4 NAVY NEWS, SEPTEMBER 2008
They do run,
● (RM) Band of Brothers... A
Royal Marines musician takes
a breather during the Mission
Capital gains
run, run...
Rehearsal Exercise
Picture: LA(Phot) Pete Smith, FRPU East
Shoreham
and row
HMS Shoreham’s tour of Britain
took her to the greatest city of
them all (Sheffi eld? – Ed) when
LONG before the fi rst rays of
she navigated the Thames to
light banished the Mediterranean
spend four days in London.
darkness, half the sailors and
President Quay, next to
Royal Marines of HMS Bulwark
Tower Bridge, was home to
were lined up on the jetty in
the Sandown-class ship which
Gibraltar.
provided the backdrop for a
There was a surprisingly high
reception for MPs with the
take-up rate for the traditional
Armed Forces Parliamentary
‘top of the Rock race’, 2½ miles
Scheme, plus First Sea Lord
horizontally and 1,250ft vertically
Admiral Sir Jonathon Band and
to the summit of the imposing
his Army counterpart General Sir
peak which gives Gibraltar its
Richard Dannatt.
nickname.
Shoreham’s sailors were to
Twenty-one minutes and forty-
have performed a ceremonial
six seconds later and Sgt Craig
sunset to bring the curtain down
Moodie of 4 Assault Squadron
on the event... but the British
Royal Marines, Albion’s inherent
summer put pay to that.
commando unit, was first to the
Still, it didn’t rain for the
top (four minutes slower than the
duration of Shoreham’s time in
record time).
London. Her crew were given
In all, 180 runners set off...
free tours of the Tower, while the
and made it to the summit,
sailors themselves showed off
including 48 Rock virgins, officer
their ship to RN Reservists from
cadets on initial sea training with
HMS President, local school
the assault ship.
children and the general public.
They could have picked up
The ship is now back home in
tips from the ultimate Rock
Faslane where she awaits a new
race expert: Bulwark’s Executive
ship’s company.
Officer Lt Cdr Gareth Parry.
Shoreham’s sailors are
He first ran in 1978 as an
swapping places with the crew
AB in HMS Apollo... and has a
of HMS Ramsey in Bahrain in
certificate for completing the run
the final changeover of Sandown
ship’s companies supporting the
at every rank up to his current
Aintree deployment (see page 11
one.
for more details).
Although he did vow ‘never
again’ after his 30th anniversary
run, Bulwark is returning to Gib
Cornwall see
next year...
He is surrounded by a fairly
athletic bunch on Bulwark. On
Sea Sunday
the way to Gib from the Baltic,
where she’d been exercising with FALMOUTH was graced with
Russian marines, the ship passed the presence of Cornwall’s own
through the Kiel Canal. warship for three days.
And that provided an excuse Frigate HMS Cornwall headed
for another race: could the ship’s up the Fal in the middle of her
company row the length of the Operational Sea Training to take
famous man-made waterway (61 part in the town’s annual Sea
miles to be precise) faster than Sunday celebrations.
Bulwark could cover the distance? Sixty members of the Type
The answer was a resounding 22’s ship’s company joined sailors
‘yes’. Rowing in relays with from University boats Charger,
Commanding Officer Capt Biter and Express and personnel
Jeremy Blunden covering the from RNAS Culdrose on a march
final 1,000 metres, the sailors and through Falmouth.
marines achieved their target with As for the frigate herself,
the ship herself a good 16 miles she was under the scrutiny of
from the canal’s exit into the Flag Officer Sea Training staff
North Sea. throughout her visit.
The FOSTies don’t just assess
Southampton
a ship’s ability to deal with fire,
THE men and women of HMS ‘Universally ready...’
flood and war, but also the ability
to organise public events, even
goes home
down to hosting VIPs.
Cornwall also played host to
troops from 43 Wessex Brigade
as well as RN disaster and
Southampton marched through emergency specialists to explain
the centre of their namesake to local leaders how the Armed
city as they exercised the right “ARE we stood down yet, boss?” a
actually outnumbered by sailors, soldiers and very much on rebuilding Helmand, restoring
Forces could assist the region in a
to its freedom.
weary Royal Marine asks from the
airmen in one of the most diverse forces ever the economy, providing better education, better
time of crisis.
The Portsmouth-based
assembled by Britain for such a task. hospital care to Afghans.
destroyer made the short
turret of his Viking, cooking in the
At the peak of the deployment, there will As proof, the demonstration laid on for the
hop along the Solent to meet
blazing Wiltshire sun. be around 3,000 RN personnel in theatre media was not of Royals “kicking doors in, Busy birthday
the people who built her
“No, you’re still on show.” – Royal Marines, Fleet Air Arm fl iers and daggers in mouths” as one commando put it,
(Southampton was born at
The last act of a two-week battle exercise for ground crews from the Naval Strike Wing and but of sitting down and having a cup of tea.
AVIATION training ship RFA
the Vosper Thornycroft yard
the men and women of 3 Commando Brigade Commando Helicopter Force, musicians from The shura – Arabic for discussion – is a chat
Argus has marked her 20th
in Woolston, now moved to
about to head to Helmand was perhaps the the Royal Marines Band, a large number of between village elders and patrolling Royal
birthday under the Blue Ensign
Pompey) and supported her
most daunting: performing, for want of a better marine engineers, logisticians, medics, even Marines and their interpreters and Afghan
3,000 miles from home.
since she was laid down on
word, for the media. submariners (acting as drivers). guides and advisers.
The former container ship
Trafalgar Day 1976.
