HMS LANCASTER HEADS HOME FOLLOWING SIX MONTH GULF PATROL

HMS Lancaster returns to her base port in Portsmouth this Friday, ( February 27) following a six month operational deployment to the Northern Gulf, successfully protecting Iraq’s two oil platforms. The ship, whose sponsor is Her Majesty The Queen, departed on 21 August last year. Lancaster’s ship’s company have also played a key role in helping train Iraqi maritime forces. Whilst en route to and from the Gulf, Lancaster joined a maritime task force contributing directly to counter piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.

Away for Christmas, HMS Lancaster patrolled throughout the New Year period, competing over 130 days of operational patrol. Lancaster also acted as the guard ship to the Cunard cruise liner QE2 on her final passage into Dubai. During the subsequent visit to the port, the ship’s rugby team were able to compete in the famous Dubai Sevens rugby competition.

HMS Lancaster handed over the mission to her sister ship, HMS Richmond, in the Red Sea in early February before heading home, stopping briefly in Soudha in Crete and Valencia in Spain en route. Her homecoming will see the Naval Secretary, Rear Admiral Charles Montgomery, call on Commanding Officer Commander Rory Bryan and her ship’s company to formally welcome them back and to congratulate them on their successful deployment. The Band of the Adjutant General’s Corps, one of Lancaster’s affiliated units, will be playing on jetty as the ship comes into Portsmouth to be greeted by hundreds of welcoming families, friends and colleagues.

Commander Bryan said:

“I am incredibly proud of HMS Lancaster’s Ship’s Company. Each and every one of them has performed admirably in the demanding operational environments of the Northern Gulf and the Gulf of Aden. They have delivered everything asked of them and have collectively risen to the many challenges they have faced together. I very much hope they will all enjoy their well deserved leave. I wish HMS Richmond who is currently serving in the Gulf every success during their deployment”.

PREMIERSHIP TROPHY VISITS HMS VICTORY AS SAILOR WINS PRIZE

Royal Navy sailor Adam (Gaz) Harbon (21) recently won a day with the Barclays Premier League Trophy after entering a bank competition. Since his workplace just happens to be Admiral Lord Nelson’s historic ship, HMS Victory, he is thrilled to be able to show it off to his colleagues and intends taking the Trophy down into the Chief's Mess on HMS VICTORY.

Afterwards the trophy will be placed in the Victory Gallery of the Royal Naval Museum on Friday 20th February for the public to view at intervals between 10am – 5pm. Visitors will be able to view the trophy and have their picture taken with it (at no cost) but they will need to purchase a valid attraction ticket beforehand from the Visitor Centre.

Adam hails originally from Middlesbrough, hence being an avid Middlesbrough football fan but now lives locally in Portchester, near to his unusual place of work in the Dockyard. He has been in the Navy for three years and is currently serving as a watch keeper on HMS Victory with responsibilities for security in the sail building. Adam’s specialist trade in the Navy is Electronic Warfare, he received the highest test result on his initial training course at HMS Dryad.

He is thoroughly enjoying his draft to HMS Victory, He said:
“There’s a great team spirit on the ship; great camaraderie between senior and junior personnel. I am really happy to have won this competition and particularly glad to be able to share the prize with others on board, including visitors to the Historic Dockyard."

SEVEN SEVERNS – ROYAL NAVY LINKS UP WITH RNLI FOR SOS CYCLE CHALLENGE

Royal Naval officers from the fishery patrol vessel HMS Severn, raised £1,500 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s (RNLI) SOS day during a challenging 300-mile coastal cycle race visiting six of the Severn class lifeboat stations along the South Coast of England. Their efforts will pay for the annual training of two lifeboat crew.

The three men faced freezing and wet weather conditions through the hilly Devon and Dorset countryside as they visited RNLI stations in Penzance, Pendeen, Falmouth, Torbay, Weymouth and Yarmouth, finally receiving a heroes’ welcome as they crossed the line at the final Severn - HMS Severn. Commodore Mike Mansergh, Commodore of the Portsmouth Flotilla, waved a chequered flag in Portsmouth Naval Base as members of the ship’s company lined the jetty to cheer the weary cyclists home.

