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THE LARGEST ship in the RN
Helicopter carrier HMS Ocean has taken aircraft to track scores of movements on the ‘normal’ activity and it also helps all the
inventory is the biggest ship on the
over from frigate HMS Lancaster policing oceans. interested agencies form an accurate
beat as she takes up the war against
Caribbean waters alongside RFA Wave Ruler. Also aboard are the Merlins of 700M worldwide picture,” explained Lt Cdr Pete
This is the first time a flat-top has been sent squadron, plus Ocean’s landing craft. Hoare, Ocean’s operations officer.
drug-runners. to the region to clamp down on traffickers The combined electronic wizardry of the two “So when something out of the ordinary
– it’s a task normally reserved for frigates and squadrons should give the ship the edge over happens, it’s much easier to pinpoint. It’s
destroyers. the traffickers – and give Ocean a much bigger all about getting one step ahead of the bad
Two Fleet Air Arm squadrons have deployed ‘footprint’ in the Caribbean than a destroyer or guys.”
with the Devonport-based warship. frigate with a single helicopter. The first major port of call for the carrier
Recently-formed Sea King It’s a trick the RN learned 12 months across the Atlantic was Martinique, basking in
unit 854 is using its ago when it used HMS Bulwark with her glorious sunshine.
‘bagger’ variants of commandos, landing craft and helicopters to From there she headed north to Norfolk,
the venerable great effect in the northern Gulf. Virginia, to take part in the 54th annual Azalea
The mission in the Caribbean is similar: festival, which celebrates the commitment by
to track and interdict the criminals and to NATO’s 26 nations to international security.
reassure ordinary mariners. This year’s festival coincided with the 400th
“While not every day turns up ‘birthday’ of Jamestown, where British settlers
something suspicious, it’s had fi rst landed.
often worth knowing what And the event also coincided with the
constitutes departure of the Velux 5 Oceans Challenge
yachts on the fi nal leg of their global race,
dashing across the Atlantic to Bilbao.
Ocean hosted the five skippers left in
the solo race (two dropped out),
including veteran British
yachtsman Sir Robin
Knox-Johnston.
● Ocean’s sailors line the upper decks for the ceremonial entry to Martinique and (above) Lt Chris Grey
and Lt Chris Sharrott sharply lower the nose of their 815 NAS Lynx, bound for RFA Wave Ruler, over HMS
Ocean for this spectacular view
Pictures: LA(Phot) Ray Jones, HMS Ocean
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