MoD and Navy News

PLYMOUTH ROYAL MARINE TAKES THE COLD PLUNGE IN ARCTIC CIRCLE

A Royal Marine from Plymouth has been learning how to survive and work in sub-zero temperatures during training in the Arctic Circle. Dave Sullivan, 23, from St Budeaux is with 42 Commando in northern Norway taking part in Exercise OCTANS, which sees the Royal Marines training in demanding and challenging conditions.

This survival stage of the cold weather training sees Royal Marines pitting their skills against extreme temperatures - building shelters and fires from what they can find in the forests to protect them from the intense cold. It also includes the well-known ice breaking drills, which simulates falling through cracked ice into the freezing waters. This is done in a controlled environment so the Marines will know how to deal with the situation if it were to happen for real.

Dave studied at St Boniface College in Plymouth and in May 2007 completed the arduous Commando training course at the Commando Training Centre at Lympstone, earning himself the Commando's coveted Green Beret and was drafted into 42 Commando. Dave's older brother has also served with this unit, recently spending time in Afghanistan and had persuaded him to join up.

Dave said: "I am so glad that my brother talked me into joining the Corps, this is my first deployment which I am really enjoying and learning so much, I am already looking forward to more in the future".

Once Dave has completed the novice course he will then progress onto the Artic Warfare course where he will learn to fight in this or any other extreme cold weather environment.

ROYAL NAVY WARSHIP RETURNS HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Plymouth based Royal Navy warship, HMS Portland, is returning home following a six and a half month deployment to the Caribbean and North Atlantic. Since the Type 23 frigate has been deployed, the ship's company have participated in a multi-national exercise off the east coast of America , assisted in Belize with the aftermath of Hurricane Dean and prevented seven tonnes of cocaine from reaching its destination. In doing this the ship has travelled a total of 34908 nautical miles, spending over 3000 hours underway.

Shortly after sailing in early June 2007, HMS Portland joined ships from the French, Russian and United States navies for the annual FRUKUS exercise, which this year was held off the US eastern seaboard. Throughout the exercise a points system was run, and, after her victory on the sports' day, Portland came out on top making it three years in a row that the Royal Navy has won the FRUKUS Trophy.

In Belize in August, 40 members of the ship's company went ashore by helicopter to assist in the disaster relief effort following the impact of Hurricane Dean, a category five hurricane. They replaced roofs on over 100 houses, cleared roads, repaired electrical supplies and the team included HMS Portland's doctor, who was able to conduct a clinic for the locals.

In late October, HMS Portland was conducting a routine anti-narcotics patrol when she discovered a suspicious looking fishing vessel. As the vessel was approached she increased in speed and the crew were seen throwing packages over the side. Once it was clear she could not escape, the vessel stopped and a total of 3.5 tonnes of cocaine was discovered onboard. Together with previous disruptions, this made a total of seven tonnes of cocaine that HMS Portland prevented from reaching its intended market. Commander Mike Utley, her Commanding Officer, said: “Everyone has worked extremely hard over the course of the deployment and without their dedication we would not have been able to achieve all that we have. We have visited 13 different countries and been involved in a multitude of different activities. Each and every member of the ship's company can be justly proud of the efforts they have put in over the last six months.”

Almost 400 people are due to watch the ship sail back into Devonport, and to welcome their loved ones home in time for Christmas. Amongst them some new arrivals, including Mackenzie Thompson and Millie Sexon who were both born while the ship was deployed.

Last day of Christmas post and a huge thank you to the British public.

Armed Forces Min ister Bob Ainsworth, today praised the outstanding generosity of the British public, which has responded to a national call to support troops overseas at Christmas by sending huge quantities of parcels, cards and letters.

Today is the last day that post sent to British bases in Iraq or Afghanistan can be expected to arrive in time for Christmas, and Mr Ainsworth wanted to take the opportunity to thank the thousands of people who have taken advantage of a new free postal scheme to send parcels to our personnel overseas.

The British Forces Post Office, based at RAF Northolt in Ruislip, has been inundated with mail, handling 42,000 bags in November alone, nearly 30 percent more than in August.

