Tuesday 25 September 2012

50 Years In The Commando Role – having celebrated this milestone earlier this year 845 Naval Air Squadron, flying SEA KING HC4 helicopters, based at Yeovilton; awarded the prestigious Breitling Trophy for achieving the best overall assessment during a naval flying standards inspection in recognition of professionalism and excellence in naval aviation marking them out as the best in the Fleet Air Arm.    With the Squadron operating at such a high tempo, with personnel and aircraft returning from Afghanistan, preparing to go to sea on board the Helicopter Carrier ILUSTRIOUS, or on exercise in the Highlands of Scotland, the inspection could not have come at a busier time.
The Folly of Past Defence Decisions – The folly of past Defence Decisions was only too apparent when the Type 45 Destroyer DAUNTLESS, having completed some challenging evolutions in the Gulf of Mexico and taking a break from the UNITAS exercise; berthed at Key West  (Florida).   The DAUNTLESS berthed alongside the Brazilian warship BNS GREENHALGH, better know the our readers as the Type 22 Frigate BROADSWORD.    The BROADSWORD has completed seventeen (17) years serving under the Brazilian flag.    Put another way the Royal Navy has been deprived of that warship, which is still serviceable, for that period.  Has anyone ever costed the amount we have lost be selling off ouir warships prematurely and were very little ?

Monday 24 September 2012

The Last 42 Patrol – the EDINBURGH, the only remaining Type 42 Destroyer in service has departed of a final deployment and is scheduled to work on counter drug trafficking measures off West Africa before visiting the Caribbean and the USA, returning to Portsmouth in March 2013 and withdrawal shortky after.    The EDINBURGH will deploy without the SEADART Missile System being operational.



NI Parade of Sail - The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee has been marked in a spectacular fashion across the country, but operational commitments (supporting Operational Ellamy off Libya) delayed the visit scheduled for last year to Bangor, by the Sandown Class Minecountermeasure Vessel BANGOR.     Apart from the usual array of dignitaries several yacht clubs from Northern Ireland joined forces to mark the weekend with their own “Parade of Sail,” organised by the Royal Ulster Yacht Club whose patron is HM the Queen.
Carrier Propulsion Motors Delivered - GE have delivered the last of eight propulsion motors for the Aircraft Carriers QUEEN ELIZABETH and PRINCE OF WALES which are to be the largest warships in the world to use fully electric propulsion systems.      GE secured to contract to supply its Advanced Induction Motor technology for integration in to the Integrated Full Electric Propulsion systems in 2008. The Integrated Full Electric Propulsion system comprises all shipboard electrical power generation and propulsion systems and features.   The Advanced Induction Motor technology is said to increase fuel efficiency plus high levels of survivability.    According to the MoD the Aircraft Carriers are expected to consume no more fuel during typical routine operations than the much smaller INVINCIBLE Class Carriers. The all electrical power and propulsion approach improves ship survivability by decoupling the placement of the turbines and the generators from the propellers’ mechanical drive.     Power generation and propulsion equipment is instead distributed across several independent compartments rather than concentrated into a single space or small number of spaces.

Friday 21 September 2012

Then Their Was Onethe Type 42 Destroyer YORK has made a final entry into Portsmouth Harbour prior to decommissioned after 27 years of service.   The “White Rose” warship made a final visit to the namesake city, well Kingston-upon-Hull being, being the nearest the Type 42 could reach.   Hightlight of a long career saw the YORK make four  deployments to the Gulf in the 1990s and saw front line action in 2003 when the ship was one of three Type 42s assigned to the naval armada mustered for the invasion of Iraq.   Since then the YORK has been seen evacuating British nationals from Beirut during the Israel-Lebanon conflict, ferrying evacuees to Cyprus.   In 2011 – the last operational deployment – the YORK was sent to Malta to assist in the evacuation of British personnel during the Libyan uprising.    That was followed in December 2011 by the high profile shadowing of a Russian task group through British waters (around the top of Scotland) – the Russian ships had been forced into the more sheltered waters closer to the coast to avoid some severe winter storms.   Since then YORK has continued a Russian theme, this time on Anglo-French-American-Russian exercises in the Baltic, culminating with a visit to St Petersburg.   A final overseas visit was made to Brest (France).   That leaves sister ship EDINBURGH as the only remaining Type 42 in service.
Combined Task Force 345 Nuclear Attack Proof Bunker – is Great Britain's secret nuclear bunker buried 100ft down, built into a hillside is in the leafy London suburb of Northwood.    Inside is the control room where the order to launch a strike would be given from the Secret Operations Room which controls the submarines that carry our nuclear deterrent.   The bunker is permanently manned by watch keepers on 12 hour shifts.    Work on the bunker began in 1941 when RAF Coastal Command were based there, and it has grown over the years to become a network of six underground buildings joined together with temperature and humidity controlled, and the air below ground is over pressured so that in the event of a chemical attack outside, no toxic gases would be sucked in.

