SCOTT Home – After a relatively short deployment “East of Suez” the Survey Ship SCOTT has arrived “home” but during the three months away mapped the seabed of an area ‘three times the size of Devon.     The SCOTT sailed three days before Christmas 2012 and returned three days after Easter 2013 having spent the intervening period in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.    This was the first time in four years that the SCOTT had ventured East of Suez following two seasons acting as the Ice Patrol Ship in the Antarctic.   The SCOTT will now undergo a spell of maintenance on systems and machinery before deploying to the North Atlantic after a visit to the ship’s affiliated city of Swansea.

Final Prototype F-35 Fighter Launched – the third (and final) of the Fleet Air Arm’s prototype jump jet has taken to the Texas skies above Fort Worth for the first time.   The aircraft will be used to train pilots and maintainers to fly, fight and look after the F-35B Lightning II.   After a series of further test flights and checks by both Lockheed and the MoD, the trials variant (ZM137) will join its two older sisters, ZM135 and ZM136, at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida; having been handed over last year.

Around a dozen Fleet Air Arm and RAF maintainers are working at Eglin, plus pilots Lieutenant Commander Ian Tidball and Squadron Leader Frankie Buchler.    Lieutenant Commander Ian Tidball is a veteran of the SEA HARRIER with 1,300 hours in the cockpit and due to become the first regular Fleet Air Arm aviator to take an F-35 aloft in the near future.    Two reservists, in their 'day jobs' as test pilots, have flown the F-35, namely Commander Simon Hargreaves and Lieutenant-Commander Peter 'Wizzer' Wilson.     Once training at Eglin is completed probably in 2014 the British team is due to decamp from Florida to Edwards Air Force Base (California) where they will carry out operational tests prior to front line service in 2016 operating out of RAF Marham, (near King’s Lynn).   The first test flights from the Aircraft Carrier QUEEN ELIZABETH are planned in 2018.

GIBRALTAR Bastion – the traditional role of Gibraltar as a safe harbour for the Royal Navy when about its business was recalled recently by the visit of the Type 45 Destroyer DRAGON en route to an “East of Suez” deployment spent 22 hours alongside.   The Type 23 Frigate KENT was at the same time at Gibraltar and both ships are outward bound “East”.     The DRAGON will relieve the Type 23 Frigate MONMOUTH whilst the KENT will relieve the NORTHUMBERLAND (another Type 23 Frigate).

CLYDE Tourists – the Falkland Patrol Ship CLYDE has taken some military personnel on a three day patrol of West Falkland during which they experienced fire fighting, navigation, breakdown drills whilst some whale watching was possible during the prevailing rough seas.   Those embarked came from 1564 Search and Rescue Flight (RAF), 460 Port Troop, RLC and other units from Mount Pleasant.

All Action “Black Duke” – the Type 23 Frigate MONMOUTH (known as the “Black Duke”) had laid on an “all action” demonstrations to many future military leaders in the “Gulf” by hosting students and instructors from the Kuwaiti Staff College to show the importance of sea power in preserving peace and security on the oceans.   Also present were the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior and National Guard of Kuwait.  A diverse range of countries were also represented on the staff course including representatives from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sudan, UAE and well as the UK.   On display was not only the Frigate with its array of weapons and sensors, and the ship’s company, but the also the embarked LYNX HMA.8 (call sign “Black Knight”) and the detachment of Royal Marines from 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group RM.   Also onboard was the Commander of the British Military Mission to Kuwait (a Brigadier), the Royal Navy’s senior officer in the Middle East region, the United Kingdom’s Maritime Component Commander (Commodore Simon Ancona).

Relentless Mark 2 - 100 Up – the Strategic Submarine VICTORIOUS has completed what was the 100^th Strategic Patrol by a “V” Class Submarine.   Among the people on hand to welcome the “boat” home was the Prime Minister.  The Silent Service had performed the nuclear strategic deterrent for the last 45 years.   The (UK) POLARIS programme was announced in December 1962 following the Nassau Agreement between the USA and the UK with construction of the submarines beginning 1964, and the first patrol took place in June 1968.    In the 1970s it was determined that the re-entry vehicles which carried the warheads, were vulnerable to the Soviet anti-ballistic missile screen concentrated around Moscow and to ensure a credible and independent nuclear deterrent was maintained they were ungraded.   Thus the CHEVALINE was introduced but this only became public in 1980.   CHEVALINE allowed the POLARIS patrols to continue until May 1996, by which time the TRIDENT missiles were operational from the VANGUARD which had commissioned in August 1993 and went on patrol for the first time in December 1994.   More than 300 Strategic Patrols have safely and successfully been completed, in what was, and which continues to known as “Operation Relentless”.

American Budget Cuts – As a view of what may come - the deadlock in the US Congress is having a very direct effect of the deployment of the US Navy – the Pacific Fleet formally notified several Navy commands that the Secretary of Defense has approved cancellations of their upcoming deployments.   The April 2013 deployments of the Frigate USS RENTZ and the Fleet Submarine USS JEFFERSON CITY been cancelled due to budget limitations imposed by sequestration.    Further, the Frigate USS THACH will cut short the current deployment to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility and return home in April 2013.         In the Atlantic Fleet area the April 2013 deployments of the Hospital Ship USNS COMFORT, the Frigate USS KAUFFMAN and the Salvage Ship USNS GRASP along with their supporting units, have been cancelled due to budget limitations imposed by sequestration.   The USNS COMFORT and USS KAUFFMAN were scheduled to deploy to the U.S Southern Command and the USNS GRASP was scheduled to deploy to the U.S. European Command.   

What are the unseen cuts of the Royal Navy are facing ?