NAVY NEWS, APRIL 2007 49
Eye aye for Many happy
Chatham and
returns, URNU
Albion
WHAT began as an experiment
four decades ago has now
celebrated its 40th birthday: the
YOU wait all year for a big grey
fi rst University Royal Naval Unit.
warship to come and then two
Back in 1967 Professor
arrive in the space of a weekend.
Raymond Stevenson of the
Channel Islanders woke up to
University of Aberdeen decided
find Her Majesty’s Ships Albion
to harness the enthusiasm of
and Chatham at anchor off St
his students with the Granite
Helier, Jersey, last month.
City’s proud maritime and naval
Assault ship Albion had just
heritage.
completed exercises with HMS
And so Aberdeen URNU was
Ark Royal (see page 20) while
Chatham was letting her hair
born, aimed at giving the cream
down before undergoing the
of Britain’s young brains an
torture that is Basic Operational
insight into the Senior Service.
Sea Training.
It was greatly helped in its
Both dropped anchor as part
fl edgling years by minesweeper
of the ‘Royal Navy in the Public
HMS Thornham, no longer
Eye’ initiative to get ships around
needed by the front-line Fleet and
the UK – and get the public to
donated to the unit.
take notice of them.
Four decades later, P2000
To publicise her visit, Chatham
patrol craft HMS Archer does
teamed up with local TV to give
what Thornham once did;
four Guernsey and four Jersey
students go to sea with the boat
residents a chance to join their
to learn to navigate, conduct
ship for a day.
transfers at sea, ship driving,
The VIPs were royally treated
general boat handling and
to a fine lunch, tour of the frigate,
emergency drills.
and then a tour of the islands’
Around 50 students from
coastline courtesy of Chatham.
Aberdeen and Robert Gordon
The islands were seemingly
Universities join the unit each
awash with matelots that
year at its base in Gordon
weekend, for the French
Barracks, Bridge of Don.
minesweeper Céphée was also in
Archer takes some students to
St Helier.
sea around the Western Isles each
Cdr Martin Connell,
Easter, and carries more around
Chatham’s CO, and three of his the UK and Europe each summer
team endured a very wet ride in during university leave.
the frigate’s sea boat on a visit “For students this is the best of
to the French vessel; the French both worlds,” said Cdre Charles
captain presumably got a similar Stevenson, Naval Regional
soaking the following day when Commander Scotland and
he came out to visit Chatham. Northern Ireland.
“Those sailors who made it “In a University Royal Naval
ashore into Jersey came back full Unit, students learn nautical skills
of enthusiasm,” said Cdr Connell. and skills for life, a variety of
“We’ve been very lucky to new experiences, visit interesting
be asked to come here – both places and receive up to £3,000
islands and their surroundings are
per year tax-free.
beautiful.
“There’s no commitment to
“I’m extremely proud of my
them joining the RN when they
crew for having put together a ● HMS Cattistock slips gracefully under Brunel’s Clifton Suspension
graduate.
plan at short notice, one which Bridge on her way into Bristol
“We hope that they will take
left our prize-winners with such
their increased understanding of
fond memories of the RN.”
the need for a Navy with them
Chatham is now in the throes
Lock, ’stock & Bristol
throughout their lives.”
of BOST having paid a visit to
her namesake port and exercised
her freedom of the town.
Brocklesby’s
Civic honour
a capital ship
bestowed on
Over the course of her stay the
I
T IS not often that HMS
in our history, the Royal many passers-by about the MINEHUNTER HMS Brocklesby
Cattistock dominates
Navy’s war against slavery Royal Navy, the ship and ship also welcomed fi ve Combined will take a break from disposing
HMS Quorn
Cadet Force and Sea Cadet
the seascape around
through most of the 19th her work. of the detritus of two world
Century is something to “Against the backdrop of units aboard, as well as Bristol wars when she pays a fi ve-day
her. be championed. the city, Cattistock made University Royal Naval Unit and a visit to London.
But in the heart of Bristol, the Hence Cattistock’s an impressive sight group of potential RN recruits. The Portsmouth-based
IN CELEBRATION of her 750-ton minehunter dwarfed eve- visit to Bristol. – dwarfi ng the other
Offi cial events included a photo warship and her allies from
long-standing ties with the town rything else on the waterfront, There was, of ships and boats in the
call at the museum to promote NATO’s Standing Naval Mine
of Melton Mowbray, minehunter save Brunel’s SS Great Britain. course, the small fl oating harbour,” said
the impending exhibition, and a Countermeasures Group 1
HMS Quorn was receiving the The Portsmouth-based vessel matter of getting Lt Harris.
formal lunch attended by the Lord have been hunting the leftovers
Freedom of the Borough as Navy took a break from minehunting there first... “We were rivalled
Mayor, Cllr Peter Abraham, and of the war at sea since the
News went to press. and fishery protection duties to “It was quite a only by the SS Great
the next High Sheriff of Bristol, beginning of the year.