1710 Naval Air Squadron – previously known as the Mobile Aircraft Support Unit (MASU), was commissioned, without much publicity, as 1710 Naval Air Squadron by CINCFLEET in May 2010, and is based at Portsmouth.     It brought together three complimentary capabilities which have existed, in different forms, for over sixty years.     Previous incarnations of these capabilities include Mobile Aircraft Repair Transport and Salvage Unit (MARTSU), Mobile Aircraft Support Unit (MASU), Naval Aircraft Materials Laboratory (NAML), Assistant Directorate Aircraft Integrity Monitoring (AD AIM) and the Materials Integrity Group (MIG).

The team from 1710 Naval Air Squadron began a deployment in Helmand (Afghanistan) back in 2006, and continues to this day, and ensures that RAF and Army Air Corps helicopters as well as those of the Fleet Air Arm are kept in working order for their vital mission.    A five strong team from 1710 Naval Air Squadron are based at Camp Bastion, the hub of the British effort in the country.    It's not the task of the 1710 Squadron Detachment to look after helicopters on a day to day basis, but they are called upon to carry out complex repairs to “whirlybirds” damaged by emergency/rough landings and serious wear and tear or, to a lesser degree, enemy fire.    The Repair Detachment is lead by a Lieutenant, with two (2)  Chief Petty Officers and two (2) Petty Officers.

The primary role of 1710 Naval Air Squadron is the support to current operations ensuring that UK military aircraft operate at optimum levels of operational readiness and capability at all times. This includes the assessment and structural repair of damaged helicopters, designing and fitting modifications to enable new capabilities and providing advice and support, across a range of scientific disciplines, to preserve aircraft worthiness and availability.    The Squadron also assists with in depth investigations into failures and accidents.

COLLINGWOOD’s Carrier – The first tangible sign that the Royal Navy will get it new Aircraft Carriers has been taken with the opening of a brand new £1 million Lyster Building to act as a training facility, at Fareham.    The QUEEN ELIZABETH is due in 2016, and is being assembled at Babcock Dockyard in Rosyth.   The first Royal Navy weapon engineers are set to join the Carrier in 2013 in Rosyth.

Personnel will be trained on the new Mission System which links all the combat, communications and visual surveillance systems together by a fibre optic network – these are usually separate on warships – and will allow for a much more integrated way of working.    As the ‘brain’ of the ship, the Mission System brings together air traffic control, navigation, tactical pictures compilation, communications and mission planning for the embarked F35 Joint Strike Fighter and MERLIN helicopters. It will also allow for engineering and logistic support.    Named after Admiral Sir Lumley Lyster, who masterminded the Taranto Raid in November 1940 (more than a year before America entered the War) and which set the Carrier strategy for much of the Second World War.     The Lyster Building is a collaboration between the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, Navy Command and Flag Officer Sea Training.    The equipment used in the Lyster Building will be moved to the QUEEN ELIZZABETH once personnel have been trained in a bid to keep costs low.      


Cancellation of NIMROD MRA4 Programme - A Serious ConcernThe Future Maritime Surveillance Report published by the House of Commons Defence Committee expressed serious concern about the security implications of the Government’s decision to scrap NIMROD.   An Armed Forces Minister said: "UK maritime surveillance is being delivered by a wide range of military assets, including our surface ships, submarines, MERLIN and SEA KING helicopters, SENTRY and HERCULES aircraft, and we are also co-operating with our allies.      The NIMROD MR4 was cancelled in the 2010 SDSR, the project had been delayed for many years and cost taxpayers more than £4bn.    The decision created a "capability gap" in maritime surveillance, leaving the United Kingdom dependent on other countries.   The Chairman of the House of Commons Defence Committee went on to say "We are unconvinced that the MoD has the capacity to respond to any escalation in the risks that may appear beyond the UK's shores."

