NAVY NEWS, OCTOBER 2008 19
Yees, we cans, we can
● Drill practice... Fixing a rather large hole in a Jungly Sea King in the fi eld in Afghanistan
specialist upgrade – a gun engineers in Gosport and Middle Surely we know everything
for operations in Afghanistan, Wallop constantly working on about it.
defensive kit for Iraq – Gosport improvements to the military’s Well, not exactly. You don’t for
is the first port of call. helicopter fleet (there are example ‘just’ fit a machine gun
“We can do in six months some 30 tweaks and upgrades by the side door, for example:
what normally takes industry currently on the books). you have to take weight,
five years,” says Cdr Higgins Lives depend on some jobs aerodynamics and arc of fire,
proudly. – those defensive aid suites, for example, into account – you
Faster than industry… and for example, or a chute for wouldn’t want to shoot off your
cheaper. Upgrades to the Sea dispensing spent cartridge rotor tips or undercarriage.
King Mk7 – the ‘bagger’ variant cases from a Minigun which Often when a request for
– are expected to save the MOD otherwise might damage the a modification comes in, it’s
£6m. fuselage. accompanied by an additional
MASU has a team of Other alterations are less plea: Can you just…
● Probably the smallest divisions in the Navy... a light-hearted
designers, draughtsmen and critical, such as adapting “We’re everybody’s favourite
moment in Kandahar and (above) a Jungly Sea King is propped up
Endurance’s Lynx for a special toy when we’re around because
on sand bags before the team get to grips with repairs
high definition BBC camera for we can fix it,” says CPO Del
a wildlife documentary. Wilkins.
“There’s quite a bit of work They can indeed – and they
going on with both versions of enjoy doing it.
The British March King and
Sea King – we are trying to “I’ve been here seven years
shoehorn more kit in to make it and I cannot think of something
the Band of HM Royal Marines
a more capable helicopter,” said not working,” Del adds. “It can Plymouth Division
CPO Brian Chambers of the Sea go from absolutely crazy to
King modifications team. manic. But we enjoy what we
These historic recordings by Kenneth Alford
The venerable Sea King has do here – it’s the best job in the
include most of his famous compositions
been around for four decades. Navy.”
especially Colonel Bogey – the theme music
integrity thrives
of ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’. Also
many of his other well known marches:
The Thin Red Line, On the Quarterdeck, The
Standard of St George, HM Jollies and The
of the aircraft’s systems may MIG personnel were at the heart With a few clicks of a mouse
have failed,” the investigator of those trials (their input was in Gosport, you can see the
Voice of the Guns; a selection of his post
adds. less-well publicised than the state of the entire Chinook fl eet: horn solos, a xylophone duet, piccolo solo
“It sharpens up your wits pilots and aircraft handlers), which machines are fi t to fl y and
because you know you are providing vital advice on which are out of action because
(Bill the Bosun) and many more recordings
working on something which protecting the gunship from the of vibration issues. including Sousa’s marches Semper Fidelis
affects people’s lives. harsh maritime environment. Such vibration data is,
“But when you assist in Not all the analysis at MIG however, the tip of the iceberg.
and The Stars and Stripes Forever. ‘Alford
fi nding the cause of an accident requires test tubes, microscopes More comprehensive – and Conducts Alford’ are rare recordings gems - a must for any music lover and serious
and steps can be taken to stop it and those white coats. impressive – is the Fleet Usage
happening again, that gives you No, some require a computer Management System or FUMS,
collectors of military band music
a very rewarding feeling.” and reams of data. an onboard computer system
In the naval world in particular, Earlier this year, we reported that collects information from
Double Compact Disc, 32 tracks 100 minutes £15.00 incl p+p (UK and Overseas)
corrosion is an issue; the sea is HMS Vengeance’s trials in 150 components in a helicopter Make cheques payable to Eastney Collection – most major credit cards also accepted
an unforgiving environment not Scotland to test for noise during a fl ight.
merely for the ships but also the emissions. Uploaded to a main database,
Eastney Collection, 60 Mayford Road, London SW12 8SN
helicopters parked on their fl ight The hull of a submarine is the data collected allows a fl ight
tel: 020-8673-6157; fax: 020-8772-9545: Email: eastneycol@aol.com
decks. peppered with sensors, as is the to be accurately recreated on
The threat of corrosion at sea fuselage of a Chinook (there are a 3D computer simulator (well,
www.eastneycollection.com
is something manufacturers more than 40), for example, but actually, a replicator). More
of naval helicopters take into these look for vibration. than that, however, it tells you
account from the outset. “Ever since Mr Sikorsky fi rst in effect the material ‘health’ of
The Apache gunship, however, fl ew, vibration has been an the helicopter – and, for some
was designed to knock out tanks issue,” explains an RAF chief components, whether or not
and strongpoints on the rolling technician attached to MIG. they need to be replaced.
terrain of a European battlefi eld. “You will never get rid of it, “It’s a small step towards the
It wasn’t built for ships and but our aim is to reduce it to day when crews will no longer
amphibious operations. But manageable levels.” have to inspect their aircraft
thanks to trials on HMS Ocean, The Chinook sensors feed before a sortie – it will be a bit
Apache can fl y from ship data into a ‘black box’ recorder like getting into your car and
to shore. and, after each fl ight, the simply setting off,” says the RAF
information gathered is loaded chief technician.
on to a computer “It’s the future of aviation
server. maintenance.”
● Chinooks by night lined up on the standings at Camp Bastion in Helmand
0018-019_NN.indd 218-019_NN.indd 2 118/9/08 15:26:578/9/08 15:26:57
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