4 NAVY NEWS, JULY 2008
Super seven
from Bayleaf
A COUPLE of months ago we
Royals mourn
mused about the five-year trip of
HMS Echo.
Well, quite frankly, as far as
the loss of
RFA Bayleaf is concerned, five
years is little more than a brief
jaunt.
‘a top bloke’
When the tanker arrived in the
Gulf, Saddam Hussein was still
in charge in Baghdad, Gordon
Brown was living in No.11,
A TALEBAN mine claimed the
Pompey were dreaming of the
life of a 22-year-old Royal Marine
Premiership, and HMS Daring
when his Viking armoured vehicle
was a few pieces of seemingly
rolled over it.
shapeless steel.
Colleagues described Mne
Well that was 2001. Seven
Dale Gostick (pictured above in
years down the line, the floating
a Viking) as “a huge character”
fuel depot arrived in Portland.
in every sense of the word – a
Bayleaf has been the mainstay
fi rst-rate commando, a fi rst-rate
of RN operations in the Gulf.
comrade and a fi rst-rate person.
But not only the Senior Service
The 22-year-old from Oxford
have made use of her. In fact
was serving with 3 Troop,
vessels from 16 different nations
Armoured Support Company
have topped up their fuel tanks in
RM, and returning from a patrol
767 replenishments at sea.
near the Sangin crossing of the
Although most of the time has
Helmand River when his Viking
been spent in the Gulf (including
struck the mine.
84 visits to either Dubai or
Medics on the scene provided
nearby Jebel Ali), the tanker
instant fi rst aid but there was has passed through the Strait of
nothing they could do to save the Hormuz 126 times and clocked
commando, who had been serving
● ‘If they add another deck we can play human tic-tac-toe’... Two of RFA Fort Austin’s crew take a breather during a replenishment of HMS
up 330,000 miles at sea.
in Afghanistan since December.
Westminster Picture: LA(Phot) Pete Smith, FRPU East
“We’ve supported warships
After initially serving in 42 over a large area of the Gulf
Commando upon completion
Austin translation
region, made many new friends
of his basic training, Dale and made Bayleaf a welcoming
volunteered as a Viking operator pit stop for all,” said CO Capt
and deployed with 3 Commando Kim Watts, who spent three of
Brigade in 2006-07 before those seven years on the tanker
returning to the theatre for his and brought her home.
second tour of duty late last year. “The ship’s company have
“Dale was a bright, brave WHAT’S in a name?
beginning of the anti-submarine Adkins and John Dalton from the STO(N) department.
worked hard, often in the
and popular lad. He was always Well, a good 3,000 miles for
warfare exercise, Konkan. STO(N) department ‘winning’ Preparing and transferring the
challenging Arabian heat, to allow
at the front of the queue when a start.
The journey east was uneventful, the chance to spend the night loads with the ship’s company and
coalition warships to remain on
helping out the other blokes and More astute Navy News readers
although a marked change in onboard. in some 40 days during Orion 08,
their vital tasking.”
he enjoyed life with his friends,” may have noticed a ‘deliberate’
climatic conditions was noticed Lt. Cdr Nilesh Khokle spent nearly 100 tonnes of ammunition
Home waters are where the
said Capt Daniel Caldwell RM, faux pas in our recent coverage
by everyone: 35˚C (95˚F) and 80 a week onboard Fort Austin were transferred, together with
ship will stay for the foreseeable
Offi cer Commanding 1 Troop. of the Orion 08 deployment, in
per cent humidity adds an s an experexpe iencing just about almost 120 tonnes of fresh and
future, providing fuel and training
“The words that keep being which we placed Fort Victoria
additional challenge to the the evevere ything that makes a frozen food. Other everyday
for ships passing through OST.
mentioned describing him are: firmly at the heart of the task
working day. ship of the RFship A ‘tick’, while essentials included 1,600kg of
Bayleaf’s role in the Middle
gentle, strong, understanding group.
