NAVY NEWS. MARCH 1992
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FALKLANDS FLEET PHOTOGRAPHED during Exercise Cape Peterel, off the Falkland Islands, are the five ships which currently make up the Royal Navy presence in the South Atlantic. In the lead is HMS Jupiter, to her port HMS Dumbarton Castle and to her starboard, standing out in her red and white paintwork, is HMS Polar Circle, the newly-acquired ice patrol ship. In support, as always, are the Royal Fleet Auxiliaries — the light fleet tanker Grey Rover, foreground, and the forward repair ship Diligence, with her distinctive circular helicopter landing platform. Picture by Cpl. Weerasingh RAF, from Jupiter's helicopter.
Busy keeping the peace CONFLICT in the Gulf may be a thing of the past, at least for the moment, but the ships of Armilla patrol are still involved in much activity as they carry out their roles in maintaining the United Nations embargo, representing British interests in the area and reassuring British shipping there. HMS Hermione, now nearing the luxury hotels made for a the end of her deployment in great run-ashore, and Ras Al Kaimah, one of the lesserthe Gulf and, sadly, the end of her career in the Royal Navy, known Gulf Emirates, where has had an active and varied mountain scenery makes an time, maintaining her well-deimpressive backdrop. served reputation as an effiHer tour of duty has also incient ship and a happy one. cluded Dubai and Bahrain, she Since leaving Portsmouth in was the first British warship to the autumn of last year Hervisit the port of Kuwait since the mione's ship's company have end of the war, the wanton deenjoyed some interesting and struction of the conflict still unusual port visits, including being very much in evidence Port Said in Egypt, Goa, on the there, and she was at Abu Indian west coast, where local Dhabi during the celebrations to colour, cheap food and drink mark the 20th anniversary of and generous hospitality from the United Arab Emirates.
Photographs Above — For exercise, for exercise — the First Lieutenant, Lieut.-Cdr. Martin Boniwell (left) takes charge of a battle damage exercise on board HMS Hermione — part of the everyday routine for the Armilla Patrol ships.
Below — Commanding Officer of HMS Hermione, Capt. Sandy Backus, welcomes on board His Excellency Sheikh Saqr bin Mohamed al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Kaimah, during the ship's visit.
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Right — HMS Sheffield, Armilla sister-ship to Hermione, on patrol in the Gulf. Both ships are shortly to be relieved on station by HMS York and HMS Beaver.
*SZAR AWARDS FOR GULF WAR SH/PS*
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GOLD Awards from the Daily Star newspaper have gone to the crew of HMS Gloucester and to the crews of mine clearance group HMS Bicester, HMS Brecon and HMS Brocklesby, for courage shown in the Gulf conflict. The Awards honour acts of bravery and special achievement by those whose courage has been applauded by Daily Star readers — included with the Royal Navy recipients this year are well-known individuals such as Boris Yeltsin and ex-hostage John McCarthy to more unsung heroes like milkman Bert Boyce who rescued a kidnapped woman from imprisonment. HMS Gloucester receives her Award in recognition of the part she played in destroyed Iraqi gunboats and shooting down an incoming Silkworm missile.
The mine clearance crews' Award is, in the words of the citation, for the men " . . . who risked their lives clearing over 1000 Iraqi mines after the Gulf War and who the Committee for Grants of Honours, Declarations and Medals claims do not qualify for Gulf Medals." • HMS London has been recognised for the high standards of communications maintained during the Gulf War with the award of the Surface Flotilla Communications Trophy. During the height of activity in the conflict, the main communications office in HMS London was handling between 1200 and 1400 signals every day and dealt with over 45,000 over the 40-day period, still retaining 100% availability of all tactical communications.