NAVY NEWS, AUGUST 1998
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| Arun marks end of RN Bofors as sister ships head for Brazil • Fond farewell - River-class patrol craft HMS Spey leads HMS Blackwater away from Faslane down to Rhu harrows. Both River-class patrol craft are flying their paying-off pennants. Among their replacements is HMS Brecon (inset), leaving Portsmouth for the last time. Main picture: LA/PHOT) Adrian Hughes (FOSNNI).
• Warm welcome - Cdr Steve Cleary, Commanding Officer of HMS York, is presented with a bouquet by Miss Tokyo.
Destroyer renews century-old link
Rivers out. Hunts in TWO more River-class patrol ves- converted Hunt-class mine countervessels HM ships sels have been transferred from the measures Royal Navy to Brazil. The Faslane-based vessels HM ships Blackwater and Spey flew their decommissioning pennants on their last journey from their home port to Portsmouth, where they were refitted and handed over to their new owners as Npa Bennevente and Npa Bocaiuna. HMS Itchen was handed over in March, and the fourth and final ship, HMS Arun, will transfer later in the year. They are being replaced in their Northern Ireland Squadron duties by
Cottesmore, Dulverton and Brecon. HMS Arun also had the honour of carrying out the last firing of a Royal Navy Bofors gun (pictured right). The event, in the Clyde exercise areas, marked the end of more than 50 years service for the 40/60mm weapons. Island-class patrol ships were originally armed with the Bofors, but in recent years they were replaced by more modern 30mm guns. Arun has visited Iceland for her only foreign visit during her service, providing the opportunity for two of her ship's company to climb the 3,000ft Mt Esja.
schoolchiidren. A reception was held in the town for York's ship's company, who responded by putting on a display of hornpipe dancing under the direcThe Type 42 destroyer tion of LPT Richy Gray. became - it is believed - the More than 1,800 visitors first RN ship to make a goodwill visit to Minamitane-Cho were welcomed on board the on the island of Tenegashima ship in just half an hour. The visit to Tenegashima for more than 100 years. was followed by a stand-off The 24-hour visit recalled in Tokyo, during which the an incident in 1894 when the Commanding Officer, Cdr British steamship Drumeltan Steve Cleary, was presented ran aground there. with flowers by Miss Tokyo. Her sailors were looked Later, York conducted after by the townspeople who goodwill exercises with helped to repair the damaged Japanese naval ships before vessel. going on to Manila and, at the When it was seaworthy, the beginning of last month, a crew presented Minamitane self-maintenance period in with live chickens, the Singapore, half-way through descendants of which are her eight-month Armilla and today looked after by local Far East deployment.
A CENTURY-OLD maritime link between Britain and a small Japanese town has been rekindled by HMS York.
X-craft heroes are guests of submarine
HELP US TO KEEP YOUR OPPO AFLOAT fl N 6. • Honoured guest - Cdr Paul Abraham, Commanding Officer of HMS Vanguard, welcomes Mr lan Fraser VC on board the submarine
VIPs visit Vanguard TRIDENT submarine HMS
The RNBT helps past and present Sailors, Royal Marines and their dependants. im Established in 1922, the RNBT has given tens of millions of pounds to help Naval people and their families in need.
Vanguard has hosted visits by
We need support to continue this work and are extremely grateful for
VIPs from the political and military worlds.
all contributions, both small and large.
Minister for Armed Forces Dr John Reid spent a night on board the boat, meeting the ship's company and hearing their views on Service life. Dr Reid toured the submarine, visiting the bridge and experiencing some periscope watchkeeping. He visited each of the messes, speaking with individuals about a range of personnel issues, including the future of the Warfare Source Branch, the feasibility of females serving on submarines, and leave and travel arrangements. The Minister was accompanied by a BBC film crew. During the submarine's affiliation day HMS Vanguard hosted four war heroes, who got a brief taste of life in a modern boat. The four men served in the 12th Submarine Flotilla from 1944-47, piloting X-craft midget submarines.
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01705 660296 THE ROYAL NAVAL BENEVOLENT TRUST • Sea time - Armed Forces Minister Dr John Reid with Cdr Paul Abraham on HMS Vanguard. Picture: WO(PHOT) Al Campbell. Among them was Mr lan Fraser, dive and surface in the Arran who as Lt Fraser RNVR won the Trench were representatives from Victoria Cross for his part in XE3's Walsall Sea Cadets, the Royal daring attack on the Japanese Artillery, Kelvingside Academy cruiser Takao in Singapore CCF, Aberdeen URNU, SOCA, Harbour. the Vanguard Veterans and other Also on board during a short affiliated groups.
Hy the Navy - lor the Navy
The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust, Castaway H 311 Twvford Avenue. Portsmouth PO2 8PE