● The last salute... A hearty wave from the ship’s
company as DC leaves Mare Harbour for good
After 25 years, Dumbarton Castle – the last Castle
guardship of the South Atlantic – has left the ice
and the Atlantic swell. Her final commanding
officer, Lt Cdr Ian Lynn, flicks back through the
pages of her globe-crossing history.
ry protection around the pull headropes across to the pontoon.
wever once the sister is due The ship’s company did indeed make
ve sailed south again. it to the pub that night... and Std
g the conflict DC returned
Campbell was compensated with some
to the UK aiding with
warming drinks.
protection prior to setting felt nothing. Rather than carrying out patrols
1986, this time with Lt “Unconvinced, I ordered a reduction around the UK she headed to the Baltic
ound in command. D
C adapted extremely well to the
tough conditions down south,
effectively deterring foreign
in speed and a check of the ship for to carry out Exercise Strong Resolve
cts:“I was very lucky to be nations from repeating previous flood damage. with various navies from the area with
ortunity to take DC to the mistakes. “I think the bridge team must have visits to Poland and Germany.
her first deployment as a Capable of achieving a large variety of thought I was deranged because they After returning to Portsmouth for
peacetime. tasks, there was never such a thing as a were blissfully unaware of anything and leave and a short maintenance period,
wo weeks before she sailed
standard patrol.
I began to wonder if I had dreamt it all. she then took up duties in Mine
just completing a hectic
The ship was used to transport and
“At about this time, the Chief of Countermeasures Force North, carrying
refit; so no work up, no
insert troops, conduct search and rescue
the Boat also arrived on the bridge out exercises all over Europe.
we would do that on the
operations, provide a sea-based helicopter
and asked the same questions as I had However following this respite from
landing pad, visit remote areas of the
done.
fishery protection, DC began her final
cension Island, a problem
South Atlantic islands including South
“Rounds of the ship revealed nothing
tour of duty in the Falkland Islands on
engine was discovered. But
Georgia and the Sandwich Islands.
untoward, but that sense of wrongness
October 2 2004.
MS Ambuscade agreed to
She conducted government
would not leave me or the charge chief.
At 22 years old she approached the
ing ship in tow and work
diplomacy not just to the majority of
“I also sensed a change in the ship’s
task as well then as she had at the
knots.
South American countries but also to
motion and we decided to check the
beginning.
int the wind-milling effect
some in southern Africa.
upper deck, first by turning on the flight
At the request of the Governor, the
shaft was enough to start
In addition DC could stop and inspect
deck lights.
ship’s company laid the name of the ship
ine, and so we were able
foreign vessels in the economic zone and
“All was revealed at that instant
in stone opposite Port Stanley alongside
o the Falklands under our
provide up-threat air radar coverage to
because we could then see that one of
the other guardships.
give early warning of hostile elements.
the iso-containers [on the flightdeck]
The ship also took part in the various
irst two months the port
The ship regularly visited the
had been shunted by the sea so that it
events marking the 25th anniversary of
ntrolled by the Navigating
settlements dotted around the islands
was hanging precariously over the side,
the Liberation of the Falkland Islands
sound-powered telephone
and when some of the crew visited,
all but one of its chain lashings cast
in June 2007, and as one of the two
ngineer manually operating
it could be the first time the locals
asunder.”
remaining veterans, played centre-stage
ntrol, and a 6-inch nail
had contact outside their immediate
The other container had also moved
at the events at San Carlos and Stanley.
opriately in the fuel rack.
community, other than on a radio, for
across the flight deck, but had not quite
In preparing for her long voyage
st months were a great
up to three months.
lost all its lashings. The CO quickly
home, she RASed fuel from RFA Gold
new surroundings, and
And so the cycle back and forth to
realised that a wave must have side-
Rover, an evolution resurrected five
w that an Offshore Patrol
the UK continued, fishery protection up
swiped the ship and washed over the
months earlier which had not been
do what the frigate that we
north, Falkland Islands protection down
flight deck, waking both officer and
recorded onboard since 1993.
had previously done.
south, until her return to European
charge chief.
The rest of her program was fitted
he ship’s first ever RAS
waters in 2002.
“It was obvious that we could not
around exercises and a number of high
Rover, and probably the leave things as they were because had
profile visits including Princess Anne.
the RN under auto pilot, the container moved further, it could
med to be the only way to
T
he trips to South Georgia were
not always straight forward as
have tumbled awkwardly into the sea,
her commanding officer in 1992,
made a hole in the ship’s side and
nd of March quite a lot
then Lt Cdr Evans, explained after a
written off one of the screws.
A
s her CO I must say that it
has been a huge honour being
the final captain of this historic
was not working and we
routine re-supply visit to Grytviken
“We had to content ourselves with
vessel. Her utility and capability are
with only one main engine
in September as a large storm bore
just re-securing the containers where
a credit to those who built her and
one generator.
down on the ship.
they were. We set course again but had
operate her.
alling allowance was totally
“There were plenty of ‘bergy bits’
to move with great caution for fear
A delay of the arrival of our successor,
or the cost of food in the
and growlers floating around and so
of further damage or endangering the
HMS Clyde, meant volunteers were
d we were soon badly in
our progress had to be judicious; these
ship.
asked to extend. I needed 50 per cent;
baked beans and chips the
pieces of ice did not show up on radar
“I composed a signal to CBFFI
I got 100 per cent, everyone eligible
and a good lookout was imperative.
[Commander British Forces Falkland
stayed for the extra four months – what
y a Falkland Islander came
“It was becoming clear that the storm
Islands] to apprise them of our
a fantastic bunch of individuals.
and provided three lambs
was probably making better progress
predicament, but it was just one of those
The long logistics chain and age
ship to boost their menu.
than we were. Having been on the
nights when the ionosphere conspired
of the vessel has kept all branches
er occasion as the ship
bridge since about 0930, I decided at
against us and we were unable to clear
fully employed by presenting the odd
m 60-knot blasts of wind,
0200 or so the following morning to
HF [high frequency] traffic.
challenge.
ed crew put forward the
head for my pit. “With the weather deteriorating and The visit to South Georgia in
erstandable opinion that “A little while later, I was awoken from nobody else for company for hundreds
the middle of winter and watching
ther be down the pub. a deep slumber by an almighty crashing of miles the South Atlantic seemed
killer whales hunt down fur seals at
tugs or berthing party and grinding sound that seemed to awfully empty, save for DC. approximately 25kts is also high on
he free pontoon on the make the ship shudder. “During the time the ship was on the highlights list, as obviously is the
distant hope, but the CO’s “I was convinced that we had hit her own I had time to think and reflect favourite sport in these parts, penguin
ummoned and reluctantly an iceberg and rushed to the bridge, on what a great ship DC was and watching.
t he was indeed a diver and where I arrived to find all was peace and how marvelously she had performed in By the time you read this, DC will
ng pay. tranquillity, although the swell and sea the South Atlantic even then. I believe be writing the final chapter in her
bell agreed to jump from state had increased. the ship herself is worthy of the title extraordinary career on her passage
the ship, swim 70 feet to “I asked the Officer of the Watch ‘heroic’.” home.
with heaving line in teeth, what had happened, what had we hit In 2002 and 2003, things for DC took Her duties in the Falklands are done.
he tractor-tyre fenders, and – but he replied quizzically that he had on a new slant. They will not be forgotten.
● A truly stunning panorama of South Georgia and (above) RFA Gold
Rover tops up DC for the fi nal time as her replacement HMS Clyde
steams into view
0024-025_NN_nov07.indd 224-025_NN_nov07.indd 2 222/10/07 09:03:002/10/07 09:03:00
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