NAVY NEWS, SEPTEMBER 2008 27
her speed to intercept fi shing dhows “Thankfully, we have not gone down on a telephone account card helps, Gulf heat. They provide ‘point defence’ – manning
g a or other (potentially suspect) vessels, that route. I do understand that the Royal enabling sailors to use phones in the Even at that time in the morning it was the guns – of the Khawr Al Amaya
of chasing them out of the exclusion zone. Navy cannot afford to make the same ship to contact loved ones and being 28˚C (82˚F) with a less-than-pleasant terminal which, despite improvements,
ks With close to 5,000 tonnes of metal mistake again. Can I guarantee that what sent DVDs, newspapers and magazines 70 per cent humidity. By mid-day remains “a bit Waterworld-esque,” Cdre
es hurtling at around 20 knots to save the happened to Cornwall won’t happen from home also helps take the edge off temperatures were hitting 45˚C (113˚F)… Winstanley says.
he terminals from a potentially mortal blow, again? Yes, I can. Can I guarantee the routine. which is when Bobby was out there. The Iraqi Navy is expanding at pace.
the confi dence WECDIS provides is a there will not be some kind of other “You could say that the problem As leading chef his morning was Destroyed in the fi rst – not the second,
yal weapon in itself. incident? No, I can’t.” is that the task we arisis is thaththaha e doing devoured by preparing breakfast asstt the thethee firfi r rstr – Gulf War, it is now
rs, If the Royal Navy deployed a smaller And so, there is no zone of oof is boring,” says EWO Dris s bobo ew. for 200 shipmates, followed by the he e appapapprpprorooaching the size of the
for vessel to the northern Gulf then it would relaxation in the Gulf. Maintaining nng ng “However“HoHowew , I see being bored as a small matter of assisting a RAS to to o RoyRoRoyal New Zealand Navy in yal
not have the endurance, the weapons to an ever-vigilant watch over a a a good thing – because if the ship gogooood td dtd take on 200 tons of fuel. tertetterms of people. Next year it will erms mms
nd deal with an intruder if need be – or the period of several months is no o is operating well and deterring isis s opo Nevertheless, he reached his s s rereceeceive new patrce ol ships and
ore sensors to detect the threat in the fi rst easy task, especially through the thrtheth eat then nothing goal in just over fi ve hours; his incincrnc easingly assume duties
its place. Therefore, despite the navigational a cruel Arabian summer. happens.”hah shipmates completed nine pepperformed by Allied warships
an. hazards a Type 22 frigate faces, it is truly On the upper-deck marathon relays, three half aaround the platforms.
es a ship fi t for task. The superb seamanship LET(WE) Liam Kealey Given the physical and G marathons and 51 various Its rebirth and growth
that has been the hallmark of the British continues daily rounds of the mental demands of m 10km challenges. hahhas been supported to
fl eet for centuries remains a key asset in weapons, cleaning them to operating in such an o Not to be outdone were a a very large degree fi rst
the post 9/11 world. combat sand the consistency eneenvirn onment, you’re going Montrose’s Royal Marine bybby RFA Sir Bedivere and,
These are waters that even the mighty of talcum powder, mixed in to totto want to let your hair o detachment who ran a marathon n n mommore recently, RFA Cardigan
US Navy fears to tread with its major with gun oil, together with the ee ddodown.owown in spring relays, covering the he BaBayay. .. Both ships have, says the
warships – they draw too much water – remorselessly corrosive action of off And even if the British public AndAnd distance 35 seconds faster than thahan n comcommodormmod e, “been fundamental to
hence the Americans’ 9,000-tonne on- salt water. Having served in Chatham Chathamh m don’dondodon’t’tt necessarily apprnecnee ese eciate what we individual world record holder Haile maintaining progress towards Iraqi Navy
ble
call missile cruiser is stationed in deeper since May 1999, Liam was in the frigate do in the Gulf, the locals do. Gebrselassie. transition. The RFA contribution really
in
waters. when she bombarded Iraqi troop The team behind the Emirates Palace has been outstanding – and while there
In the shallower waters, Chatham is positions in the nearby Al-Faw Peninsula Hotel in Abu Dhabi – arguably the world’s In Bahrain, the hub of Allied operations is still much work to do I think this is a
he
working with small US Coast Guard, US during the Iraq War of 2003. “The daily most luxurious/expensive hostelry – in the Gulf, the only record broken real good news story.”
nd
Navy and Iraqi Navy patrol craft, which routine up in the northern Gulf can be a certainly do. seemingly is the ever-rising cost of oil There have, of course, been darker
nd
can enforce the Coalition will in waters real challenge, but somehow we keep When Montrose was in town, its sailors – currently around $130 per barrel. moments – the Cornwall incident, for
s –
in which even the Type 22 frigate cannot going,” he said. “Some days are very were invited to use the hotel’s sporting It’s a source of celebration for locals example.
venture (although her embarked small uneventful, but on others there is loads facilities for free (this is a place typically whose economy is booming; it’s a source But when the dust settled, there was
de
boats can). happening.” frequented by Premiership football of worry for the world beyond whose never any question that British warships
ck
And in these shallower waters, Fellow weapons technician Steve teams – a cheap economies are stagnating or
would continue to patrol the Iraqi oil
the Iranians like to venture. Their Durrant is reminded regularly by his room will cost you worse.
platforms – or the wider Gulf region.
