6 NAVY NEWS, SEPTEMBER 2007
It’s a small world
D
EEDS as diverse as they were dispersed acoss
● A magnifi cent sunset over the North Sea as HMS Ledbury heads for Leith and (below) HMS Chiddingfold’s crew reach the top of Pulpit
the Seven Seas have been accomplished by
Rock near Stavanger in the murk and mist of a Norwegian summer
Main picture: S/Lt Rob Garner, HMS Ledbury
some of the smallest vessels which fl y the
White Ensign.
Sailors from HMS Grimsby scaffolding for renovation curtain down on their footballers fared somewhat better, down) an aerial target. fighting fires… but bow to the RN
visited their namesake town to work), timed to perfection Mediterranean/Black Sea dispatching locally-based British Six ships took part in the shoot when it comes to life at sea.
pay their respects to the town’s by navigator S/Lt Rob deployment. NCOs 6-4. (HMS Ramsey was the sole RN So 20 civilian firefighters led by
trawlermen. Garner who avoided any HM Ships Atherstone, Chid did not just head for participant) with the incentive Assistant Chief Fire Officer Bill
Grimsby is Britain’s principal crossing trains, so there Hurworth, Shoreham Norway to play sport, of course. of free beer from the Ramsey’s Evans shared their experiences
fishing port (legend even has it that was no need to buy the and Walney took part The true reason for her visit lies gunnery officer to his crew if they of tackling blazes with Mersey’s
it was founded by a fisherman) ship’s company a drink in Exercise Orion, just outside Stavanger at NATO’s could blast the Banshee drone crew’s experiences of dealing with
and the town’s fishing community (good news for him, bad shepherded by their FORACS range where Allied from the Omani skies with their fires in the confined surroundings
gathered at St James’ Church for a news for his shipmates...). mother ship, new landing warships test the accuracy of radar, 30mm gun. Sadly, or perhaps of a warship.
memorial service. Navigational prowess support vessel RFA sonar, GPS, gyros and electronic happily for Lt Morgan McDonald, The day of briefings, talks and
Grimsby’s XO Lt Mike was also evident off Cardigan Bay. navigational systems. no beers were bought... brainstorming ended with
Percy and three shipmates the Farne Islands in Mother has stayed out Back in British waters, Minehunting is not both groups joining forces
represented the mine Northumbria. (she’s currently in Gib), but Chiddingfold was charged something the Royal Navy of to sweep through Mersey
countermeasures vessel The islands and the the ‘ducklings’ are back with survey work off Islay Oman does, so the Aintree tackling a (pretend)
at the service, which was waters around them offer in the nest: Shoreham and Mull – her first ships showed how it is blaze, searching for
concluded by a wreath- a good test for potential and Walney in Faslane, operational mission since done, spending eight days – and rescuing – injured
laying ceremony at the navigators, with narrow Atherstone and Hurworth her overhaul. conducting route survey sailors in smoke-filled
town’s monument to channels to negotiate and in Portsmouth. She took a break from work. compartments.
fishermen who never tight turns to perform. Orion hunted for mines that mission with a day There was also plenty “As sailors we’re trained
returned. A more violent test for across the Mediterranean, in Oban. of time alongside in in basic fire-fighting skills,”
While Grimsby’s presence the minehunter came in Aegean, Dardanelles, And when in Oban Muscat, one of the more explained XO Lt Jason Varty.
was welcomed by fishermen, the form of four jet skis Marmara and Black Sea, there’s only one thing to do. traditional cities in the Gulf “Our priority is to safeguard the
others who ply their trade in UK launching a ‘swarm attack’ with a host of goodwill visits Visit McCaig’s Tower? A spot region where minarets and crew and the ship.
waters were less happy to see HMS to judge the reaction of her paid by the ships to Allied of fishing perhaps? Nope. arabesque windows were the “The fire-fighters are experts
Ledbury. crew in dealing with fast nations. Host veteran DJ and norm, not skyscrapers. in their field and do this job every
The Portsmouth-based assault craft – something “We’ve been to places TV presenter Sir Jimmy The spell in the Omani day. We certainly learned a lot
minehunter is presently attached to the RN has been acutely rarely visited by the RN Savile, of course. capital gave the comms from them.”
