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NAVY NEWS, OCTOBER 1982
LNEWSYIEWJ Remedy for a hangover
IF EVER any post-Falklands doubt lingered about the desire and need for a strong conventional Navy it was surely blown away like a puff of coloured smoke as HMS Invincible swept majestically into Portsmouth last month. It was a royal command performance to crown a summer of heady homecomings, a triumph of organization and public relations, and a symbolic tribute to all the Task Force, past and present. But the champagne tide of emotion on which the proud trouper made her theatrical return from battle had an undercurrent of sober and forceful argument about our maritime defence requirements. The First Sea Lord himself has warned of the consequences of a future Navy without three Invincibles and more operational destroyers and frigates with more effective weapon systems. Others have voiced similar disquiet, and the "Navy lobby", encouraged by the public mood and no doubt detecting other more subtle shifts in emphasis, will not have rested in its own battle of persuasion. The Invincible's continued service under the White Ensign - and the studies in the wake of the South Atlantic conflict as a whole - are inevitable spurs to speculation for anyone with the Navy's interests at heart. Many will be wondering, particularly on the manpower requirement front, what the postFalklands White Paper and the proposed second phase of the Royal Navy redundancy scheme will have in store. More medicine or a tonic? Meanwhile, in a changing world, one thing is certain - the British people have lost none of their love of ships and the sea. And those who mourned the passing of the Ark Royal seem to have found a new heroine.
Flying high
IN this edition we also report the brief but crowded days of 847 Naval Air Squadron's shortest commission, and an anniversary in 819's longest; the arrival at Portland of two squadrons which have turned Osprey into one of the biggest helicopter bases in Europe; and the return of an 815 Squadron trials flight Lynx which spent 167 consecutive days at sea - one more than the Invincible herself. With more news also of the Sea King's successor, these are exciting times for the Fleet Air Arm...
Naafi at war
"AIR RAIDS at 1-UK) and 1730. Issued with Atropine injections and tablets for defence against possible Argentine gas attacks ..........
That was not the recollection of a Serviceman, but an extract from the diary of a civilian. a canteen manager who shared the dangers and discomforts with sailors and soldiers in the Falklands conflict. How Naafi delivered the goods (luring the campaign is a story which at the time was inevitably eclipsed by more pressing news of military action. Now, in the light of peace and after the ships of the original Task Force have returned to Britain, accounts of Naafi 's war have emerged. The terse statement quoted above is from one such story, that of }l%IS Invincible's canteen manager David Higton who, with his assistant Mark l'anter, formed Naafi's "spearhead on the Falklands.
Appalling As battle raged David and Mark landed at Ajax Bay to establish a hulk-issue store, and for seven weeks worked from makeshift premises in appalling conditions. Nevertheless. it was business as usual, and - often working round the clock - they sold about £11 0.IXX) worth of stock before they were relieved at Port Stanley by men of the Expeditionary. Forces Institute. Here are more entries from the diary of' David Higton who, with great aplomb. mentions red alerts in the same breath as observations on soap and toothpaste: Monday, June 7 - Issued with cold-weather clothing and transferred to Fort Grange which would provide essentials for 5.(XX) men for one week. Thursday, June 10 - Sea King dropped its with kit into muddy bog. Given hot tea. Taken to accommodation - old Nissen hut, part of abandoned refrigeration plant. No windows or doors and many roof panels missing because building next door was bombed by Argentines. Friday, June II - Slept on floor with only ship's internal sleeping bags. Impressive view of star system - through large hole in roof interrupted by rainstorm which froze around us. Up at dawn.
Survival Search for more suitable kit and fortunately find CSgt. Sandy McLeod Our survival depended on the amount of help and kit he could provide: given hot food, camp beds, bed rolls. Arctic sleeping bags, hoots, extra clothing, cooker, mess tins. compo rations, sheets for holes in roof, and much survival advice
...
Two Naafi staff. Chris Foulkard and Ken Simpson, offer help for a couple of days. (Actually they stayed for six). Check LZ for one pallet of minerals still on the hill; stores OK but myself and Chris blown into mud by helicopter.
