NAVY NEWS, MAY 1999
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WARTIME cruiser HMS Belfast is to leave her Thames berth for the first time in 17 years for a maintenance period in dry dock at Portsmouth. The sight of the Belfast entering Portsmouth is certain to attract big crowds of sightseers on June 6 - coincidentally the 55th anniversary of the D-Day landings in which she took a prominent role in bombardment support. The cruiser will be towed from her normal location as a floating museum in the Pool of London for a month-long overhaul. The work will be carried out by Fleet Support Ltd acting
as sub-contractors Serco Denholm. The work will involve blasting, re-preservation, and close inspection to establish whether any of her steel plates need to be renewed. Once the ship has been repainted in new camouflage markings she will be towed back to the Thames. HMS Belfast was completed shortly before the start of World War II, and was one of the largest cruisers built for the Royal Navy. But her activity during the early war years was curtailed in November 1939 when in the Firth of Forth she became the first confirmed warship victim of a magnetic mine. The explosion broke her back, and she barely made Rosyth under tow. Her repairs lasted all of three years, and she did not become an effec-
tive part of the Fleet again until 1943. At the end of that year she took part in one of the Navy's most famous battles - North Cape. Flying the flag of Vice Admiral Burnett, commanding the 10th Cruiser Squadron, she played a major role in the epic battle which ensued and which resulted in the sinking of one of Germany's most powerful warships, the battlecruiser Scharnhorst. In 1945 she transferred to the British Pacific Fleet and had an eventful post-war career throughout the 1950s and 1960s. She arrived in the Pool of London in 1971 to be preserved as a reminder of life at sea during the era of the big-gun navies. Full details of the ship's arrival times in Portsmouth will be given later.
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• HMS Belfast pictured in 1961 when she was the Royal Navy's biggest cruiser and the flagship of the Second-in-Command of the Far East Station, Rear Admiral Michael Le Fanu. She had recommissioned at Singapore under the command of Capt Morgan Giles.
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Family Matters Matthew shows that uniform determination THE ANTROBUS family has a uniform approach to a career especially now that 18-year-old Matthew Antrobus has passed out of the Commando Training Centre at Lympstone with the coveted green beret. He wore it for this picture with father Stuart - a CPO Photographer on the staff of NATO HQ, Northwood - brother lain, and cousin Graeme. lain is a member of the Royal Marines Light Infantry Cadet Marching Band based at Gosport, while Graeme chose the Army to pursue his career, serving in 21 Signal Regt based near Bath. Matthew's determination to win that green beret was severely tested - his training was extended due to a series of minor injuries and a broken leg he sustained half-way through the 30-week course. Picture: LA(PHOT) Tony Leather
Wives1 action saves words IT WAS inevitable that Scott, baby grandson of ex-Navy man Ron Davison would find the right ship's badge for him among the 400 at Horsley Community Centre, South Shields. Ron, chairman of the centre, says the collection was built up through the many Naval guests hosted there over three decades.
WITH the winding up through lack of interest of the Natter-Box - the Naval wives group on Emsworth family quarters near Portsmouth - it looked as though the estate would forever be lost for words. But thanks to two of the wives, and the people who gave them a helping hand, it was shown that actions speak louder, and the Natter-Box has been re-launched 18 months after its untimely closure. Claire Dady and Sue Cramm gained the support of Naval Personal and Family Service community workers Taff Jones and Gary Keith - as well as residents of the estate - to restart the Natter-Box. They successfully contacted local businesses and their hus-
bands' ships for donations of raffle prizes for the planned reopening, the CPOs and WOs messes of HM ships Edinburgh and Illustrious donating a total of £100. When the big day came, the opening ceremony was performed by NPFS Area Officer Sheila Owens-Cairns and was well attended by local residents. Guests included representatives of Havant police, while the attractions included a bouncy castle provided by Hilsea Naval Community Centre, a mini-market and refreshments. The group meets every other Tuesday morning at the Cricket Pavilion, Hollybank Park, Southleigh Road from 1000. Details from Sue Cramm on 01243 432048 or your local community worker.
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• Natter-Box re-opening - with prizes. This welcoming group includes (from right) Sue Cramm, Sheila Owens-Cairns, Taff Jones, Claire Dady and Gary Keith. Picture: LW(PHOT) Chris wood
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