The deluge has exceeded even the most optimistic expectations, and has required 186 mail sorting staff in the UK to work extra shifts around the clock to receive, sort and send on the sacks of mail.

Overseas, every effort has been made, using all resources available outside of operational requirements, to distribute mail to deserving troops and staff.

Mr Ainsworth said Forces personnel had been overwhelmed by the show of support:

“We are all overwhelmed by the nation's generosity and I want to thank everyone who has made the effort to send news from home and a little Christmas cheer to those serving overseas.

“Staff and forces personnel here in the UK and overseas are making a huge effort to sort and distribute post, often in difficult conditions and with other operational requirements placed on them and resources. They know how much of a boost to morale it gives, and how important this is at this time of year, when we are all thinking of home and our loved ones.”

Brigadier Andrew Mackay, Commander of British Forces in Helmand, said:

“There has been a fantastic show of support from the British public, who can now rest assured that no one here will be going without at least one parcel from them this Christmas. Life on operations can be very hard and we have been touched by the generosity and support shown since 52 Brigade arrived in October. Our posties and air crews are working especially hard to ensure that the post will be delivered in time for Christmas and we would like to say a big thank you to all who have sent something.”

Early Tuesday (20th November) morning in the Grand Harbour in Valletta, Malta, Royal Navy frigate HMS CHATHAM marked the Royal 60th Wedding Anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh by forming up members of the ship's company up on the flight deck to form a ‘60' to send a visual photographic greeting to the Royal couple.

The ship wanted to send the visual message to congratulate the Royal couple on the occasion of their 60 th (Diamond) Wedding Anniversary as they returned to Malta . Coincidentally, HMS CHATHAM is visiting Malta following a series of Maritime Exercises and regional engagements in the Mediterranean. The ship sends their very best wishes to the Head of the Armed Forces, Her Majesty the Queen and hope that the Royal couple enjoy revisiting the island where they first lived when the Duke was stationed there as a serving Royal Naval officer.

The engagement between Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten R.N was announced on the 9th July, 1947. Prince Philip joined the Royal Navy in 1939 and after the war, in February 1947, became a naturalised British subject. He was created "Duke of Edinburgh" by King George VI on marriage. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were married in Westminster Abbey on the 20th November 1947 . After marrying Princess Elizabeth, The Duke of Edinburgh continued his naval career, reaching the rank of Lieutenant-Commander in command of the frigate HMS MAGPIE. On the 20th of November, the actual day of their wedding anniversary, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will travel to Malta where they lived as a young married couple from 1949-5.

A passing GMTV camera crew caught the ship on film preparing for the photograph this morning and broadcast the ship's preparations on today's (Tuesday) morning TV show in a news feature while interviewing anniversary couples on the island who married in the same year.

HMS Chatham (pennant number F87) is a type 22 batch 3 frigate. Although designated a frigate, her size and capabilities are roughly equivalent to those of a Second World War light cruiser. She was originally designed for anti-submarine warfare during the cold-war, but has been largely superseded by other ships in this role. In the 21st century, Chatham and her sister ships fulfill a variety of roles including anti surface warfare, anti submarine warfare, intelligence gathering and boarding operations. Chatham's self-defence weapons include the Sea Wolf missile system, Goalkeeper gun, 20mm guns and General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs).

This meant getting enough food onboard before we left particularly things like British sausages and bacon items that we can't get from ports whilst we are away; last few hours before we sailed from Plymouth back in August we were on the jetty checking we had 90 days worth of provisions and carrying on the last of the Fresh produce.

The first stop on the way to the Mediterranean was Gibraltar , where we stayed for three days. Having sailed we conducted training including firing 3 of the ship's Seawolf anti-air missiles to prove that we ready to fight and defend the ship. It is an amazing sight when the missile leaves the ship and flashes across the sky to hit a target, miles away.

During this time the main bulk freezer, where all of the meats are kept, developed a fault and the temperature began to rise. We had to bag up all of the meats and cram stow to try to keep the temperature down; it was a tense 24 hours when we were looking at the possibility of having to throw away thousand's and thousands of pound's worth of meats and return to Gibraltar to restore the ship. The Engineering Technicians managed to fix the freezer the next day and owing to our hard work the meats stayed frozen, saving the Navy loads of money and allowing us to continue with the programme.

