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2 NAVY NEWS, JULY 2008
HMS Bulwark
Nemo
HMS Roebuck
HMS DasherHMHMSHMSMS DaDDaasheshsh r
HMS Hurworth
HMS PursuerHHMSMSS PuP rsursssuuerr
RFA Diligence
Longbow
HMS Sabre/ScimitarHHMS tar
VViikings/845NAS/846 NAS/FSMASUikikiinn
HMS Richmond
HMS Iron Duke
HMS Kent
539 ASRM/EOD Team
HMS Somerset
RFA Argus
RFA Wave Ruler
HMS Westminster
HMS Albion
HMS Chatham
HMS Ramsey
HMS Edinburgh
HMS Blyth
HMS Atherstone
HMS Chiddingfold
857 NAS
RFA Cardigan Bay
RFA Wave Knight
RFA Black Rover
FASLANE
ROSYTH
HMS EnduranceHMS E
HMS GANNET 45 Cdo
HMS Ark
Royal 800/801 NAS
HMS Clyde
HMS Exeter
YEOVIL
TON
Plus one ballistic missile submarine on patrol somewhere beneath the Seven Seas
DEVONPORT
PORTSMOUTH
CULDROSE
RFA Largs Bay
FFleet Focusleet Focus
AAster la vista, Navyster la vista, Navy
RFA fi nds life
in MARS
IT’S high summer which means air shows, naval displays
A BIG piece in the future destroyer
programme has slotted into place THE next generation of ships to
and other public events... and the accompanying foul
with the fi rst fi ring of its missile top up the Fleet could be built
British weather. system. anywhere in the world – but not
But rain, apparently, isn’t unique to the UK... as the fliers of An Aster missile raced out of its Britain – as Whitehall begins a
HMS Westminster found when preparing for a sortie in the Bay silo and destroyed a target more global competition.
of Bengal (see page 10). than 20 miles away. The Rover and Leaf-class
Luckily it wasn’t quite as wet (but almost) in Southend, where French and Italian versions of tankers, which are the mainstay
829 NAS’ Merlin cousins of 824 NAS were among the few air- the missile have already been of global RN operations, are
craft to put on a show for the public at the resort’s airshow (see successfully fi red. between 24 and 34 years
page 12). But the Royal Navy’s variant of the old – hence the need for
Thankfully the weather didn’t scupper an air and water show Principal Anti-Air Missile System is replacements as part of the
further up Thames as the first copies of the new Bond book Devil driven by a different radar, Sampson MARS (Military Afl oat Reach
May Care were delivered by sailors and marines to HMS Exeter (hidden inside the spinning ‘egg’ on and Sustainability) programme.
(see page 11). top of a Type 45 destroyer’s main The MOD has singled out four
Also very much in the public eye has been flagship HMS Ark mast). shipbuilders/defence fi rms from
Royal. A visit to Liverpool saw bumper crowds tour the ship, To marry missile and radar, a trials whom they want to see design
while a sizeable number of her sailors headed to Leeds to parade
barge, Longbow, was fi tted with a
proposals for the replacement
through the carrier’s affiliated city (see page 7).
Type 45 mast, Sampson and missile
tankers.
Three crucial support ships have returned to the UK after
silos. It headed to the Mediterranean
Fincantieri in Italy, Hyundai
lengthy (even very lengthy) deployments. RFA Fort Austin
and the French test site near the Île
(South Korea), Navantia (Spain)
supported HMS Illustrious’ task group during the Orion 08
du Levant, off Toulon.
and a consortium of BAE
exercises east of Suez (see page 4). Our cover star Largs Bay has
And it was near there that a
Systems/BMT DSL and DSME
been in the Caribbean for the past seven months (see page 5).
Mirach target – a rocket drone
(South Korea) are bidding
And tanker RFA Bayleaf has been away from Blighty for seven
powered through the sky at 450mph
for the multi-million-pound
years supporting Allied operations in the Gulf (see page 4).
– fl ew six miles high until it was
contract.
