Ongoing Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan 2007–2009
OPERATION TELIC (IRAQ AND THE GULF) – OPERATIONS HERRICK V AND VII (AFGHANISTAN) – ORION 07 AND ORION 08 DEPLOYMENTS
FIRST SEA LORD Admiral Band
SECOND SEA LORDS Admirals Johns and Massey
MANPOWER 38,000
MERCANTILE MARINE 1,228 merchant ships
The focus of world politics remained firmly centred on the Middle East at the beginning of 2007 with security operations in Iraq, the northern Gulf and Afghanistan dominating US and British foreign policy. Operation Enduring Freedom, the worldwide campaign against terrorism, was maintained. Terrorist bomb attacks around the world continued to kill and maim, with Al-Qaeda bombs in Algiers slaughtering thirty-three people. Executions of high-ranking members of Saddam Hussein’s regime continued in Iraq, including those of Saddam Hussein’s half-brother, the former Iraq Intelligence Chief and the former Chief Judge of the Revolutionary Court.
In the Far East, following a threatened naval blockade, North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear programme in exchange for a deal to provide oil supplies. The Royal Navy had not been able to contribute to the naval blockade due to the pressure of other commitments. Iran on the other hand continued, against pressure from the international community, with its nuclear programme, Project 111, which Western intelligence sources believed was designed to produce a nuclear warhead.
In Europe Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union, whilst in the UK Tony Blair stepped down as Prime Minister, handing over to his former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown. In Northern Ireland an iconic moment occurred when Ian Paisley, leader of the Ulster Democratic Unionist Party, shook hands with Gerry Adams, President of Sinn Fein, as they met to form a power-sharing executive and assembly in Northern Ireland.
HMS Queen Elizabeth
Future Aircraft Carriers (CVF)
The planned new 64,000-ton aircraft carriers Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales are designed to replace the three Invincible class light aircraft carriers with an in-service date of 2014 and 2016 respectively. The carriers will be conventionally powered and will operate an air group of forty aircraft, which will include the Lockheed Martin F-35B (short take off and vertical landing, or STOVL) Joint Strike Fighter, the EH 101 Merlin helicopter and maritime surveillance and control (AEW) aircraft. The carriers will be the biggest and most powerful surface warships ever operated by the Royal Navy. An interesting design feature is the inclusion of two separate structures on the flight deck, with flying operations to be conducted from the after tower and the forward tower to be used for navigation, direction and ship handling.
Launched: |
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Commissioned: |
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Displacement: |
65,000 tonnes |
Length: |
284m |
Propulsion: |
4 Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines to 2 shafts |
Armament: |
Total of 40 to include: joint combat aircraft, maritime airborne surveillance and control (MASC) aircraft and Merlin helicopters. |
Complement: |
1,500 (including air crew) |
No. in class: |
2 planned: Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales |
UK Defence Policy At the beginning of 2007 the UK remained fully committed to ongoing operations in Iraq (Operation Telic) and in Afghanistan (Operation Herrick) despite mounting political pressures to withdraw from Iraq and the widening deficit in the defence budget. Considerable military and naval forces were deployed to the area to help build peace and security in such an unstable yet vital part of the world.
THE FLEET
The Royal Navy retained a balanced Fleet in 2007 with a worldwide capability. It was still very powerful even though it had been reduced considerably in size and was heavily stretched in fulfilling all its operational commitments as well as meeting exercise and training requirements. The First Sea Lord stated: ‘Despite the rather gloomy portrayal of a shrinking Navy that is all too frequently rehearsed in the press, what is so often misunderstood is the significantly improved capability the Royal Navy may now draw on.’1
Aircraft Carriers The core of the Fleet was based on the two remaining old Invincible class carriers. Ark Royal had rejoined the Fleet in March 2007 after a two-year £20 million refit in Rosyth, which provided her with an improved amphibious assault capability.
Illustrious remained the fleet flagship, whilst the third carrier, Invincible, remained in reserve at ‘extended readiness’ in Portsmouth naval base at ninety days’ notice for operational service. The carriers are due to be decommissioned progressively, beginning with Invincible in 2010, followed by Ark Royal in 2012 and then finally by Illustrious in 2015.
The Future Carriers (CVF Programme) The Invincible class carriers are due to be replaced by the two new large 64,000-ton aircraft carriers Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales. The in-service dates are planned for 2014 and 2016, which could produce a brief capability shortfall between the decommissioning of Ark Royal in 2012 and the commissioning of Queen Elizabeth two years later, particularly if there should be any slippage in their construction. The new carriers are firmly in the programme, though their future remains by no means guaranteed. The concept was agreed nearly a decade ago, in 1998, though no firm order had been placed by 2007. A welcome step was however taken in July 2007 when the government announced that funding for the carriers had been approved; this injected some £7.7 billion into the defence budget. The Defence Minister, Baroness Taylor, then signed the contract for the two new aircraft carriers on 3 July 2008 on board Ark Royal in Portsmouth. The main aircraft intended for the new carriers will be the new JSF (Joint Strike Fighter), the F-35 strike jet, though questions remain over its in-service date. Clearly much remains at stake for the future capability of the Royal Navy.
The newly refitted Ark Royal in Portsmouth
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The new landing ship dock (auxiliary) RFA Largs Bay
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The Type 23 frigate Westminster (John Webster RSMA)
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Amphibious Ships The powerful amphibious fleet consisted of the LPH (landing platform helicopter) Ocean and the two LPDs (landing platform docks), Albion and Bulwark. At the end of 2007 Ocean undertook a £30 million maintenance and upgrade programme, rejoining the Fleet in September 2008. The four new RFA (Royal Fleet Auxiliary) ships of the Bay class, officially designated landing ship dock (auxiliary), RFAS Largs Bay, Mounts Bay, Lyme Bay and Cardigan Bay reinforced the amphibious fleet. Also supporting it was the last of the landing ships (logistic), RFA Sir Bedivere.
Escort Fleet The escort fleet consisted of twenty-five frigates and destroyers. The thirteen Type 23 Duke class frigates provided the core of the escort fleet, supported by the aging eight remaining elderly Batch 2 and Batch 3 Type 42 destroyers and the last four of the Batch 3 Type 22 frigates.
The first four of the new 7,230-ton Type 45 Daring class destroyers were well under construction, with the bow section of the fourth, Dragon, being completed by VT Shipbuilders at Portsmouth in October 2007. Daring commenced trials earlier in the year and was intended to join the Fleet at the beginning of 2009. Six of the class were under construction, and it was hoped that further units would be built.
The SSBN Vengeance returns from patrol
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Submarines The submarine fleet consisted of the four Trident missile-equipped Vanguard class SSBNs (ballistic missile-carrying nuclear submarines), which continued to be responsible for the UK’s strategic nuclear deterrent, the seven Trafalgar class SSNs (nuclear fleet submarines) and the last two Swiftsure class SSNs.
Mine Counter-Measures Vessels (MCMVs) The MCMV flotilla consisted of the eight ships of the Hunt class, built from glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) and equipped with the latest 2193 sonar, and the eight smaller GRP single-role minehunters of the Sandown class.