Sailors from the Portsmouth- head up the River Avon as part of tricky entry into Bristol Britain at the Maritime
Bob Durie. On the latest sweep, the
based warship headed to the Senior Service’s commemora- due to the unexpectedly Museum a few hundred
“My ship’s company had been quartet found and blew up ten
Leicestershire to the home of tion of its role in abolishing slavery low tide – we had less metres away.” (Which is
looking forward to the visit to mines in four days – but it’s still
the pork pie (mmmm, pork two centuries ago. water than we had planned rather fi ne company to be in
Bristol for a long time and it did the tip of the iceberg.
pies – Ed) to join the Band of Bristol is a city whose wealth in to get ourselves up the already – Ed.)
not disappoint,” said Lt Cdr James Off the Dutch and Belgian
HM Royal Marines Plymouth, years gone by spiralled thanks to narrow river,” said navigator Lt Thanks to substantial publicity
Barnes, Cattistock’s CO. coasts in the past two years
soldiers, Army, RAF and Sea the slave trade. Hugh Harris. in advance of Cattistock’s arrival
“The city was very welcoming alone 547 mines have been
Cadets and veterans on a march Over a 109-year period until the “After careful consideration, and two BBC Radio Bristol
and all of the events were a great reported by fishermen, but only
through the small market town abolition of the trade in 1807, an good liaison with the pilots and
interviews when the ship came
success. 365 of these were disposed of
– after Mayor Cllr Ron Marks estimated 500,000 Africans were a quick readjustment of the
alongside, more than 3,000 people
“The commemoration of the by Allied warships.
presented the freedom scroll to transported to the Americas in
navigation plan, we found a safe toured the minehunter when she
abolition of the slave trade is The four ships – Belgium’s
Lt Cdr Mark Taylor, Quorn’s Bristol’s slave ships.
route up the Avon. opened her gangway to the public.
ongoing throughout the year Godetia, the Dutch Makkum
Commanding Officer. So it is fi tting that this month a
“It was certainly a challenge and “I am so pleased to see the
and I am delighted that the ship and Latvia’s Namejs complete
The only other military unit
£770,000 exhibition backed by very rewarding, not to mention Royal Navy in the city,” enthused
has been able to play a part and the quartet – will be in West
to be awarded the Freedom of
the RN opens at the city’s British a relief, to get to the lock and Bristolian John Chandler.
highlight the important role that India Docks between April 19
Melton was the Defence Animal
Empire and Commonwealth alongside.” “The crew of Cattistock is
the Royal Navy of yesteryear and 23.
Centre in the late 1970s.
Museum. Having secured the ship, her smart, courteous and interesting.
played in enforcing the abolition.” The visit to London is the
But why the freedom of
And while Britain’s role in the crew began setting up information I feel proud to see our Navy so
■ Breaking the Chains opens curtain-raiser to a 14-week
Melton and not the freedom of
trade is one of the darker chapters boards on the jetty to inform the well represented.”
on April 23. More details on operation in waters from the
Quorn, though?
0117 925 498 or at www. Baltic to the Channel and
Well, the ship is named after
empiremuseum.co.uk Atlantic.
Quorn hunt, not the village, and
the hunt is based in Melton.
CONTINUING the slavery theme, A week later, after learning her
cinemagoers might catch a glossy lines (no autocue here) and receiving
The not-so-bright
minute-long trailer produced by ‘facial exercises’ instruction (to
the RN celebrating its role in give more expression to your face
lights of Eastney
suppressing the trade 200 years as a professional actor would), the
ago. rating was in front of the cameras
The advert coincides with the in the film studio. Consummate
NEW lights are being installed release of the lauded big screen professional that she is, she had
at the medal room of the Royal biopic Amazing Grace, which the filming wrapped up two hours
Marines’ Museum to ensure the champions the life and work of ahead of schedule.
priceless collection of awards anti-slavery campaigner William Nicole hails from Trinidad (her
are preserved. Wilberforce – played by Hornblower family should soon be getting a
Existing lighting – which star Ioan Gruffudd. DVD version of the trailer) and says
emits ultra-violet radiation – As for the star of the Navy’s the subject of slavery was not one
causes fabrics, including medal advert, she’s not an actress but expressly taught in schools, apart
ribbons, to fade. Wtr Nicole Atwell, who’s had from to history students.
Low energy lighting which no formal training in front of the “I didn’t know about the Navy’s
does not emit such radiation camera – apart from a couple involvement in putting down the
(and will also cut the electricity of days actually producing the slave trade, so working on this has
bill by around £500 per year) trailer. been really interesting.
is being fitted as part of a Nicole, who works with the RN’s “That’s the objective – to raise
£50,000 revamp of the medal Diversity Action Team in London, public awareness.
gallery at the Eastney museum, got a call out of the blue one “As for the filming, it was a great
which is home to more than morning to head to a production experience and I wouldn’t hesitate
● A force for good – then and now... A screen shot of Wtr Nicole Atwell (on the left) who is the
8,000 awards and decorations
narrator of the RN’s new anti-slavery cinema advert
studio. to do it again.”
received by men of the Corps.
49_NN_Apr.indd 1 20/3/07 09:53:22
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