28 NAVY NEWS, MAY 2008
● The Forward lift driver trudges back through the snow
on the fl ight deck of HMS Ark Royal during cold-weather
exercises off Norway at the beginning of the year
Picture: PO(Phot) Jonathan Hamlet
EVERYONE can forecast
We are talking a pressure job. delivered system will be
the weather to some degree
Lt Cdr Andy Moys, Officer affected by the weather,
and aircraft are sensitive to
or other.
in Charge of the Meteorological
Training Unit, said the Training weather too, of course.”
Your bunions ache, or there
Group prepares Naval personnel to
Among the main roles of
is an evil black cloud blotting
forecast and take observations for
Met specialists is the service
out the sun, or the cows are all ships, for aviators (whether carrier-
provided for an airfield such
lying down – a good chance
based or small ships’ flights) and for
as Culdrose or Yeovilton,
of rain.
RM boat drivers, among others.
and forecasting on a carrier,
Red sky at night, or enough
“It all depends upon the level
looking at conditions in a
blue sky after rain to make a sailor
required,” said Lt Cdr Moys.
column of air several hundred
a pair of trousers (bell-bottomed
“The 19-week course is a big
miles away from the ship.
No 1s of course) and you have the
one – it is at the highest level,
“It requires in-depth
meteorology – not just ‘it’s
makings of a decent day ahead.
and an internationally-recognised
going to rain’, but in terms
That sort of stuff is not going to
course.
of cloud type and cover,
be terribly helpful to a Harrier pilot,
“Royal Navy forecasters can
exactly when it is going to
the Weapon Engineer Officer of a
hold their heads up high anywhere
rain, what you can expect
destroyer or a squad of commandos
in the world.
up to 30,000ft, turbulence,
bound for a hostile shore.
“We teach to the level of civilian
visibility and so on.
They would like more precision
courses, and we do more practical
“Can the pilot see their
– and if the forecast is way out,
work as well.
target and deliver the weapon
it could result in the loss of an
“Not just on land, but out in
to best effect?
expensive aeroplane, a wasted shot the middle of the sea as well.
“And can he or she land
from the 4.5in gun, or loss of life. “It is very important – for
back on the ship?
Put into that context, the example, when looking at Naval
“It is essential to realise we
meteorological element of the gunfire, the atmosphere plays a
have a big role in getting the
Hydrographic, Meteorological and major part on what the shell will
weapon system off the aircraft
Oceanographic Training Group hit. and send it to the target.
remit takes on a more serious “The same goes for cruise “It is efficient use of
outlook than the ‘Professor Fog’ missiles, and even as far as ballistic resources – there is no point
jibes might suggest. nuclear weapons – any airborne- sending aircraft if they cannot
● A METOC rating taking readings on board HMS Albion during Exercise Neptune Warrior last year.
achieve the mission.
Picture: LA(PHOT) Dan Hooper
“You save an awful lot By way of contrast, Napoleon weather as bad weather, but what going on in the atmosphere, and
of money and fuel if they never could have done with a decent long- is a good day or a bad day?” said to produce an accurate forecast.
takeoff because they cannot follow range forecast when he launched Lt Cdr Moys. This in turn allows matters such
through to the final objective. his invasion of Russia in 1812. “It depends on what you want as radio and radar performance,
“A great number of missions The French dictator failed to achieve. wind forces, sea swells, night
fail because of the environment, to take sufficient notice of the “If it is sunny and bright, it is illumination and other phenomena
not because of technical failure. extremes of weather along no good for a beach landing – you to be factored in.
“That also goes for boats or his invasion route, and having
want low cloud and flat seas. Many RN ships are designed
landing craft – if you are running scorched during the summer
“For a reconnaissance aircraft, to project power inshore to the
in to a beach, but you find more (losing hundreds of horses and
a clear sky can mean condensation hinterland, so a carrier would have
than 4ft of surf, you cannot get soldiers as a consequence), an
trails, which make it highly two officers forecasting and four
troops in.” early and particularly harsh winter
visible. ratings, split into two cells for
Right throughout history the turned a retreat into a disaster.
“Then there is diving visibility, round-the-clock cover.
environment has had a habit of Hitler made the same error in
or the Special Forces guy who is A smaller ship would have one
defeating armies and navies – and 1941 – Operation Barbarossa, the
swimming. officer and one rating to do the
effective forecasting has prevented invasion of Russia, was delayed
“Can he be seen? Do you need same job.
catastrophe. by six weeks for tactical reasons,
clear water or mucky water for All seek to maximise their side’s
Gp Capt James Stagg, having which left ill-equipped troops to
covert operations? advantages and to blunt the ability
consulted his team of forecasters, perish in the snow, their machinery of the enemy to see and attack.
advised Eisenhower to postpone unusable and the Russians, far
“You might also be
“We teach them to look at the
Operation Neptune, the invasion more familiar with the conditions,
forecasting for currents – if
upper atmosphere – they can
of Normandy, from June 5 1944. picking them off at will.
your team encounter a tidal
The invasion fleet was loaded Then there was Agincourt –
stream, will they be able
forecast maybe up to 400 or 500
and ready to go, but ships were steady rain bogged down heavily-
to get to the target, or will
miles away,” said Lt Cdr Moys.
recalled and the boffins again armoured French cavalry, making
they be too tired?”
It may be a Harrier sortie, or the
radar performance of an ASaC
checked their charts before them easy targets for English The training of forecasters helicopter on the look-out for
recommending the following day, archers. and observers at the HMTG in small boats or low-flying aircraft
June 6, should be D-Day. Or the Spanish Armada in the Devonport taps into the top- in the northern Gulf, or the range
The forecast of Stagg and his summer of 1588 which, having class resources of the Met Office, at which a ship’s sensors spot an
team was spot on – and fortune received a mauling at the hands of including the HORACE global incoming missile.
was with them; had they waited for Sir Francis Drake’s fleet, tried to forecasting system. Or it may be the guarantee to
the next favourable combination escape around Scotland and was Picking up data from satellite, get an aircraft down after a sortie,
of tides, moon and visibility, the smashed by summer storms. ground stations and remote sites, or plan in a replenishment at sea –
invasion fleet would have been In any case, ‘good’ or ‘bad’ the fledgling weathermen and at the end of the day the safety and
battered by the worst weather in weather is a subjective matter. women are trained to analyse effectiveness of ships, aircraft and
the Channel for 20 years. “People think of windy and wet charts, to understand what is sailors depend on the forecasts.
028_NN_may.indd 1 21/4/08 09:24:01
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