NAVY NEWS, NOVEMBER 2007 5
● Oil be back... Wave Ruler tops Portland up for the last time before returning to Devonport after an eventful 18-month spell in the Caribbean Picture: LA(Phot) Owen King, FRPU Whale Island
Wave Ruler bows out on a high
FLEET Air Arm aircrew
a go-fast but a Lynx. nearly five times around the globe, from typical Caribbean hospitality, And on a more personal level, Once again there was some key
bagged 200kg of cocaine
The plane ditched bales of visiting 21 ports has seen the Portland sailors the ship hosted scores of primary training on offer, this time aboard
in the Caribbean as the
cocaine into the sea and fled the “During our travels we have offer vital front-line training to school children, while island the frigate.
scene. always received a warm, friendly
local law enforcement from fire- dignitaries were treated to a Eighteen Bajan fire-fighters
Lynx/Wave Ruler sucker
Teams of US Coast Guard welcome and we’ve been shown
fighting techniques to the art of cocktail party. joined Portland for a series of
punch struck for the fi nal officers were launched in two of respect throughout the Caribbean
navigation. The visit, said PO Tony exercises to enhance their
time.
Wave Ruler’s sea boats. for our professionalism and our
In Anguilla – a tiny British Morgan, was important “to show ability to tackle a blaze or other
Overseas Territory, home to fewer the Overseas Territories that we emergency involving any ship
Much of the summer and early
They hauled eight bales of pride in the RFA,” said Capt
than 15,000 people – Portland’s have not forgotten them”. As visiting Bridgetown.
autumn for the fleet tanker and
contraband out of the ocean; George Jarvis, Wave Ruler’s
navigator provided help on for the Anguillans, “they are a Portland returns home to
her Lynx – 218 Flight from 815
subsequent tests revealed it to be Commanding Officer who retired
plotting intercept courses for the friendly bunch – and the scenery Devonport in time for Christmas;
Naval Air Squadron – has been
cocaine. upon his ship’s return.
Police Marine Unit. is fantastic.” drug-busting duties over the
spent chasing hurricanes.
Around 200kg (440lb) of the “Work that offers so great a
At the island’s chief airport, the From Anguilla, Portland moved festive season will be conducted
That ended in the darkness off
drug, with an estimated street challenge and adventure is rare.”
ship’s comms team demonstrated on to Barbados for a belated mid- by RFA Wave Knight which has
the Dominican Republic in late
value of £13m, were seized. Ruler’s partner in crime-
the correct use of mobile and deployment overhaul (mopping taken over from her sister in the
September.
This was the fourth – and fighting latterly was frigate HMS
static kit, while the medical team up in Belize after Hurricane Dean Caribbean.
Intelligence reports suggested
final – bust by the tanker/815 Portland.
briefed the island’s police force on slightly upset the carefully-planned Additional reporting in Anguilla
a light aircraft carrying narcotics NAS combination in the past 18 After the drama of hurricane
basic first aid. ship’s programme). by Penny Legg.
would be in the area, dropping months as she returned home to relief, life resumed some form of
bales into the sea for a speedboat Devonport in late October. normality as the Type 23 island-
to pick up. Of those 18 months away, hopped her way around the
And so it proved. Except that Wave Ruler spent 407 days at sea Caribbean.
waiting for the small plane was not and steamed the equivalent of And each island visit, aside
‘A vital mission’
COMMAND of the skies in Kandahar
And the three sailors of the Forward Support (Air)
belongs to the Naval Strike Wing
Mobile Aircraft Support Unit – known to all who
whose Harriers are back on patrol over
require their services as MASU – are in constant
demand in battlefield Afghanistan.
Afghanistan. The team (there’s actually five of them, but two
Nine months after leaving the country the Rutland- are non-matelots...) are responsible for repairing
based naval aviators returned to provide crucial aerial the in-demand helicopter force supporting British
support for Allied ground troops. operations in Helmand.
Barely had the RAF’s IV Squadron handed over With Harriers increasingly being deployed to
to Cdr Kev Seymour and his team than the Harriers Kandahar the team have added fixed-wing repairs to
were airborne and in action. their portfolio, following a successful series of small-
British troops sent a signal for air support to the scale repairs on Hercules.
strike wing on its very first sortie; the jump jets’ Most of the work carried out by MASU – Lt
intervention was sufficient to cause Taleban Andy Stancliffe, CPOs Al Griffiths and Neil
forces to withdraw. Crocker, plus Sgt Andy Glitheroe from
The force provides a mix of daily REME and the RAF’s Sgt Andy Roberts
sorties, plus two GR7/GR9 bomber – takes place at Kandahar air base, but
variants of the Harrier on the Kandahar the team does move to Camp Bastion in
tarmac ready to move by day or night Helmand when needs demand.
to counter any emergency, supporting Those needs range from fixing fatigue
British, American, French and Dutch cracks to patching up damage caused
forces who are grappling with insurgents by small arms fire to Chinook, Apache,
in the region. and Lynx helicopters currently operating
Domestic arrangements for the aviators in theatre.
and ground crew are much improved on 12 “Conditions for carrying out repair work are
months ago: the smattering of fast food joints, donut hardly ideal,” said Lt Stancliffe, the in-theatre repair
stalls, and coffee shops at Kandahar almost creates a officer.
café culture atmosphere. “The team has recorded temperatures of up to
Almost. For around the air base are concrete blast 54˚C (that’s 130˚F – Ed) and the all-pervasive fine
walls protecting the buildings – serving as a reminder dust of Kandahar gets into everything.
of the ever-present threat posed by rockets and “Occasional enemy action has also interrupted
terrorist attacks. progress.”
When not engaged in battle, there is With the arrival of Sgt Roberts, that single
much for the pilots to admire in this extra body means the team can conduct
land. repairs on two aircraft simultaneously
“From the air, Afghanistan consists of or, if there’s a push on, work around the
a diverse range of landscapes – lush green clock for short stretches.
river valleys dotted with small towns and “Needless to say the Joint Helicopter
settlements to vast mountain ranges Force and the fixed-wing units in
such as the Hindu Kush,” explained staff Kandahar are hugely appreciative of the
officer Lt Mike Gray. immediate on-site support that the team
“When operating in the east of the gives them,” Lt Stancliffe adds.
country, it’s not unusual to look out of Also on the ground, 40 Commando have
the cockpit amd see mountains towering taken over duties in northern Helmand,
above the aircaft – fairly impressive when replacing the 1st Battalion Royal Anglian
you’re cruising at 18,000ft.” Regiment.
Kandahar itself is “rugged and dusty” The green berets are the cutting edge of
and the long watches in stifling conditions ‘Battle Group North’, under the command
demand the utmost from the engineers and of Britain’s 52 Infantry Brigade.
technicians – who must ensure three out of every four “We’ve undergone comprehensive training to get
Harriers are ready for action every day. to this part,” said Commanding Officer Lt Col
There’s another RN unit to be found at Kandahar, Stuart Birrell. “The mission in Helmand is vital to
although as Senior Service formations go, it’s probably ensuring that Afghan authorities can improve security
the smallest. in the province, allowing more reconstruction and
But as the saying goes, size doesn’t matter... it’s development to take place.”
how you use it that counts. 846 prepare for Afghan role, overleafmarina
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