We then met up with the other NATO ships and conducted further training. The Captain and the Executive Officer keep us informed of what is going on were really pleased with the progress made.

Next stop was La Spezia in Northern Italy . As is often the case, the first day was spent storing ship. This was the first time that I had experienced ordering food in a foreign country. In the UK we order the food from a single contractor, however when we are abroad we have make sure that we are ordering food that the Ship's Company will like and that it is good value for money. One positive side to this, l found, was sampling so many different cheeses! The next day I went to Pisa with the other chefs for a look around the famous sites and a beer or two.

The following four weeks were spent at sea conducting really important surveillance operations. This is a big part of what we do at sea and from what I understand the shipping routes around the Mediterranean are used for people smuggling, drug smuggling and by terrorist organisations. Our job is to track and monitor all shipping and board suspect vessels if necessary. It wasn't all work though, we enjoyed four fantastic short visits to Toulon in France , Piraeus in Greece , Istanbul in Turkey and Spilt in Croatia.

When we left Split the ship went to ‘Action Stations', to get the ship ready for Exercise NOBLE MIDAS, which was a huge NATO's Exercise. Having fallen out from action Stations after that initial day of the Exercise, we basically split in to 50% ‘defence' watches. For example: the Chef's worked eight hour's on, and then eight hour's off for two weeks. This allows the ship to remain ready to fight 24/7. I find it really interesting that one minute I am working in the Catering Office and then the next the ship has come under attack from a submarine or a fast jet. Nothing is ever the same and the variety is incredible.

Nick Chick says that I am a good lad and that having someone else onboard from Stockport who supports Man City is good news. As galley manager he has the challenge of producing food everyday for 180 people whatever the weather or is going on. This is one of the things that makes the job so different; oh and of course the runs ashore with the lads”.

With ten weeks of the deployment to go, and five more visits there is plenty of work and fun left to be had! I was told in training that if I worked hard there would be plenty of time to play hard; so far I can say that is true. I am looking forward though to getting home to see my mates and spend Christmas with my family in Stockport ”

COURAGEOUS CAT REMEMBERED ON ANNIVERSARY

OF BLOODY BLOCKADE SHIP'S RETURN

The exploits of the world's most courageous cat are being commemorated on the anniversary of the conflict in which it served.

Royal Navy officers are to lay wreaths on the grave of Simon the cat who received the prestigious PDSA Dickin Medal – the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross - for his role in a naval siege which cost the lives of 17 British sailors.

They died in the infamous Yangtse River Incident in 1949 when the warship HMS Amethyst came under fire from Chinese Communist forces during a 101-day siege.

Simon was credited with saving the lives of surviving crew members by protecting food stores from an infestation of rats even though he had been badly wounded by shrapnel when the Amethyst was shelled.

He was later assigned his own Naval officer to deal with a huge volume of fanmail after news of his heroics spread around the world.

Sadly, Simon died in quarantine weeks after the Amethst returned home on 1 st November 1949 . He was buried with full military honours at the PDSA Animal Cemetery in Ilford.

He was also posthumously awarded the prestigious Dickin Medal - the highest honour for gallantry by animals serving with the military.

Commander Stuart Hett, who was appointed the Amethyst's Cat Officer to look after Simon, is leading the wreath-laying ceremony on his former feline shipmate's grave in the cemetery.

He said: “Simon's company and expertise as a rat catcher were invaluable during the months we were held captive. During a terrifying time, he helped boost the morale of many young sailors, some of whom had seen their friends killed. Simon is still remembered with great affection.”

Such is Simon's lasting fame that, nearly 60 years later, his adventures feature on several thousand websites.

“There is no doubt that Simon was special to the crew of HMS Amethyst. The fact his name and story live on helps ensure that the men who sadly lost their lives in the Incident are also not forgotten,” says PDSA Director General, Marilyn Rydström. “The power of animals to support and sustain morale in times of conflict can never be underestimated. Simon's story is an enduring example of this fact.”