Patrol Vessels and Survey Ships The patrol vessels consisted of the four River class, two specialist patrol vessels, Scimitar and Sabre, and sixteen P2000 Archer class coastal patrol craft. The surveying fleet comprised the 13,000-ton ocean survey vessel Scott, two Echo class coastal survey vessels, one old coastal survey vessel, Roebuck, and an inshore survey vessel.
RFA The Royal Navy was supported by two modern fleet tankers, two old support tankers and two old small fleet tankers. There were also four fleet replenishment ships, an aviation training ship and a forward repair ship. As mentioned above, the RFA manned the four new amphibious ships (landing ship dock) of the Bay class.
Naval Aviation The aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm consisted of the Harrier GR7s and GR9s of 800 and 801 NAS (Naval Air Squadron), subsumed into the Naval Strike Wing of the JFH (Joint Force Harrier), and the Merlin, Sea King and Lynx helicopters.
Royal Marines The Corps of the Royal Marines consisted of 3 Commando Brigade with 40, 42 and 45 Commandos and 539 Assault Squadron, with logistic, communications, artillery and engineering support. 3 Commando Brigade formed a core component of the UK’s Joint Rapid Reaction Force.
Fleet Command Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, straight from a key NATO appointment with SACLANT (the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic) in the USA, relieved Admiral Burnell-Nugent as CINCFLEET (Commander in Chief Fleet) in November 2007. The sea-going operational Commander was Rear Admiral Zambellas as COMUKMARFOR (Commander UK Maritime Forces), with Commodore Potts as COMUKTG (Commander UK Task Group) and Commodore Jones as COMATG (Commander Amphibious Task Group). Commodore Cunningham was Commander UK Carrier Strike Group, and Brigadier Capewell was Commander 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines.
Fleet Bases At the beginning of 2008 the Royal Navy still retained three main naval bases in the UK, with the surface fleet continuing to be divided into two main flotillas based at the two south coast naval bases at Portsmouth and Devonport. The Portsmouth Flotilla consisted of the two operational aircraft carriers, the Type 42 destroyers and half the Type 23 frigates together with the Fishery Protection Squadron, the 2nd MCM (Mine Counter-Measures) Squadron and the 1st Patrol Boat Squadron.
The Devonport Flotilla was based on the ships of the Amphibious Task Group, the Type 22 frigates and the other half of the Type 23 frigates. The survey ships and a squadron of hunter-killer fleet submarines were also part of the flotilla. The third naval base, in the north at Faslane, was home to the nuclear deterrent Trident submarines, a squadron of hunter-killer fleet submarines and the 1st MCM Squadron.
Future of the Naval Bases The study into the future requirements for and structure of the UK naval bases that had been set up in 2006 finally reached a conclusion and reported in February 2008. The sensitive question as to which base might be axed was finally resolved with the decision to retain all three for the time being but with reduced capability in Portsmouth and Devonport. The decision was greeted with much relief, both in the local communities and generally throughout the Navy. There still remained a question mark over the viability of retaining the nuclear deterrent in Scotland if that became politically unacceptable to the people of Scotland.
First Sea Lord In 2008 Admiral Sir Jonathan Band continued as head of the Royal Navy in the appointment of First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff.
OPERATIONS AND DEPLOYMENTS, 2007–2009
Although the focal point of operations remained the Middle East, including the eastern Mediterranean, the Royal Navy continued to conduct operations in other parts of the world. Although this was not widely known, in January 2007 the Royal Navy and Royal Marines made up more than 50 per cent of the UK forces deployed in southern Afghanistan.
Standing Commitments
In 2007 the Royal Navy maintained its full range of commitments in home waters, abroad and to the standing NATO forces, as follows:
Strategic Nuclear Deterrent The Vanguard class SSBNs continued their constant nuclear deterrent patrols undetected in the vast depths of the world’s oceans. By 2007 the Royal Navy had carried the burden of providing the nation’s strategic nuclear deterrent continuously for almost thirty-nine years. In June 2007 the Trident submarine Vengeance returned to Faslane having completed the 300th nuclear deterrent patrol by the Royal Navy. It was a fine achievement, and waiting to greet Vengeance as she berthed alongside were the Secretary of State for Defence, Des Browne, and the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Jonathan Band. Later in December2 Vengeance completed what she claimed to be a record deterrent deployment of 103 days.3
14 June 2008 saw an important milestone, being the fortieth anniversary of the departure of the Polaris-armed SSBN Resolution from Faslane on the first strategic nuclear deterrent patrol undertaken by the Royal Navy.
Fishery Protection The Fishery Protection Squadron was reorganised in 2006 after the withdrawal of the Northern Ireland Squadron. The core of the ‘Fish Squadron’ remained the three River class OPVs (offshore patrol vessels) Tyne, Severn and Mersey, but the MCMVs, which also formed part of the ‘Fish Squadron, were divided into two squadrons. The eight Sandown class MCMVs formed the 1st MCM Squadron, based at Faslane, whilst the eight Hunt class MCMVs formed the 2nd MCM Squadron, based at Portsmouth.
The ships of the ‘Fish Squadron’ kept up their important tasks, working under the direction of DEFRA (the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) in policing and enforcing EEC fishery policies as well as patrolling the UK’s extended fisheries zone. As fishing stocks continued to decrease the task became increasingly important. The squadron also carried out the vital task of protecting the offshore oil rigs and gas installations.
Gibraltar The two armed Scimitar class fast patrol boats, Scimitar and Sabre, together with three Arctic RIBs (rigid inflatable boats), formed the Gibraltar Patrol Boat Squadron and were permanently stationed in Gibraltar. The fast patrol boats worked watch and watch about in weekly shifts. The prime duty of the squadron was protecting the security of the British territorial waters surrounding the Rock of Gibraltar, but it also supported the many NATO ships and vessels passing through the Straits of Gibraltar.
At the beginning of the year the squadron took part in the security exercise Med Gun, which involved the fast insertion of men from 148 Commando Battery Royal Artillery by parachute as a rapid response reinforcement exercise.
Cyprus The small armed Archer class patrol craft Pursuer and Dasher continued to be deployed to Cyprus. Together with a detachment of Royal Marines and two fast inshore patrol boats, they maintained force protection patrols for the Sovereign Base Area. As well as carrying out counter-terrorist activities, they protected allied shipping transiting through the important staging post at Cyprus en route to the Gulf.
Task Group 326.01: Atlantic Patrol Task (North) The Type 42 destroyer Liverpool, having relieved the frigate Portland, was assigned to the duties of the North Atlantic Patrol Area, which included the Caribbean. The fleet tanker RFA Wave Ruler supported her. Ships of the Royal Navy provide major support to the US-led counter-drugs operations in the Caribbean throughout the year. Other ships were deployed to the area, with the helicopter assault ship Ocean arriving in March 2007 and the new RFA Largs Bay deploying later in the year. In October 2007 Portland managed to recover over three tons of cocaine in an interception in the North Atlantic, and two months later RFA Largs Bay intercepted a drugs smuggler with over half a ton of cocaine. Other ships provided subsequent deployments to the Caribbean.
