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4 NAVY NEWS, APRIL 2007
● Spray time... The tail of a GR9 Harrier is enveloped in a mist as its
engine kicks up water on the fl ight deck of HMS Illustrious
Picture: LA(Phot) Darby Allen
V for good on IllustriousV for good on Illustrious
F
OR the fi rst
“It was excellent training Commander Cdre Alan by the aircraft handlers... who
time the
for my teams, working Richards, Cdre Andrew work with tractors on the
nation’s
with the squadron Cameron – Commodore flight deck every day (they
and building up Portsmouth Flotilla – and ascribed their triumph to
flagship the tempo on the Rear Admiral David supreme fitness and practice
has played host
deck safely and Cooke, Commander of although everyone else
to the bombers
efficiently.” Operations for the Fleet thought they cheated).
which will form
In the first week of – in charge of the day- Before beginning
operations, the jump to-day operations of Hold Fast, Illustrious’
her punch for
jets touched down submarines and surface crew were given a
the remaining on 51 occasions and
ships – all dropped in relaxing weekend on
years of
took off on 46 times as
on the carrier. the English Riviera.
her life.
the Joint Force Harrier/
Also aboard was The flat-top ended
maritime artist a fortnight’s training
Harrier GR9 strike
Illustrious combination
Mandy Shepherd,a with helicopters from
aircraft of RAF IV Squadron
worked up a sweat.
long-time friend RNAS Yeovilton and Culdrose
touched down on the flight deck
Surprisingly, it’s been nine
of the ship; she has by ‘parking’ in Torbay to allow
of HMS Illustrious for two weeks
months since the zoomies (as the
been commissioned her sailors to enjoy the sights of
of exercises in the North Sea.
jets are affectionately known) were
to produce a Torquay and Paignton.
Exercise Hold Fast was intended
last aboard, so the roar of the
painting of As for IV Squadron, the high
to get the RAF fliers and crew
Pegasus was warmly welcomed by
Illustrious for ground not the high seas beckon;
accustomed to operations at sea...
all on board.
the ship’s 25th it will deploy to Afghanistan later
and to accustom Lusty’s team to
“The flying programme was
the Harrier back on to
birthday later this this year to support the British
working with the Air Force and
extremely full,” said Lt Cdr Toby
the deck of Illustrious after a
year. peacekeeping mission there.
their new jump jet.
Evison.
break of more than five years – it
And talking of parties... The entire Harrier force is in
The GR9 is the latest addition
“Although we might have
certainly focused the mind,” said
Gp Capt Sean Bell, CO of Joint two days of fun were heavy demand presently; 800
to the Harrier family and can
expected to lose several sorties at
Force Harrier. organised by the CPOs’ and WOs’ Naval Air Squadron has recently
carry considerably more firepower
this time of the year, we missed
“Collectively, it’s an extremely mess. First a race night in the returned from Afghanistan, while
than its predecessor, the GR7.
the worst of the weather or ‘drove’
of senior visitors, eager to see
impressive capability and it’s very Illustrious’ progress before she hangar; then, the following day, a its sister squadron 801 is still
It formally entered service in
the ‘airfield’ around to find good
good to see our personnel in such departs for the Baltic after Easter tractor-pull competition between in the process of re-forming at
2005, but this was the first time an
weather – an alien concept to the
great spirits.” with Joint Force Harrier aboard. various departments aboard. RAF Cottesmore, the home of the
operational squadron had landed many RAF personnel embarked,
The flagship has hosted a flurry UK Carrier Strike Group Strangely, said event was won combined RAF/FAA force..
aboard a carrier – a testing time but one that they certainly took
for pilots and flight deck teams to.”
alike. For the Crabs, returning to sea
“Having the jets back on board after being landlocked in Rutland
was a pleasure,” said Lt Jon took a bit of getting used to.
F-A-B results from Thunderbird
Llewellyn, Flight Deck Officer. “It was quite a challenge to fly
ROYAL Marines Commandos have Maysaan, then waited for smugglers to As a result, around 500,000 ‘Marsh Arabs’
maintained the pressure on insurgents and pass before pouncing. returned – but criminals also seized upon
criminals on the waterways of Iraq. They also conducted overt patrols, the marshland’s rebirth to use the streams
Hot on the heels of Operation Troy, stopping and searching craft in the myriad and rivers as a highway for contraband.
intended to seal off the heart of Basra waterways which criss-cross Maysaan, The Royals used their Zodiac infl atable
CREDIT CARD FORM
to traffi c by car or boat to strangle and conducted searches of the marshland raiders (pictured below by Cpl Andy Benson,
criminal activity, the amphibious warfare to fi nd hidden weapons caches. RAF); the Iraqis used ‘air boats’ – fan-
experts of 539 Assault Squadron struck at The wetlands of Maysaan in the lower propelled ‘kings of the marshes’ (like those
known smuggling routes in the Maysaan Tigris-Euphrates basin extend over around in the Florida Everglades) which can reach
province. 20,000 square miles of land straddling the speeds of more than 55mph.
My order is attached for: ............................................................
Accompanied by forces from the Iraqi Iraq-Iran border and since the fall of the “This type of joint operation is key to
Department of Border Enforcement, the Saddam regime renewed irrigation and tackling smuggling and stemming the fl ow
.............................................................................................................
commandos set up covert observation water management efforts have breathed of arms across the border. It reinforces
Cardholders Name: ......................................................................
posts in the reeds and marshes of southern fresh life into the region. the message that illegal activity will not be
tolerated,” explained C/Sgt
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Nigel Bartlett.
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