the Fishery Protection Squadron aware of since the USS and have left a positive The jingle-jangle cigar- and weapons engineering This was Mersey’s second visit
– and doing a mighty fine job too. Cole incident seven years impression wherever we loving 80-year-old was in team the chance to clean to her affiliated borough in four
Working with the Irish warship ago. went,” said Atherstone’s town to help the RNLI the aerials and satellite months and allowed her to host
Niamh in the southern Irish Jet skis can reach speeds CO Lt Cdr Guy Dale- raise money and was invited
communications equipment local community groups including
Sea, Ledbury came across in excess of 60mph; flat Smith. aboard the minehunter for
– the humid and sandy affiliated Sea Cadets from TS
a vessel whose crew had out, Ledbury can manage “My ship’s company have an impromptu photoshoot
conditions of the Gulf can take Ardent, while the sailors were
committed numerous barely a quarter of that. had the opportunity of a with the ship’s company.
their toll on such hi-tech kit. invited by Mayor Richard Hands
net and paperwork So it was left to some lifetime to explore parts “Sir Jimmy popped
And talking of heat... fishery to Bootle Town Hall.
infringements regarding deft manoeuvring from of the Mediterranean they on board for around 15
protection ship HMS Mersey “We thoroughly enjoyed our
their haul of hake, angler the bridge team and some would otherwise never minutes, saluting as he
took a break from prowling the stay on Merseyside. The crew had
fish and nephrops. expert marksmanship get to see.” crossed the gangway
Irish Sea for trawlers to pool her a chance to let their hair down
So serious were from Ledbury’s gunners Also overseas, for – reminding the officer
expertise with fire-fighters. in a region known to be one of
the transgressions by to keep the jet ski the first time in more of the day that he was
The sailors are semi-experts the best runs ashore in the Navy
the David Liam that the ‘terrorists’ at bay. than two years, was HMS an honorary Royal Marine
at fighting fires on ships – and after several weeks of intensive
trawler was promptly escorted Ledbury’s sister HMS Chiddingfold, which RSM,” said navigator Lt
experts at being sailors. operations,” Lt Varty added.
into Milford Haven where her Middleton will be away till headed across the North Sea Simon Shaw.
The crews of Merseyside Fire
skipper Denis McCarthy from the year’s end with NATO to Stavanger in Norway as Out in the Middle East, HM
and Rescue Service are experts at
County Cork was fined more than as Britain’s contribution part of her post-refit trials Ships Ramsey and Blyth (crewed
£18,000. to the Standing programme. by the men and women of
An even heftier fine was imposed Mine Countermeasures There was a strong Penzance and Pembroke) have left
on skipper Simon Armstrong of Group 1. sporting programme lined Gulf waters behind for the first
the scallop dredger Haringvliet, The group is one of up for the Portsmouth- time since arriving in theatre
boarded by a team from Ledbury NATO’s longest-standing based minehunter upon last autumn.
in Lyme Bay. commitments, carried her arrival. It took four days for the
The sailors found a ‘secret out for more than half a Norway boasts just eight duo, Task Force
hold’ where nearly 600kg century. rugby union sides, including Aintree, to sail
of sole were hidden – a Middleton joins ships one in Stavanger which eagerly from their base
severe breach of fishing from the Belgian, German, awaited a clash with the Brits – and in Bahrain,
regulations. Dutch, Lithuanian, Polish trounced the small ship’s 15 70- through the
Haringvliet was and Norwegian navies on 21 (although Chid’s performance Straits of
ushered into Brixham and patrols in the waters of may have been hampered by the Hormuz, to
her skipper was walloped northwest Europe and the fact that the match coincided Oman.
with fines totalling almost Baltic. with the port’s beer and food The ships
£24,000. The force deals with festival...). joined craft from
Not all Ledbury’s time a mixture of wartime The warship’s climbers and the sultanate’s
has been spent ‘doing fish’. ordnance which still litters footballers fared rather better: the navy on a series
The minehunter headed to the the sea and exercises to test its climbers headed for the top of of exercises, the
Firth of Forth for magazine tests efficacy at coping with modern Pulpit Rock, which hangs 604m most exciting
at Crombie. mines. (1,981ft) over Leisfjord and being the chance
That meant passing under As Middleton departed, offers magnificent views... except to shoot down (or
the Forth rail bridge (covered in four minehunters brought the when it’s shrouded in cloud. The rather try to shoot
0006_NN_Sept.indd 106_NN_Sept.indd 1 117/8/07 15:15:147/8/07 15:15:14
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