NAVY NEWS, MAY 2008 13
● Mnes Alistair Burton and Carl
Thurgood abseil down the hull of the
Ventura after smashing bottles of
champagne
Picture: PO(Phot) Gary Davies, FRPU East
May God bless all
● Clyde’s sailors tidy up the memorial to HMS Coventry on Pebble
Island
who ’seil on her...
Echoes of heroes
AFTER completing the fi rst fi ancée’s uncle, AB(EW) Adrian
major rotation of her sailors and Sunderland, was lost on the
an intensive period of operational destroyer.
ABSEILING down the hull of Britain’s newest Now you could: an Oscar last year for her portrayal of Her
training, the crew of Falkland “One of my aims whilst in
superliner, green berets Alistair Burton and
1. Use cava (the bubbles are bigger)
Majesty. The actress was chosen by P&O to be
Islands’ patrol vessel HMS Clyde the Falklands was to visit the
Carl Thurgood make a dramatic entry at the
2. Score the bottle
Ventura’s ‘godmother’; she ordered the Royals
took some time out for refl ection. memorial on behalf of my fi ancée
naming ceremony of the Ventura.
3. Give it a bloody good shake beforehand
from RNAS Yeovilton to carry out their ‘Man This month sees the 26th and her family, his memory both
The Royals jumped off the bridge of the
4. Smash it against the thickest part of the
from Milk Tray’ mission. anniversary of the bitter battle at home and in the Falklands will
116,000-tonne queen of the seas, scurried
hull.
“It’s been quite different – quite different for San Carlos Water never be forgotten,” said
down the side, then christened the liner by indeed from our time in Afghanistan,” said – for which the RN paid Simon.
smashing champagne bottles in front of 1,500
Or you could:
Capt Rod Yapp, in charge of the display team. heavily. Clyde herself has been
VIPs in Southampton. 1. Get the Commando Display Team to “It’s also been quite daunting being in front
A memorial overlooks patrolling some of the 200
The last time there was a high-profile ship
abseil down the side of the ship and
of the world’s press and dealing with so much
these now peaceful islands which make up
naming ceremony, the Duchess of Cornwall
wallop the champers bottle against it.
media attention.”
waters, remembering the Falklands and their
pressed a button, a bottle of champagne hurtled
The first option is, of course, easier. But the
Suitably bathed in champers – with all the
the sacrifices made extensive coastline.
towards the hull of the Queen Victoria and... it
second is a damned sight more exciting.
good luck that it brings – Ventura has now set
by Type 21 frigates The patrol vessel
promptly bounced off it. You cannot command the Royal Marines off on her maiden voyage. Fully loaded, she
in defence of the has also been working
Well, we couldn’t have a repeat of that, unless you have a Royal. can carry more than 3,500 passengers, and one
amphibious landings: with the Army
could we? Enter Dame Helen Mirren, who bagged third as many crew to cater for their needs.
HMS Ardent and Roulement Infantry
Antelope were both Company and Royal
lost to Argentine air Air Force on exercise
Royal visitors in the West Country
power that fateful May. in San Carlos.
And so it was that a The exercise saw
quarter of a century later, the warship covertly
sailors from HMS Clyde ascended insert and extract elements of
Campito to polish and tidy up the C Company, 1st Battalion, The
WHILE one fi ctional queen was initial training course. They the Queen, Lord High Admiral the building.
frigates’ monument. Yorkshire Regiment using her
giving orders to Royal Marines, were inspected by the Duke of of the RN, last attended her Once Armada is finished, there
Despite the at times harsh Rigid Raider craft on the very
the true monarch was in Edinburgh. own divisions; in absentia, she will be 1,451 en-suite single
Falklands climate, the memorial beaches where the landings were
Dartmouth inspecting the naval Her Majesty presented prizes can nominate a member of her cabins for all ranks and rates at
remains in surprisingly good made in 1982.
leaders of tomorrow. to a variety of young offi cers in family or a senior member of the Drake in four new buildings and
condition – as does that honouring “Both memorials remain in
The Queen was the guest of recognition of their outstanding Armed Forces to take the salute
three revamped ones.
HMS Coventry. excellent condition and Clyde
honour for the most prestigious performance during training, on her behalf.
She also inspected the junior
The Type 42 destroyer was will visit them both again in the
of the six parades held at including 26-year-old Lt Gemma Further west, the Princess
rates’ newly-refurbished mess,
bombed and sank in less than half coming months,” said Clyde’s
Britannia Royal Naval College, Britton, who earned the Queen’s Royal was in Devonport to open
before moving on to have a look an hour on May 25 after a day of Commanding Offi cer Lt Cdr
Lord High Admiral’s Divisions. Binoculars. the latest part of the multi-
at the new Maritime Composite sustained enemy attacks. Jonathan Lett.
There were 400 young officers Once the parade was over, the million-pound Armada project,
Training System. Her monument stands on “Few of my crew are old enough
marching before their Queen, Queen and Duke of Edinburgh which is replacing HMS Drake’s
The hi-tech simulator, which nearby Pebble Island, another to remember the Falklands War, so
some passing out of Dartmouth, attended a celebratory reception 60s and 70s accommodation
recreates an operations room, remote spot in the Falklands. these visits are an excellent way of
others still undergoing their for the offi cer cadets who had with 21st-Century single cabins.
is used to teach trainee and The visit to Coventry’s both identifying lessons from the
training at BRNC. completed training and their The newest block at Drake
experienced warfare operators cenotaph proved particularly past and remembering those of
And taking part for the fi rst families, then were guests of to be inhabited, Cornwell VC,
the art of fighting a high-tech poignant for Clyde’s Coxswain, the Naval Service who made the
time were two platoons of rating honour at a lunch party attended named after the Jutland hero,
war. PO Simon Scott-Munden whose ultimate sacrifi ce in 1982.”
recruits from HMS Raleigh who by the college community. and some of its inhabitants met
had completed their nine-week It’s been a decade since Princess Anne during a tour of
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W W W E A S T N E Y C O L L E C T I O N C O M● The Princess Royal shares a joke with Devonport Naval Base Commander Cdre Simon Lister and
several female ratings Picture: LA(Phot) Steve Johncock, FRPU West
013_NN_May.indd 1 21/4/08 12:28:50
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