Task Group 326.02: Atlantic Patrol Task (South) The Type 42 destroyer Nottingham was on Atlantic Patrol Task (South), having relieved her sister ship, the destroyer Southampton. The OPV Dumbarton Castle (known as ‘DC’) was still on station in the Falkland Islands and Antarctica, acting as the permanent guardship to protect British interests in the area. Although it had been planned for Dumbarton Castle to be relieved earlier, she had to extend her duty by a further four months until eventually she was relieved by the new OPV Clyde when she finally arrived on station in September 2007. Clyde was due to stay in the Falkland Islands for three to four years. The OPV also visited South Georgia and the other British dependencies in the far South Atlantic on a regular basis. In November 2007 the ice patrol vessel Endurance was en route for the Antarctic, where she was to be deployed for eighteen months.
NATO Assignments The Royal Navy continued to assign ships to the two main standing NATO maritime squadrons, namely Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) and Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group One (SNMCMG1). SNMG2 was deployed in the Mediterranean on maritime security operations, monitoring and protecting international shipping, as part of Operation Active Endeavour.
Ongoing Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
The main ongoing operations in 2007 were concentrated on Operation Herrick in Afghanistan and Operation Telic in Iraq and the Gulf.
Afghanistan 3 Brigade with 40 Commando Royal Marines was deployed on Operation Herrick V in Helmand Province in the south of Afghanistan. The Royal Marines were supported by 846 NAS.
The Gulf There were five elements of the Royal Navy’s commitment in Iraq and the Gulf under Operation Telic. They included forces assigned to CTF (Coalition Task Force) 158 in the northern Gulf, CTF 152 in the southern and central areas of the Gulf, a Naval Assistance and Training Team (NaTT) ashore in Iraq and a mine counter-measures squadron. The fifth element consisted of the headquarters and staff of the United Kingdom Maritime Component Commander (UKMCC) ashore in Bahrain. In 2007 the UKMCC was Commodore Keith Winstanley.
Task Group 330.01: The Gulf The Type 22 frigate Campbeltown had just taken over duty from the frigate Argyll in the southern Gulf and Straits of Hormuz in protecting international shipping on the main tanker routes in and out of the Gulf. Campbeltown was part of CTF 152 but was also protecting British interests in the area and helping to police the waters against smuggling and drug-running. Also in the Gulf was the survey vessel Enterprise, keeping the charts in the vital waterways up to date.
Iraq: Operation Telic The Royal Navy continued to play an important part with the other armed services in the ongoing extensive security operations in the south of Iraq to stabilise the country, and also in the training requirement to prepare the Iraqi forces to take over complete responsibility for security in Iraq. An essential part of the task was to keep the Shatt al-Arab waterway open and protect the oil facilities at Al Faw as well as the oil platforms at the head of the Gulf. The Royal Navy was also contributing forces to CTF 158 in the northern Gulf.
Naval Assistance and Training Team The Royal Navy led the NaTT responsible for much of the training of the Iraqi Navy. The NaTT was based on board RFA Sir Bedivere at Umm Qasr in 2007, and RFA Sir Bedivere was relieved by RFA Cardigan Bay in early 2008.
Exercise Smoking Gun After nearly four years of training the Iraqi Navy was ready to be tested. During June and July 2007 the staff of CTF 158 observed the various elements of exercise Smoking Gun, to test the preparedness and response of the new Iraqi Navy to simulated attacks from US fast patrol craft. When the Iraqis were informed they had passed they cheered wildly and were delighted to take over patrols in the waterways on their own, though the NaTT remained in Umm Qasr to complete the training.4
It was assessed that the Iraqi Navy was the most progressive of the Iraqi armed forces, and this reflected much credit on the work of the Royal Navy. It operated Predator class patrol boats as well as rigid inflatable and light aluminium boats and took delivery of the first of its new patrol ships at the end of 2008.
Withdrawal from Basra Towards the end of 2007 the British forces deployed in Basra were pulled back and reduced as the Iraqis continued to take over responsibility for maintaining security. The British troops left their headquarters in Basra Palace, handing over control of Basra to the Iraqi authorities in December. Britain continued to reduce troop numbers in the area towards the target of 2,500 originally set for spring 2008, though in the event that proved too ambitious and troop levels had to be maintained at a higher level. 845 NAS, the longest-serving helicopter squadron on Operation Telic, returned to UK with its Sea King helicopters at the end of November. It had served on Operation Telic for three and a half years. Two months later 847 NAS also returned to the UK with its Lynx helicopters.
Mine Counter-Measures The minehunters Blyth and Ramsey had arrived in the Gulf at the end of 2006 and were based at Bahrain. They were deployed in the main shipping lanes, conducting the vital task of keeping the waterways in the Gulf clear of mines. They were reinforced by the Hunt class MCMVs Atherstone and Chiddingfold in early 2008.
The MCMV Atherstone followed by the minehunters Blyth and Ramsey conducting mine clearance operations in the Khawr’ Abd Allah waterway in the Gulf
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Operation Herrick V
At the beginning of 2007, 3 Commando Brigade, supported by the GR7 Harriers of 800 NAS, was heavily engaged in a series of operations and actions as part of the winter offensive against the Taliban in the Helmand River valley in southern Afghanistan. The Royal Marines formed the core of the forces deployed and conducted offensive sweeps from their headquarters at Camp Bastion in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand Province.
Royal Marines strap themselves to an Apache helicopter for the rescue mission
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42 Commando on Operation Volcano
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Operation Clay One of the main Taliban bases in the Garmsir region adjacent to the town of Kajaki was attacked by Royal Marines from the Reconnaissance Force, together with troops from the Light Dragoons, in Operation Clay. In a four-hour battle, assisted by strikes from supporting Apache helicopter gunships, they stormed the base, defeating the Taliban. Having dislodged the Taliban, the Royal Engineers were able to repair the hydro-electric dam on the Helmand River and restore electricity supplies for nearly two million Afghans in the surrounding area.5
Further Battles in the Garmsir Region At the same time Royal Marines of 45 Commando attacked other Taliban bases in Garmsir, frequently with the aid of Harrier or Apache helicopter strikes. The Taliban were driven out of a terrorist training camp in Kajaki Olya, and a battle was fought at Gereshk. After defeating the Taliban in several engagements and driving them off, the Royal Marines captured stockpiles of weapons, AK-47 rifles, grenades and bomb-making equipment. The operations were a success, though the Royal Marines suffered a number of casualties in the fierce fighting.6
Royal Marines from 42 Commando clear out Taliban forces from Kajaki
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Recovery Operation at Jugroom Fort In an attack on Jugroom Fort in Garmsir, Lance Corporal Mathew Ford of 45 Commando was shot in the assault, but as the Royal Marines pulled back to regroup they discovered that his body had been left lying in front of the fort. Determined to leave no man behind, they set about mounting a dramatic recovery action using two Apache helicopters. Four volunteers, Captain David Rigg, Warrant Officer Colin Hearn, and Royal Marines Gary Robinson and Chris Fraser-Perry, strapped themselves to the outer sponsons of the Apaches, which then approached the fort flying low at 50mph.