Currently information from the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft from Germany, Spain and Luxembourg are being used to assist with our Nuclear Deterrent Patrols.    Enough said.
CLYDEs Ashore – The Falkland Patrol Vessel CLYDE recently sent a contingent ashore to spend a day on the Army Ranges on the East Falkland, and exercised with the islands’ Roulement Infantry Company, using live ammunition including grenades.     The day culminated in a tough bayonet exercise across the range.  The favour was returned with the CLYDE taking a number of the soldiers to sea overnight.    Despite rough conditions in a Falkland winter, the soldiers quickly gained their sea legs and took part in a damage control demonstration, weapons firing and flight deck sports whilst at sea.    The CLYDE is gearing up to embark 100 soldiers during routine exercises around the Falkland Islands.

Auriga 12 Deployment Update – the Type 45 Destroyer DAUNTLESS provided the venue for the inaugural annual defence talks between Britain and Colombia during a recent visit to Cartagena.   After patrols of the North and South Atlantic, the DAUNTLESS has spent the past couple of weeks in the warmer waters of the Caribbean visiting Barbados, Cartagena, and on to Key West (Florida) and will participate in the largest and longest running exercise in the region, UNITAS, which traces its history back to the late 1950s.   The DAUNTLESS will work alongside a dozen warships from Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and host nation the USA.    Once UNITAS is completed, the DAUNTLESS will take up anti-drug running patrols as part of the international clampdown on the narcotics trade in Caribbean waters and the Gulf of Mexico.   The DAUNTLESS is due home at the end of October (2012).
Channel Dash Remembered – Seventy years on the brave efforts of the Channel Dash heroes with a granite memorial erected in the Marine Parade Gardens in Dover.   It  commemorates the brave but forlorn attempt to stop German ships breaking through into the North Sea in 1942.   The First Sea Lord attended and the Type 23 Frigate, KENT paid a three day visit to the ship’s affiliated port, to co-incide with this anniversary.

The Channel Dash (Operation Fuller) saw aviators from the Fleet Air Arm, lead by Lieutenant Commander Eugene Esmonde, set out against the odds in February 1942 to prevent the breakthrough of German Battle Cruisers SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU, supported by the Heavy Cruiser PRINZ EUGEN pass from Brest to the North Sea.      The six SWORDFISH of 825 Naval Air Squadron lead by Lieutenant Commander paid a fearful price for their efforts to stop that breakthrough - the three German warships were shielded by nearly 300 fighters and bombers, while the British response was poorly co-ordinated – much of the fighter cover promised failed to materialise.   Despite that lack of cover, the attack went ahead, Lieutenant Commander being a veteran of the attack on the German Battleship BISMARK nine months earlier.   Although some torpedoes were got away, none hit the ships, and all the SWORDFISH were downed with only five of the eighteen aircrew rescued, their leader was not sadly one of them.   Lieutenant Commander Eugene Esmonde received a posthumous Victoria Cross.

A flypast from a vintage SWORDFISH Torpedo Bomber of the RN Historic Flight was a poignant reminder of events seven decades before.   The last operation Type 42 Destroyer EDINBURGH, known as the “Fortress of the Sea” called at Dover (itself a Fortress) when outward bound on a final deployment before being withdrawn.

Cougar 12 Heads For the Mediterranean – the Royal Navy’s Response Force Task Group – a three month amphibious ‘work-out’ lead by the Fleet Flagship, the Assault Ship BULWARK.  The Task Group comprises :
            Assault Ship          :        BULWARK  (Flagship)
            Helicopter Carrier :        ILLUSTRIOUS
            Type 23 Frigates   :        NORTHUMBERLAND  and  MONTROSE
            Landing Ship          :        RFA MOUNTS BAY
            Logistics Ship        :       HARTLAND POINT
The embarked Royal Marine Group comprises:-
            Headquarters of 3 Commando Brigade
              45 Commando RM (currently the UK’s on-call unit ready to respond to world events)
              30 Commando IX Group RM (see separate item)
          539 Assault Squadron RM
The embarked Air Group will vary during the deployment will be drawn from the Fleet Air Arm units:-
            814 Naval Air Squadron             MERLIN HM1
            829 Naval Air Squadron          MERLIN HM1
            815 Naval Air Squadron             LYNX HMA8
            854 Naval Air Squadron             SEA KING ASaC7
      845/846 Naval Air Squadron            SEA KING HC4
            Plus Army Air Corps detachments from :
            656 Squadron                             APACHE AH1
            659 Squadron                             LYNX AH7

The deployment starts with some initial training off the Cornish coast, including amphibious landings near St Austell, before the force makes for the Mediterranean.   The Response Force Task Group will take part in two large scale exercises, interspersed with various smaller exercises and training and goodwill visits and will be the second test of the Task Group, formed under the 2010 SDSR.   Exercise Corsican Lion will see the Task Group working with the French Aircraft Carrier FS CHARLES de GAULLE - the most powerful surface ship in western European waters – flying fixed wing jets such as the SUPER ETENDARD and the RAFALE.

