6 NAVY NEWS, AUGUST 2007
Somerset’s boom from Typhoon
THE roar of typhoons swirling d’être is air defence) and display before returning to Bute and through Loch Fyne (the
around HMS Somerset could carriers. Lincolnshire. waterway, not the fi sh restaurant);
mean only one thing: the frigate So HMS Gloucester Somerset has been put there were dolphins riding the
NOT much nautical has been
was being treated to an air display (out of action as she’s through extensive tests and bow-wave off Inveraray while
fi lling the pages of the national
from Britain’s top jet. being refi tted in Rosyth) trials since emerging underwater microphones gathered
press recently, but we’ll begin
Fighters were needed by loaned her Freddy in from a refi t to improve reams of data on Somerset’s
our tour d’horizon with evidence
the Devonport warship as she the form of Lt Craig her weapons systems, performance; and fi nally, there
that you can prove anything with
conducted the latest stage of her Macpherson for the sonar and other were sonar trials off Scotland’s
statistics...
work-up following a lengthy multi- trials off St Andrews. machinery, and to northern tip.
million-pound refi t in Rosyth. For 20 minutes the fi t new WECDIS “The difference made during THE rate at which British
And the RAF duly obliged by two RAF jets came electronic charts fi ve weeks away has been troops are being seriously
dispatching two F2 Typhoons from under the direction and adapt the fl ight enormous,” said Cdr Rob Wilson, injured or killed on the
29(R) Squadron at Coningsby to of the Royal Navy deck for operations by Somerset’s Commanding Offi cer. front line in Afghanistan is
assist Somerset during trials of her (they even changed their Merlin helicopters. “The ship’s company is now about to pass that suffered
Seawolf anti-air missile system. digital recognition code to Those trials have seen better trained and the equipment by our troops during World
For the trials a dedicated fi ghter acknowledge the fact, which her circumnavigate the British has been tested and proved.” War 2.
● Clearance diver AB(D) Chris
Hayes prepares for a mission on
controller was needed – something was nice of them) while Seawolf’s Isles: there was a lightning visit to You can follow the ongoing The casualty rate in
HMS Hurworth off Turkey
Somerset didn’t have. radar tracked the pair of fi ghters. Devonport, the fi rst trip home in exploits of HMS Somerset the most dangerous
Typically fi ghter controllers, or And with the trial over, the fl iers more than a year; there were noise courtesy of her captain’s blog at regions of the country
Picture: LA(Phot) Kaz Williams,
FRPU Whale Island
Freddies, can only be found in obliged Somerset’s ship’s company ranging trials in the sea lochs of hms-somerset-co.blogspot. is approaching ten per
Type 42 destroyers (whose raison with a fl ypast and mini aerial Argyll, a trip around the Isle of com. cent. Senior officers fear
Plumbing
it will ultimately pass the
11 per cent experienced
by British soldiers at the
old depths
Rio’s a grand fi nale
height of the conflict 60
years ago.
Last November, only
SPECIALIST clearance divers
three British soldiers were
will soon be again able to deal
wounded in Afghanistan
with unexploded devices at
by the Taliban, compared
depths up to 200ft thanks to new
with 38 in May.
kit being introduced.
– Daily Telegraph
The Senior Service has
clinched a deal with Aberdeen
AFTER almost six months
Falklands 25 commemorations in The sailors erected a 30ft ship departed, staging night
fi rm DIVEX for a state-of-the-art patrolling the not-
the South Atlantic islands. barbed wire fence on top of the and daytime exercises with
Good job the Telegraph
piece of re-breathing kit (which
especially-warm waters
Those islands are now far existing wall to keep drug-dealers the Brazilian Navy (Rio is the
statisticians weren’t working on
recycles a diver’s exhaled air so he
behind Edinburgh (her duties at bay and installed electrical fleet’s principal base), including
around the Falklands, the
July 1 1916...
