Hydrographic and Meteorological Training Award - AB Sally Owen of the Survey Ship ECHO has been awarded a prestigious award for her excellence in hydrographic and meteorological training - the junior rating received the Royal Navy’s premier award for her achievements in hydrographic and meteorological training: the Hambone Trophy.    The trophy is a model sextant – often regarded as the symbol of the Royal Navy’s Hydrographic Survey Flotilla – and is said to resemble a ham bone (hence the name), and is presented to the Able Seaman who received the highest score in basic training at the Hydrographic and Meteorological Training School at HMS DRAKE in Devonport.   

The ECHO is on a two year deployment to the Indian Ocean and Middle East and AB Sally Owen works as a junior hydrographic surveyor assisting underwater surveys and providing security at sea.  The presentation was made during a short break from the survey mission to pay a formal visit to Mumbai (India), for a routine crew change and no doubt a full programme of other activities.   The ECHO will continue a high tempo operations until late summer (2012) when the vessel will hand over the survey baton to sister ship ENTERPRISE and return to the UK for an extended period of maintenance and regeneration.