There will be planned exercises with the US and Algerian forces and visits to Algeria and Malta and exercises with the Albanians in the Adriatic.   The return of the Helicopter Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS will be particularly poignant recalling the previous ships of that name in the dark days of World War Two.
30 Commando Information Exploitation Group – is the new name for the Royal Marine Brigade Headquarters Battalion, of the UK Landing Force Command Support Group, which was previously known as HQ & Signals Squadron RM.    The unit resources include communications, information operations, information systems, intelligence, surveillance, and Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance.     The unit's title harks back to the original 30 Commando RM (which in turn became 30 Assault Unit RM), formed in 1941.    This unit was tasked to move ahead of advancing Allied Forces, or to undertake covert infiltrations into enemy territory by land, sea or air, to capture much needed intelligence, in the form of codes, documents, equipment or enemy personnel


SUTHERLAND Attacked – The Type 23 Frigate SUTHERLAND on deployment off Djibouti (Somalia) came under attack from supersonic French MIRAGE fighters during a war fighting training exercise.  

After a short visit to the Omani capital of Muscat, the SUTHERLAND headed out into the Gulf of Oman to join US Forces for a three day “submarine hunt” starting with a simultaneous replenishment at sea with the aptly named USNS SUPPLY, an American Fast Combat Support Ship for fuel.    The SUTHERLAND was working with the USNS NITZE an Arleigh Burke class Destroyer and tried to find an American Hunter Killer Submarine lurking somewhere below.   It was a good exercise for WARLOCK (a callsign for) the SUTHERLAND’s embarked MERLIN HM1.
AMBUSH Serviced – the Type 23 Frigate ST.ALBANS, using the embarked MERLIN HM1 helicopter (Call sign SINNER) winched stores on to the conning tower to the Fleet Submarine AMBUSH (for the first time), in the Irish Sea, whilst the submarine was on a four day maiden voyage from  Barrow en route to Faslane,   What was so urgent ?
MONMOUTH To Deploy – the Type 23 Frigate MONMOUTH is alongside at Devonport undergoing engineering support ahead of pre-deployment training.    Following a summer leave break after a six week training spell with Flag Officer Sea Training, the MONMOUTH when the maintenance is complete will take stores and check systems in preparation for further training ahead of a forthcoming deployments.

Saturday 15 September 2012

PROTECTOR Ready – The Ice Patrol Ship PROTECTOR is ready to make a second deployment to the South Atlantic.   The PROTECTOR returned from the first deployment at the end of June (2012) and will return to patrolling Antarctica on an eight month deployment.  The PROTECTOR will survey the harbour at St Helena en route in preparation for the building of a new jetty in the island.   The PROTECTOR will arrive in Antarctica for the austral summer and will conduct four periods in the ice.   The ship will also assist with the re-supply of British Antarctic Survey stations in the region.
Olympic Duty Done - Naval fliers and their LYNX HM8 helicopters who protected Olympics from dawn till dusk, completed their mission have returned to base at Yeovilton after their two month Olympic mission as part of the aerial shield over the capital   Three LYNX and 60 personnel from 815 Naval Air Squadron were based on the Helicopter Carrier OCEAN in the Thames at Greenwich for the duration of the Games.
98 Years On – the anniversary of one of the Royal Navy’s worst Great War disasters is to be remembered in Chatham, ninety eight years to the day.     Some 62 officers and 1,397 men were killed in just 90 minutes when the Armoured Cruisers of the 7th Cruiser Squadron, HOGUE, ABOUKIR and CRESSY were torpedoed in September 1914 off the Dutch coast by a German submarine, U-9.   There were 837 survivors from the lost three cruisers of the Chatham based Squadron.    The three ships were obsolete and manned mostly by reservists and trainees.
Gulf Manoeuvres – The Gulf Minecountermeasures Squadron, based at Bahrain, are to join a major eleven day mine warfare exercise which will involve vessels from more than two dozen nations in one of the biggest exercises ever staged in the Middle East.      Led by the American Naval Forces Central Command, IMCMEX 12 – the aim is to test the abilities of different nations to work together to keep the sea lanes open and hunt underwater explosive devices in some of the most challenging waters imaginable.