can continue to operate) which
have been assumed by sister sockets and telephone connection cross-decking – landing foreign
The regional papers have
will allow the Portsmouth-based
men and women of HMS
HMS Southampton, see page 5). points inside the orphanage. helicopters on each other’s flight
been focusing on the ‘battle
Fleet Diving Squadron to work Edinburgh fi nally had
And after almost constant Less well known is Casa Roger decks – and a search and rescue
of the bases’ and the ongoing
down to 60 metres – something
the chance to let their
activity around the Falklands, it Turner, a relatively new addition exercise, with ‘volunteers’ offering
review into the future of the
the divers have not been able to
was only fair the sailors were to the numerous shelters and to leap into the South Atlantic
hair down in the ultimate
RN’s three principal bases:
do for the past four years.
given the chance to unwind. orphanages in Rio. to be picked up by Edinburgh’s
The CDLSE (Clearance
party city.
Rio is on the shopping list of It takes its name from the Lynx.
Divers’ Life-Support Equipment)
The destroyer spent five days
pretty much every sailor deployed former naval attaché in Brazil There was no shortage of DEFENCE chiefs have
is the most advanced electronic
in Rio de Janeiro to give her
to the South Atlantic, while trips who was instrumental in volunteers fancying a dip as the revealed that there are
mixture gas re-breather in the
ship’s company some rest and
to the sands of Copacabana, or the encouraging British sailors to help destroyer headed north and the three options for their
world and allows the specialist
relaxation, and re-fuel and re-
top of Sugar Loaf and Corcovado the underprivileged youngsters of waters grew warmer, prompting controversial review of
frogmen to resume the full range
stock Edinburgh before she
mountains are a must. Rio. CO Paul Brown to authorise a the country’s three naval
of clearance diving tasks.
began the long journey home to
But so too is a visit to Casa Casa Roger Turner aims to hands to bathe – assisted by his bases.
Unmanned and manned trials
Portsmouth.
Jimmy orphanage, a port of call keep Rio’s older teenagers off the marine engineering department Defence minister Derek
of the new breathing apparatus
Edinburgh is crewed by the
for every RN/RFA vessel stopping streets and out of harm’s way. It who knocked up a plank as Twigg outlined the options
will be conducted over coming
ship’s company of HMS Exeter
off in Rio. now boasts a revamped stairwell, a launch platform for the to Parliament:
months with the fi rst divers from
– and Exeter, back on patrol in
The home for street kids upstairs loos which are no longer swimmers.
■ Reducing facilities
the squadron becoming qualifi ed
the UK, conversely is crewed by
founded by Led Zeppelin guitarist blocked and improved electrical Edinburgh is now on her way
and staffing at all three
to operate with CDLSE from
Edinburgh’s ship’s company in a
Jimmy Page has benefitted from fittings thanks to Jack’s efforts. home to Portsmouth where,
bases
November.
‘sea swap’ initiative intended to
sailors’ handiwork for a decade. Throughout Edinburgh’s following some much-deserved
■ ‘Minimising’
The fi rst batches of production
keep ships in operational theatres
And so it was that a party deployment, the ship’s company leave, the sailors of Exeter and
Portsmouth through
sets will be delivered in the
longer.
from Edinburgh arrived a t raised money to buy stationery, Edinburgh will again trade places,
the withdrawal of all
middle of next year and the career
Exeter’s sailors took charge
the orphanage for two clothes, electrical goods and other returning to their rightful ships.
ships to leave it as an
training will begin at the Defence
of their slightly unusual
days of DIY tasks presents to give to the children of
‘administrative centre’
Diving School on Horsea Island
surroundings (Edinburgh is
(although work both institutions. ● Edinburgh’s Lynx trails the
■ ‘Minimising’
in September 2008.
longer, wider and more modern
was delayed by Alas, Rio could not last White Ensign as the destroyer
Devonport by removing
Although the new apparatus
than Exeter) early this year
a lack of tools for ever and it was back to enters Rio harbour, watched
all ships and submarines
can cope with depths of 60 metres
and have been at the heart of
initially...). business as the by Christ the Redeemer atop
based there and
(196 ft) – the depth required
Corcovado Mountain
leaving the site as
by current RN operations an engineering and
– it is capable of going deeper, maintenance facility.
something diving experts at Fleet
Mr Twigg did rule out
Headquarters in Portsmouth
the total closure of any
are looking at should front-line
base.
operations demand it.