Commodore Mansergh said: “It’s wonderful to see the Royal Navy and RNLI working together and recognising the tremendously important role the RNLI plays in protecting life at sea. The Navy have always had close links to the RNLI. This is a tremendous achievement by HMS Severn’s cycle team in supporting the RNLI’s campaign.”

The cycle team comprised Gunnery Officer Lieutenant Simon Yates (24), Lt Rowland Wilson (27) and Sub Lieutenant Charles Thornton (24) who were welcomed by the RNLI’s Events and Campaign manager Andrew Whyte who ran the RNLI’s SOS fundraising campaign. He said;

“This is a fantastic achievement. The fact that the ship’s company of HMS Severn decided to support the campaign and visit the six of the Severn class RNLI stations shows the continuing support from the Royal Navy for the RNLI – especially for SOS, our biggest fundraising event of the year.”

Lt Cdr Steve Moorhouse, the Commanding Officer of HMS Severn, said: “This is an outstanding effort for an extremely worthwhile cause - 350 miles in five days demonstrates the fitness of our sailors and their desire to contribute to a cause close to any sailor’s heart!”

For further information on the Royal Navy and HMS Severn visit the Royal Navy website on www.royal-navy.mod.uk
Further information on the work of the RNLI can be found on the web at: www.rnli.org.uk/sos

HMS KENT RAISES FUNDS FOR CHILDREN’S HOSPICE

Sailors from HMS Kent, one of the Royal Navy’s advanced Type 23 frigates, will present a cheque for £2500 to Demelza House children’s hospice on Thursday 29 January 2009. The Commanding Officer, Commander Simon Hopper was delighted with his team’s efforts. He said;

“HMS Kent is very proud of our affiliation with Demelza House, every member of my ship’s company has contributed in one way or another to the fund-raising. I am particularly glad that we have an opportunity to visit them this week, present the cheque in person and reaffirm our links with such an important and worthwhile cause.”

Situated in Sittingbourne, Kent, the hospice was built by Derek Phillips whose daughter Demelza, died suddenly from a brain tumour whilst working at a hospice in Birmingham. Derek and a team of supporters raised £4,000,000 to pay for the building and today Demelza House is a haven for many families with terminally ill children. Demelza House is not a hospital – in fact its aim is to be as unlike a hospital as possible. The beautifully decorated children’s bedrooms, activity areas and grounds create a real ‘home from home’ atmosphere. It is a place not only for the ill children but also for their parents and siblings to relax and to care for the child.

HMS Kent returned to the UK in December, after almost seven months deployed to South Asia and the Far East. The Portsmouth based warship sailed from the UK on 1 June 2008 and visited many countries including China, Japan, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, demonstrating the UK’s ongoing commitment to the region. Throughout their deployment, the ship’s company took every opportunity to raise funds for their affiliated charity, including sponsored sporting events and collections during BBQs held on the flight deck at sea.

HMS Kent is currently alongside at her home in Portsmouth, where she is undertaking maintenance, leave and training before deploying later in the year.

HMS MANCHESTER DEPARTS ON SEVEN-MONTH, TWO OCEANS ODYSSEY

Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Mavis Smitheman, will bid farewell to the sailors of HMS Manchester on January 26 as the ship departs on a seven-month deployment to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The Lord Mayor will sail from Portsmouth on board HMS Manchester and will be given a full demonstration of the ship’s capabilities prior to departing later in the day.

The Lord Mayor’s visit re-affirms HMS Manchester’s strong links with the city and will provide a fitting send off to the ship as she begins her two ocean odyssey.

HMS Manchester is a Type 42 Destroyer and will fulfil multiple roles as she conducts operations from South Georgia to Bermuda. The ship will conduct maritime security patrols to protect busy shipping trade routes while contributing to the United Kingdom’s continued military commitment to UK dependencies.

The Commanding Officer, Commander Paul Beattie, said: “HMS Manchester is deploying to safeguard British interests by conducting maritime security and the deterrence of illegal activity. Manchester and her ship’s company are well trained, fully prepared and capable to carry out this diverse mission in a challenging environment.”

HMS Manchester’s ship’s company can also provide far reaching humanitarian aid and assistance when tasked by the UK government, particularly in the face of natural disasters and international emergencies in the South Atlantic, South Pacific and Caribbean regions.