The RFA CARDIGAN BAY is acting as the “Mother Ship” for the British Squadron which comprises the Hunt Class Minecountermeasure Vessels QUORN and ATHERSTONE and the Sandown Class Minecountermeasure Vessels RAMSEY and SHOREHAM.

ILLUSTRIOUS To Be Preserved - The former Helicopter Carrier, and now Helicopter Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS is to be preserved at the end of her service life (in 2014) as a memorial to the Harrier carriers.   Whitehall wants to hear proposals for maintaining ILLUSTRIOUS for future generations to admire, and business leaders, charities, trusts and other organisations are to be invited to come forward with suggestions on the best use of “Lusty”, so that the vessel remains ‘intact’.

ARK ROYAL To Go For Scrap – The Aircraft Carrier ARK ROYAL, the victim of the SDSR 2010 will be sold for scrap (recycling) for around £3m to the same Turkish yard which dismantled the INVINCIBLE.   Despite talk of turning the “ARK” into a floating helipad, museum or even sinking her as a giant artificial reef,
Fishery Patrol Squadron Purchased – the Royal Navy has ended a decade long lease deal which was costing £7m a year, and has bought outright the three Fishery Protection Ships, TYNE, SEVERN and MERSEY.    The ships entered service in 2003, initially under a five year lease to the Royal Navy, and subsequently renewed, and was due to be renewed again in 2013.     The trio – nicknamed the ‘Cod Squad’ – are based in Portsmouth, but are rarely seen in their home port as they range around UK waters protecting fishing stocks, working alongside colleagues in the Marine Management Organisation.

AMBUSH Ready – The second ASTUTE Class Fleet Submarine AMBUSH is ready for sea trials.  The AMBUSH will leave Barrow-in-Furness for Faslane.   
Nine years after the AMBUSH was laid down, and 18 months since launch, the second in a class of seven ASTUTE Class Fleet Submarines is to conduct basic trials before making for the debut at Faslane.   As for the rest of the class:
Boat 1 – ASTUTE – is commissioned and has completed extensive sonar and weapon trials in the USA, including the firing of TOMAHAWK missiles – and is currently undergoing maintenance alongside in Faslane
Boat 3 – ARTFUL – is taking shape in the Devonshire Dock Hall as is
Boat 4 – AUDACIOUS and
Boat 5 – ANSON – whose keel was laid down last October (2011)
Boat 6 – AGAMEMNON – long lead procurement has begun
Boat 7 – AJAX – has been confirmed but not yet ordered

ENTERPRISE Off - The Survey Ship ENTERPRISE has departed on nine month deployment to the Arabian Gulf.       The survey ship will have as the primary tasking military data gathering but will also act as a deterrent to illegal activity by increasing security and preventing conflict.  The ship sailed from Falmouth with a brand new nine metre survey motor boat named SPITFIRE onboard which effectively doubles the ability to collect data.    The ENTERPRISE was in Falmouth for a month while work has been conducted on the davit used to lift the new motor boat in and out of the water.   The ENTERPRISE operates a watch rotation system and has a crew of 75 men and women, with 50 on board at any one time. The watches are changed while the ship is still deployed, giving the crews a set time of duty and leave.

Falkland Air Bridge – The Defence Secretary has approved the key Falklands Air Bridge contract to a Portuguese operator HiFly’s winning bid was cheaper — by a few thousand pounds a week   Dozens of British jobs at the (British) Titan Airways at Stanstead will lose their jobs.

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Tuesday 4 September 2012

The Aging Type 23’s – a useful reminder of the march of time has taken place with news that celebrations have been held on board the Type 23 Frigate MONTROSE as the warship marked the 20th birthday since being launched at Yarrow Shipbuilders on the Clyde.   The MONTROSE has an “Out of Service Date” of 2027 so has a way to go yet, and is the fifth of the (surviving) thirteen in the class.   Role of the Type 26 Frigates !!
1710 Naval Air Squadron – previously known as the Mobile Aircraft Support Unit (MASU), was commissioned, without much publicity, as 1710 Naval Air Squadron by CINCFLEET in May 2010, and is based at Portsmouth.     It brought together three complimentary capabilities which have existed, in different forms, for over sixty years.      Previous incarnations of these capabilities include Mobile Aircraft Repair Transport and Salvage Unit (MARTSU), Mobile Aircraft Support Unit (MASU), Naval Aircraft Materials Laboratory (NAML), Assistant Directorate Aircraft Integrity Monitoring (AD AIM) and the Materials Integrity Group (MIG).