Under heavy fire one Apache engaged the Taliban whilst the second Apache set down in front of the fort, allowing the men to recover the body of Mathew Ford. Amazingly both Apaches returned with no further casualties. Warrant Officer Hearn said, ‘I’m a Royal Marine. I’m RSM of the unit. He’s a Royal Marine – the same as me. There was no way we were ever going to leave him, or anyone else, on that battlefield.’ Lance Corporal Ford was the fourth Royal Marine killed in the Garmsir offensive.7
Training the Afghan National Army Whilst supporting operations Royal Marines from 42 and 45 Commando and the Commando Logistics Regiment were assigned to OMT (the Operational Mentoring Team, known as the ‘omelette’), charged with the important task of training the Afghan National Army at Camp Shorabak.
Operation Volcano The Royal Marines followed up their successes, continuing to drive the Taliban further away from the main towns and villages in southern Afghanistan. They drove the Taliban out of the important town of Kajaki in northern Helmand and launched Operation Volcano to push them out of the surrounding countryside, including the stronghold of Barikju to the north of Kajaki. In some areas the Royal Marines encountered fierce resistance; insurgents in the village of Chinah poured in heavy fire and had to be suppressed with air strikes.
Operation Glacier In March the Royal Marines carried out one of the last operations of their deployment, Operation Glacier. Supported by Afghan Army gunners, they carried out an all-night assault on the Taliban headquarters south of Garmsir. Following artillery bombardment and air strikes, 250 Royal Marines, Afghan troops and Light Dragoons attacked the Taliban positions. The attackers cleared the Taliban out of a network of trenches, bunkers and compounds, destroying the defences as they went. It was an important success as the Taliban positions had commanded the strategic approaches to the region. Shortly after Operation Glacier the Royal Marines prepared to hand over to 16 Mechanised Brigade, having completed their deployment to Operation Herrick V.8
Achievement Following the completion of Operation Herrick V, thirty-nine Royal Marines were honoured for their gallantry during the campaign. The honours awarded included one Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, two Distinguished Service Orders, ten Military Crosses and two Queen’s Gallantry Medals. Sadly the Royal Marines suffered ninety casualties, twelve of them fatal.
Operation Calash: Coalition Task Force 150 In 2007 the UK continued to support CTF 150 under Operation Calash in the Gulf of Aden, and provided the support tanker RFA Bayleaf as the ‘Arabian Gulf Ready Tanker’, RFA Bayleaf was well experienced in the task, having been first assigned to the operation in 2003.
The area was of considerable strategic importance as it contained the main shipping routes from the Middle East and the Far East to Europe and the USA, and CTF 150 had been conducting maritime security operations in the vital waterway at the entrance to the Red Sea since it was formed in 2001. Its ships patrolled the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean. The area was subject not only to terrorist attacks, with the most notorious being the attacks on the USS Cole and the French tanker MV Limburg, but also to increasing numbers of attacks by pirates. One of the most dangerous areas was off the Yemeni coast, where progress was being made with the training of the newly established Yemeni coastguard force.9
Iraq and the Northern Gulf
Operation Troy, February 2007 Further to the north in Iraq, the Royal Marines of 539 Assault Squadron were part of Operation Troy, a major operation against smuggling and other illegal activities in Basra carried out in the middle of February 2007. The operation entailed a complete lock-down of Basra and Umm Qasr for three days and was timed to coincide with a similar but larger-scale operation, codenamed Imposing Justice, in Baghdad. Whilst the army closed down Basra, the Royal Marines sealed off the port and waterways into the city. The Royal Marines, together with Iraqi Coast Guards, mounted water patrols with ORC (offshore raiding craft) gunboats on the Shatt al-Arab waterway and the many canals leading to Basra. The border with Iran was closed, and British and Iraqi forces searched the notorious areas of the city, flushing out criminals, terrorists and weapon caches.
Royal Marines patrol the Shatt al-Arab waterway
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The Royal Navy Takes Command of CTF 158 At sea in the northern Gulf, the ships of CTF 158 maintained their vital and ceaseless patrols, protecting the merchant shipping, tankers and major oil platforms as well as the vital oil terminals at Al Basra and Khawr Al Amaya. Command of CTF 158 rotated, and in March it was the turn of the Royal Navy. The Type 22 frigate Cornwall had just arrived in the Gulf from the UK with the fleet replenishment ship RFA Fort Austin. She took up station off Iraq, joining the Type 23 frigate Sutherland, and assumed the duties of flagship of CTF 158. Commodore Nick Lambert, supported by his team from the Maritime Battle Staff, took over from Rear Admiral Garry Hall of the US Navy as the Task Force Commander. Sutherland had recently returned to the Gulf following her participation in the multi-national exercise Aman 07 organised by the Pakistani Navy off Karachi in early March.
The frigate Sutherland in the Gulf with Task Force 158
(FPU)
The ships of CTF 158 monitored and investigated all ships in the area, and as well as keeping a close watch on all shipping movements they were busy assisting in training the Iraqi Navy.
The Cornwall Incident, 23 March 2007 Whilst Cornwall was conducting stop-and-search operations enforcing UN resolutions close to the Iraqi coast an unfortunate and embarrassing incident occurred. A boarding team offifteen, including seven Royal Marines, left Cornwall on a routine mission in two RIBs to investigate an Indian ship, the Al Hanin. The Cornwall team had already boarded more than sixty vessels that month. They were operating close to the coast, and because of the shallow water Cornwall was patrolling some way out at sea.
Having completed their routine inspection the team left the ship. At that stage they were assessed as being within approximately two miles of Iranian waters, though the exact limits of Iraqi and Iranian territorial waters have since been disputed. As soon as they pulled away from the Al Hanin they were surrounded by heavily armed Iranian Revolutionary Guards in fast gunboats, armed with heavy-calibre machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades and attempting to arrest them. Without sufficient arms or the authority to oppose the Iranians there was very little that the Royal Navy team could do other than to submit to capture. It should be remembered that Britain was not at war with Iran and that any armed resistance could well have provoked an extremely serious international incident. The members of the team were held prisoner and humiliated in the full glare of the world’s press for twelve days, before considerable political pressure finally secured their release in time for Easter.
