2 NAVY NEWS, MAY 2007
HMS Tireless
HMS Albion
Vanguard-class
submarine HMS Dasher
HMS Pursuer
HMS Montrose
Joint Force Harrier
3 Cdo Bde/CHF/FSMASU
HMS Sabre/Scimitar
845 & 846 NAS, 539 ASRM
HMS Sutherland
HMS Ocean
RFA Wave Ruler
HMS Monmouth
HMS Cornwall
HMS Echo
HMS Blyth
HMS Scott
HMS Ramsey
RFA Brambleleaf
Northern Diving Group
RFA Fort Austin
RFA Sir Bedivere
857 NAS
814 NAS
HMS Trenchant
HMS Enterprise
FASLANE
ROSYTH
HMS Endurance
HMS Manchester
HMS Quorn
HMS Mersey
HMS Severn
HMS Dumbarton Castle
HMS Tyne
RFA Gold Rover
HMS Edinburgh/Exeter
HMS Northumberland
PORTSMOUTH
DEVONPORT
847 NAS
Satellite imagery courtesy of NASA
Fleet Focus
ALL eyes these past few weeks have been directed towards the
northern Arabian Gulf and upon HMS Cornwall in particular.
847 play TAG
The capture of 15 sailors and marines provoked a media storm...
as did the decision of the Navy to allow the personnel to sell their
stories (see pages 6 and 10).
Cornwall is not the sole Senior Service representative in the Gulf, WE LAST caught up with the Lynx men and
Also ferried ashore was CHF’s Mobile Air Operation
indeed, far from it.
women of 847 Naval Air Squadron amid the
Team, responsible for ensuring that the aircraft had safe
Minehunters HMS Blyth and Ramsey are roughly one sixth of
snow and ice of the Arctic Circle.
landing sites in Cornwall, and the boffi ns from the Maritime
their way through a three-year deployment based in Bahrain, which
Warfare Centre – led by Cdr Richard Bowbrick – who
Since then it’s warmed up (a bit) for the Yeovilton-based
has been experiencing some fairly scary weather (see page 4).
collected vital data examining the way the RN conducts
fliers in the Western Approaches as they joined their
Also in the Gulf region are RFA Fort Austin (home to the ‘bagger’
amphibious operations to see whether there is room for
Commando Helicopter Force comrades on Exercise
Sea Kings of 857 Naval Air Squadron on anti-terrorism work),
improvement.
South-west Scimitar, a mock evacuation operation.
tanker RFA Brambleleaf and landing support vessel RFA Sir
Away from the hectic Cornish and Devonian skies,
Ark Royal’s input in the war game – the final test
Bedivere, currently serving as a ‘mother ship’ for the Iraqi Navy
CHF engineers and logisticians remained steadfast in
of the carrier’s new helicopter assault role before she
which is being trained by RN and RM personnel.
support of the exercise, ensuring the helicopters were
begins active operations – featured in last month’s
Frigate HMS Sutherland had been the principal RN vessel in the
serviceable throughout.
edition.
Gulf for most of the winter of 2006-07, but has spent most of her
They did so with great enthusiasm, demonstrating
But what of 847 NAS? For the fliers of the Commando
time recently in the Indian Ocean, latterly with the mighty carriers FS
their ability to overcome any serviceability issues;
Helicopter Force, Scimitar was a welcome break from the
Charles de Gaulle and USS John C Stennis (see page 9).
– a sentiment shared by the air group’s Air Engineering
jungle of West Africa (where they were last autumn), sands
In the western Indian Ocean, HMS Scott has been conducting
Offi cer, Lt Cdr Paul Brunell.
of Iraq (where they’ve been constantly since 2003) and frozen
survey work around the Seychelles (see page 8).
