2 NAVY NEWS, MARCH 2008
42 Cdo
45 Cdo
HMS Dasher
HMS Pursuer
Naval Strike Wing/40 Cdo/
HMS Somerset
Vikings/846 NAS/FSMASU
HMS Sabre/Scimitar
539 ASRM
HMS Atherstone
RFA Wave Knight
HMS Chiddingfold
RFA Largs Bay
RFA Diligence
HMS Campbeltown
HMS Manchester
HMS Enterprise
HMS Argyll
HMS Ramsey
HMS Blyth
RFA Cardigan Bay
RFA Bayleaf
820 NAS
FASLANE
ROSYTH 857 NAS
HMS Torbay
FPGRM
HMS Ark
Royal
RFA Lyme Bay
HMS Cornwall
HMS Gannet SAR
HMS Bulwark HMS Ledbury
HMS Nottingham
HMS Raider
HMS Clyde
HMS Endurance
Plus one ballistic missile submarine on patrol somewhere beneath the Seven Seas
771 NAS
PORTSMOUTH
DEVONPORT
FFleet Focusleet Focus
THE Royal Navy’s major deployment of the first half of Manual labour
the year, Orion 08, has got off to a rather faltering start
thanks to some engineering troubles for flagship HMS
Illustrious. HUNTER-killer submarine HMS
“I’ve already had guys from the next The improved communications system
But while the cat’s away... minehunters HMS Atherstone and
Torbay is at the forefront of
boat to get it ringing up, asking for all the will gather all the electronic mail written by
Chiddingfold have been enjoying semi-autonomy as they edge
ever eastwards, first visiting The Rock (see opposite), then Malta
underwater warfare after emerging
information we’ve compiled.” the submariners and each time the boat
With writing that manual and planning is at periscope depth, she will send back
(see pages 8 and 9).
from a year-long overhaul. routes on paper and on computer, WECDIS all this data – and pick up any incoming
The Orion force will eventually unite and head east of Suez,
The Trafalgar-class boat is the last of is doubling the offi cer’s workload. In time, email.
already the domain of HMS Argyll (see page 4), Campbeltown,
Britain’s fl eet submarines to be fi tted with however, it will half it. “It should revolutionise things,” said
Ramsey, Blyth and RFA Cardigan Bay; the latter has just
Tomahawk cruise missiles… but the fi rst to “Planning the route into Faslane, for Lt Jez Barron, Torbay’s deputy weapon
replaced RFA Sir Bedivere, which has returned to the UK and
receive the latest version of the weapon, example, would take two to three hours on engineer offi cer. “As well as the hearts and
paid off for good (see pages 6 and 7).
Block IV. charts. With WECDIS, it’s a 20-minute job minds aspect, all the surface ships do a lot
Back too from the Gulf – possibly for good – are the fliers of
And Torbay is also the fi rst vessel in the – and once it’s done it can be saved so you of their work via email so it’s important that
847 Naval Air Squadron who have completed a tour of duty in
Silent Service to ditch paper charts having don’t have to keep planning it,” Lt Donovan submarines integrate with them.
Basra (see page 6). Now home, they can prepare for another tour
been fi tted with the electronic mapping added. “Most of the time we’re operating dived,
of duty, this time in Afghanistan. Out of the frying pan...
system WECDIS during her year alongside “I will not miss the paper charts and but we’ll pop up to periscope depth, get all
Their Commando Helicopter Force comrades, 846 NAS are
in Faslane. WECDIS will give me more time to the info in and out and then dive again.”
already in theatre (see the centre pages) getting used to an
WECDIS has become bread and butter devote to other duties, such as divisional Keeping hearts and minds happy has
environment the Harriers of the Naval Strike Wing and the
for the surface fl eet in recent years, where responsibilities.” been a challenge with the boat spending a
Royal Marines of 40 Commando (see pages 14 and 15) are now
it has drastically cut the workload of WECDIS links in with the submarine year away from her home port; T-
accustomed to.
navigators. command system (SMCS or ‘smacks’), class boats are usually overhauled in
Life in the Gulf region can be a bit monotonous, so lions
Torbay’s navigator Lt Simon Donovan allowing contacts to be marked on the Devonport.
and dolphins livened things up aboard HMS Manchester – the
expects it to do the same for his job – but map. Unsurprisingly only a handful of
Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins (see page 7).
