the substation 150,000 people in the Gloucester area.
to
and bring back power safely to the people A team of 24 from carrier HMS Ark Royal
of the surrounding area. took over from their exhausted colleagues to
The managing director of the elec- clean and refill tanks at the waterplant.
tric company, John Crackett, said: A Sea King Search and Rescue helicopter
“It’s been a tremendous effort from RNAS Culdrose has been keeping an eye
and the Armed Forces and on the flooding as the weather has taken its toll
emergency services have done on the nation’s countryside.
a terrific job in helping us Other units are on standby to help if
restore power to thousands conditions should worsen and the freak floods
of homes in the region and continue.
safeguard the substation
● (Top) Sailors and fi refi ghters work togeth-
under very challenging
er at the Mythe waterworks, (right) toiling
conditions.”
to build a wall of sandbags to protect the
He added: “Our
Walham electricity substation (below) and
engineers and the
(left) Cdr Stuart Borland who is heading up
emergency and armed
the Navy’s emergency team
services all worked
■ See also Sea Cadets, page 42
around the clock to
put in place a flood Pictures: LA(Phots) Emz Tucker and Paul
barrier.” A’Barrow
0023_NN_aug07.indd 123_NN_aug07.indd 1 226/7/07 10:57:016/7/07 10:57:01
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