16 NAVY NEWS, MARCH 2008

A
CHILLES had his
The men are the best seakeeper which someone could do
heel.
given up to 48 (RIBs, the FPG against us so we know the best
The Death Star had its thermal
hours to prepare chaps explain, are way of defending against it,”
The men from R.O.N.S.E.A.L.
exhaust port.
for their task better) and it is, as Barry explains.
The Bismarck had a dodgy
– movements of one Royal acidly “We head to Loch Long to
Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines is Britain’s ‘Ronseal unit’
rudder.
the Vanguards are remarked, “the carry out training with tugs
– “We do exactly what it says on the tin”, explains second-in-
And Britain’s ultimate
naturally not widely wettest boat I have acting as submarines and try to
command Lt Col Mark Maddick.
weapon? Well, it really doesn’t
broadcast. ever known”. (Trials attack/defend them to hone our
The ‘tin’ says fl eet protection – and that’s what the commandos
feel at home where most ships
And while the are under way on skills.”
do… and a little bit more to boot.
do: riding the waves.
ORCs can scurry modifi cations to put No-one has tried to penetrate
FPGRM is actually a rather eclectic formation as its duties are
Yes, even the most potent
along at a fair this right, though.) the steel cordon yet. In fact,
scattered across the globe and spread between land, sea and air.
of leviathans has a weak spot.
rate of knots, the Still, the job most people stay away.
First and foremost the 500-plus green berets protect Britain’s
Fortunately, Britain’s V-boats
submarines cannot has to be done “If you see police escorts,
ultimate weapon, patrolling the ‘special area’ both at HMNB
now have the Royal Marines to
– not on the surface – there is none more police RIBs, a couple of tugs,
Clyde and also at the nearby Coulport armament depot where the
protect them.
at any rate. important. three heavily-armed ORCs and
nuclear warheads can be found.
Every movement by a
It takes roughly six or “We realise that the job a nuclear submarine, you tend
Whenever nuclear weapons move on Britain’s roads, FPGRM
strategic missile submarine in
seven hours to shepherd the needs doing and we will do it to stay away,” says FPGRM’s
escort them. In all these sentry and guard duties, it is the
the Clyde is now guarded by
boats before they sink beneath to the very best of our ability,” second-in-command Lt Col
commandos’ task not to stop peace campaigners – a job for the
a cloak of steel, brandished
the Firth of Clyde or tie up Barry says. Mark Maddick.
police chiefl y – but armed attacks.
by the Fleet Protection Group
inside their protective booms at And there are few people “You get the odd Sunday
“We are here fundamentally to stop a terrorist attack – we are
Royal Marines.
Faslane. better qualifi ed to safeguard the afternoon sailor wanting to
the last line of defence, the people who deal with something or
Two of the Royals’ new fast
And so, it’s fair to say, bombers than FPG… as they’re have a look, or perhaps a
someone that the police cannot deal with,” says Lt Col Maddick.
patrol boats, ORCs – Offshore
this new task is not the most also the experts in attacking peace protester, but generally
“It’s a demanding task – in the ‘special area’, for example you
Raiding Craft, pictured here by
attractive mission in the Corps slow-moving vessels. speaking people stay clear of
spend fi ve weeks on and fi ve weeks off – training and catching up
LA(Phot) Del Trotter of FRPU
– at least not on a very windy us.”
on leave.
Clyde – straddle each Vanguard-
February morning. Six hours in “We think of the worst, the
“You’re at extremely high readiness to move throughout. The
class boat on its return from/
a dry suit bumping up and down maddest thing
lads are fully booted and spurred with all their kit ready to go.
“These men possess unique skills – fi ghting in and around the
departure for patrol or trials,
the Clyde is rather laborious
base, beneath the jetties if they have to.”
with a third riding shotgun
(and not especially dry either).
Other FPGRM detachments safeguard the ‘command bunker’
behind it.
But come glorious
at Northwood.
They form the last line of
summer on the Clyde (this
It’s part of the Royal Marines role which doesn’t feature too
defence for the 16,000-ton
year it’s on a Saturday
often in these pages, unlike the Fleet Standby Rifl e Troop – the
boats; police ribs and a police
– Ed) it will be, as Cpl
men who protect RN warships on deployment and provide expert
launch and two tugs from HM
Barry O’Neill points out,
boarding teams for operations in the Gulf and Caribbean.
Naval Base Clyde provide
“happy days”.
Lastly, the group – which comes under the command of Fleet
an outer cordon, aimed at
ORC is not ideal for
Headquarters, not 3 Commando Brigade – provides a support
protecting the boats and chiefl y
this job – not yet
group for the country’s Special Forces.
warning off any protestors.
at any rate. It’s
Not all green berets enjoy their attachment to Faslane, but life
Traditionally, the Navy’s
fast and well
has improved markedly for the men in recent years believes
‘bombers’ have been escorted
armed, but
Lt Col Maddick.
by the police alone, but
it’s not
“As Comacchio Group, this was not a particularly
Whitehall decided beefi ng up
attractive draft,” he adds. “Now our tasks are much,
security for the boats would be
much more interesting.
a wise move.
“For the guys doing nuclear protection
FPGRM were the obvious
duties, what FPGRM provides is stability
choice. The Faslane-based
– the protection cycle is planned rigidly.
unit already protects the boats
Food is good, there are computers for
in port and also safeguard
education and the internet, a very
the nuclear warheads at
good gym. It’s like working in a
Coulport ammunition
concrete submarine.
depot.
“Our boarding teams are
And so at least three
very, very busy – they don’t
ORCs – each crewed by
have the stability, but they
armed Royal Marines
do get the interesting
– accompany every
jobs.”
V-boat in and out
of the lochs by day
and night.
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