Saturday, June 12 - Find, much to our delight, that old hospital building l2ft. away from us contains two unexploded bombs, one suspended h parachute through a hole in the wall. Sunday, June 13 - Chris to Blue Beach (San Carlos) with loads ordered by 2 Para. Mark flies to front line at Teal and returns after delay caused by Argentine bombing raid Two red alerts during afternoon. Supplies to several other units and small amount of cash sales. Virtually all stores except soap, soap powder, toothpaste and minerals, exhausted. Monday, June 14 - Usual Force 10 gale through end of hut reduced to Force 5 by rebuilding wall and blocking off "door.'' Tuesday, June 15 - Receive last II loads from tort Grange. Wednesday, June 16 - Heard Argentines have surrendered Falklands but told to expect air attacks from disgruntled Argentine air force. Fresh chops for supper courtesy of CSgt. Mcl.eod. At last, a bottle of whisky front Fearless. Several hot toddies make us feel warm enough to go to sleep. Thursday, June 17 - All hulk stores exhausted except minerals, toothpaste and l)ai (does nobody wash on this island?). Saturday, June 19 - Embark Elk at 2(XX) (for Stanley). Sleep on car (leek along with 3(X) others. Sunday, June 20 - Given half ground floor
of Falkland Islands Company bonded shed Receive four landing craft full of stores overnight and finish storing (1335. Thursday, July I - Trying to store and issue at the same time, down to one proper comiso meal a day. Living in warehouse with no washing, toilet or beating facilities is wearing thin. Sir Hedivere offer of occasional shower and laundry facilities being investigated as clothes brought ashore for the original week are continuing to walk around when we take them off. Saturday, July 4 - Capt. Lafferty and seven Eli arrive late pm.
Revenge Friday, July 16 - Mark to field hospital with a good helping of ''Galtieri's Revenge." Kept in bed without food for two days. Wednesday, July 21 - Flown hack to Invincible. We both consider the time on 1:1 well spent despite i he atrocious Conditions. Approximately £ I lO.(XX) worth of stock sold before F Ii staff arrived. ilte number of customers who went out of their way to thank us before leaving for UK was pleasing. Have learnt much. particularly about survival. Although confusion reigned from the first, the sense of achievement against all odds is extremely gratifying.
and, at peace
DURING HMS Invincible's 166 days at sea on Falklands duty, her sailors spent more than £250,000 in the ship's Naafi shop. They ate halfa.million bars of nutty and consumed 180,000 drinks from the vending machines. NaafI has been with us for 60 years and it is hard to imagine Service life without it - but its unique position is sometimes misunderstood, particularly on the home front, and more particularly over its pricing policy.
"Probably that misunderstanding stems from talking about 'Naafl's pricing policy' when we should be talking about 'our pricing policy'," says Capt. Michael Oliver, Naafi's Naval Director. "Naafi operates in the way that the Ministry of Defence requires It to operate - and it is not part of Naafi's brief to sell its goods at the cheapest possible prices. "In fact, MOD insists that Naafi makes profits - because the Services need those profits to provide and maintain amenities which are not provided by the State but which are so important to Service communities." In those first 60 years, Naafi returned £258 million of its profits to Its customers -some as individual discounts or dividends, but most as contributions to welfare projects such as family clubs, leisure centres and laundry services.
All have benefited by grants from unit or Fleet welfare funds. And without the annual topping-up from Naafl profits, those funds would seriously suffer.
Naafi operates over 200 shops in the UK to serve a scattered community of less than 60,000 families of the three Services. Which supermarket chain would take on that sort of risk? "If we could gather all our families together in one location," says Capt. Oliver, "I am sure Naafi would be delighted to open one large supermarket, reduce its prices and maintain our profits at a stroke. "But with the massive duplication of stock, staff costs, transport, warehousing and so on, it is just impossible." To stay in business, Naafi prices certainly need to be competitive - but this does not necessarily mean "cheapest."
PRICE-TESTING Rigorous, partly Independent, price-testing shows that Naafi shelf prices over a wide range
of family goods compare favourably with those of competitors. Naafl also operates over 30 clubs in the UK, most catering for small units, and here, too, prices are set after checking the competition. A pint of beer in the NaatI will cost the same as in the public bar of the local - but Naafi will pay a rebate on the sale to ship or unit funds. "Our demands are not the same as those of a settled community," says Capt. Oliver. "The organisation that fills those demands has to be something special. Naafl Is, and I believe we cannot do without it." Those big-spenders of HMS Invincible would probably echo that