2 NAVY NEWS, APRIL 2007
Fleet Diving Unit 3
Vanguard-class
HMS Brocklesby
submarine HMS Dasher
HMS Pursuer
3 Cdo Bde/CHF/FSMASU
HMS Sabre/Scimitar
845 & 846 NAS/539 ASRM
HMS Monmouth
RFA Wave Ruler
HMS Cornwall
HMS Campbeltown
HMS Sutherland
HMS Blyth
HMS Ramsey
HMS Enterprise
RFA Fort Austin
857 NAS
HMS Archer
FASLANE
ROSYTH
HMS Northumberland
HMSML
Gleaner
HMS Illustrious
HMS Dumbarton Castle
HMS Edinburgh
HMS Cattistock
PORTSMOUTH
HMS Endurance
DEVONPORT
Exercise Scimitar
HMS Chatham
HMS Albion
Satellite imagery courtesy of NASA
Fleet Focus Explosion on
Tireless kills
WELCOME to a bumper edition of Navy News – and as befits a
bulging paper, activity by the men and women of the Senior Service
this past month has been diverse and spread across the globe. two crew
A marathon tour of duty is ending for the men of 3 Commando
Brigade, whose winter offensive has put the Taleban on the back
TWO submariners were killed
foot in Afghanistan – but sadly not without casualties for the Corps
and a third shipmate was
(see page 13).
injured by an explosion aboard
Not all Britain’s green berets are deployed in Helmand province.
HMS Tireless beneath the polar
40 Commando could be found poking the barrels of their SA80s
ice cap.
through the hedges and undergrowth of Cornwall during Exercise
The Devonport-based
South-West Scimitar, a mock evacuation of civilians which involved
boat was exercising with
HMS Ark Royal and Albion and RFA Largs Bay among other RN
US submarines when the an
commitments (see page 20).
emergency air purification
Albion then made a quick crossing of the Channel to visit Jersey,
device, which creates oxygen in
where she was accompanied by frigate HMS Chatham (see page
a chemical reaction, exploded.
49).
Two Tireless men were
Ark’s sister and Fleet flagship HMS Illustrious has been working
killed by the blast; a third was
up in the North Sea with the Harriers of RAF IV Squadron – the first
injured and was airlifted to a US
time fast jets have been aboard Lusty since last summer (turn to
military hospital in Alaska.
page 4).
The explosion caused only
And for those readers who think we have an unhealthy obsession
superficial damage to a forward
with flat-tops... there’s quite a small-ship ‘feel’ to this issue.
compartment in the boat and
Minehunters HMS Blyth and Ramsey have been working furiously
the watertight integrity of
with the Saudi Navy in the Gulf (see opposite); HMS Cattistock was
Tireless and the safety of her
the centre of attention for a weekend in Bristol where she championed
nuclear reactor were never in
the Navy’s anti-slavery role 200 years ago (see page 49); Aberdeen
danger.
University Royal Naval Unit (home to HMS Archer) celebrated its
Following the accident,
40th birthday (also on page 49); HMS Sabre and Scimitar, the patrol
the submarine immediately
boats of the Gibraltar Squadron, are our joint ships of the month
surfaced, punching its
(see page 12); and last, but not least, Her Majesty’s Survey Motor
way through the Arctic ice
Launch Gleaner – she’s too small officially to be a ship – has been
– something it had done just
producing stunning 3D surveys of the seabed on the Forth and,
a couple of days before the
more recently, on the Tyne (turn to page 23).
tragedy as part of exercises to
Also on the Tyne was HMS Northumberland, catching up with ● HMS Monmouth’s Merlin closes in on the Afrodite S, whose crew are on deck waiting to be rescued
test Tireless’ ability to fight in
her affiliates in the region as she took a break from training in the Picture: LA(Phot) Dave Griffiths, FRPU Whale Island
such an extreme environment.
North Sea (see page 5).
