18 NAVY NEWS, SEPTEMBER 2008
● A 702 NAS Lynx dances under leaden Cornish skies at ● The Mighty 90 – HMS Southampton – takes her place among Tall Ships and warships
Culdrose Air Day Picture: PO Bob Sharples, 829 NAS on the Seine at Rouen
Best in show
ROUEN. Capital of
“Delighted as I was to be The highlight for all, of and HMS Southampton appeared
Normandy. Historic port
able to bring my ship to this course, was that Parade of Sail, a in the Wear estuary for Sunderland
on the Seine. Place of
fantastic event, the most humbling procession of all the competitors International Airshow.
experience was visiting my great in the race into the Irish Sea. Or at least we’re told
judgment for Joan of Arc, grandfather’s last resting place, Argyll led the way, escorted Southampton appeared.
now a saint.
commemorating him and all those by fi re tugs blasting jets of water, For much of the show, she was
You do not, thankfully, have to
who laid down so much that we while the saluting guns of Lyme about two miles offshore, but she
go back to 1431 to find a saint in
can enjoy this fantastic spectacle Bay echoed across the estuary. might as well have been 100, for
Rouen. July 2008 would suffice.
today and in years to come,” he With the sailing ships departed, thick fog (or ‘sea fret’ as they call
HMS Southampton – aka
said. Argyll and Lyme Bay hotfooted it it in these parts) descended for
The Saint (and also The Mighty
The week in Rouen ended when away from the Irish Sea for two the entire weekend, so thick, says
90) – joined a colourful mix of
the Tall Ships sailed down the more very public engagements. airshow buff Mick Britton, “not a
battleship grey and Tall Ships as
Seine bound for their next port of The frigate made for Meet Your glimpse of her was to be caught”.
the latter vessels gathered for the
call, Liverpool... Navy in Portsmouth (where 9,000 Not a glimpse, that is, unless
prologue to the 2008 race.
... which is where six RN/RFA people came to tour the ship; see you’re a TV viewer; local TV
The destroyer was the first
vessels mustered to greet them. page 22), while Lyme headed to broadcast a weather bulletin from
warship to arrive on the Seine for
An estimated 500,000 people Sunderland (see below). the destroyer’s fo’c’sle (we’re
the week-long spectacle, firing her
lined the north and south banks The two shows, said RPO guessing the word ‘fog’ might
saluting gun for each of the fine
of the river to see the magnifi cent George Kerrison, had been have been mentioned on several
sailing ships she passed on her way
vessels depart in a Parade of Sail – “fantastic”. occasions…).
Meet Your Navy wasn’t the only major
to her berth.
led by HMS Argyll. He continued: “It’s been our The Saint had an important
international event which thrust the Senior
The Tall Ships are an enormous
Warships began to gather for chance to meet people and the role in an action-packed
draw wherever they go (see later)
the spectacle fi ve days earlier. lads seemed to have enjoyed this demonstration. AWACS aircraft,
Service into the public eye this summer.
and Rouen was no exception.
University boats HM Ships Blazer – they’ve been able to talk about Tornados, Hawks, Chinooks and
From Land’s End to John O’Groats (or,
Interest in those leviathans
and Ranger were the smallest; next, what we’ve done, how we live and Sea Kings, plus Lyme Bay and
more accurately, Helston to Edinburgh)
rubbed off on Southampton, and
size-wise was shown off some Southampton were all lined up for
and even on the Seine, our men and how. At the final count, 50,000
HMS Grimsby,
It’s been our chance to
of the modern a display on the waterfront.
women have put their best feet forward. people had been shown around
then Argyll and
meet people and the
kit we have.” As it was, all the air input to the
the destroyer during the three
fi nally RFA
lads seemed to have
If you wanted demo was chopped… which isn’t
days she was open to the public.
Lyme Bay. to put the necessarily a bad thing if you’re ten
Those who did not visit the
The Tall enjoyed this. kibosh on a HMS Southampton sailors and
Separating? Divorcing?
Type 42 perhaps saw her sailors
Ships Race is
– PO George Kerrison,
major public Royal Marine Commandos who
taking part in an inter-faith church
more than a event, just insert
Specialist Armed Forces HMS Argyll
promptly grabbed all the attention
coffin
service and eight-kilometre (five-
‘mere’ parade the word ‘air’ in in a scaled-down display.
pension advice...
mile) parade along the waterfront.
– it’s a nautical the title. The former played renegades
mew
Rouen was not all parades,
festival and for two days Argyll and It’s not been a good summer for taking UN personnel hostage;
If you are considering a separation or
LLP
handshakes and fireworks,
Lyme Bay opened up their upper air shows (come to think of it, it’s the latter stormed from the
divorce call our Family Helpline for
however.
decks to the public, while ashore not been a good summer, period). sea and promptly rescued the
more details of our Free Half Hour
In the cemetery of St Sever
the Band of HM Royal Marines Southend. Wet. Fairford. Rained peacekeepers.