fi rst he has to write the manual. “Boats are making more use of Torbay’s crew live near Faslane; most
In rather cooler waters, destroyer HMS Nottingham had the
WECDIS for boats is different from the WECDIS than the surface fl eet,” said live in and around the West Country.
gremlins from Flag Officer Sea Training drop in on them in the
surface variant. For a start, once submerged CPO(TSM) ‘Kirsty’ Nicoll. “Generally speaking the lads have
Falklands for a week to hone their fighting skills (see page 7),
there’s no way of knowing precisely where “The picture we have for command not been out of pocket up here
while the islands’ new patrol ship HMS Clyde headed to South
the submarine is; surface ships receive of the boat is superb. It’s good to see thanks to warrants,” said CPO
Georgia for the first time to get to know the area... and its
constant GPS updates to their location. we’re going forwards, not taking one Nicoll.
manifold penguins (see page 22).
Submariners use a complex series of step backwards.” “I did tell my wife: ‘Don’t come to
The penguin-related tomfoolery doesn’t end there. Nope, as
algorithms and calculations to estimate Another step forward comes in the Faslane.’ She doesn’t believe me
if there were not enough pingus in this world, now there are
their position underwater – creating an form of Block IV Tomahawk which that the weather’s so bad up here.
more of them as HMS Endurance found a previously unknown
ellipsis within which their boat should be allows the missile to be ‘re-targeted’ “On the plus side, because we’re
colony. The icebreaker also found the wreck of the cruise ship
found. As long as the submarine remains in fl ight; the Block III version of the in Faslane the lads have not been
Explorer which sank last year (see page 37).
within that ellipsis, she should be safe. weapon would self-destruct if it itching to get away in the evening,
At the other end of the earth, there’s a convergence of RN/
Those same algorithms have been veered off course. and that has focused the minds.”
RM forces around Harstad in northern Norway for winter war
programmed into WECDIS and each fi ve Away from ‘warfi ghting’ Torbay is undergoing trials
games. Involved are HM Ships Ark Royal, Cornwall, Albion and
seconds it will update the ellipsis – which improvements, life aboard Torbay following her revamp and will
Bulwark, plus RFA Mounts Bay and 42 and 45 Commandos
is drawn around the submarine on the on deployments should be slightly return to her home port of
(see page 7).
computer screen. more bearable. Devonport ahead of work-up for
In home waters, the deeds of the Search and Rescue men and
The Torbay team have less than three Her crew will be able to send an impending deployment later
women of HMS Gannet and 771 NAS have deservedly been in
months to learn how to use the new and receive emails at sea for this year.
the news for two high-profile rescues off the English coast (see
navigational system – and two of those are the fi rst time and, on occasions,
page 4).
spent in the simulators. access the internet. ● Steely skies for Torbay as she
Getting to know home waters all over again is Fleet submarine
“There is no handbook for WECDIS in conducts trials near Faslane
HMS Torbay, the first boat in the Silent Service to receive
submarines – the pages are blank. FOST
Picture: PO(Phot) ‘Mez’ Merrill, FRPU Clyde
electronic charts – among other enhancements during a year-
are learning at the same time as we are.
long revamp (see right).
We’ve got to write the manual,” explained
Knowing how Royals like to blow things up, we spent a couple
Lt Donovan.
of days on the range with them in Dorset... blowing things up
(and learning the art of being a ‘tankie’ – see page 23).
The Royals also stop things blowing up sometimes, most
notably Britain’s nuclear arsenal, which now has an extra layer of
protection thanks to the green berets of Fleet Protection Group
Royal Marines (see page 16).
Minehunter HMS Ledbury and university boat HMS Raider met
in the Channel off Deal to commemorate the 66th anniversary of
the Channel Dash (see page 13).
Sailors from HMS Richmond were applauded through the
streets of Hampshire’s county town as Winchester hosted a
parade for veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq (see page 21). If that
isn’t praise enough for the frigate, she’s also our ship of the
month (turn to page 12).
HMS Exeter drew thousands of visitors at the London Boat
Show (see page 17)... but if you missed her there’s another
chance to meet your Navy at an event in Portsmouth in July,
cunningly titled Meet Your Navy – the successor to Navy Days
(see page 36 for details).
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