Yet away from the fl ashes and bangs, the men In all, there 68 different military organisations The sides meet on neutral ground outside a
finds herself east of Suez on
Despite the short distance
of Kilo Company 42 Commando barreling out including 11 major formations coming under 3 village (or in this instance a huge farm shed),
her anniversary deployment,
between her home port and
of the back of Sea Kings and Chinooks, the Commando Brigade’s wing. drink tea, establish a degree of trust, and
supporting the efforts of CTF
affiliated city, it’s been 18
Vikings and columns of trucks and tankers Commander-in-Chief Fleet Admiral Sir then move into the village to continue the
150 and 152 in the southern Gulf
months since the ship was last
kicking up dust, the Apache gunships blowing Mark Stanhope admitted that the large input of discussion.
and Indian Ocean and serving as
in Southampton Water.
things up, never have the Royal Marines non-Royal Marine Commandos to the Herrick And then wumm! Black smoke billows
a home to the surveillance Sea
Front-line duty in the South
been better prepared for a tour of duty in deployment was “clearly an indication of how across the shed as the Taleban strike. The elders
King helicopters of 857 NAS –
Atlantic kept her busy for most
Afghanistan. taut the Forces are.” scatter. The Royals turn around and raise their
which played a key role in recent
of 2007 while maintenance
This month the green berets begin taking But he continued: “We should be on the rifl es, fanning out around the village, calling
drug busts.
and exercises in the UK have
over responsibility for Helmand, keeping the front foot, supporting where we can. in an air strike from Army Air Corps Apache
Not content with that, the
devoured a great deal of her
Taleban and insurgents in check and allowing “Our contribution in relation to our size is gunships. Wumm! Wumm! Wumm!
large auxiliary (28,000 tonnes)
time in 2008.
normal life in Afghanistan to fl ourish. signifi cant – the Royal Navy is playing its part. And then it’s time for tea again.
has provided fuel and supplies for
Her sailors marched around
To prepare for that demanding mission the It’s the biggest maritime contribution to land It is, of course, a demonstration and rather
passing Allied warships, including
the heart of Southampton,
brigade has undergone fi ve months of training, operations in recent years.” theatrical at that, but it gives a rough idea of
HMS Edinburgh and Germany’s
bayonets fixed, Colours
culminating in two weeks on Salisbury Plain The last time the brigade deployed to what the brigade will face in Helmand – and
FGS Emden.
flying, bands playing – as the
and a ‘Mission Rehearsal Exercise’, or MRX. Helmand over the winter of 2006-07, the green some of the fi repower they can call upon.
Freedom charter permits them
Nearly 6,000 military personnel were berets took the fi ght to the enemy. Whitehall has come under fi re from the
– beginning and ending at the
involved in the war games which were scattered “When we met the Taleban they were media and from MPs for not providing front-
New radar
Civic Centre.
not only across the entire Army exercise area defeated in every single tactical engagement. line troops with all the kit they need, chiefl y
RADAR capable of detecting a
“Freedom means more to
on the plain – roughly 25 miles end-to-end – Now they are aping the tactics used in Iraq,” helicopters and armour.
snooker ball fl ying through the air
me and my ship’s company
but also extended to Sennybridge ranges in Brig Howes said. Brig Howes said whilst more equipment
up to 12 miles away will be fi tted
than the right to march through
the Brecon Beacons; 45 Commando were sent Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) – would always be welcome, it would not be a
to almost twenty warships.
the streets,” CO Cdr Richard
there as the terrain better replicates that which bombs and booby traps – are the gravest panacea for grappling with all the issues and
Artisan 3D will replace the
Morris told the city’s great and
they will encounter in Helmand than the rolling concern of troops and commanders, but Brig problems in Afghanistan: tackling the Taleban
existing medium-range radar used
good from the steps of the civic
Wiltshire countryside. Howes said his men understood, and accepted, and nurturing economic and social life.
on the Type 23 frigate fleet, as
offices.
Each force heading to Afghanistan has held the risk. He continued: “If you’re sitting behind steel, then you will
well HM Ships Ocean, Bulwark
“It is recognition of the
a fi nal battle exercise before deploying – we’re
“Is Afghanistan dangerous?
never meet the people,” he said.
and Albion.
long association between
now on the ninth roulement of British troops in
Undoubtedly. Are the lads deterred?
“Casualties are tough, but they are a price
It will also be installed on the
the people of the city, her
Helmand – but, said Col Buster Howes, 3 Cdo
Not at all. The troops are universally
worth paying. Look at the hospitals being
future aircraft carriers Queen
schools, charities, cadet forces,
Bde’s CO, never had it been so “complex and
ready – they’re coiled springs.
built, look at the children surviving their early
Elizabeth and Prince of Wales in
business community and local
sophisticated”. years.”
a £100m deal with BAE System’s
government, and the men and
More than 200 vehicles, Chinook, Sea King “It’s in the nature of young men to consider The personnel deploying are now returning
Insyte arm based in Cowes on
women of my ship who share
and Apache helicopters and Tornado and themselves immortal. They have an adventurous from pre-deployment leave before heading to
the Isle of Wight.
the proud and illustrious name
Harrier jets were committed to the MRX. spirit. They would not want to do a 9-5 job – the sharp end.
The cost also includes the
of Southampton.”
Although 3 Cdo Bde were in charge of and it would be a nightmare for you if they were “We will fl y across the heart of Asia and the
fi rst decade of support and
the exercise – and will head the six-month doing one.” great adventure begins,” said Brig Howes.
■ HMS Southampton in Rouen, maintenance for the new kit from
page 18
deployment to Helmand – Royal Marines are The emphasis during the this deployment is
marina Commando Logistic Regiment, page 14 BAE.
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