On their return to the UK, the media hounded members of the team for their story, and when two were permitted to sell their stories to the popular press, in the hope of redressing the balance of sensational and distorted reports, there was immediate criticism that they had been allowed to do so. It was an unfortunate incident, blown up out of all proportion by the media, which the First Sea Lord said left the Royal Navy ‘bruised and angry’.10
The Tireless Incident, 21 March 2007 At about the same time the Navy suffered another misfortune with a tragic incident on board the nuclear submarine Tireless. The Trafalgar class fleet submarine had been operating with a US nuclear attack submarine, the USS Alexandria, underneath the polar ice cap as part of ICEX-2007 (Anglo-American Ice Exercise 2007). It was an important classified operation testing submarine operability and war-fighting capabilities under the ice. During the course of the operation, when Tireless was beneath the Arctic ice, an emergency oxygen device exploded. The fires started were quickly put out but the blast fatally wounded Leading OM Paul McCann and OM Anthony Huntrod. A third man was injured, but when the submarine surfaced he was flown to Alaska for emergency medical treatment and recovered. Tireless then continued with her six-day underice transit of the North Pole, demonstrating that the submarine and her ship’s company remained fully efficient.11
Caribbean Deployment, March–July 2007 It was not all bad news in the spring of 2007, for the helicopter assault ship Ocean achieved a major coup during her deployment to the Caribbean. A small task group, consisting of the helicopter assault ship Ocean escorted by the Type 23 frigate Portland and supported by the fleet tanker RFA Wave Knight, deployed to the Caribbean and west Africa in March. Embarked in Ocean were the Sea King Mk 7 helicopters of 854 NAS and the Merlin helicopters of 700M NAS (700M being the Operational Evaluation Unit for the MH 1 Merlin helicopter). The ships were deployed for four months and worked closely with US authorities as part of the Joint Inter Agency Task Force (South) in the war against drug trafficking in the region.
Ocean used her Sea King surveillance helicopters of 854 NAS and made several ‘drug busts’. In her first patrol she had captured a big haul of drugs, and then on her third antidrug patrol she intercepted a heavily loaded smuggler and captured another large haul of strong-grade heroin. The value of drugs intercepted was well in excess of £60 million.12
After visiting various islands of the Caribbean, including Trinidad, Montserrat and Tortola, the ships headed to Norfolk, Virginia, in order to join in the 400th anniversary celebrations at Jamestown. Once there, they enjoyed a well earned mid-deployment break and hosted a ten-day defence export sales event. The defence sales exposition was a great success, with much interest being taken in the new Merlin HM1 ASW (antisubmarine warfare) helicopters of 700M NAS.
Ocean enters Martinique in ceremonial procedure ‘Alpha’
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Volans 2007 Deployment, February–December 2007 Owing to the very high demands placed on the Fleet it was not possible to send a task group on an out-of-area deployment to the Far East in 2007. Instead the Naval Staff planned for a single frigate, without dedicated tanker support, to embark on a nine-month out-of-area deployment.
Accordingly, in February 2007 the Type 23 frigate Monmouth sailed from Devonport for a circumnavigation of the globe. The operational name for the deployment was Volans 2007. On sailing from the UK Monmouth headed straight for the Mediterranean and there took part in the NATO Operation Active Endeavour. The operation entailed conducting surveillance and security patrols, monitoring and boarding suspect shipping. Whilst in the eastern Mediterranean the ship’s helicopter managed to rescue five crew members from a merchant ship, the SS Afrodite S, which was sinking in a gale off the Greek coast.
After Active Endeavour Monmouth transited through the Suez Canal and joined CTF 150 for a period of maritime security duties on Operation Calash in the Gulf of Aden. She became the first British or US warship to visit the port of Aden since the terrorist attack on the USS Cole seven years earlier.
The frigate then headed east for Singapore, and on sailing from Singapore she took part in the annual major FPDA (Five-Power Defence Arrangement) exercise with the navies of Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore. On completion of the exercise Monmouth embarked on a round of port visits, showing the flag and hosting UK export sales exhibitions. Following two months in Australia and New Zealand the frigate sailed for Japan, China and South Korea to exercise with the US, Korean and Chinese navies.
On leaving Tokyo Bay Monmouth set course east across the Pacific Ocean, and then, following a visit to San Diego, transited through the Panama Canal. The final foreign visit was to Antigua, and then she had a straight passage east across the Atlantic. She arrived back home in Devonport in late December. It had been a most successful 40,000 mile, nine-month, unsupported circumnavigation.13
Exercise Neptune Warrior 071, April–May 2007 At the end of April a powerful naval task force of nineteen ships, twenty helicopters and over fifty aircraft gathered off the north-west coast of Scotland. Naval forces from eight nations joined for Operation Neptune Warrior 071, which was conducted in the sea areas from Campbeltown to Cape Wrath in the north.
The UK Task Force included the carriers Illustrious and Ark Royal, the amphibious assault ship Albion, the frigates Kent and St Albans, the MCMV Middleton and the new Bay class amphibious landing support ships RFAS Largs Bay and Mounts Bay. The Harrier GR7s and GR9s of the Naval Strike Wing of the Joint Force Harrier were deployed to Illustrious. The important UK biennial joint exercise provided the preparatory phase for the major NATO exercise Noble Mariner (see below). On its completion the forces set course east, with Illustrious sailing to Oslo and most of the rest of the Task Force heading for Gothenburg.
Orion 07 Deployment, May–August 2007
A small MCM task group consisting of the Hunt class MCMVs Atherstone and Hurworth from the 2nd MCM Squadron and the Sandown class Walney and Shoreham from the 1st MCM Squadron, supported by the brand new amphibious landing support ship RFA Cardigan Bay, deployed to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea for four and a half months for a deployment codenamed Operation Orion 07. The Task Group sailed from the UK in May 2007 and headed down to Gibraltar for a brief visit before sailing east to La Spezia on the west coast of Italy. After a weekend in La Spezia it sailed for an exercise with RFA Cardigan Bay before steaming south for Stromboli and the Straits of Messina. On sailing into the Ionian Sea the group divided, with the MCMVs transiting through the Corinth Canal to Piraeus and RFA Cardigan Bay sailing the long way around Cape Matapan.
Exercise Ariadne The Task Group arrived off Patras, Greece, and commenced exercise Ariadne, hunting for mines laid by the Hellenic Navy. It was a large-scale exercise, with naval forces from Belgium, Spain, Germany, Greece and Turkey, and as well as hunting mines the forces involved came under attack from helicopters and fast jets. On completion of the exercise the ships sailed for a visit to Piraeus whilst Atherstone headed for Souda Bay.
RFA Black Rover refuels the minehunter Shoreham during the Orion 07 Deployment
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The Black Sea The Task Group then transited through the Dardanelles to Erdek in the Sea of Marmara for exercises with the Turkish Navy, followed by a visit to Izmir. The MCMVs then passed through the Bosphorus and conducted exercises with the Romanian and Bulgarian Navies in the Black Sea. On finishing the exercise programme the MCMVs headed back through the Sea of Marmara to join up with RFA Cardigan Bay and set course west for Malta.
After a very enjoyable visit to Malta the group put to sea from Valletta for exercises on its way to Cagliari in Sardinia, and thence went on to Gibraltar. Following a brief stay in Gibraltar, the ships steamed south-west to visit Casablanca.
Return Home On completion of a two-day visit to Casablanca, the group set course north-east and sailed for Gibraltar on the homeward leg of the deployment. RFA Cardigan Bay was detached from the group, and after a brief call in to Gibraltar the group returned to the UK.
