16 NAVY NEWS, SEPTEMBER 2008
Not quiet on the
● HMS Exeter – her bull ring painted blue to mark the Arctic passage – cautiously edges through ice-
laden waters near Hope Island
Wettern front
THE green berets of 42 Commando earned the that the most important bond of communication was
highest honour a unit can receive for raising the between the men and their families back home.
public profi le of the Senior Service. And so the Bickleigh Royals embraced the Senior
Each year ships, establishments and RM units Service’s families website, RNCom. Lt Youngman
fi ght for the Desmond Wettern Fleet Award, named monitored the site and sent relevant information
in memory of the last naval correspondent in Fleet back to families and friends. As the deployment to
Street (and a Royal Navy reservist). Helmand reached its climax, more than one in every
Commander-in-Chief Fleet Admiral Sir Mark two ‘hits’ on RNCom were aimed at 42 Commando’s
Stanhope headed to Bickleigh barracks near Plymouth sections of the site, including a discussion ‘forum’,
bearing a crystal decanter on a plinth of oak made used by more than 350 families.
from the timber from HMS Victory – the physical And talking of families... with deployment in
manifestation of the Wettern award. (The decanter is Afghanistan imminent once more (see page 4) the
presented containing the equivalent of a bottle of port unit invited friends and loved ones into their base at
and it is a condition of winning that it is Bickleigh for a families day.
“never allowed to run dry”.) The rain held off and an estimated crowd
The West Country commandos were of 2,000 enjoyed a perfect summer’s day
winners of the trophy by some margin – while they made the most of the various
and deservedly so – for their efforts on fairground activities.
and off the battlefi eld of Helmand during Small mini-me Royal Marines threw
their 2006-07 deployment. themselves around a children’s airsoft
As 42’s citation points out, “a unit range, hog roasts crackled, paintballs
can simply be in the right place at the e whizzed,w marines and corporals, their
right time, and this may be said of the brotherb s and sisters all did battle on the
deployment to Helmand Province”. bumper cars, and rapid trips to Tesco
But what the unit’s media team – ensured the event did not run out of beer
Lt Paul Youngman and photographer (phew – Ed).
LA(Phot) Gaz Faulkner – did went far,, Family participation was the order of the
far beyond what might be called ‘fortuitous tous day, with the dog show, and displays throughout
coverage’. company offi ces all reinforcing that critical concept
“Every opportunity was exhausted to project of the Service family. and
42 Commando RM into every corner of the media Among the tangle of dogs, children and extended
market,” says the citation. families many new relationships were formed, and old
ECHOES of cold wars – and the Cold
Having topped up with fuel (and squeezed in the
“Every conceivable opportunity for positive ones refreshed.
publicity was taken before, during and after the Many questions were asked and answered too,
War – have dominated HMS Exeter’s
odd round of golf on a Harstad course), the sailors
operational tour, and the resultant media articles while Commanding Offi cer Lt Col Charlie Stickland
summer.
turned north then east bound for Russia.
That journey took her over the resting place of
spoke for themselves.” explained to everyone how the unit was geared up for
The Portsmouth-based destroyer has spent the
HMS Edinburgh, lost in the spring of 1942. The ship
Those included the acclaimed documentary, Helmand, the risks involved and stressed once more
past few weeks paying homage to men who braved
paused for a service of remembrance, led by padre
Commando: On the Front Line (which also spawned the vital bond between his men and their families
formidable seas, formidable temperatures and
James Tabor. It was high summer in the Arctic, the
a successful book and DVD), a series of features in back home.
formidable foe on the Atlantic and especially the
seas were rough, the skies overcast, the temperature
Warship International Fleet Review magazine, substantial “The inclusion of our families in the run-up to our
Arctic Convoys.
cool – a reminder to all aboard that conditions for
documentaries on BBC News and News 24, as well forthcoming tour is absolutely fundamental to our
Exeter’s odyssey began in Iceland, a vital staging
men on the Murmansk run were grim all year round.
as coverage in every major national and international ability to conduct ourselves at peak performance over
post in efforts to cast a ‘lifeline across the Atlantic’ –
By the time Exeter passed 78˚2’N, she was
newspaper throughout the deployment and even the next few months,” said Lt Alex Burlingham, 42’s
and the rallying point for many convoys bound for the
encountering her fi rst sheet ice. But that didn’t stop
Valentine’s Day messages played on BBC Radio education offi cer. “The day was about the wider 42
Russian ports of Archangel and Murmansk.
the gunnery team who decided on a spot of target
Devon. LA(Phot) Faulkner also provided arguably Cdo family getting to know each other, for mutual The destroyer’s visit to the capital Reykjavik
training. A splash target was rigged up on the fl ight
the defining image of the war in Afghanistan. support, and for us to say ‘thank you’ in advance for coincided with an international conference – fi ve days
deck initially (its creators received a thorough soaking)
What was also key to 42 winning the Wettern award, their unswerving support as we conduct our business of talks, lectures and discussions by the world’s leading
before being cast into the ocean for the close-range
however, was innovation. The Royals never forgot overseas. What a great day.” naval experts and historians on the importance of the
guns to dispatch.
