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20 NAVY NEWS, APRIL 2007
The art of NEO classicism
W
HAT is it about
ordinary,” he explained. the accommodation desk (think: This is the last test for Ark at
Brownia? NINE months after the Royal Navy rescued more
“Scimitar is a realistic no-frills tourist information the end of eight gruelling weeks
It must be the most ill-starred
than 4,000 civilians from the face of gun barrels
exercise. It tests us and it tests centre) to allocate a mess for the of operational sea training
nation on the face of the earth.
the military to ensure there’s evacuees. (bookended by a very popular
Every Friday without fail disaster
and bombs in the Lebanon, the lessons of that ‘mini
smooth running, because it has Ark can take 1,000 evacuees visit to Amsterdam).
strikes. Hurricane, earthquake,
Dunkirk’ were passed on to hundreds of sailors, to be a joint effort.” reasonably comfortably – on “I think we’ve done pretty
volcano. Take your pick. airmen and commandos on Cornish shores. Richard
The processors must be top of its complement in excess well,” says ET ‘Taff’ Merrett
Every Tuesday those Ginger
Hargreaves reports.
prepared to work in basic of 1,000. At a push she could proudly. “I think because we’re
jets roar over the sea attacking
conditions: no power or water ferry perhaps 3,000 refugees Ark Royal – a name that people
vessels bound for its ports.
for a start, so Scraesdon is ideal. to safety, so today’s infl ux of have heard of – we raise our
Every Thursday there’s all-out
All that the old fort offers is thick barely 100 is small beer. game.”

eld, HMS Ark Royal
war offshore.
last summer (we featured HMS The volunteer ‘evacuees’ all
stone walls and cavernous But the principles – and the Raising the game is slightly
And Wednesday?
Edinburgh and Northumberland hailed from north Devon and
vaults. problems – are the same whether easier if you have a bit of ‘inside
Wednesday’s child is full of
carrying out just such an had to be bussed to Cornwall
Well perhaps not all that it you’ve 30 or 3,000 evacuees to knowledge’. Nine months ago,
woe. How apt, because today
‘evacuation’ from to be ‘rescued’. Shame
offers. Ark’s chefs had contend with. Lt Cdr Claire Hayes did this for
there are 100 anxious, crying,
Dartmouth 12 months the bus driver didn’t
soup and coffee waiting Some of those arriving real aboard HMS Bulwark; the
distraught and angry British
ago). remember…
for the evacuees, and a were disabled or infi rm, assault ship ferried 1,300 people
nationals to evacuate from
But the Israeli- So two (ish) hours
makeshift medical centre hence the unaccustomed to safety from the Lebanon.
Brownia as confl ict beckons.
Hezbollah crisis has given late, the British
was set up to deal with sight of a wheelchair in Then Lt Cdr Hayes had fi ve
Of course, it’s all an exercise,
renewed emphasis to nationals turned up at
any urgent cases. an aircraft carrier’s days to prepare the ship to cope
played out by HM Ships Ark Royal
an operation which Scraesdon.
“Doing this, hangar. Others were with the infl ux. Off Cornwall,
and Albion, RFA Largs Bay, Royal
demands enormous Offi cials from
getting ashore, distraught, insisting Ark’s deputy logistics offi cer
Marines Commandos, RAF and
logistical planning… the Foreign and
working with the upon taking family was given just a day to ready her
Fleet Air Arm helicopters, even
and a happy face. Commonwealth
marines has been heirlooms with team to deal with the evacuees.
the Foreign and Commonwealth
And so it was that Offi ce (FCO) armed
pretty enjoyable them or demanding Still, experience reaps rewards
Offi ce.
long before dawn on with laptops were
– better than being to know about the – and it’s not just about
But as so often with what is
a fi ne Wednesday in on hand to check
in the galley all day,” plight of their children organising.
practised under the auspices
March green berets of passport details while
said LCH ‘Betsy’ left behind in Brownia. “One thing you realise having
of the Flag Offi cer Sea Training,
40 Commando secured on the roof of the fort
Betteridge, on hand to “Have they been done this is to keep people
exercises frequently become
the cliffs overlooking commandos stood guard.
help with the catering and in asked to play up?” one hack happy,” she said. “They have
reality.
Whitsand Bay and seized “The key to these evacuations
the ‘sick bay’ at the fort. inquired. just lost their homes, all they
eece and LA(Phot) Emma Somerfi For a decade and more,
Fort Scraesdon, a dilapidated is being ready for the
Once processed, the “No, we’ve stolen their possess. They need to see
disaster relief has been a staple
‘Palmerston Folly’ near the unexpected,” explained Alan
refugees donned the bright children,” Maj ‘Aldie’ Alderson smiling faces.”
diet of operational sea training,
village of Anthony, chosen as Richmond of the FCO’s Consular
orange ‘Michelin man’ (offi cially on the FOST staff responds They also need wardens
normally at Bull Point on the
the site for evacuating the Brits Rapid Deployment Team; his
immersion) suits for the short brusquely. (Good old Marines – chaperones, in effect, to look
Hamoaze.
under Exercise Scimitar. colleagues were ‘scrambled’
helicopter fl ight by Junglie Sea humour – Ed.) after them all the time, see
But in recent months
Scimitar was originally due to around 20 times last year. Some
King or RAF Chinook to Ark… Aldie and his FOST colleagues to their needs, prevent them
increasing emphasis has been
be staged off the north Devon incidents you read about, most
where there was an almost expect to see an effi cient straying off into areas where
placed on another humanitarian coast… until the British weather you did not. repeat set-up as in the fort, operation. “We don’t want the they shouldn’t go, or which
mission: evacuation (the intervened. “Beirut was one of the biggest minus commandos standing crew to lose people, to have might be dangerous.
es: CPO Kev Pr
offi cial term is Non-combatant You can make arrangements evacuation operations since guard. them hanging around,” the Experience shows something
Evacuation Operation or NEO). to account for the weather, Dunkirk, but most of the time Yet more processing, more major explains. “We want the else once evacuees get on
It’s something the FOSTies hence the move to Whitsand we’re dealing with smaller hot food on tap, another sick evacuees to be looked after – board. “They usually head for
threw into the training ‘pot’ Bay. But human nature, well, events: hurricanes, forest fi res, bay, the ship’s chaplain on hand and to be processed as quickly the bar,” says Aldie.
Pictur before events in the Lebanon that’s another matter. anything which is out of the for moral support, and, fi nally, as possible.” Sounds like a plan to me.
● (Clockwise from above) Processing power... British civilians fl eeing war in Brownia are ‘checked in’
aboard HMS Ark Royal; Junglie Sea Kings prepare to lift off from Ark’s fl ight deck to begin the rescue
mission; Busy day, Royal? Commandos crash out after their exertions ashore
20_NN_Apr.indd 1 16/3/07 15:30:37 021_NN_apr07.indd 1 16/3/07 16:27:06
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