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NAVY NEWS, DECEMBER 2008 27
26 NAVY NEWS,V DECEMBER 2008
force
Y
ou guys have it easy in the
‘Ask me what you will, I am ready,’ was the message
Royal Navy. Take it from
me, writes Paul Mcdowell.
and that can be disarming for any journalist.
Look at my heritage. My
paternal grandfather hammered
out the plates on the mighty
hulls of many a ship that rolled
down the slip at Harland and
Wolff shipyard in Belfast. I was
brought up by the sea and could
If we go outside the box on the wrong side we’ll
identify the ships that ploughed
their way up and down Belfast
fi nd ourselves very close to some “uncompromising
Lough. Impressed?
navigational features” (a posh term for rocks).
Oh, I am also a working
journalist so as I embarked on
Bulwark to report on exercise
Joint Warrior for Crown Media’s
daily news bulletin I had in my kit
bag the usual tools of my trade.
A fondness for hyperbole, an
ability to spin the facts, and
imagination by the yard arm!
Key to any assignment for a
journalist can be summed up in
one word, relationships.
That was top of my agenda as
Bulwark edged out of Faslane on
a sunny October Sunday. With a
commitment to provide a daily
report, work started immediately.
I recorded two general
interviews on the bridge,
one with the Commanding
Officer, and the other with the
Commodore.
The atmosphere was as calm
as the sea state in the Loch Bul’s eye view
while the interviews provided the
clues to what would lie ahead for
me and the Crown Media team.
Both men were confident, at H
MS Bulwark in her
short period of service
has yet to have her I
t was reassuring to be
back on the familiar
territory of both the L
och Ewe is not the
most expansive piece
of water in Scotland,
ease with their subject with no Role 2 medical facility tested Amphibious Flagship and an writes Navigator Lt Cdr Barry
hint of defensiveness. ‘Ask me either for real or in an exercise amphibious JMC (Exercise Stephen, especially when the plan
what you will, I am ready,’ was scenario, writes Lt Jez Eden. Joint Warrior) conducted off involves three major warships, a
the message and that can be This all changed when she North West Scotland, writes couple of frigates, several mine
disarming for any journalist. embarked a surgical team on Flt Lt John Ellis of Commander countermeasures vessels and
Our brief on exercises like board for the latter part of Amphibious Task Group numerous landing craft.
this is to push the boundaries, JW082. (COMATG). To keep us all out of each
to lay the traps for operational The team consisting of Cdre Peter Hudson and others way, the limited water
security to be unveiled, to catch Surg Capt Walker, Surg Cdr the COMATG battlestaff space is divided into smaller
our subjects off guard and – to Connor, CPOMT Warren embarked in HMS Bulwark, areas, and the task for the bridge
quote a well-known author – to and LMA Harries, were faced having just handed over com- team is to keep the ship in its
be a general, ‘embuggerance,’ with the challenges of putting mand of Combined Task allocated area.
while at the same time creating together the surgical facility Force 152 in Bahrain to the We need to stay in our area
relationships on board so that ready to receive casualties. United States Navy. for three main reasons: firstly, so
trust can grow. This is not quite as simple as With 3 Commando Brigade that the landing craft can find us
It is then the full value of our it sounds. deployed to Afghanistan, the (especially in the dark); secondly,
media training can be realised. The medical stores consist role of the Landing Force so that we keep out of the way of
Sea legs are also imperative, of over 44 boxes of stores was assumed by 9 BLBMa other ships using the loch; and
it proved, if the job is to be ranging from simple items (Brigade Légère Blindée de thirdly, most importantly, if we
successful. such as needles and gloves to Marine) led by Col Francois go outside the box on the wrong
By the second week we were highly sophisticated pieces of Labuze. side (the bit closest to land) we’ll
in the teeth of a force seven anaesthetic equipment. These They brought with them 250 find ourselves very close to some
gusting to gale force somewhere stores are kept permanently on troops to form the Landing “uncompromising navigational
up at the top of north-west board Bulwark, but needed to Force and FS Tonnere. features” (a posh term for rocks).