Revolutionary GuarReevvolul d Corps in family back home of how poor the UK a mere £180 for a If there
As Cdre Winstanley is quick to point
armed speedboats, Iranian arma me summer has been. “Everyone keeps night; the most is any
out – while the collective strength of
colours flcolo ying from their saying bring some sun back, but having expensive
consolation the Maritime Coalition in the Gulf is
stersts ns, came within a few had nothing but that out here for months suite a jaw-
for the wider impressive – and the overall effect is
hundrh ed yards of Chatham I say ‘no chance’.” dropping
world, it is certainly “greater than the sum of the
as the warship patra olled on Executive Warrant Offi cer Garry £5,700).
this: without the parts,” only two Navies operate in all
the edge of Iraqi waters.tht ‘Scooby’ Drew, a veteran of nearly 27 Volleyball, football,
three Allied task
three areas in the Middle East, those of
On Chatham’s upper years’ service in the Royal Navy, is full of cricket – “on the best
forces safeguarding
Britain and the United States.
decks sentries and gun ded admiration for the youngsters he serves pitch I have ever played”,
the seas east of Suez,
This effort together with taking
crcrews stare ed back at the with. A key member of the command as one Montroser put it – are
fuel prices could be a
command of the Coalition forces in the
defidedefi a aant Revolutionary Guards team, EWO Drew looks after the welfare all on offer, and if that exhausts
hell of a lot higher.
region demonstrates to all our continuing
who rwhowhoo rereefused to rf espond to radio and morale of the ratings, in his own you in the 50˚C midsummer heat,
And that, together with
commitment to maintain lawful maritime
interrintinterrer ogaoogogation frgatiotitio om Coalition vessels, words “providing a sympathetic ear” for the staff will kindly run you from one
the mountain of other maritime
except to hurl insults of a scatological their concerns, large or small. end of the hotel to the other (it’s roughly
order in an area vital to regional and
trade, is ‘the reason why’.
nd
and anatomically “Trying to a mile long) in electric buggies...
world economic stability.
“The Gulf is the lifeblood of this region,”
for
invasive nature. maintain the Of course, such luxury isn’t always
The commodore’s tour of duty has
says Cdre Winstanley as he prepares to
ng
It would be
“If you want to be a premier-
morale and readily available.
seen many notable and historic events
step down after two years in charge.
easy to be lured enthusiasm of Now you may (or may not) have
including Bahraini command of CTF 152
into a state of
division Navy, then you want
“We continue to punch above our weight
the ship can be already read about the chaps on the
– the fi rst Gulf Co-operation Council Navy
of
complacency –
to be operating here.”
in the Coalition and I believe it’s worth the
a challenge,” he Khawr Al Amaya oil terminal who ran a
to command a Coalition Task Force.
hty
believing that it – Cdre Keith Winstanley
effort.”
acknowledges, half marathon for charity (see page 19).
This was followed by another fi rst,
In those two years, the commodore
is all just a game, explaining that Half marathon? Pah! Ask LLogs
when Cdre Hudson and his staff took
and his team have been at the maritime
he
but of course, as people pull an (Catering Services (Preparation)) – aka
command of that same force in early
centre of numerous events and have
ss- the HMS Cornwall incident showed, it can average 84 hours on watch a week when
Leading Chef – ‘Bobby’ Ball about the seen considerable progress. The team
June.
rly all turn very serious in a split-second. on patrol in the northern Gulf.
real deal. itself has grown in size to refl ect the
“This is a job worth doing. It is the Royal
ial Chatham’s Commanding Offi cer, Cdr “No beer is issued because of the alert
Yes, he ran around the upper deck increasing RN contribution in the Middle
Navy’s primary mission – denying the use
he Martin Connell, is glad that the Royal state and there are very few opportunities
of Montrose more than 182 times in the East and recent additions of a Deputy
of the sea by unlawful organisations,”
Navy did not retreat from the northern for barbecues on the fl ight-deck, or full glare of the Gulf sun, the crowning
UKMCC, Legal advisor, Policy advisor
Cdre Winstanley stresses.
er, Gulf following that rather black day. ship’s quizzes, or other things we might
achievement of a day of fi tness aboard and a number of deployable staff offi cers
“If you want to be a premier-division
nd Almost 18 months on from the episode, normally do to relax people.
the frigate. mean the small UK footprint brings
Navy, then you want to be operating
ral he believes “the ghost of the Cornwall “Every day I walk the patch, speaking
His PO, Gary Smith, organised a series increased ‘added value’ in the maritime
here.” As he is fond of quoting to his
m’s has been laid to rest.” to people and fi nding out what bothers of marathon challenges – challenges to environment.
Coalition colleagues, “If not here, then
IS, Cdr Connell explains: “Perhaps the them. Morale is generally good, as they which more than half the ship’s company In the same time frame the commodore
where? If not now, then when?”
es safest thing to do after that experience understand why they are here and it is rose. has seen training with the Iraqi Navy and With thanks to Iain Ballantyne, editor
ed would have been to change the posture an important job, but there can be small They, however, began their marathon Marines move up several gears. Iraqis of Warships International Fleet Review
of the forces up here – don’t take that problems.” relays, 10km runs, bike rides and rows now do most of the searches of tankers (www.warshipsifr.com), for providing
se risk, don’t send out boarding teams. A 30-minutes-per-week allowance at 6.30am to escape the full brunt of the using the oil platforms. material from HMS Chatham.
pictur
e: la(phot) chris winter
, frpu west
0025-027_NN_Sept.indd 325-027_NN_Sept.indd 3 118/8/08 13:42:238/8/08 13:42:23
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