Consultation which can be by phone
on the southern edge of the old
Scotland provided appropriate off. Waddington. Curtailed. The Black Cats Lynx display
or in person. We also have a dedicated
Norman city lies Sapper J W
musical entertainment. Yeovilton. Wet, windy. Sunderland. team were grounded, save for a
Armed Forces area on our website
‘Billy’ Ford.
Argyll, which spent the earlier Fogged out. Culdrose. Low cloud, quick fl ight to conduct a weather
with comprehensive information on
A keen footballer in his native
part of 2008 safeguarding Iraq’s drizzle. check, but at least the RN static
a whole range of family matters,
Uttoxeter, he volunteered for the
oil platforms, impressively hosted Yes, for all the Herculean displays (a Sea King Mk6 and
including pension advice.
Army in 1914.
more than 9,500 visitors over efforts, for all the planning, for a vintage Wasp) and the not-You can find out more
The Royal Engineers accepted
the open weekend (to put that in all that mice and men endeavour so-static displays (Commando We can help you through... details and email us
him. Billy Ford was “just the type
perspective, fl agship Ark Royal to achieve, the gods conspired Display Team, the Band of HM
regarding Family
of man who would revel in a fight
welcomed 5,000 people during against the good folk of Cornwall Royal Marines Scotland and the 0800 827168
matters via our
with the Hun”.
her solitary open day in Liverpool and Culdrose Air Day. fi eld gunners of HMS Neptune
website
www.coffinmew.co.uk
Fareham, North Harbour Portsmouth, Southampton and Gosport
Which is exactly what he did
earlier this summer…). Although woeful weather has and Caledonia) proved popular.
coffinmew.co.uk
Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Lexcel Accredited. for the next three and half years The most senior of those 9,500 been a recurring theme at air
If you wanted good weather, you

until he was gravely wounded in
visitors was the Duke of York; the shows in 2008, the Fleet Air Arm really needed to go to Scotland (a
the German spring offensives of
retired naval offi cer chatted with has fared better than most forces phrase you won’t often see in these
1918.
the ship’s company – and toured on display.
pages).
He was sent to a French hospital
some of the Tall Ships berthed on So while many of the fi xed-wing
There was plenty of activity in
NEED initial FREE
in Rouen but succumbed to his
the Mersey, as did his sister, the attractions were parked fi rmly on
the skies of East Lothian for the
wounds at the age of 43, leaving
Princess Royal, who was also in the Culdrose tarmac (although
National Museum of Flight’s
a widow and four children – none
town for the spectacle. Tornadoes did wow the crowds),
annual show at East Fortune, 20
LEGAL ADVICE?
of whom he had seen since joining Not all the sporting action was the Lynx, Merlin and Bagger Sea
miles outside Edinburgh.
Then contact:
up. confi ned to the water. Argyll’s Kings did their bit in the leaden
Pilots Lts Simon Hammock
It is a tragic story, and one team convincingly won the Cornish skies.
and James Bullock, observer Lt
repeated more than 880,000 times football tournament arranged for Despite the disappointing
Cdr ‘Florry’ Ford and aircrewman
in the Great War, but what makes it the participating vessels. Matelots weather, more than 16,000 people
PO Marcus Wigfull plus their
pertinent to HMS Southampton is who preferred to watch rather turned up – and praised organisers
Sea King fl ew across from HMS
that his great grandson commands than join in toured Anfi eld, home for resolving traffi c problems
Gannet, Britain’s busiest Search
the vessel. of Liverpool FC, and watched the around the airbase 12 months ago
and Rescue unit, to carry out a
And Cdr Richard Morris could St Helens-Wigan clash, one of the which blighted the 2007 show.
simulated rescue, before setting
not visit Rouen without paying his highlights of the Rugby League Four hundred and seventy miles
their helicopter down for the
A Nationwide network of highly experienced Independent Solicitors respects to Billy Ford.
season. to the north-east, RFA Lyme Bay
Scottish public to peer inside.
Who advise and represent Service Personnel, Reservists, the
● Fire tugs blast jets of water over HMS Argyll as she and a Lynx
Civil Service and their Families
lead the Tall Ships’ Parade of Sail past the Liver Building
Picture: Lt Cdr Al Campbell
Contact:
0845 601 1260
or
www.forceslaw.com
for a Local Lawyer who
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and REINSTATEMENT of RESERVE FORCES PERSONNEL • SERVICE
INVESTIGATIONS • CRIME • HOUSE or BUSINESS PURCHASE
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0018_NN_Sept.indd 118_NN_Sept.indd 1 118/8/08 11:49:538/8/08 11:49:53
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