Scotland. be moved over five decks to As nearly 50 per cent of So, on arrival we made our
By then too the debate the right location. the COMATG battlestaff way to the south of the loch and
with the Media liaison team It then took over five days were relatively new joiners entered our allocated area that
on board and the stories we for two of the surgical team to and had not experienced measured about 1,200 yds by
wanted to cover had at times go through the stores to check the last amphibious exercise 1,000yds – to the north were fish
been turbulent (but never it and to ensure that many (Armatura Borealis in Northern farms (don’t go in there), to the
confrontational). items were still in date. Norway in February 2008), south, west and north-east were
If the ship’s satellite goes For the duration of the Joint Warrior proved to “uncompromising navigational
down should we not be allowed exercise the designated be an incredibly valuable features” and to the east was our
to report that? Vulnerable at sea! surgical theatre was situated opportunity to learn the safe route out.
Royal Navy silenced! You can within Bulwark’s treatment finer details of amphibious The first day saw unseasonably
just imagine the headlines. room. operations and reacquaint kind weather – even some
Or what happens when the The exercise started with others with our primary role. Scottish sunshine. This was the
French commandos on board a small number of casualties The weather proved calm before the storm.
fail to complete a mission as the being fed into the facility to particularly challenging to The second and third days in
weather was too rough. Soft- test its capacity to deal with a landing craft and helicopter Loch Ewe we experienced typical
centred commandos! variety of injuries. operations, even in the ‘Joint Warrior Weather’ – 50
It was a healthy debate played Gradually over the next sheltered confines of Loch knot winds, driving rain, poor
as seriously as the exercise couple of days the number of Ewe and Loch Eribol. visibility and a sea state that put
scenario and with a foundation casualties and the extent of As well as the less-than- all landing craft operations out
of trust and respect for each injuries increased to test the hospitable weather, there of limits.
others profession. system to its full capacity. was also the issue of working However, the ship remained
Never let a journalist tell you Some of the stranger issues alongside a foreign battlestaff. under way in a very confined
he or she is only doing their job to be faced by the surgical However, there was no area in the poor conditions.
or that they have a rotweiler team were the movement of problem with the language The challenge for the bridge
of an editor back at base. It is casualties within the ward. barrier and the French team was to keep the ship under
between you and the journalist, Due to the layout of the beds Landing Force integrated fully control whilst blown by the wind.
it is the relationship and the it proved extremely difficult into the planning process and The trick was to keep the
trust that are the most important to transfer patients from the exercise serials with typical wind fine on either the port or
elements in any story. operating room trolley to the good humour and enthusiasm. starboard bow and keep enough
I like to think we reflected bunk especially if the other For COMATG, Exercise headway on to stem the wind,
accurately life for the ship’s bunk was occupied. Joint Warrior represented a sailing with the wind on a
company on board Bulwark. Another challenge faced return to their amphibious constant relative bearing.
We were privileged to have by the surgical team was the role in preparation for the As the wind speed increased
access to all areas and to have time it took to move casualties Taurus 09 deployment. the rate of drift increased and the
the trust of the rank and file with around the ship to the Indeed, the training serials ship was altering course every
whom we worked. operating theatre. in North West Scotland have 15-20 minutes as we reached the
As the ships of the Royal Navy Additionally the surgeon’s allowed COMATG to de-risk extremities of the area.
sail over the horizon, I hope such linguistic skills were put to elements of the forthcoming This was maintained for two
media training exercises in the good use in determining the deployment to the days, which is testament to the
future can help maintain the fleet extent of injury to one or two Mediterranean and Far East. concentration and ship handling
and the sailor’s story, your story, of the French landing forces For example, both HMS skills of the bridge team, the
in the national media. when required. Argyll and HMS Somerset reliability of the navigation
Biggest lesson learned? A The ship’s medical staff were exercised in the role equipment and the robustness of
huge admiration now for those benefited from the additional of Pre-Landing Force (PLF) the engines and machinery.
who go to sea and maintain skills that the surgical team platform, a duty they may Failure in any one area
high tolerance levels in such – useful in their forthcoming well perform on the Taurus 09 would have put the ship at
demanding situations. deployment. deployment. severe risk.
Pictures: PO(Phot) Christine Wood, LA(Phot) Des Wade, LA(Phot) Simon Ethell, WO Ian Arthur
026-027_NN_dec08.indd 2 20/11/08 17:38:02
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