The team from 1710 Naval Air Squadron began a deployment in Helmand (Afghanistan) back in 2006, and continues to this day, and ensures that RAF and Army Air Corps helicopters as well as those of the Fleet Air Arm are kept in working order for their vital mission.    A five strong team from 1710 Naval Air Squadron are based at Camp Bastion, the hub of the British effort in the country.    It's not the task of the 1710 Squadron Detachment to look after helicopters on a day to day basis, but they are called upon to carry out complex repairs to “whirlybirds” damaged by emergency/rough landings and serious wear and tear or, to a lesser degree, enemy fire.    The Repair Detachment is lead by a Lieutenant, with two (2)  Chief Petty Officers and two (2) Petty Officers.

The primary role of 1710 Naval Air Squadron is the support to current operations ensuring that UK military aircraft operate at optimum levels of operational readiness and capability at all times. This includes the assessment and structural repair of damaged helicopters, designing and fitting modifications to enable new capabilities and providing advice and support, across a range of scientific disciplines, to preserve aircraft worthiness and availability.    The Squadron also assists with in depth investigations into failures and accidents.

Joint Forces Command – the Commander JFC, (an Air Chief Marshal)) is the UK military‘s newest 4* operational Commander, with the responsibility for commanding and generating the joint capabilities allocated to the Command; and setting the framework for joint enablers that sit within the single services.     The staff at Joint Forces Command is currently working to establish Full Operating Capability by April 2013.     The creation of the Joint Forces Command was a key recommendation in Lord Levene’s Defence Reform Report, which focused on strategic planning and joint operations as part of a wider package of radical reform.

The Commander JFC received a ceremonial welcome in the best traditions of the Naval Service as he stepped over the brow of the Assault Ship BULWARK at Portland Harbour (Dorset), whilst on 2012 Paralympic Games duty.     The Commander JFC was shown the way that the BULWARK had used its planning and communications capabilities to integrate the Royal Navy quickly and effectively with civilian LOCOG staff and local police to provide security for the Olympic and Paralympic events.

Sunday 2 September 2012

Minehunters Home – two Minecountermeasure vessels have returned “home” for an extended tour of duty “East of Suez”.    The Sandown Class PEMBROKE returned to a rousing reception at the Clyde Naval Base, and a similar numbers lined the waterfront at Portsmouth to cheer in Hunt Class vessel MIDDLETON.    The warship’s arrival home was marked with a flypast by CHIPMUNK T.10 and a SEA FURY FB11 of the Royal Navy Historic Flight.    The crews of the two ships changed every six to eight months,
The Bahrain Minecountermeasure Squadron currently comprises four (4) Minehunters :_
            Hunts Class:       QUORN                   ATHERSTONE
            Sandown Class    SHOREHAM               RAMSEY
Operating out of Bahrain conditions were tough – temperatures in high summer can exceed 50 degrees Celsius, yet at certain times of the year the Gulf could be mistaken for the North Sea, with grey waves of 15-20ft and winds gusting to 50mph.

The voyage home for the MIDDLETON and PEMBROKE was not without incident, as they were called on by stricken 40,000tonne container ship NEW DEHLI EXPRESS to provide protection from potential pirate attacks as the crew of the container ship worked to repair the ship ’s machinery after a major breakdown in ‘Pirate Alley’ in the Gulf of Aden.    The MIDDLETON and PEMBROKE also visited Malta to help mark the 70th Anniversary of the Pedestal Convoy.
Edinburgh Tattoo Finale – A Royal Marine Band helped bring curtain down on stunning sell-out 63rd Edinburgh Military Tattoo - more than 210,000 people – and a global TV audience estimated at 100 million. The massed bands of HM Royal Marines lead the Senior Service’s input at the 24 night show, which this year celebrated the H.M. Queen’s 60 year reign.   The Fishery Protection Patrol Boat TYNE was also in the Scottish capital (berthed at Leith), a rare port of call for the Royal Navy Squadron which is usually confined to English and Welsh waters.