Anchoring off the porortt 2/O(LS) Hill,2/O the deputy laundry powder and 11,800 toilet
East is being filled by the much
with a sharp wit. Having someone
Except that she’s been parked
of Mormugao provided d loglo istics supply officer rolls.
larger and more modern RFA
like that around makes everyone
alongside in Basin No.3 in
a few days to explore e and PTa O Andy Waugh In total 604 loads were
Wave Knight which, on top of
better.”
Pompey for a good few months
Goa. joined supply ship INS j transferred to and from 14 ships
the 14,000 tonnes of fuel in
Friends knew Dale as ‘master
now... unlike Fort Austin. (You’re
This was the first Aditya to allow them – 77 of those by helicopter using
her tanks, also carries supplies,
chief general of the universe’
an idiot – Ed.) So apologies to her
time in India for to make numerous a technique known as Vertrep,
aviation fuel. ammo, and fresh
– refl ecting his larger-than-life
ship’s company who have been at
many – some headed comparisons. vertical replenishment.
water for any Allied warships
outlook on life.
the hub of Orion 08.
straight for the Another x-pol was Perhaps the most unusual of
which need them.
“If I was ever down or annoyed
And to prove it, her assistant
beaches with others offered by the USS these replenishment serials was
“Bayleaf had become very
about something, I knew that
exploring the marketss Cole,C badly damaged in the transfer of stores to HMS
logistics supply officer 3/O David
much a stalwart in this region,”
going to Dale would be the thing
of Anjuna. Not too manmanyy a tera terrorist attack in Yemen Trafalgar – the first time many
Adkins tells us what she’s been
said her CO Capt Rob Dorey.
to do,” said L/Cpl Dan Andrew.
people can boast of a day trip in 2000. On their return from onboard had encountered a RAS
doing east of Suez:
“We offer considerable extra
“Dale was a top bloke –
to India. the ship, everyone spoke of just with a submarine.
Bahrain provided an
capacity – coupled with quite a
everyone got on with him and
Hosting a multi-national how moving the memorial to those 15,056 miles and 59 days later
unscheduled port visit in early
turn of speed.”
everyone will miss him.”
cocktail party during the stay in killed in that attack was. Fort Austin and her crew were
April which, by sheer luck,
The ship honed her skills with
Goa, INS Mysore represented HMS Illustrious provided the once more in the Mediterranean
coincided with the F1 grand
the Orion 08 task force before
■ FAMILIES of Service personnel
killed on active duty or as a result
the might of the Indian Navy. last chance of the deployment Sea.
prix being in town. Many of the
parting company from them to
of terrorist acts will receive an
Influenced by former Soviet ship for personnel to transfer – the After the highs of the Indian
ships’ company took advantage
relieve Bayleaf.
award to honour the sacrifices.
design, the Indian Navy is the lucky ones from Fort Austin being Ocean, a temperature of 20˚C
■ Gulf round-up, pages 14-15
of this and headed to the Sakhir
A memorial scroll and
region’s major naval power. the two first-trip deck cadets, Joe (69˚F) seemed positively chilly.
circuit for a day out none will ever
some form of emblem which
Numerous opportunities existed Davies and Dean Southall. Homeward-bound and with
forget.
loved ones can wear will be
throughout the deployment for The INS Mysore made a many of the crew anticipating
Pilot jumps
Another opportunity not to be
produced by Whitehall, following
personnel to ‘x-pol’ – essentially reappearance later in the exercise their leave with some relish, a brief
missed was resupplying the mine
recommendations from all three
the exchange of personnel conducting a replenishment at sea stop was made in the Sicilian city
warfare vessels of the Aintree task
Service heads.
between vessels, allowing each to serial, representing the growing of Palermo.
to safety
group, based in Bahrain, with
“It is a sad but unavoidable
experience the ways of the other. relationship between the two Then it was on to Glen Mallen
ammo to replenish reducing HMS Trafalgar provided the navies. ammunition depot in Scotland, RESIDENTS praised the skill
reality that some of our brave
stocks. first, with Austin’s CO Capt The primary responsibility for some re-storing, a change of of a naval aviator for steering his
Service personnel pay the
Leaving Bahrain, and rejoining Dale Worthington joining his supplying the variety of demands almost one third of the ship’s
crippled Harrier away from their
ultimate sacrifice in the name
the task group, Fort Austin headed counterparts for lunch under the placed on Fort Austin lay with company and some more training
village.
of their country,” said Air Chief
east for the shores of India and the Indian Ocean and then 3/O(LS) the 22 people that make up the before a spell of TLC.
