NAVY NEWS. MAY 1991
Atlantic squadron changes hands
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Phil lies When HIM Submarine Opossum returned to base covered in camouflage paint and flying the skulland-crossfaones, a lot of people wondered what she'd been up to . . . Speculation mounted when HMS Otus, wearing the same livery, came into HMS Dolphin a few days later — with Armed Forces Minister Archie Hamilton embarked to welcome her home. For the moment, however, the Ministry of Defence wasn't saying. The paintwork, in duck egg blue and black, had been applied in much the same pattern as that employed by British submarines in the Far East in 1943-45 — though shades of light and dark green were then favoured in operations against the Japanese. HMS Opossum was returning after a rare — for a submarine — round-the-world deployment which began in May last year and took her to the Falklands, Prtcairn Island — where she joined the 200th anniversary of the Bounty mutineers' settlement — Tahiti, Australia, Java and Singapore. All that could be said of HMS Otus, however, was that she had been keeping a pretty low profile for a total of seven months — though the Jolly Roger is traditionally flown at the end of a successful submarine operation. Since she was also flying a paying-off pennant to mark the end of 28 years' service, it seemed her swan song sounded a note of glory ...
COMMAND of the Standing Naval Force Atlantic — the world's first multi-national peacetime naval squadron — passed from Commodore Michael Gretton to Commodore Antonius Van Gurp of the Royal Netherlands Navy last month. over 100,000 men and women
HMS Campbeltown arrived at Portsmouth with the other five ships in the squadron and was relieved by her sister ship, the Type 22 f r i g a t e HMS Chatham. STANAVFORLANT was first commissioned in 1968 to develop NATO teamwork and tactics and provide an immediately available naval deterrent force. Since then it has sailed over a million miles, taken part in 130 major exercises and involved
as crew members in the 490 ships that have served with it. Ships are normally attached to the force for 4-6 months and command is rotated annually among the five nations — ihc UK, USA. Canada, Germany and Holland — which provide a continuous contribution of ships. Belgium, Denmark. Norway, Portugal and Spain allocate ships when their national commitments permit.
Rescue off the Scillies TWO Sea King helicopters of 771 Sqn, RNAS Culdrose, carried out a dramatic rescue of 28 people from the refrigeration ship MV Crystal Star, on fire in high seas and 50 knot winds off the Scilly Isles fast month. The Culdrose helicopters between them lifted 18 to safety, transferring them to a nearby ship, eight more back to the air station, and two, who were suffering form burns, directly to hospital in Truro. After the life-saving efforts were completed the aircraft continued operating, lifting salvage teams out to secure lines from the stricken vessel to a towing ship.
• Lieut-Cdr Philip Matthias (left) with Mr Hamilton on the bridge of HMS Otus, seen (below) entering Haslar Creek, Gosport last month. .
— while Dai rides high
Miami vice brief HMS AMBUSCADE has taken over duties as guardship in the West Indies from her sisters h i p HMS A c t i v e — (see special feature next month). One of her main duties will be anti-drug running patrols in co-ordination w i t h the US Coast Guard, and her first portof-ca!l is Miami, where briefing from US law agencies will put
her in the picture about the current problems in the area. She will also be escort ship for the Royal Yacht when H.M. the Queen and Prince Philip are visiting Florida, and she is fully equipped and prepared for any possible role in future hurricane disaster relief operations throughout the West Indian islands.
Land speed ace Richard Noble now thinks he has a boat thai can make the fastest Atlantic crossing — and he has a Polaris submarine skipper to drive it He has chosen Cdr. Dai Morgan, formerly commanding officer of HMS Renown, to pilot the revolutionary "Spirit of Newcastle" in an attempt to win the Blue Riband next year. And he believes its radical new null design may form the blueprint for a new form of fast patrol craft, ideal for policing the world's growing number of economic exclusion zones. With a simple shaft drive derivative of the Rolfs Royce RB 211 jet engine delivering 33,000 SHP with the fuel efficiency of a diesel — while being 90 per cent lighter — Cdr. Morgan is going for an outstanding record of around 60 knots average speed, which would be 13 knots faster than the current record set by the American Tom Gentry
A VOICE FROM THE HEAVENS EVANGELIST Billy Graham's three-day appearance at Glasgow next month is to be beamed live to Royal Navy audiences by satellite. Signal reception points have been set up at Si Peter and Paul RC Church at HMS Cochrane. Rosyth and ai the theatre in HMS Collingwood at Fareham so that Dr Graham can be heard via the Eutelsalt 2-F2 satellite, speaking from Celtic Park at 1930 on 4, 5 and 6 June. Cost of the reception equipment is being provided by voluntary contribution. Further details of the event — its theme'is the relevance of the Christian faith to the approaching 21st Century — may be obtained from the Rev Malcolm McCall. tcl Collingwood 238, or from any RN chaplain.
in 1989.
Cdr Dai Morgan — Blue Riband contender.
"We've got the engine and the design — ail we need now is the £4.8m to put it all together," he told Navy News. • Kodak Business Imaging Sytems are helping sponsor the team by putting the names of contributors of a £3 donation on an optical disc which will be carried on the boat during the record attempt For details of the plan telephone 081 858 8110.