12 NAVY NEWS, FEBRUARY 2008
● Pre-fl ight checks for Nottingham’s
815 NAS Lynx ‘Ace’, suitably
emblazoned with a Robin Hood
mascot
● LET(WE) ‘Mac’ MacDonald bellows in the gun bay as Nottingham’s
4.5in gun pounds West Falkland and (left) the operations room team
tracks the progress of Cape Bayonet
Cape
FIX bayonets!
Falkland before being picked up
Not an order which often
by Nottingham and returned to
reverberates around the
base in East Falkland, the more
passageways and messes of Her
populous of the two principal
Majesty’s Ship Nottingham.
islands in the archipelago.
But for a week Tommyspeak
TM
Cape Bayonet was the last
was almost as common as the more
substantial act for the Nottingham
usual Jackspeak as the destroyer
team before Christmas, celebrated
hosted men of the famous Black
in company with HM Ships Clyde
Watch.
and Endurance, also spending
Troops from the Scottish unit –
the festive season in the South
currently the Roulement Infantry
Atlantic.
Company – spent a week aboard
There was little festive spirit
the Portsmouth-based destroyer –
shown in the sporting arena,
currently Britain’s Atlantic Patrol
however, as Endurance’s football
Tasking (South) warship. and rugby sides were put to the
They did so to take part in sword (6-0 and 40-5 respectively)
Exercise Cape Bayonet, war games by the Type 42 boys (Nottingham,
involving all three Services in the admittedly, enjoys a ship’s company
Falklands. more than double the size of the
The aim was to test the combined Red Plum’s).
● A sailor mans the 20mm gun at dusk
response of RAF Tornadoes, local Christmas Day saw typical
and (above) a briefi ng for The Black
warships and infantry should an RN fare: officers serving ratings
Watch in Nottingham’s hangar
enemy set foot on West Falkland. and the wardroom nativity play,
before they are ferried ashore
To that end, Nottingham featuring Elvis, Frankenstein (yes,
Pictures: Cpl Downs RAF (BFSAI)
dropped off the Black Watch in not frankincence) and the baby
secret then pounded ‘enemy’ Jesus (phew, back on track – Ed),
positions with her 4.5in gun and plus CO Andrew Price as King
maintained watch over the skies Herod. The day closed with a
with her radar and Sea Dart to concert in the hangar from the
safeguard against ‘enemy’ air ship’s band.
attacks. The sporting theme resumed on
For the Nottinghamers, Cape Boxing Day with a sizeable chunk
Bayonet meant a mixture of of the ship’s company heading
defence watches (six hours on, to Stanley’s traditional Christmas
six hours off) and action stations races.
(every post manned) which can And with that, the festive season
be pretty demanding; mercifully, it was over for the destroyer. She
was a relatively short exercise. sailed on December 27 on patrol
The Scotsmen re-took West around the Falklands once again.
● (Left) The Black Watch begin disembarking into a landing craft
which will carry them ashore (below left) while (below right) the
soldiers conduct SA80 drills on Nottingham’s upper deck
010_NN_Feb.indd 1 10/1/08 14:46:05
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