– Portsmouth News
“The arrival of the new
apparatus will be a major boost
to clearance diving and provide
the Royal Navy with a fi rst-class
PORTSMOUTH FC’s
diving capability,” said Cdr Chris
waterfront stadium could
Ameye, the Superintendent of
pose a risk to security at
Diving.
the naval base.
Clearance divers have served
The Royal Navy has
the Fleet in various guises since
raised concerns about
1838, dealing not merely with
developments overlooking
unexploded ordnance but also
the historic dockyard.
engineering tasks beneath the sea.
The Navy Board raised
Most recently, RN divers dealt
fears over the now-defunct
with Iraqi weaponry in the wake
Project Prime development
of the fall of Saddam Hussein’s
which would have seen
regime.
some of the Historic
Dockyard’s old buildings
Clyde joins the Andromeda chain
transformed into homes,
offices and shops.
“The Navy don’t want
someone to lean out of
window with a rocket-
THE fi rst warship built in Base, where the Royal Marines
propelled grenade and
Portsmouth in four decades has Band provided suitable martial
fire one into a ship,” said
been welcomed into the bosom of music and Andrea Hopper, the
council leader Gerald
the RN family. wife of Cdr Simon Hopper, cut
Vernon-Jackson.
Falkland Islands patrol ship the commissioning cake assisted
– Portsmouth News
HMS Clyde was commissioned by 22-year-old AB David Maund,
in the yard which built her, ten the youngest sailor in the 40-
months after a spectacular night- strong ship’s company.
And finally, the obligatory fluffy
time naming ceremony. “I appreciated from day one that
animal story...
Clyde was built by the VT the fi rst ship built in Portsmouth
Group in their state-of-the-art for years would be special,” said
GUARDS protecting 42
ship hall; the fi rm owns the patrol Cdr Hopper, “but I didn’t realise
Commando’s Bickleigh
ship – and will continue to do so until the naming ceremony what
Barracks have been forced
for the fi rst years of her life, leasing it really meant to the people of
to ground one of their
her to the RN for duties in the the dockyard and businesses in
patrol vehicles because
South Atlantic. Portsmouth.”
a pied wagtail has built a
And those duties begin shortly. Once she departs, Clyde is
nest underneath and is
Clyde departs Portsmouth for the unlikely to return to the city which
raising a brood of chicks.
Falklands in mid-August. built her as she will be on station
The guards were fi rst
Upon arrival in the islands she constantly in and around the
alerted when they saw a
will take over the duties of HMS Falklands, receiving her overhauls
wagtail fl ying from under
Dumbarton Castle whose quarter- and refi ts in the southern
the Ford Ranger whenever
century career protecting the hemisphere.
it departed on duties; the
Falklands is in its twilight. Before HMS Clyde, the last
bird would then wait for
Clyde’s sponsor, Lesley Dunt, ship built in Portsmouth was
the vehicle to return.● The Royal Marines Band perform on the jetty in Portsmouth during HMS Clyde’s commissioning
ceremony Picture: LA(Phot) Dave Gallagher, FRPU Whale Island
was among the guests of honour at the Leander-class frigate HMS
– Plymouth Herald
the ceremony in Portsmouth Naval Andromeda, launched in 1967.
0006_NN_Aug.indd 106_NN_Aug.indd 1 118/7/07 16:51:198/7/07 16:51:19
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