NAVY NEWS, MARCH 1982
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Anibusc-ad in heat of battle
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GULF
PATROL ship HMS Ambuscade returned to her Plymouth base on February 26 after completing one of the toughest firefighting assignments of her career.
En route from her four-month deployment to the Gulf of Oman, the Ambuscade encountered the Greek cargo ship Axis on fire in the Red Sea. ' The 10,000-ton vessel had been abandoned the previous day, February 6, the crew being taken off by the merchant ship Fort Hamilton.
A itiazon on guard
HMS AMAZON left Devonport on February 22 to take her turn on Gulf Patrol. She was calling at Gibraltar before beginning her four-month deployment, to be undertaken in company with HMS Cardiff, which left Portsmouth on the same day. The Amazon's last Divisions before she left were conducted in the Drill Shed at HMS Drake, with the ship's company dressed in whites. Appropriately, the inspecting officer was Capt. Hugo White, Captain of the Fourth Frigate Flotilla,
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Non-stop work By the time the Ambuscade arrived on the scene the fire had
spread over a large area of the ship - and required a large firefighting team to control it. Fifty-five men from the frigate were transferred to the Axis, and the frigate's Lynx helicopter was flown backwards to lower items close to the edge of the fire zone. The Royal Navy team, working non-stop and without relief for 24 hours, brought the blaze under control to save the Aris from sink-
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ing. She was then taken over by the London-registered Upwey Grange and the salvage tug Salvanita, their aim being to beach the ship. Among the ports visited by the
KING NEPTUNE ACTIVATES...
KING NEFFUNE and his court are plchired awaiting their victims as HMS Active croases the line on her way to Mombasa The two-week break In Kenya came alter the frigate had completed her first patrol period in the Gulf.
While away the Active has raised about ÂŁ1,000 for the Handicapped Children's P1111~ age Trust, which sends groups of children and helpers to Lourdes for a week's holiday each year.
Efforts began with an evening race meeting on the Active's flight deck on New Year's Day and continued with sposnored sit-ups by four members of the ship's company. They achieved 4,000 sit-ups In 21w. 10mm. On arrival in Mombasa a 24-hour Wow~
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taking a team of ten runners to Malindi and back - a total distance of 240 kilometreL The IntrepId ers run throughout the day in temperatures of up to 100 degrees F, "hot foot" to the ship the following returning
Change of command
The team was helped on its way by the Active's commanding officer, Cdr. Peter Fr~, who no the first leg of the course. Later in the visit the roles were reversed and Cdr. Franklyn was helped on his way after handing over command of the ship to Cdr. Paul Canter. Cdr. Franklyn was rowed ashore in a specially built barge pulled by 11 wardroom serfs
Ambuscade during her deployment were Karachi in Pakistan and Haifa in Israel. But it was home, sweet home when she finally put into Devonport -
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She was greeted by music from the Royal Marines Band of the Flag Officer Plymouth as well as wives and family members of the 170-strong ship's company.
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