Bayleaf’s place in the Gulf has been taken by RFA Wave
intercepted by an Aster 30 missile,
Whichever fi rm wins the
Knight which is presently topping up HM Ships Chatham,
fi red from one of Longbow’s vertical
eventual order, it will build
Edinburgh and Montrose inter alia (see pages 14-15 for a round-
silos (pictured, right).
the vessels outside the UK as
up of operations in the region).
Experts from MBDA, the defence
British shipbuilders have their
Finally home from the Gulf after a demanding deployment
fi rm behind Aster, collected reams
hands full constructing the Type
alongside USS Harry S Truman is destroyer HMS Manchester
of data from the test fi ring and say
45 destroyers and new aircraft
(see page 5).
the interceptor performed exactly as
Heading east is frigate HMS Kent which will eventually reach
anticipated.
carriers until the middle of the
China on a Far East deployment. She met up with sister Iron
“The fi rst fi ring was a tense
next decade.
Duke in Gib for a Rock Race. Iron Duck is heading in the opposite
moment, and the culmination of
Meanwhile, a ‘brains trust’ of
direction, Caribbean-bound, with a certain S/Lt Wales joining the
much innovation and development
the best naval architects and
ship for a five-week insight into life on an operational warship
which made the direct hit all the
engineers in the UK has been
(see page 6).
more exciting,” said Dave Twitchin,
formed to design the RN’s ships
HMS Richmond has left the Americas behind, but not before
MOD Director of Destroyers.
of the future.
visiting first New York, then Quebec. Her sailors sent us a few
“This is just the fi rst in a series of
The Naval Design
‘postcards’ back to show us the fun they’ve been having (see
trials to come, but it is a signifi cant
Partnership, based in Bristol,
page 8).
milestone along the way. All the
pools talent from shipbuilding
Survey ship HMS Roebuck continues to direct a NATO
teams that have worked closely
fi rms such as BAE, VT, BMT
minehunting task (which counts HMS Hurworth among its
together are rightly proud of the
and Babcock, plus major
number), disposing of wartime ordnance in the Baltic (see page
work they’ve done.”
defence fi rms such as Thales
5).
More test fi rings will be conducted
and QinetiQ.
45 Commando geared up for their impending deployment
later this year before fi nal trials in
The partnership initially will
with 3 Cdo Bde to Helmand with live-fire exercises in southern
2009.
be up to 25-people strong,
Scotland (see page 21).
The combination of Aster missile
led by an MOD chief engineer,
And talking of live firing, two missiles which will defend the RN
and Sampson radar is intended to
and will work fi rst of all on the
against today’s and tomorrow’s aerial threat have passed major
give HMS Daring and her sisters the
replacement for the Type 23
edge over enemy air attack. PAAMS
frigate.
milestones.
is capable of tracking hundreds of
The so-called Future Surface
Aster is the fist of PAAMS, the Principal Anti-Air Missile
potential targets at any one time
Combatant has been mooted
System, on the Type 45 destroyer; it was fired for the first time in
and, in theory, can destroy a cricket-
for the past decade, but it will
the Med from trials barge Longbow (see right).
ball-sized target travelling at three
be the team’s aim to begin to
Meanwhile in Scotland... frigate HMS Sutherland has received
times the speed of sound.
turn the ship into reality.
enhanced Seawolf trackers which will allow the Type 22 and 23
Picture: MBDA
The designers will come up
fleet to deal with 21st Century sea-skimming missiles (see page with detailed specifi cations for
9). the vessel – due to enter service
Also on the equipment front, vital lessons for the future of around the middle of the next
the Silent Service have been learned from last year’s Tireless decade – such that it receives
tragedy (see opposite), while investigators are still poring over initial approval from Whitehall
data from HMS Superb’s encounter with an underwater pinnacle before the end of the year.
(see opposite again). If the £2m pilot partnership
Hopefully ensuring submarine accidents have a more fortunate project delivers the goods
outcome in future is the task of the new rescue vessel NSRS as expected, its brief may be
(nicknamed Nemo), which made its public debut on NATO extended to look at the MARS
exercises off Norway, Bold Monarch (see pages 24-5). project.
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