NAVY NEWS, JULY 2008 5
Warships pay
What lies beneath
... and super
respects to seven from
Barrabas Largs too
NOT one but two Royal Navy
THE Baltic is almost pondlike, the
The combination of perfect weather/sea ship to join the mine warfare group and
IN GOOD Sesame Street fashion,
warships welcomed a lone familiar outline of HMS Roebuck
conditions and rather Gucci mine warfare proved to be a popular addition.
the RFA seemed to have been
yachtsman home from a record-
refl ected in its calm waters.
kit worked wonders in the Baltic. Almost as popular, indeed, as the visit
sponsored by the number seven.
breaking global challenge.
The Hurworth sonar and dive teams to Klaipeda. (Hurworth’s ship’s company
Ah, but what lies beneath is danger.
Bayleaf spent seven years away
Two and a half years ago,
found the usual detritus of war (torpedoes, assure us they were not tempted by the
For ten days the survey ship (pictured
(see opposite). For landing support
Adrian Flanagan left the Hamble
bombs and mines) and the not so usual (a low-priced beer or scran, however.)
below) which is the command vessel of
ship RFA Largs Bay, the number
determined to circumnavigate the
tree, a baked bean tin, a bread crate and a From Lithuania, the force headed west
Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures
seven was followed by ‘months’
world vertically – via Arctic and
train wheel). for the Bay of Gdansk and a week working
Group 1 (SNMCMG1) directed Allied
rather than ‘years’.
Antarctic waters –in his 40ft-
“The question on most of our minds with another newcomer to SNMCMG1, the
warships in a sweep of Lithuanian waters.
She has spent the winter and
steel-hull yacht Barrabas.
was: what happened to the train?” mused Polish Navy.
For the past 13 years, ships have been
spring in the Caribbean dividing
On a fi ne spring day in 2008,
Hurworth Commanding Officer Lt Cdr Andy In two years time the Poles will take
disposing of the leftovers of ordnance from
her time between putting the
he returned to the Solent in
Woolhead. “Perhaps it hit the tree.” command of the group (leadership rotates
two European conflagrations – discarded
boot into drug runners and
Barrabas, shepherded home by
In all, a dozen unexploded items became around the participating nations) so here
bombs, unexploded mines and the like.
helping the region’s defence
university training boat HMS
a dozen exploded items as the three groups was a chance to share experiences.
Considerable progress has been made
forces train.
Trumpeter and a fl otilla of small
of ships moved through the sea, before Then it was past Hel (the narrow spit
since the first efforts to clear the Baltic
We’ll begin with the drugs:
boats.
they headed in Klaipeda for a which arches into the Bay of Gdansk),
back in 1995 and the mine warfare teams
575kg (1,267lb) of cocaine was
CPO Chris Bamber handed
break. along the Pomeranian coast, through the
are aided by BOP/BOM (not a 1960s
seized on a Venezeulan fishing
the intrepid yachtsman a bacon
There it was time Kiel Canal, a brief pitstop in Hamburg,
jive but Baltic Ordnance Pilot/Baltic
boat by the Largs-815 NAS Lynx
sandwich and cup of tea before
to bid farewell to and on to the Bay of Biscay for
Ordnance Map), comprehensive charts
combination.
they sailed together to Hamble
FGS Herten and Roebuck and Hurworth for Exercise
and documents which mark all known
Five weeks of the deployment
and the fi nal destination of a
Latvia’s Imanta; the Loyal Mariner, a major annual war
minefields in the region based on input
were spent in Willemstad on
31,000-mile odyssey.
latter needed an game with NATO’s Response Force
from all nations who laid them during the
the island of Curacao in the
That odyssey began on October
icebreaker to help which involves far more than the
20th Century.
Dutch East Indies – and the
28 2005 and took Adrian on
her out of her home mine warfare group.