Exercise Noble Mariner, May–June 2007 In early May 2007 the naval forces of the seventeen allied nations of the Western world gathered together off Esbjerg, Denmark, for the major exercise Noble Mariner. The objective of this important NATO exercise was to test the NATO Response Force (NRF) in connection with two other NATO exercises, Noble Award (carried out by NATO air components) and Kindred Sword (carried out by NATO land components).
Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti, the UK Maritime Force Commander, commanded the UK contribution from his flagship, the aircraft carrier Ark Royal. The powerful UK Task Group included Illustrious, Albion, Manchester and Roebuck and the amphibious support landing ships RFAS Largs Bay and Mounts Bay with 40 Commando Royal Marines embarked. The Harriers from the Naval Strike Wing were deployed to the Task Group and RFAS Fort George and Fort Rosalie supported it. Admiral Morisetti also acted as the overall NATO Task Force Commander for most of the exercises. Altogether 3,000 UK naval personnel were involved.
The ships operated in the Skagerrak, Kattegat and Baltic. A whole range of exercises was conducted, with shore bombardment and assault operations including landings by Royal Marines and other NATO marine forces on the shores of Pomerania.
On completion of Noble Mariner the ships dispersed, and Albion headed for a visit to St Petersburg. She was the largest ship to visit the city, and berthed alongside at Lieutenant Schmidt pier in central St Petersburg. The visit was a great success and she then sailed on for a port visit to Helsinki.14
End of Operation Banner, 31 July 2007 Progress on the road to achieving a lasting peace in Northern Ireland was marked on 31 July with the formal ending of Operation Banner after thirty-eight years of security operations in support of the police and civil authorities in the Province. Despite the fact that the general public has tended to assume that peacekeeping duties in Northern Ireland have been the sole responsibility of the army, both the RAF and the Royal Navy, with the Royal Marines, have played very important roles in containing violence and building peace and security. At midnight on 31 July Operation Banner came to an end, and the next day the main British forces deployed on the operation began to leave. The Lynx helicopters of 815 NAS were amongst the last to leave when they departed from their base at Aldergrove Airport on 2 August. Remaining behind in Northern Ireland was a permanent residual garrison of 5,000 as part of Operation Helvetic, ready for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and also available to support the civil authorities in Northern Ireland in the event of any extreme public disorder.
Exercise Noble Mariner: the destroyer Manchester follows RFAS Largs Bay and Mounts Bay under the Great Belt Bridge between Sweden and Denmark
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Operation Bold Step, 15–31 July 2007
In July the important Joint Task Force exercise Operation Bold Step was held in the North Atlantic off the east coast of the USA. The Royal Navy deployed her flagship, the carrier Illustrious, in the strike role, escorted by the Type 42 destroyer Manchester. Before the exercise schedule started the ships paid a visit to New York.
Carrier Strike Group 10 The exercise, which included three carrier battle groups, was designed to prepare the US Carrier Battle Group, based on the nuclear strike carrier USS Harry S Truman, Carrier Strike Group 10, for deployment to the Middle East. The group consisted of USS Winston Churchill, USS Hue City, USS Oscar Austin, the Los Angeles class nuclear submarine USS Montpelier and the destroyer Manchester. It was an important exercise for Manchester, preparing her for her role as escort to USS Harry S Truman when Carrier Strike Group 10 deployed east. The nuclear strike carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower led the second Carrier Battle Group in the exercise, whilst Illustrious led the third group, which consisted of the cruisers USS Monterey and USS San Jacinto, two frigates, USS Nicholas and USS Simpson, and the destroyer USS Carney.
For the two-week period of the exercise Illustrious embarked sixteen USMC AV-8B Harriers and 200 marines of US Marine Attack Squadron 542. It was a busy exercise schedule with Illustrious conducting strike missions as part of a heavy flying programme as well as carrying out surface and anti-submarine operations and boarding exercises. On completion of the exercises Illustrious returned across the Atlantic to Portsmouth to grant pre-deployment summer leave in August.
Operation Grey Heron In September the various units of the Amphibious Task Force assembled in the Solent for exercises codenamed Grey Heron. The powerful Amphibious Task Force included 3 Commando Brigade, with 45 Commando and the Commando Helicopter Force embarked, the assault ship Albion, the carrier Ark Royal, the support landing ships RFAS Mounts Bay and Largs Bay and the RFAS Argus and Fort Rosalie. In cold blustery weather the force mounted landings on the Stokes Bay beach at Browndown. Grey Heron involved testing new concepts of rapid deployment inland, as opposed to previous tactics of establishing a beachhead and preparing to break out before advancing inland.
Operation Herrick VII
Build-Up of Naval Personnel in Afghanistan In the autumn of 2007 the numbers of Royal Navy personnel deployed to Afghanistan started to build up again for Operation Herrick VII. 40 Commando Royal Marines arrived in September and were deployed to the northern Helmand area, where they relieved the 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment as part of Battle Group North. The Naval Strike Wing returned to the air base at Kandahar flying GR7 and GR9 Harriers in October, to provide air strikes in support of ground missions. On their first day back in theatre the Harrriers were called out to support British troops under heavy fire from the Taliban. The Harriers roaring in overhead were sufficient to drive off the Taliban attack. 846 NAS, flying up-rated Sea King Mk 4 helicopters, was also deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Joint Helicopter Force.
The nuclear strike carriers USS Harry S Truman and USS Dwight D Eisenhower astern of Illustrious
(NN)
Illustrious prepares for ‘flying stations’
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The Battle for Musa Qaleh In November the Royal Marines commenced an offensive in the far north of Helmand Province to retake Musa Qaleh from the Taliban. The town had been built on the River Musa Qaleh and straddled the main strategic route between Baghran and Sangin. Musa Qaleh had been liberated from the Taliban in the previous year and handed back to the local tribal leaders, but when the coalition forces left the Taliban had returned and now dominated the town again. It had become an important base for the Taliban, with an estimated total of over 2,500 Taliban fighters in the area.
A two-pronged attack was launched with the Royal Marines of 40 Commando in their Viking armoured vehicles on the left bank of the river and Scots Guards with their Warrior armoured cars on the other bank. The Royal Marines were able to advance using cover provided by the remains of trenches left over from the Soviet war in Afghanistan, and after several days of hard fighting were able to force their way into Musa Qaleh. It was an important victory as it effectively removed the Taliban from their last stronghold in the area.
Delta Company of 40 Commando advances as the sun rises
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The Kajaki Dam At the end of the year the Royal Marines carried out raids on Taliban positions near the key strategic position of the Kajaki dam. The Taliban had been ejected from the area in the previous year but had slowly returned and now had to be tackled again. Using RIBs the Royal Marines, supported by troops from the Afghan Army, crossed the artificial lake behind the dam during daring night-time raids, catching the Taliban by surprise and defeating them.
