22 NAVY NEWS, APRIL 2007
‘Bouncy‘Bouncy Castle’ earns her keepCastle’ earns her keep
WHEN it comes to
regained control of the Falklands
defining the tasks of a
in 1982, acting as a despatch
warship, house calls are
vessel for the larger ships.
As such, she is a popular sight
not normally high on the around the coasts of East and
list of requirements.
West Falkland and beyond, a fact
But then HMS Dumbarton
acknowledged by her Commanding
Castle is not your average
Officer, Lt Cdr Ian Lynn.
warship.
“She is very well regarded by
The Falkland Islands Patrol
the Falkland Islanders – there is a
Vessel is the only Royal Navy ship
lot of mutual respect,” he said.
permanently assigned to duties in
Islanders will be seeing her
the South Atlantic, and as tasks go
for a little longer than originally
this is a challenge.
planned.
She is part of a deterrent tri-
The only Castle-class ship in
Service force based in the vicinity
the Fleet – sister HMS Leeds
of the Mount Pleasant Complex
Castle went out of commission
(MPC), around 30 miles from
in 2005 – was due to leave the
Stanley.
area shortly, but will now stay on
But the 1,400-ton ship is also
until the autumn to cover for the
a transport, an emergency vessel,
delayed arrival of her replacement,
a training asset and a comfort for
HMS Clyde.
those Islanders who live at the
Lt Cdr Lynn said Clyde would
back of beyond.
be doing the same job as DC,
‘DC’ is now 25 years old, and
only better – she is designed to
was part of the Task Group which
be at sea for around 300 days a
year, while DC is about 220 days
-– “the same as any other warship
of her age,” he said.
Many members of the ship’s
company due to return to the UK
have volunteered to stay on for the
25th anniversary of the Falklands
Conflict.
● Sailors from HMS Dumbarton Castle exploring the nature reserve of Sea
Lion Island in the Falklands; from left, LMA Smith, RPO Stone, Std Bain
And one of the tasks they may
and LStd Robertson
Picture: Cpl Richard Cave RLC
have to undertake is the relatively
laborious one of using stones to
Jacks of all trades
pick out the name of DC, and her
sister, in letters 20ft high on the
hillside across Stanley Harbour,
joining those of other much-
loved ships Beagle, Barracouta,
on a versatile ship
Protector and Endurance.
Although based at the bleak
inlet of Mare Harbour, south of
MPC, Dumbarton Castle gets
EVEN on a small ship there platform for training junior
around a bit.
are plenty of things to do. officers as well. We give them
She is sturdily-built, enabling
And because of the time at sea, and they have
her to cope with the harshest of
relatively small size of the the chance to navigate in
operating areas – between South
ship’s company of HMS challenging waters.
Georgia and the South Sandwich
Dumbarton Castle, there “There is not much
Islands five days to the east and the
is a chance to pick up shipping here, but when
South American mainland, two or
a lot of experience in a we do find one we tend
three days minimum to the west.
short space of time. to drive straight at it to
“Dumbarton Castle is in
“Most people are create a situation for
remarkably good condition,” said
surprised by the flexibility the officer to deal with
Lt Cdr Lynn.
of what we do on board,” – having spoken to the
“It is a labour of dedication and
said Commanding Officer other ship first, of course.”
love to keep fairly rudimentary
Lt Cdr Ian Lynn. A Falkland Islands posting
– but reliable – kit operating.”
“Only one person on board has scores highly with those who With a powerful long-range
just one job – me. appreciate wildlife. radar fi t and her endurance,
“My steward is also a chef, the There are several trips within the DC assists rescue opera-
leader of the first aid team, and also islands themselves, including Sea tions by RAF Search and
ties the helicopter down when it Lion Island, where different breeds of Rescue helicopters by act-
lands on board.” penguins, seals, sea lions and whales ing as a ‘lily pad’, where air-
That could be anything from can be spotted in a few square miles. craft can touch down to re-
a Chinook down, as DC has an Then there are the visits to the fuel, extending their range
impressive flight deck for a ship of edge of Antarctica. out to sea.
her size, larger than that of a Type 42 “South Georgia is phenomenally
destroyer. beautiful – and it is a question of
DC also acts as a modest
Her roles are so varied there is no respecting the environment when we
troopship, ferrying members of
such thing as a standard patrol – they get down there and leaving it how we
the Roulement Infantry Company
could be out for just five days, or as found it,” said Lt Cdr Lynn.
(RIC) on exercises or patrols to
many as 12; one week they could be A key team in the ship is the one
quieter part of the islands.
carrying bomb disposal experts to that works in the spacious galley, who
“Generally soldiers love being
South Georgia to destroy Argentine not only feed the ship’s company of
on board,” said Lt Cdr Lynn.
munitions, the next preparing for 53, but also have to cope with formal
“They get frustrated by the lack
visits by the Princess Royal or cocktail parties and receptions in
of opportunity to keep fit on board,
Commander-in-Chief Fleet. foreign ports.
but they like getting stuck in – and
Training has a high priority, both LCH David Judson, CH Tracy
generally they get quite seasick.”
within the ship and with the other Dunn and CH Steve Dallimore
Not for nothing is DC widely
Services. appreciate the chance to experiment,
known as the Bouncy Castle,
“It is good to balance settlement and feel the galley is just the ticket
thanks to a lively approach to sea
visits with capability training,” said – but they are always on their toes – “it
keeping.
Lt Cdr Lynn. doesn’t matter how good you are, one
“We try to give them the
“Most lads are on loan to us for bad meal and they all remember it…”
opportunity to do beach landings.
five or six months, so it is important
“But it swings both ways. They
for us to do the naval training as
give us a taste of their world by
● HMS Dumbarton Castle at sea
well. off the Falkland Islands
taking our guys on the ranges or
“Dumbarton Castle is an ideal
on a company assault.
Picture: Cpl Richard Cave RLC
“It is great because we get a
true understanding of each other’s
world.
“There is not a huge number of
redundant bed spaces on board,
so we can put them on camp beds
– strapped down to stop them
doing Mach 1 across the floor.”
But one of the ship’s most
Forth Bridge pile
important roles is visiting the
Forth Bridge pile
isolated communities around the
rocky coastlines of the islands.
A typical trip would see a party
scoot ashore in a sea boat to be
met by Jenny and George, or Pat
and Dan, given liberal amounts of
tea and cakes and a quick tour of
the farm before setting off again.
“We have lists of settlements we
aim to visit, and when we go there,
it might be the first time they have
spoken to somebody, other than
on a radio, for three months or
more,” said Lt Cdr Lynn.
● A new anchor is winched on
to HMS Dumbarton Castle at
Mare Harbour● Catering personnel work in the roomy galley of HMS Dumbarton Castle
Picture: Graeme Main (Soldier magazine) Picture: Graeme Main (Soldier magazine)
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