Linking up with a French task force, and
close relationships forged with
the fi rst single-handed, vertical
port of Liepaja but Indeed, some 40 Allied warships
a dedicated Baltic squadron, the force
locals prompted an invite to the
circumnavigation westwards
returned home in from carriers and assault ships
systematically moved through Lithuanian
Netherlands’ Navy Days in Den
via Cape Horn and the Russian
glorious sunshine. to destroyers and frigates were
waters.
Helder this month.
Arctic.
She’s only mustering off Ferrol in north-
Roebuck is in charge of an assortment
Some encounters in Willemstad
“In this day and age there are
the second west Spain as Navy News went
of ever-changing minehunting vessels
were a little too close, however.
very few fi rsts in the yachting
Latvian to press to test the ability
from across the NATO world, including
The container ship MV
world, and to pull this off is
of NATO’s maritime force
the Happy H – you might
Rickman was trying to leave the
excellent,” said Lt Will King,
to respond to a possible
know her better as HMS
container berth in strong winds...
Trumpeter’s CO, a keen
international crisis.
Hurworth.
and bashed Largs.
yachtsman himself.
Although the RFA wasn’t in
“ I can’t begin to imagine all
any great danger, all hands were
the hardships he must have gone
brought to emergency stations
through to achieve this. To cap it
to carry out damage repairs and
all, he is a thoroughly nice bloke;
check every compartment for
I am defi nitely going to be buying
watertight integrity.
his book.”
Fortunately, after temporary
Trumpeter was the second
repairs (and an independent
RN vessel Adrian had bumped
survey by the local Lloyds agent),
into a week. The meeting with
the ship was passed ‘safe’ and
the P2000 was planned. The
headed to sea the next day.
encounter with fi shery protection
Much of the ship’s time
ship HMS Mersey was a pleasant
was spent working with the
surprise.
defence forces of the Caribbean,
Ship and yacht met off the east
offering her unique facilities
coast while Mersey was carrying
and sharing the expertise of her
out fi shery duties in the North
ship’s company to the military
Sea.
of Jamaica, Barbados and
S/Lt Chris Stevens, the ship’s
Martinique among others.
gunnery offi cer, climbed into the
All of this is, if not a far cry,
sea boat to welcome Adrian back
then quite a bit different from
to UK waters.
what Largs was designed to do:
The junior offi cer handed
supporting amphibious landings
over a donation from the River-
You’ll be able to see what
class ship’s company to the two
Largs Bay is capable of at Meet
charities the sailor has been
Your Navy later this month (see
supporting: Oxford Children’s
page 11 for more details).
Hospital and Save the Children.
Before that the ship hosts the
The yachtsman was also
Earl of Wessex when he presents
presented with a bottle of port
the RFA with the Queen’s Colour
to celebrate with when he fi nally
in Portsmouth on July 18 in
returned to Hamble.
recognition of the auxiliary fleet’s
“As a fellow seafarer I have
constant support for the RN
the utmost respect for what he
and the nation over more than a
has achieved, particularly as it
century.
is all for charity,” said Mersey’s
Commanding Offi cer Lt Cdr Alan
Wilson.
Lynx fl ight
The lone yachtsman was
equally chuffed with bumping
into Mersey.
honoured
“This was a wonderful surprise
815 Naval Air Squadron’s 214
and a generous and hugely
Flight earned a trophy in memory
appreciated gesture by the Royal
of fallen comrades thanks to their
Navy. It made my day,” he
dedication in three distinctly
enthused.
different operations.
“I shall raise a toast to you
The Osprey Trophy was
and the ship’s company of HMS
inaugurated last year to
Mersey when I am alongside at
remember HMS Portland’s Flight
the Royal Southern Yacht Club.”
which crashed into the Channel
Brief encounter over, Mersey
in December 2004 during a
resumed her fi sh patrol.
search and rescue mission.
It is awarded annually to the
CATS ayes
squadron Flight which best
WAILING banshees will help
protect Royal Marines and the
‘A positive lasting impression’
captures the 815 NAS spirit and
ethos.