HMS Manchester Escorts Carrier Strike Group 10 Following on from the success of Operation Bold Step 07–02, the Type 42 destroyer Manchester sailed from Portsmouth on a bitterly cold November morning and headed for a rendezvous in the Bay of Biscay with the US Carrier Battle Group, Carrier Strike Group 10, led by the nuclear strike carrier USS Harry S Truman en route to the Middle East. Manchester was assigned to the Carrier Battle Group to act as escort with responsibility for close air defence of the carrier. It was the first time that the Royal Navy had the opportunity to be so closely integrated with a US carrier strike group. The group headed down to Gibraltar and on across the Mediterranean to the Gulf as part of the ongoing US Operation Enduring Freedom. In the Gulf the Carrier Battle Group formed part of the US 5th Fleet, and Manchester was put in charge of controlling air defence operations in that area.
The destroyer Manchester in the Mediterranean en route to the Gulf
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On completion of her important assignment Manchester detached from the Carrier Battle Group and sailed for home. She departed from the Gulf and finally arrived back in Portsmouth on 28 May 2008.
Orion 08 Deployment, 21 January-30 May 2008
The Orion 08 Task Group At the beginning of January 2008 a task group, codenamed Orion 08, was formed for a four-month out-of-area deployment to the Middle East. The carrier Illustrious (Captain Steve Chick) was the flagship, and her TAG (Tailored Air Group) consisted of six Merlin helicopters of 814 NAS (the ‘Flying Tigers’) and ‘A’ Flight of 849 NAS. Commodore Tom Cunningham commanded the Task Group. The Type 42 destroyer Edinburgh and the Type 23 frigate Westminster escorted Illustrious, whilst the fleet replenishment ships RFAS Wave Knight and Fort Austin, and the support tanker RFA Bayleaf supported the group. The nuclear fleet submarine Trafalgar was attached to the Task Group, and the French destroyer FS Surcouf, the US destroyer USS Cole and the Spanish frigate SNS Mendez Nunez were also assigned to join it. The USS Cole would escort Illustrious throughout most of the deployment. The Task Group was planned to involve a total of thirteen ships, one submarine and 2,500 personnel.
The Task Group Sails The Task Group sailed initially from Portsmouth on Monday 21 January, though once out in the Channel the twenty-six-year-old Illustrious was beset with several problems and had to return to port to sort out trouble with the refrigerators and also with the propeller shaft. Two days later the MCMVs Atherstone and Chiddingfold sailed from Portsmouth to support the group.
Ships of the group then put to sea again on a bright sunny morning in early February. The carrier, however, was required to spend a little more time with the expert staff of the Flag Officer Sea Training before they were satisfied that the ship was sufficiently ready to continue with the deployment.
Illustrious Catches Up Finally Illustrious was on her way south to catch up with the rest of the Task Group. After passing through the Straits of Gibraltar she set course east across the Mediterranean, heading for a rendezvous with the rest of the squadron. Illustrious, accompanied by Edinburgh, sailed into Malta on 26 February for a popular three-day visit. On sailing from Malta she steamed on east to join the rest of the group, which by this time included Westminster and Edinburgh, RFA Wave Knight, USS Cole and SPS Mendez Nunez, for ‘force integration training’ in the eastern Mediterranean. Illustrious replenished supplies and stores from Cyprus on 3 March before heading for Port Said and the Suez Canal.
The Red Sea The transit of the Suez Canal took sixteen hours with just a brief anchorage in the Bitter Lakes to enable a northbound convoy to pass. The ships were closed up at an alert state as they passed through, fully prepared in case of any terrorist attack from the nearby banks of the canal. Once they were in the Red Sea extensive exercises were conducted as the group sailed steadily south east en route to the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman. The group transited Bab-al-Mandab and, after embarking stores and passengers by helicopter from Djibouti, headed on east through the Gulf of Aden, arriving in Muscat on 14 March.
Exercise Hajjar Osprey On sailing from Muscat on 19 March four of the Harrier GR7s and GR9s of the Naval Strike Wing of JFH joined Illustrious, having flown out from Cottesmore via Cyprus. The group took part in exercise Hajjar Osprey with the Omani Navy. The main element of the exercise consisted of flying Harrier strike missions over inland targets and testing the air defence capability of the Task Force. Two Falcon jets flew out from the UK to join the Task Group for a week of trials during the air defence serials of the exercise.15
Orion 08 Task Force sailing in close formation in the Mediterranean (left to right: Mendez Nunez, Wave Knight, Illustrious, Edinburgh and Cole)
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The Harriers Depart On 11 April the Harriers of the Naval Strike Wing left Illustrious and flew back, via Cyprus, to Cottesmore to prepare for deployment to Operation Herrick in Afghanistan.
Exercise Phoenix After a farewell call at Muscat the Task Group sailed for anti-submarine exercises in the Arabian Sea. During the exercise the Merlins of 814 NAS hunted for the nuclear fleet submarine Trafalgar and the Indian diesel submarine INS Shishumar.
HMS Edinburgh The destroyer Edinburgh detached from the Task Group and headed for Karachi for exercises with the Pakistani Navy before sailing for the Far East. She had already been detached earlier in March, for a short period in the Gulf to carry out security operations with CTF 150. This time after leaving Karachi she set course south-east round the southern tip of India for a two-day visit to Colombo in Sri Lanka.
Edinburgh then set course across the Indian Ocean to Singapore for exercise Bersama Shield and a busy programme of port visits. On sailing from Sembawang, Singapore, she took part in the major FPDA exercise Bersama Lima off the coast of Malaysia, with ships and aircraft from Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
Exercise Konkan Meanwhile on completion of exercise Phoenix the rest of the Task Group sailed for Goa to prepare for the major biannual naval exercise Konkan. The Task Group then headed out into the Indian Ocean and joined in the exercise, which was directed by the Indian Navy. It was a full-scale exercise with surface and submarine warfare elements as well as air defence serials. The Indian Navy ships INS Mysore, a powerful 8,000-ton Delhi class missile cruiser, INS Rajput, a potent 7,000-ton Kashin II class guided missile destroyer, and INS Gomati took part. FRS51 Sea Harriers from the Indian Navy also joined in the simulated air attacks on the Task Group. On completion of the exercise the group returned to Goa for post-exercise debriefing and analysis.
Operation Calash After completing the exercise programme the Task Group departed from the Gulf of Oman for the return leg to the UK. Illustrious, escorted by the destroyer USS Cole, sailed west for the Gulf of Aden and conducted security patrols in the area with CTF 150 as part of Operation Calash.
Return Home After conducting further exercises with the Saudi Navy, Illustrious embarked supplies by helicopter from Djibouti on 6 May. She then transited through the Straits of Bab-al-Mandab into the Red Sea and set course north-west for the Gulf of Suez. The ships transited through the Suez Canal on 10 May and once back in the Mediterranean headed for Cyprus. Illustrious anchored briefly off the coast of Cyprus for a logistic visit, and the ship’s company was entertained to a spectacular aerial display performed by the Hawk jets of the RAF Red Arrows display team.