Simon is the only cat among 62 animals to have received the PDSA Dickin Medal , which was instituted in 1943. The other recipients include 32 Second World War messenger pigeons, three horses and 26 dogs. Some of those dogs honoured have been recognised for bravery while on duty with British forces in Afghanistan and Iraq .

The Ilford PDSA Animal Cemetery is currently undergoing restoration thanks to a grant from the People's Millions lottery. The cemetery is the final resting place of around 3,000 animals including 12 PDSA Dickin Medal recipients.

2007 marks the 90th Anniversary of PDSA . Founded in 1917 by animal welfare pioneer, Maria Dickin CBE, PDSA is the UK's leading veterinary charity.

The charity provides free veterinary care for the sick and injured pets of those unable to afford veterinary fees and promotes responsible pet ownership . It works through a UK-wide network of 47 PetAid hospitals and branches and some 345 contracted private practices (PetAid practices).

PDSA PetAid hospitals and branches will this year provide more than 1.8 million free treatments and more than 40,000 preventive treatments , such as vaccinations, neutering and microchipping. In addition, more than 36,000 pets are registered for PDSA-funded veterinary care through PetAid practices.

In 2007 delivery of PDSA PetAid services will cost more than £41 million . The charity is funded entirely by public support, mainly donations, gifts in wills and trading.

To be eligible for PDSA care, a pet owner must be in receipt of either Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit and live within the designated postcode catchment area of their local PDSA PetAid service.

Potential and existing clients can obtain more information on PDSA PetAid services by phoning 0800 731 2502.

PDSA operates 182 charity shops UK-wide and is supported by 4,800 volunteers .

NEW COMMANDING OFFICER FOR HMS CUMBERLAND

A new Commanding Officer has taken the helm of the Devonport based Type 22 frigate HMS Cumberland. Commander Peter Sparkes took command of the ship, which is currently undergoing maintenance work at Devonport, on the 28 August 2007.

Born and educated in Liverpool, Commander Sparkes joined the Royal Navy in 1990. After completing his young officer training on HMS Helmsdale and HMS York, he joined HMS Edinburgh as the Second Officer of the Watch. After deployments to the Arabian Gulf and the Adriatic he joined HMS Gloucester as the First Officer of the Watch and served on HMS Southampton and HMS Monmouth in the West Indies and the Arabian Gulf.

In 1997 he undertook Principal Warfare Offer (PWO) training, specialising in Communications and Electronic Warfare (CEW) and was awarded the Jackson-Everett prize for the top CEW student in 1998. Following this course he was appointed as the PWO and then Operations Officer of the amphibious flagship HMS Fearless and was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 1999.

In mid-2000 he was appointed to MOD main building in Whitehall as the desk officer within the Directorate of Equipment Capability responsible for the development and acquisition of the UK 's information operations capability. Following this he returned to sea as the Executive Officer and second in command of the Type 23 frigate HMS Norfolk on which he took part in Operation Telic in the Arabian Gulf.

After being promoted to Commander, he returned to London where he oversaw the introduction of the new electronic navigation system Warship Electronic Charting Capability (WECDIS) into the Fleet. This system is similar to the Sat Nav system used by motorists.

In the spring of 2006 he joined the Maritime Warfare School (MWS) and was responsible for the relocation of the Maritime Warfare Centre into HMS Collingwood and a number of other projects.

Commander Sparkes enjoys a variety of outdoor pursuits including walking, cycling and skiing. He is married to Karen, a teacher, and they live in Hampshire with their son William.

HMS Cumberland has been undergoing a major maintenance period with DML in Plymouth since November 2006. The ship's company moved back onboard at the end of July and are working hard to make sure the ship is ready to return to the Fleet early in 2008. All of the ship's mechanical, electrical and weapons systems will now be put through their paces in order to ensure the ship is ready to be formally handed back to the Royal Navy.

Commander Sparkes said: "I am honoured to be taking command of HMS Cumberland at such a crucial time for the ship. All onboard are working hard, in partnership with DML and Superintendent Fleet Maintenance to ensure that the ship is returned to the Fleet to the highest possible standard".