The GR7 jet came down just
Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup.
a few hundred feet from the
“That is why my fellow Chiefs
Albion goes Dutch in Africa
edge of the village of Ashwell in
of Staff and I believe the time is
Rutland; its pilot ejected seconds
right to recommend a new award
before the Harrier smashed
for the families of those who die
into farmland and erupted in a
on operations in recognition of
fireball.
their loss.
ASSAULT ship HMS Albion paid a rare visit landing craft courtesy of the ship’s beach As Albion crossed the equator, so those Eyewitnesses described flashes
“We will now be giving careful
to Ibiza as she headed to West Africa for recovery vehicle, Hercules. who’d never passed the imaginary line and flames coming from the
thought to how we can do this in
summer exercises with the Dutch. The mess decks of the Devonport-based before faced a dunking. Unfortunately, back of the jet before it plunged
a fitting way.”
The Balearics are, of course, hugely warship resound to an unfamiliar tongue Neptune’s log was rather out of date, and towards the ground. They also
A form of memorial scroll was
popular among Brits but RN visits are rather as Netherlands marines are on board, part despite having ‘crossed the line’ a good few watched its pilot drift down to
issued on behalf of the monarch
more infrequent. of a long-standing agreement between the times, CO Capt Wayne Keble was the first the ground by parachute.
during both World Wars and
So Albion’s sailors made the most of their marine corps of the two nations. to get soaked. He was taken by air ambulance
the Korean conflict; emblems
brief visit. After an offi cial reception and They have been getting used to life aboard Thankfully, he dried out to guide his ship to the Queen’s Medical Centre
are new to the UK, but Service
press conference aboard the landing ship, a British warship, including joining the ship’s into Lagos for work with the Nigerian Navy, in Nottingham for treatment to
personnel in Canada and New most ship’s company headed ashore to company in the Fleet rowing competition beginning with sea survival and maintenance injuries which were described as
Zealand are honoured in such a sample the famous Ibiza nightlife. (and helping Albion to a particularly training. ‘non-life-threatening’. No-one on
way. For the more mature crew members, impressive overall time we’re told). The ship also hosted an official reception the ground was hurt.
An MOD team is now however, there were some sedate activities. They’re also getting used to the keep fit and ceremonial sunset for guests in a The pilot from the Naval
working on the form the scroll Several senior rates chartered a yacht, while dynamic aboard Albion, which begins with sweltering well deck, with guests transported Strike Wing, based at nearby
and emblem will take before the Albion’s cricket team played their opening ‘Wake up with Clubz’ – a pre-breakfast work- to and from Albion in her landing craft. RAF Cottesmore, was practising
awards are issued. match of the deployment (and came out led by the PTI, then ‘red hot circuits’ As well as delivering training, Albion is with fellow FAA fliers for a
The team will also decide how second). in the midday sun, followed by afternoon also delivering 350 shoeboxes to Sierra return to Afghanistan later this
far back the award, which will be The fun done, it was time for business. circuits and laps of the flight deck. Leone and Nigeria. year in support of peacekeeping
retrospective, will go. On leaving Ibiza, Albion made for Gib to After all that exercise, you need to cool They are fi lled not with their usual content, efforts.
Its findings will be published conduct amphibious exercises, notably the off, and thankfully there was a pool aboard... but aid donated by children in the UK for A Board of Inquiry is looking
before the end of the year. art of getting ashore and pushing off stuck although King Neptune was in charge of it. their counterparts in Africa. into the causes of the crash.
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