The ship will also represent the United Kingdom during diplomacy visits across three continents, including ports in Portugal, Brazil, Chile, Peru and the Caribbean.

DOUBLE DEPLOYMENT AS TWO FRIGATES SAIL FROM PORTSMOUTH NAVAL BASE

Royal Navy frigates HMS St Albans and HMS Richmond both sail from Portsmouth Naval Base on Monday 19th January to conduct maritime security patrols in the Mediterranean and Arabian Gulf respectively.

HMS St Albans will join a NATO Task Group in the Mediterranean and conduct maritime security patrols protecting busy shipping trade routes and providing a visible presence in the region. Joining the NATO led “Operation Active Endeavour,” the frigate will help monitor illegal maritime and air activity throughout the Mediterranean. Actively providing maritime and air patrolling and surveillance since October 2001, the NATO security operation has proved an effective deterrent to terrorist related illegal activity, significantly improving security in the Mediterranean.

Cdr Adrian Pierce Commanding Officer of HMS St Albans said:

“After successfully completing our operational sea training in December and enjoying some well deserved Christmas leave, we have worked really hard these last two weeks to be fully prepared and equipped to face any eventuality at sea during the next few months in the Mediterranean. There is a real buzz of anticipation around the ship and we are all looking forward to getting back to sea, working closely with our NATO allies, the shipping industry and the civil authorities, to make a real difference with our presence.”

The NATO Task Group plans to conduct a wide range of activities including participation in Operation Active Endeavour, and other joint/maritime exercises that will be conducted in the Mediterranean area.

HMS St Albans will also play a role as part of the NATO Response Force (NRF) providing an immediately available capability to be deployed anywhere that NATO decides there is a mission for the NRF. The ship will also have a varied port visit programme, highlights among the many port visits will be visits to Majorca, Italy and Egypt.

HMS Richmond deploys to the Northern Arabian Gulf on Operation TELIC, as part of the UK’s contribution to the International coalition of warships conducting maritime security in the region. The frigate will relieve her sister ship HMS Lancaster which will return to Portsmouth at the end of February following a six month deployment.

Commander Mark Southorn, the Commanding Officer of HMS Richmond said:

“HMS Richmond will depart on Monday ready in all respects to make a genuine contribution to the security of the Gulf region, having had extensive training tailored to our mission I am confident that HMS Richmond and her ship’s company are able to deal with any eventuality.”

Both warships will focus on selected maritime contacts of interest, tracking and monitoring suspect vessels to determine their operations. Vessels may be boarded by Royal Navy teams and full inspections of cargo, documentation and crew may be carried out.

Powerful and versatile, the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates form 50% of the total frigate/destroyer force in the Royal Navy. Originally designed for the principal task of anti-submarine warfare, they are multi-purpose ships with the capability to operate anywhere in the world.

ROYAL NAVY MINEHUNTER SAILS FOR NATO MISSION

Royal Navy minehunter HMS Brocklesby leaves Portsmouth on Wednesday (January 7) for a six-month mission to the Mediterranean and Baltic.

The Hunt-class vessel will form part of a NATO group, working alongside mine countermeasures vessels from Germany, Belgium, Latvia and the Netherlands and a Danish frigate.

Brocklesby’s first stop after leaving Portsmouth will be Copenhagen where she will attend a ceremony to mark Denmark taking command of NATO’s mine countermeasures group in the region.

She then sails to the Mediterranean for a month of exercises with the other ships in her group. On completion the vessels embark on the clearance of live WW2 ordnance from the English Channel, North Sea and Baltic. This will allow Brocklesby to use her new state of the art mine warfare system –Seafox – for the first time.

Seafox comprises a remote-controlled unmanned submarine with a camera and is capable of destroying ordnance in depths of more than 300 metres.

Her Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Tom Tredray, said the 45 crew on board were looking forward to the deployment. “It will be busy but varied – it is always interesting working with ships from foreign navies and I know the younger members of the ship’s company in particular are looking forward to that.

“We also have a number of goodwill port visits lined up in France, Italy, Spain and Germany.”

The ship’s company are also looking forward to speedier internet and email access – Brocklesby is one of the first ships in the Royal Navy to be fitted with an upgraded broadband system.

The ship is due to return to Portsmouth in July.