30 NAVY NEWS, JULY 2008
Thanks to
HMS Gannet
EIGHTEEN months after an
horrifi c fall in the Scottish
mountains, Michael Tunney
returned to HMS Gannet to
thank the men who plucked him
to safety.
Back in November 2006,
the former Metropolitan police
officer and his teenaged son,
also called Michael, were on
the slopes of Beinn Achaladair
near the Bridge of Orchy –
roughly half-way between Fort
William and Dumbarton.
The father and son team
were hoping to climb all 284
Munros – 284 peaks above
3,000ft named after the man
who first catalogued them in
the 19th Century, Sir Hugh
Munro – for a good cause.
But Mr Tunney lost his
footing on the ice and fell 200ft,
breaking his neck, arm and hip,
plus puncturing a lung.
His son struggled down the
mountain to help him, but he
too fell and was badly bruised,
breaking serveral bones in his
hand.
● No greater sacrifi ce... Ocean’s PO(AC) Al Shore and PO ‘Sweeney’ Todd pay their respects at Bayeux
The teenager did, however,
Cemetery LA(Phot) Bernie Henesy, HMS Ocean
manage to reach his father and
call 999.
Enter the Oban Mountain
Rescue Team and Rescue 177
from HMS Gannet to save the
day.
“From that day until now,
To fallen heroes
I’ve encountered professionals
and volunteers at the top of
THE hallowed shores
And it was there that Ocean’s liberators of the Falklands.
their games, but the skill and
of the Baie de la Seine
XO Cdr David Salisbury and the C/Sgt Brian Johnston and
professionalism of the crew
of Rescue 177 stands on its
beckoned for the sailors
youngest member of the party his team of sailors and marines
Logs(Pers) Steph Collins laid plucked more than 100 men from
own,” said Mr Tunney as he
of HMS Ocean as they wreaths and paused to remember
the blazing hulk of HMS Antelope
and his son visited Gannet in paid homage to the
the sacrifi ces of six decades ago. on May 24 1982, despite the risk
Prestwick.
men of 1944 during
The fi nal two stops were equally
of an unexploded Argentine bomb
“I’m under no illusion that the
aircrew played a pivotal role in
command, leadership and
poignant.
inside the frigate going off.
“When walking along the
Foxtrot 4’s luck ran out a
saving my life that night.”
management training. immense stretch of sand which was
fortnight later, however, when
The tour of the beaches began known as Omaha Beach, we were
she was pounced on by Argentine
The write fl iers
not in France, but at Southwick all immediately struck by the sheer
aircraft. Six men were killed,
House where Eisenhower and scale of task that American troops
JUST in case you were wondering where this chap was from...
including C/Sgt Johnston, who
his staff planned the ‘crusade in faced when they landed there and
The RM Commando Display Team headed to the Caldecotte
was posthumously awarded the
Europe’. indeed the troops of other nations
Project in Milton Keynes to give youngsters an idea of what the
YOUNGSTERS from Ilchester
Queen’s Gallantry Medal for his
Naval historian Prof Steve throughout Normandy,” said
RN’s elite amphibious infantry get up to.
School have the ‘write stuff’
deeds in the South Atlantic.
Prince, the sailors’ guide LA(Phot) Bernie Henesy.
And that’s quite a lot: zipping around in RIBs, assault courses,
(groan – Ed) thanks to fl iers at
In honour of the commando
throughout their Normandy visit,
paint balling (well, you can’t have real bullets whizzing around on
nearby RNAS Yeovilton. Other reminders of sacrifi ces can
and his comrades, subsequent
outlined the immense planning
a display), climbing, abseiling and the like.
The Lynx men and women be found at St Mère Église at the
Foxtrot 4s have been renamed
and preparation behind Operation
Luckily the Caldecotte Project is the home of Milton Keynes’
of 815 NAS teamed up with foot of the Cotentin peninsula.
Overlord.
Foxtrot Juliet (J for Johnston). Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme centre – which means that
youngsters and teachers in a bid Hanging from the village
First stop in France – as it was
most of these activities could be recreated for young people to
to improve boys’ literary skills – a church steeple is an effigy of US
And each June 8, 4 ASRM
on Tuesday June 6 1944 – was the
enjoy (or endure), including time out on the water.
national goal of the government. paratrooper John Steele, whose
pause to pay tribute, wherever
bridge spanning the Caen Canal at
As for the display team, the 25 commandos are out and about all
Over 12 weeks, a range of parachute became snagged on
they are – in this case the Baltic,
Benouville, subsequently renamed
year round promoting the Corps at public events such as Meet
activities and visits were arranged, it on June 6; he watched the
where Bulwark is exercising with
Pegasus Bridge in honour of the
Your Navy, or else organising events such as the visit to Milton
from tours of the Lynx hangar, battle below him unfold, unable
Swedish marines and fast attack
cap badge of the 6th Airborne
Keynes aimed at school/college leavers eyeing up life as a green
studying the fliers’ uniforms, to intervene.
craft.