And in 2007 that was achieved
by 214 who found themselves
Fleet from air attack in the future. in Northern Ireland (Operation
Whitehall has signed at £360m Banner), then the Falklands
deal over the next two decades to BACK in the bosom of Portsmouth returned home from the Gulf. logisticians (catering services said the Busy Bee’s CO Cdr David (during the sea swap trial) and
provide combined aerial target Naval Base, the men and women As for Manchester, by the time (preparation)) rustled up 151,000 Dominy. fi nally in the Caribbean aboard
training or CATS for all three of HMS Manchester can relax… she came alongside in Pompey, her meals for their shipmates. “The positive lasting impression RFA Wave Knight.
Services . fi nally. odometer read 42,500 nautical Not all Manchester’s Gulf left with the Americans is ultimately The latter operation saw the
Two targets will be used fi rst Of her 198 days away from miles steamed since ce experexp ience was devoted to down to my ship’s company. Lynx team receive international
under the CATS initiative, the home, the venerable destroyer casting off last November ber the the Truman. Just for good Their determination to make the recognition for their deeds in the
Banshee drone and a pop-up spent more than 150 in the Gulf – truly a testament to to measure she spent a spell mea deployment a success is testament Dominican Republic which was
helicopter target. escorting USS Harry S Truman, her marine engineeriing ng safeguarding Iraq’saf s two to their dedication, determination, ravaged by tropical storm Noel.
The small Banshee robot one of America’s super-carriers. department. oil plao tforms. innovation, resilience and pride. Noel caused fl oods, landslides
aircraft (it has a wingspan of The Americans work their It takes more than The lasting “It’s been my honour and an and the loss of hundreds of
less than 10ft and fl ies for up to carriers hard… which mean their blood, toil, tears and impression of the absolute pleasure to command lives in some of the poorest and
an hour at a time at sub-sonic escorts work hard too. Four out of sweat to keep the 2007-08 deployment, them.” remotest communities.
speeds) will be used to train Royal fi ve days in the Gulf were spent at Busy Bee’s engines however, will be the The road paved by Manchester 214 provided humanitarian
Marines in live-fi ring exercises. If sea defending the Truman against running of course. long stints working should make it easier for RN ships relief as part of a wider
not destroyed, the drone can be possible attack by air or sea, Try nine million litres alongside the to slot into American task groups international effort, fl ying 33
recovered and reused. placing enormous demands on (two million gallons) Americans – and if the in the future. hours in under three days,
It will also be used to test Sea man (and woman) and machine. of dieso supplied Brits were impressed by Once the Type 42 fi nally parted delivering essential supplies of
Dart and, in due course, PAAMS Indeed, there aren’t too many during 29 (count ’em) m) whawh t 100,000 tons of the company with the American water, food, clothing and hygiene
missiles on the RN’s destroyer ships which have faced greater replenishments at sea; the U S of A could do, then the carrier, there was a belated chance kits in the process.
fl eet. demands these past 12 months. nuclear-powered Truman doesn’t Yanks were rather impressed by for the Brits to let their hair down Flight Commander Lt Matt
As part of the CATS scheme, HMS Monmouth clocked up need to refuel – and expects her what a 1980s British destroyer and fi rst in Rhodes, then in Barcelona ‘Taz’ Tazwell received the trophy
more aerial targets will be devised 40,000 miles during her world escorts to maintain pace with her. her resilient crew could achieve. (there was some defence diplomacy from Rear Admiral Simon
in the coming years to train the tour, 11,000 more than HMS Sailors need fuel too. Just for “The Strike Group went out of thrown in during both visits – it’s Charlier, Chief-of-Staff (Aviation)
Forces to deal with aerial threats. Campbeltown which has recently good measure the chefs, sorry their way to welcome Manchester,” not all fun, you know). in a ceremony at RNAS Yeovilton.
0005_NN_July.indd 105_NN_July.indd 1 220/6/08 14:48:430/6/08 14:48:43
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50