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NAVY NEWS. JUNE 1982

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Hecia"s flying doctor

SHORTLY after sailing from Gibraltar to join #m Falklands group, HMS Hecla (below) began to prepare and practise for her new role as a casualty evacuation ship. There were regular first-aid lectures for the- newly-formed medical daily flying exercises parties and - illustrated above with the newly-embarked Wasp helicopter practising casualty evacuation and stretcher drills. The Hecla had, a few weeks earlier, passed the haifa-million-mile mark in her surveying career. Since first commissioning in 1965, the ship has been employed on oceanographic and bathymetric surveys in the Atlantic, North Sea, West Indies and Mediterranean, and her two survey boats have carried out harbour and coastal surveys In the West Indies, Africa and around the British isles from Cornwall to the Outer Hebrides. If all the echo-sounder paper used in her surveys was stretched out, it would reach from 2 Wharf In Devonport Dockyard - Hecia's normal berth - to the front door of the Hydrographic Office In Tauntoni Before sailing into Gibraltar, the Heels had spent two days in Funchal, Madeirs, where a small party led by Ueut. Roger Loweth climbed to the highest point of the island, Pico Rulvo, a little over 6,000ft., where the temperature dropped from 70 to 32F.

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YOU'VE HEARD of MASH the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital of screen fame. Now meet a new breed, N00SH - the Naval Oceangoing Surgical Hospital. That's what Naval Party 1830, at least, is calling its home since mid-April, the requisitioned P & 0 liner Uganda. Britain's first hospital ship for 30 years (the last was the Maine, sent to Korea in 1952), the Uganda left Gibraltar on April 19, followed a day later from the Mediterranean base by the survey ship HMS Hecla and from Portsmouth on April 24 by the Hecla's sister ships Herald and Hydra.

Ambulances All had been converted swiftly to their mercy roles in response to the Falklands emergency and headed, with new red and white paint schemes, for the South Atlantic. The Uganda is acting as the major hospital unit to be linked, should the need arise, to the front line by the three survey ships as "sea ambulances." The 30-year-old, 16,907-ton Uganda was on an educational cruise with 944 children and 315 adults on board when she was requisitioned. After the children were disembarked a week early at Naples she sailed to Gibraltar, where 400 men worked round the clock to convert her. With speed, skill and hard work, she was refitted, stored and prepared for sea -in 65 hours. Staffs from RN hospitals Stonehouse and Haslar, with Royal Marines stretcher bearers and a full support team, were assembled at short notice and flown to Gibraltar.

Well-wishers

IT'S THE NAVY'S ANSWER TO M*A*5*N

By the day of sailing, as crowds of wellwishers gathered to see her off, the old Uganda with her distinctive black and white funnel had been transformed into the colours of a hospital ship, with crisp red crosses prominently displayed. Soon all on board the Uganda had reason to be impressed by the high standard of workmanship in Gibraltar's dockyard as the hastily-installed replenishment - at - sea equipment and new flight deck were tested and found to be perfectly sound. The conversion and departures of the three survey ships were similar stories of speed, skill and hard work by naval and civilian staffs. The Hecla's hectic four days of preparation before she left Gibraltar included the fitting of a new satellite communications system in a record 36 hours.

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The Herald had returned from a sevenmonth deployment to the Gulf of Oman only 17 days before she sailed for the South Atlantic and many of the ship's company were recalled after only a week's leave to prepare the ship for her new task. On board as she headed south were an extra surgeon-lieutenant, one medical technician fourth class and two medical assistants, in addition to the normal medical team of one surgeon-lieutenant and one leading medical assistant. The wardroom and ship's company dining hall were being prepared for conversion to wards capable of holding 50 seriously wounded personnel with space for a further 50 to 100 "walking wounded" in messdecks. Similar provisions were being made in the Hydra and as they headed south transfers of realistically made-up "casualties" between the two ships were among the preparations for their Task Force role. The Canberra. requisitioned earlier from P & 0. was expected to be the main centre for casualties from any assault on the Falklands. A large medical team including surgeons, technicians. nursing staff and Royal Marines musicians doubling as stretcher-bearers had joined the liner as she sailed from Southampton. A hospital unit had been set up in the liner's stadium just below the forward helicopter landing pad.

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The Uganda had a built-in morale-booster ii the shape of the ship's entertainments manager who had volunteered to stay on board - an there was music from the stretcheir bearers alias members of the Royal Marines Band o Flag Officer Third Flotilla.

Concert "They have given a superb concert am added a special touch to the church service ot Sunday," wrote the ship's chaplain, the Rev David Barlow, in an early dispatch to Nay' News. "We arc now setting out to take up ou station. The ship is in every way prepared am we are all in good spirits, but we echo th words heard more than once from ithe crowd who gave us such a good send-off fron Gibraltar - 'Let's hope they're neve needed'."

" Everyone in the Uganda was saddened t learn of the death on May 12 in hospital i England of Capt. Brian Biddick,, popula commanding officer of the liner. taken ill as the ship saile Capt. Biddick .,y for the Falklands and after an emergenc operation on board he was flown home Command of the Uganda was taken over b Capt. Jeffrey Clark,