NAVY NEWS, D-DAY SUPPLEMENT, JULY 1994
XXI
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Beyond HMS Edinburgh's billowing ensign, HMY Britannia steams through Formation Ramsay — the two lines of international warships gathered in midChannel in remembrance of the sailors who lost their lives during the Normandy campaign.
ON JUNE 6 1944 a vast armada of ships gathered off the coast of Normandy for the l a u n c h of Operation Neptune. Fifty years later the focus of remembrance was on the faces of those veterans embarked in the QE2 and Canberra awaiting their Review by the Queen and other Heads of State, Echoes of the past reverberated through the years as HMS Illustrious, flagship of Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Admiral Sir Hugo White, fired a 42-gun salute marking the start of HMY Britannia's stately procession through the rows of vessels in the Solent which made up the international flotilla.
Pursued On board the Royal Yacht for the Review of Embarked Veterans were the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, The Princess Royal and Princess Margaret along with Commonwealth and foreign Heads of State and Government including John Major, Bill Clinton, Polish President Lech Walensa, Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating and Presidents Havel and Kovac of the Czech and Slovak Republics. Pursued by a f l o t i l l a of yachts and small boats, Britannia was preceded by Trinity House Vessel Patricia and followed by HMS Hecla (acting as press ship for the event) and h e r Royal Escort, H M S Avenger. Among the vessels ceremonially manning ship were HM
Armada sails on sea of memories by Ruth Vernon on board HMS Hecla ships Fearless, Ursula, Hurworth, Sandown, Spey and RFA S i r Percivale. I n t e r national ships included the world's largest aircraft carrier USS George Washington, USS Guam and French ships Loire, Croix du Sud and Clio. One of nine veteran craft which took part in Operation Neptune and which lined up for review 50 years later was the American Liberty Ship Jeremiah O'Brien, captained by D-Day veteran Capt George Jahn. During June 1944 the ship made 11 runs between Britain and Normandy, carrying troops, war machinery and supplies to U t a h and O m a h a Beaches. As the Royal Squadron turned towards the Review all eyes were turned skyward for the flypast of h i s t o r i c and modern military aircraft. RAF Hawk trainers flew over the flo-
tilla in a number 50 formation while two Swordfish torpedo biplanes and a Fairey Firefly led the flight of 120 aircraft old and new. On completion, B r i t a n n i a and Avenger headed towards France, followed by the QE2, Canberra and other merchant vessels with D-Day veterans on board.
Wreaths In mid-Channel, as near as possible to a spot named Piccadilly Circus where the various forces taking part in Operation Neptune gathered 50 years ago, warships of the international flotilla lined up in two columns — named Formation Ramsay in memory of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay — for a commemorative act of remembrance. At the head of the columns were HMS Edinburgh, Flagship
of Flag Officer Surface Flotilla, Vice Admiral Mike Boyce, and the French frigate R u g u a y Trouin with the liners carrying the veterans lying further off, in the wings of the formation. As the Royal Yacht sailed past each pair of ships, wreaths were cast into the sea in memory of those sailors, RN and Merchant Navy, who gave their lives during Operation Neptune. Overhead a Lancaster bomber returned to drop 850,000 poppies over the veterans on board Canberra. The day's events had begun at the Naval war Memorial on Southsea Common where a Drumhead Service commemorated the glory and sacrifices of the D-Day invasion. It ended with a ceremony of subdued remembrances w h i c h marked both public victories and private losses. • Following the commemoration the Queen ordered HMS Edinburgh to "Splice the Mainbrace" in recognition of the ship's role as flagship of FOSF.
A standard bearer of the Submarine Old Comrades Association
stands to attention during the Drumhead Service held on Southsea Common, Portsmouth on June 5.