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NAVY NEWS, OCTOBER 1997
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Last floating dock for sale THE NAVY is hoping to sell one of its larger sea-going units - one that sinks on a regular basis, writes Mike Gray. Admiralty Floating Dock number 60, known affectionately as AFD60, has been a landmark on the Gareloch at Clyde Naval Base for more than 30 years. But now it is no longer required for its primary role of docking nuclear submarines, it is expected to be put up for sale soon, and should leave its home in March next year. AFD60 is the last remaining floating dock operated by the Royal Navy, and was completed in Portsmouth in 1966 - exactly 100 years after the first such dock was designed for the Navy in North Woolwich, and around 200 years after the concept of the floating dock was first tested. That first Navy dock was towed to • HMS Talent, the last submarine to be undocked from the Navy's lost floating OOCk - AFD60 at Faslane. Picture: LW(PHOT) June Gregory.
Big switch for Forces radio NEW STUDIOS have been opened by the British Forces Broadcasting Service at the Chalfont Grove premises in Buckinghamshire of the Services Sound and Vision Corporation. The official switch-on of the new station was performed by Armed Forces Minister Dr John Reid on September 24, marking the end of 12 years of BFBS broadcasting from Paddington. Also attending the opening were DJs John Peel and Richard Allinson. The SSVC is providing the BFBS service as part of a five-year contract, and decided on the move to Chalfont Grove, near Gerrards Cross, to unite all its broadcasting services under one roof. The six new purpose-built studio scost over f l million to build. BFBS Director, Peter McDonagh, said: "In order to stay ahead of technology and provide the best possible service to the Forces, we have invested in the best state-ofthe-art equipment." Over 5,000 discs have been recorded on to the new station's hard-drive - one of the largest selections of records of any radio
station in the world. "We're always keen to respond to our listeners' music tastes," said Mr McDonagh. "Now they'll have virtually any record at the instant touch of a button."
New stealth ship design SHIPBUILDERS Vosper Thornycroft have unveiled an updated design of their Sea Wraith warship. Vosper say Sea Wraith II is the result of further research and development following the company's first radical stealth design of almost a year ago. The re-worked design, although basically similar to the first is of a bigger and more capable warship 135m long with a flight deck, hangar and more powerful armament, but retaining many of the original, innovative features.
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Bermuda, where it was replaced in 1906 by AFD1. The principles are still the same - the trough-shaped dock is flooded to a depth of up to 35ft, allowing it to settle until the customer can be brought in. Once the vessel is in place - and AFD60 could cope with ships of up to 9.000 tons - the dock is refloated, leaving the vessel high and dry. Many floating docks were built during the world wars, as they proved more useful than traditional, fixed, graving docks, and the numbers AFD1 to 100 were swiftly allocated, though not all were actually built. A number are still in service with foreign agencies and companies around the world.
Museum The current AFD60 is the second to be allocated the number - the first was cancelled in 1945 - and she is something of a museum for her kind, as memorabilia collected on board includes AFD dockings back to the 1920s and the original sailing orders forAFD2in1920. AFD60 cost £4 million, and was towed to Faslane where she started work in 1967, having been designed specifically for Polaris submarines.
In the intervening 30 years she has welcomed 629 'customers', including a variety of nuclear boats, surface warships, including the frigate HMS Ariadne, diesel-electric submarines, foreign submarines and Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service craft, for maintenance periods and examination of grounding damage. Apart from a three-month refit just across the Clyde in Greenock in 1977, AFD60 has been on station for the full 30 years. Staffing shrank over the years, particularly with the arrival of the shiplift, which has superseded the floating dock. There are still two officers - Dockmaster, Lt Cdr David Griffiths, and his deputy, Lt Cdr Jon Merritt, and two departments headed by Charge Chiefs. As well as technical and seaman ratings for maintenance work, there are civilian crane drivers and valvehouse watchkeepers, so a docking operation involved RN personnel, civil servants and civilian contractors. For almost ten months over the past year or so, AFD60 was occupied by a nuclear submarine - the last being Devonport-based HMS Talent, which undocked in the late summer.
Get Wise on DCIs
Warning over 'fue efficiency' products MEMBERS of the Armed Forces are being warned not to undertake unsponsored trials with materials or equipment which are claimed by their makers to improve venicle fuel efficiency.
Fire safety certificates for • • Qj 1C
™' l|wW FIRE SAFETY certification has been introduced for ships, submarines and floating structures operated by the Ministry of Defence. A policy guidance document on the subject was issued by the Ships Support Agency in July. However, introduction of fire safety certification does not preclude the need to obtain Maritime Safety Agency fire safety certificates for vessels certified by maritime regulating authorities. MOD certificates will be complementary to MSA certificates, covering any aspects not covered by the MSA documents. DCI GEN 209/97
Farewell ceremony THE decommissioning of 706 Naval Air Squadron will be marked on February 27 by a ceremony at RN air station Culdrose. Guest of honour will be Flag Officer Naval Aviation, Rear Admiral Terry Loughran. On the previous evening a decommissioning party will be held at an hotel. The event will be open to past and present members of the squadron irrespective of rank. A maximum of 500 can be accepted at a cost off 10 per head. DCI RN 122
The products tend to be marketed with exaggerated and technically unsubstantiated claims as to their efficiency, and come in various forms, including liquids, metal alloys, magnets, and oil filtering, heating and testing devices. Typical claims made are that they reduce gas emissions, improve fuel economy, extend oil change frequency, reduce wear, or allow vehicles which use leaded petrol to run on unleaded. Suppliers make contact with the Services at all levels in an attempt to supply the products to the Forces in the hope of winning a prestige contract which could be used in advertising and promotional material. Suppliers see sales to the Armed Forces as an endorsement by the Ministry of Defence that the claims for the products can be met. They are usually prepared to give away free samples to Service units or agencies and invite them to carry out trials. Such unsponsored, and in most cases unscientific, trials are likely to lead to investigations performed in isolation, to result in false conclusions, and may duplicate work which has already been carried out by other Service or civilian organisations. Proper testing is very expensive, needs specialised measuring equipment and can only by conducted by accredited and independent testing organisations. Service units, HQs and agencies have been told that if they receive
'So the chap convinced you that this boosts any engine performance - and you accepted a trial sample, never dreaming it was just neat vodka?' samples, literature, or videos from suppliers' representatives they should pass them to the secretariat for the Land Systems Fuels and Lubricants Sub-Committee, provided by the Army Petroleum Technologist at Log Sp Svcs 2d
This regular feature gives general information about new Defence Council Instructions affecting conditions of service. If they apply to you, study the full, original text.
(F&L), HQ QMG, Monxton Road, Andover, Hants. SP11 8HT. Commercial representatives who supply products may be advised that they will be passed to the appropriate Service authority for consideration, but no statement should be made which could be interpreted as an undertaking that products will be tested by the Ministry of Defence. DCI JS 91/97