“My thoughts go out to the
The Type 23 fleet seems to be bearing the brunt of RN operations
family and friends of the men
presently... Northumberland’s sister frigate HMS Monmouth was on
who have lost their lives,” said
hand when a freighter foundered off Cyprus (see right). Back home Commander-in-Chief Fleet
is HMS Lancaster which has returned to Pompey after five months
Textbook time for Monmouth
Admiral Sir James Burnell-
in the Caribbean (see page 5). And east of Suez, HMS Sutherland Nugent.
has been in Karachi for a major exercise involving the navies of the
Royal Navy and demonstrate the diverse roles
“I also wish to pay tribute to
world, which ended with a sail past in front of Pakistan’s president
FIVE sailors owe their lives to the
Monmouth is able to perform.
the crew of HMS Tireless for
(see page 10).
textbook professionalism of HMS
“It was apparent to all that Afrodite S was
dealing with and containing this
Sutherland forms one strand of Britain’s commitment to CTF 158,
Monmouth’s fl iers who rescued them
in distress, in worsening weather and sea
incident so professionally.”
the international task force helping to stabilise Iraq. HMS Cornwall
as their cargo ship went down in the
state conditions and we have done all that
Vice Admiral Jay Donnelly,
has taken over as the group’s flagship, led by Britain’s Cdre Nick
Mediterranean.
we possibly can to help.”
head of the US Navy’s
Lambert (see page 10).
An SOS signal was fl ashed out by the
Shortly after the rescue, the cargo
submarine force, added:
The waters off the Falklands are, naturally, rather cooler than the
Afrodite S off Cyprus – and picked up
vessel sank stern-first about 80 miles
“Submariners are brothers at
Gulf, but no less alive with RN activity.
by the Devonport-based frigate, which
from the island of Karpathos.
sea and we all feel the loss as if
The ship’s company of HMS Edinburgh has completed its swap-
immediately scrambled her Merlin
The rescue provided the first drama
it were our own.”
over with its counterparts from HMS Exeter to continue patrolling helicopter.
of the frigate’s nine-month deployment
The names of the two dead
around the islands until June (see page 8). The merchantman, registered in St
Volans07, which began in earnest in
submariners had not been
Falklands patrol ship HMS Dumbarton Castle will also be in the Vincent and the Grenadines, was carrying
Palma, Mallorca, Monmouth’s first port
revealed as Navy News went to
islands until at least June to take her place in the 25th anniversary bulk cement, which shifted in the storm and
of call.
press.
commemorations of the conflict. We take an in-depth look at life caused the ship to take on water.
The island was basking in spring sunshine The third Tireless crew
aboard ‘Bouncy’ Castle on page 22. All 11 crew members were airlifted off the ship by
during the ship’s four-day stay. member hurt in the blast
And never far from the Falklands, relatively speaking, when on Monmouth’s helicopter in conjunction with a Greek
Sailors seeking nightlife headed for Magaluf, was expected to make a full
deployment is ice ship HMS Endurance, which has been helping Super Puma search and rescue helicopter which then those seeking tranquillity toured Palma’s old town, recovery from his injuries.
BBC film crews during her latest survey period in Antarctica (turn transported the crew to the Greek mainland. and those seeking thrills went diving off Mallorca’s The submarine herself
to page 9). “In spite of the rough conditions and large swell, rocky coastline. has been in service for two
Back in UK waters (where you’ll find HMS Exeter if not her crew), this was an almost textbook rescue. I cannot praise And it’s amazing who you can bump into in a decades.
HMS Southampton is gearing up to take over from Edinburgh. the actions of my aircrew too highly,” said Lt Cdr Ian Spanish holiday island out of season. The air purification device
She’s in Devonport on pre-deployment training before heading for Varley, the Black Duke’s Flight Commander. Coronation Street’s Les Battersby (aka actor Bruce which exploded was fitted to
the Caribbean, Chile and ultimately the South Atlantic. Cdr Tim Peacock, Monmouth’s Commanding Jones) was holidaying in Mallorca, but took a break the boat during her 2001 refit.
And finally... hats off to those nice chaps and chapesses of the Offi cer, added: “Saving a fellow sailor is one of the from his R&R to drop in on Monmouth. As a precaution, the use of
Photographic Branch whose excellent images are spread liberally fundamental laws of the sea and I am immensely The ship is currently attached to Operation Active all similar devices in Trafalgar-
about this publication. The cream of their pictures can be found on proud of the way my sailors have performed in Endeavour, the anti-terror patrol by Allied navies in class boats has been stopped
pages 14 and 15 as the winners of the Peregrine Trophy (the phots’ rendering assistance to the Afrodite S. the Mediterranean, before heading through Suez to while safety checks are carried
Oscars) are announced. “Their actions are in the fi nest traditions of the the Far East. out.
NEW 02_NN_Apr.indd 1 22/3/07 08:55:03 03_NN_Apr.indd 1 16/3/07 15:43:23
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