“The exercise was as much a test for the air group engineers
fjords of Norway, giving the Lynx crews the chance to flex their
And HMS Monmouth is also in the Indian Ocean, edging steadily
as it was for the aircrew – a good opportunity for us to brush up on
muscles at sea again – and work alongside their Junglie Sea King
east on her 2007 deployment to the Pacific Rim. Monmouth geared
our skills whilst operating at sea,” he explained.
counterparts and RAF Chinooks.
up for the ‘business end’ of her tour of duty with a lively visit to
As for the overall effectiveness of 847 and the combined air
847’s CO Maj Steve Hussey RM was placed in charge of the air
Cyprus where P2000 patrol craft HMS Pursuer acted as a suspicious
forces during South-west Scimitar, Maj Hussey was pleased with
group committed to Scimitar.
vessel to test the Black Duke’s team (see pages 14 and 15).
the outcome.
It was the helicopters’ mission to put 90 Royal Marines of 40
Monmouth’s sister Montrose is also enjoying (or enduring) a
The Tailored Air Group was commanded by 847 NAS, and TAG/847
Commando ashore around Torpoint as the war games reached
lengthy deployment on NATO duties in the Mediterranean. She took
Commanding Offi cer, Maj Steve Hussey RM said: ‘Though short,
their climax – an evacuation of civilians similar to last year’s rescue
a break with the rest of the Allied force in the picture-postcard port
South-west Scimitar provided the Commando Helicopter Force
of refugees from the Lebanon.
with an ideal opportunity to work up with fellow aviation units and
of Split in Croatia (turn to page 8). The Royals were sent in to safeguard the evacuation zone
commando units to ensure that we are current in the amphibious
Our front-page ‘pinup’, HMS Ocean, has just begun a four-month (a disused Palmerston Fort near Antony), while the
arena – it’s been another busy, yet benefi cial exercise.”
stint in the Caribbean and Americas (see opposite), where tanker guns of 8 Battery Royal Artillery provided the firepower if
RFA Wave Ruler and a Lynx team from 815 NAS can already be needed – they were ferried ashore slung beneath the RAF
● An 847 NAS Lynx lifts off from Ark as a second warms up during
found. Chinooks.
Exercise South-west Scimitar
Far Eastern days for HMS Echo have drawn to an end; the survey
Picture: CPO(Phot) Kev Preece, HMS Ark Royal
vessel is heading westwards after a fab time in Singapore and
Malaysia (see page 4).
Already home in Devonport is HMS Campbeltown, whose
whistle-stop tour of duty in the Middle East ended just before Easter
(see page 8). Campbeltown served with anti-terrorism task group
CTF150, whose work is highlighted on page 20.
UK waters have seen a flurry of RN activity on, above and below
the waves. 847 NAS supported Exercise South-west Scimitar
(see right); the exercise’s flagship HMS Ark Royal enjoyed her re-
dedication in Portsmouth (see page 36).
HMS Manchester and Mersey could both be found on
Merseyside; the Mancunians visited Liverpool so they could drop
in on their namesake city (see page 16), while Mersey caught up
with her affiliated borough of Sefton. The fishery protection ship
also ‘christened’ the new berth at Glasgow’s Science Centre (turn
to page 4).
Mersey’s sisters Tyne and Severn took part in Anglo-French-
Dutch operations to ensure fishermen were not depleting European
stocks; the sweep ended with a high-level conference in Chatham
(see page 4).
Experts from Northern Diving Group were alerted when the oil
rig support vessel Bourbon Dolphin capsized off the Shetlands.
Despite the men’s best efforts they were unable to save five missing
crewmen (see page 5).
Their Plymouth counterparts, Southern Diving Unit 1, have also
been in the public eye, dealing with unexploded German ordnance
on an estate in the city (see page 4).
HMS Northumberland glided up the Thames into central London,
escorting a replica slave ship (see page 13) and championing the re-
structuring of various ratings’ branches (see page 16).
And last, but most definitely not least, a thank-you to the men
of 3 Commando Brigade who have arrived back in the UK after
six months of intense fighting with Taleban insurgents in Helmand
province, Afghanistan (see pages 22 and 23). From first day to last
they took the fight to the enemy – and defeated him.
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