Arctic runs six decades ago.
Next stop, the port of Severomorsk, home to the
The guests of honour were not the dignitaries and
Russian Northern Fleet and its 75th anniversary
literati, however, but the men who made history, the
celebrations.
convoy veterans.
In its life spanning three quarters of a century, the
They and Cdr Paul Brown, Exeter’s CO, joined
Russian Northern Fleet has been friend, foe and now
representatives from Russia, Iceland and the USA at
friend once more.
a memorial service and wreath-laying ceremony.
Long after the fall of Communism in Russia,
Another monument to the fallen of WW2 received
Severomorsk remains a ‘closed town’, with access
a makeover courtesy of the Exeter team.
limited to visitors. Not so Murmansk, a short distance
The sailors restored a rose arch, the metallic
away in the Kola Bay. Although it’s not the most
gateway to a rose garden and cenotaph, tidied fl ower
attractive of cities – and the wet weather didn’t help –
beds, polished a plaque and erased graffi ti (sadly not
the Russians extended a warm welcome to the Brits,
just a British malaise) from a memorial bench.
who wandered around in rig.
These days, visits by RN vessels to Iceland’s shores
There was Russian hospitality too in Severomorsk
are infrequent, so the destroyer men and women made
itself: plenty of vodka toasts were exchanged between
the most of their time sampling the island’s unique
Exeter’s sailors and their Russian hosts.
volcanic geography, including visits to waterfalls,
The visit reached its climax with Russian Navy
geysers, hot springs and a volcanic crater.
Days, a mix of pomp and ceremony and naval
“It was very humbling to have been in Reykjavik for
theatre.
the conference and to have met some of the veterans,”
Senior Russian offi cers inspected the international
said Cdr Brown. “It meant a great deal for me and
force mustered for the event – Exeter was joined by
my ship’s company to be part of the wreath-laying
ships from Norway and the USA – before sailors
ceremony and to remember those who lost their lives
marched through the heart of the town.
in what were extremely arduous conditions.” Then it was back to the shore for the high point of
The destination for many who sailed on the Arctic anniversary festivities.
runs was the Kola Inlet – the destination, too, of Visitors to RN events such as Meet Your Navy
HMS Exeter. and Yeovilton Air Day are used to ‘dynamic displays’
The road to Russia took the destroyer to the fjords (invariably Royal Marines putting terrorists or drug-
of northern Norway (a luxury not afforded the Arctic runners down).
Convoys as this land was occupied by the Nazis The Russians like to do something rather more
between 1940 and 1945). grandiose. The audience were treated to an impressive
These days tourists pay hundreds of pounds to display of fi repower: a Kilo-class submarine surfacing
cruise the narrow Norwegian waters. Or if you’re in in the bay, a salvo of rockets fi red from FRS Yunga, a
the RN, you can do it for free. frigate, and FRS Rassvet, a corvette.
Of course, D89 isn’t a cruise ship. She had to If that wasn’t enough bangs for your buck (or
exercise with the Norwegian Navy and Air Force on rather ruble), then guns blazed ashore and a Sonya-
her passage to the Arctic port of Harstad. The latter class minesweeper dropped a depth charge.
sent F16 jets to ‘beat up’ the Falklands veteran almost With the explosions, bangs and fl ashes over, the
daily, keeping the warfare and weapons engineering ships threw their gangways open to visitors and, in
BLACK SWAN CLASS 1943
branches on their toes. return for their hospitality, Exeter’s sailors were
Replica representative model, measuring 10.5”, hand cast in metal and hand painted,
Thankfully, things were rather more tranquil in invited to sample Russian food and attend a concert
presented on a wooden plinth 12” x 3” with brass nameplate and hand made gift box. Tjotta Fjord where the destroyer dropped anchor and by a Pink Floyd tribute band.
HMS BLACK SWAN, FLAMINGO, ERNE, IBIS, WHIMBREL, WILD GOOSE, WOODCOCK,
her crew got their rods out for a spot of fi shing. The “For most of my ship’s company this was their fi rst
catches were promptly devoured during a fl ight deck visit to Russia,” said Cdr Brown. “The hospitality of
WOODPECKER, WREN, ACTAEON, ALACRITY, AMETHYST, CHANTICLEER, CRANE, CYGNET,
barbecue. the Russian people has been second to none.”
HART, HIND, KITE, LAPWING, LARK, MAGPIE, MERMAID, MODESTE, NEREIDE, OPOSSUM,
PEACOCK, PHEASANT, REDPOLE, SNIPE, SPARROW and HMS STARLING (PICTURED) ● Yunga guns... A sheet of fl ame leaves a rocket
battery on the FRS Yunga during Navy Days in
Severomorsk
£85.00
+ £8.00 p&p
UK Only
To order your model send your name, address and daytime telephone number,
along with your cheque or credit card details (visa/mastercard) to:
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Leicestershire LE11 1LE Tel: 01509 213789 Fax: 01509 230874
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PLEASE ALLOW UP TO 28 DAYS FOR DELIVERY
0016_NN_Sept.indd 116_NN_Sept.indd 1 118/8/08 11:46:008/8/08 11:46:00
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