Division.
beret. Picture: LA(Phot) Owen King, FRPU East
watching the helicopters flying “The trip was educational as
Off Stockholm, Bulwark’s stern
and sitting in the pilot’s seat. Next to the bridge is the fi rst much as enjoyable,” said Lt Cdr
gate was lowered and a service led
Suitably imbued in all things building in France liberated: the Graeme Stringer. “Although a
by the ship’s chaplain Rev Tim
Fleet Air Arm and Lynx, the Cafe Gondree. snapshot in terms of time of one
Wilkinson, before a wreath was
No escaping big sis...
boys returned to their classes and Madame Gondree was eight of the most important actions
cast into the ocean.
sat down to various writing task when her parents’ cafe was freed; of WW2, the litmus test was the
“They undertook a similar role,
JOINING your fi rst ship can be a her task book as well as helping
from producing captions to more she is still on hand to explain with comments and questions by the
working from an amphibious ship
daunting affair – unless you have her adjust to Type 23 life.
detailed accounts of what they pride to passers-by and visitors younger members of the group:
with their landing craft, just as we
a friendly face to guide you. In fact, the pair share the
had witnessed. her memories of that turbulent ‘Can you possibly imagine what it
do today,” said Maj Jim Dennis, 4
So when ETWE Charlotte same mess with bunks one
The course reached its climax time and display the memorabilia must have been like?’”
ASRM’s OiC.
Richards stepped off the brow above the other.
with a presentation to 815’s CO she has gathered over a typically Meanwhile, in the Baltic, HMS
“The heroism, bravery and
and on to HMS Portland she “It’s great to see both my
Cdr Alun Jones of a colourful strong French coffee. Bulwark halted exercises with the
sense of duty shown by the crew
was greeted by her older sister girls doing so well in the Senior
helicopter collage created by the To the west, along the Calvados Swedes to remember her fallen.
of Foxtrot 4 in the Falklands
Mickaela, also an ETWE on the Service – and a weight off
school, while the children showed coast, lie Juno Beach, Gold Beach Twenty-six years ago 4 Assault
is something that is worthy of
Devonport-based frigate. my mind to know that they’re
off their work to proud parents. and eventually Longues-sur-Mer, Squadron RM – today Bulwark’s
remembering as well as inspiring
Mickaela joined the RN two serving together,” said proud
On the back of the success of home to the only surviving gun dedicated commando unit – were
today’s landing craft crews.
years ago... and her sister mum Deborah Clatworthy.
the ‘Flying High’ initiative, the battery from the invasion days. the amphibious punch of HMS “It is something that makes all followed her through Raleigh 14 Just to confuse the bosun
plan is to run it again in 2009, A short distance inland is Fearless. Royal Marine and Royal Naval months later. when he’s making a pipe, there’s
this time with slightly older boys Bayeux and, on the edge of the The men of Foxtrot 4, one personnel proud to serve in 4 Older sister will help another ET Richards aboard –
in Year 4 (eight and nine-year- historic town, the Commonwealth of the squadron’s landing craft, Assault Squadron Royal Marines younger sister through weapon luckily this one’s an ME to make
olds). War Graves Cemetery. epitomised the spirit of the and HMS Bulwark.” engineering challenges such as things slightly easier.
LLordyordy,, don’ don’t fancy Jaws much
Ding dong,
it’s a gong
WHAT better way to relax after the strains and stresses than with a spot MEETING the Queen is always
of diving surrounded by God’s creatures? a privilege.
The dive team of minehunter HMS Cattistock took a break from And being made an MBE is
Basic Operational Sea Training and headed for Chester, a city not an unforgettable moment in your
necessarily renowned for its marine life. life.
But it is home to the Blue Planet Aquarium. And some sharks. Lots of So the family of CPOAET
sharks. Europe’s largest collection of sharks (about 30 of them). David Belcher were obviously
And amongst them, you could find the Cattistock divers, thanks to Lt indescribably proud when
Greg Powell and AB(D) Bruce Robinson who decided that swimming the senior rating headed to
with sharks (anything from small nurses to 10ft sand tigers) and staring Buckingham Palace.
at “hundreds of razor-sharp teeth” would be a fun way to unwind. But just to make the day that
The sharks behaved themselves, we’re told, and the team came back extra bit special, sat next to the
with all fi ngers and toes. Yeovilton-based air engineering
The aquarium’s marine biologists were especially interested to see how technician was one Leslie Phillips,
the sharks would react to the divers’ kit, the Clearance Divers Breathing onetime star of the Navy Lark
Apparatus (CDBA). and mainstay of British comedy
The acoustically-quiet and magnetically-clean equipment is a re- films in the 50s and 60s.
breather set (no air bubbles are produced) and had never been used He was at the Palace to receive
previously at the aquarium. an OBE for his services to acting.
Permission was granted by the Superintendent of Diving to allow the As for CPO Belcher, his
divers to use the CBDA, typically worn when the men are scouring the honour was recognition
seabed for mines... for “constantly exceeding
... which is something they will shortly be doing as Cattistock’s ship’s expectations” as an expert in
company are about to deploy to the Gulf as part of the roulement Gazelle and Lynx avionics with
of mine warfare teams manning Chiddingfold and Atherstone in the 847 NAS both at Yeovilton and
Middle East. on tours of duty in Iraq.
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