The group then headed for Izmir on 13 May for an official visit to Turkey. The call at Izmir was the finale of the deployment, with a magnificent reception for the visit of HM the Queen to Turkey. On putting to sea from Izmir Illustrious headed west through the Mediterranean for a brief call at Gibraltar, after which she steamed north for the UK, finally arriving home in Portsmouth naval base with the USS Cole on 30 May.16
TV Series A camera team from Granada filmed the deployment of Illustrious for Channel Five Television. The series, entitled ‘Warship’, was screened in six episodes during May and June and proved popular.
The Red Arrows over Illustrious off Cyprus
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Command of CTFs in the Gulf In 2008 the Royal Navy took command of the two main coalition forces in the Gulf. In March, CTF 158, responsible for security in the northern Gulf, came under the command of Commodore Duncan Potts, and then in June, Commodore Peter Hudson took over command of CTF 152, which was responsible for security in the central and southern Gulf.
Other Fleet Activities
Wilkinson Sword of Peace In March 2007 the Wilkinson Sword of Peace was awarded to the Type 22 frigate Chatham for its invaluable disaster relief work in 2005 in the wake of the Tsunami in south-east Asia. The ship, together with the forward repair ship RFA Diligence, had arrived quickly in the region and achieved a great deal of humanitarian relief work, restoring vital services and repairing hospitals, schools and even fishing vessels around the town of Batticaloa.
Antarctic In January 2007 the ice patrol ship Endurance hastened to assist the stricken cruise ship MS Nordkapp, which had struck a submerged iceberg in the dangerous waters of the Antarctic Ocean and was sinking. The ship sank quickly but Endurance was able to rescue the passengers and no lives were lost.
Mediterranean Two months later the frigate Monmouth went to the assistance of a sinking cargo ship, the SS Afrodite S, in the eastern Mediterranean. The frigate carried out a dramatic rescue in a raging sea, and with her helicopter managed to save the crew of the stricken ship before it sank.
Abolition of the Slave Trade In March 2007 the Royal Navy helped celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. It was fitting for the Royal Navy to take part in view of the vital role the service had played in the suppression of the slave trade. The frigate Northumberland escorted the replica eighteenth-century slave ship Zong up the River Thames to London.
Emergency Flood Relief Tasks The Royal Navy provided emergency aid during the disastrous floods in the UK at the beginning of the summer in 2007. Emergency relief teams were assembled to assist in the flooded towns and villages along the Severn valley. An initial team of a hundred was provided from the ships’ companies of Ocean and Northumberland, and as the situation worsened RNAS (Royal Naval Air Station) Yeovilton provided another team of a hundred. Priority work was given to the protection of the electric substations to maintain power supplies across the Severn valley, and teams, fed by the army from field kitchens, worked through the nights to ensure that the substations remained on line. Teams from Ark Royal helped maintain safe water supplies, and further personnel were drafted in from Cumberland, Campbeltown and Gloucester and the submarines Tireless and Turbulent as necessary to keep on top of the rising water levels. The Managing Director of the electric company said, ‘It’s been a tremendous effort and the Armed Forces have done a terrific job in restoring power to thousands of homes in the region under very challenging conditions.’17
Hurricane Disaster Relief Tasks At the end of the summer Hurricane ‘Dean’ struck the north coast of Belize, causing widespread damage in the Corozal district. As the hurricane moved west it had been tracked, and the frigate Portland and the fleet replenishment ship RFA Wave Ruler in the Caribbean were alerted to follow and be prepared to provide emergency relief. Accordingly it did not take long for them to arrive off the coast of Belize. A British army support unit in Belize was already on the spot and was soon joined by naval relief parties flown in from the ships off shore.
The teams quickly set about restoring electrical and water supplies, sanitation and medical assistance before commencing the task of repairing buildings and clearing blocked roads. Fortunately RFA Wave Ruler carried large stocks of emergency relief stores including blankets, medical supplies, tents, tools and equipment. No sooner had much of the essential work been done than Belize was threatened by a second hurricane, Hurricane ‘Felix’. Belize lay directly in its path as it moved west, but fortunately at the very last moment it veered away and moved towards Nicaragua. The Deputy Prime Minister of Belize, Vildo Marin, expressed his country’s immense gratitude for the relief work carried out in the stricken area.
The War on Drugs The Royal Navy continued to play an important part in the war on drugs, both in the Gulf and in the Caribbean. In the first half of 2008 the Royal Navy seized a record amount of just over twenty-three tons of drugs in the Gulf region, the proceeds from much of which would almost certainly have been used to fund international terrorists and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
SHIPS, WEAPONS AND AIRCRAFT
The New Type 45 Destroyers In 2007 work was well advanced on the six new generation 8,000-ton Type 45 Daring class air warfare destroyers Daring, Dauntless, Diamond, Dragon, Defender and Duncan, with Daring, the first of class, already at sea on trials and scheduled to be commissioned at Portsmouth in early 2009. The second of class, Dauntless, was fitting out at Scotstoun, whilst the third, Diamond, had just recently been launched in Glasgow. The destroyers were originally designed to provide area defence for the new carriers, and it was hoped that at least another two would be ordered. The new destroyers, due to replace the elderly Type 42 destroyers, will provide a powerful capability enhancement to the Fleet.
The Type 23 frigate Portland
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New Aircraft Carriers On 3 July 2008, on board Ark Royal in Portsmouth, the Defence Minister, Baroness Taylor, signed the contract for the two new aircraft carriers, Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales. The carriers, at 64,000, tons would be the biggest, most powerful and most expensive warships ever built for the Royal Navy. The in-service dates were planned for 2014 and 2016.
The New Astute Class Submarines The new-generation 7,400-ton nuclear attack submarines of the Astute class were well advanced. The Duchess of Cornwall launched Astute, the first of class, in 2007, and towards the end of the year Astute successfully carried out her first dive. She was well on track to be in service in 2009. The rest of class, Ambush, Artful and Audacious, were under construction and were all to be armed with TLAMs (Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles) as well as Spearfish torpedoes.
The Royal Navy has a very high reputation for her great expertise in anti-submarine warfare, though her ability to conduct effective ASW screening had been reducing with the decreasing numbers of ASW escorts available and a changing focus on littoral operations. The Astute class would help tackle the problem with their improved sensor suite and highly sophisticated combat system, already being fitted in the existing SSN force. Amongst the available force mix, one of the SSN’s main contributions will be in early deployment in the theatre of operations, as well as in being a prime asset to counter the threat of an enemy submarine force. Critically, the Astute’s improved communication fit will allow greater co-ordination with other forces. Future ASW strategy with the Astute class will concentrate on distant, forward deployment, rather than focusing on close-in task group protection.
HMS Astute
Astute Class Fleet Submarine
The four Astute class nuclear hunter-killer fleet submarines were designed to replace the Swiftsure class SSNs, which had given valuable service with the Fleet since the 1970s. At over 7,000 tonnes (7,800 tonnes dived) they are by far the biggest fleet submarines built for the Royal Navy. With Tomahawk cruise missiles, as well as torpedoes and Harpoon anti-ship missiles, they will be able to fulfil a variety of roles capable of operating all over the world and projecting power far inland. Astute was launched by the Duchess of Cornwall in 2007 and is due to enter service in 2009.
Launched: |
8 June 2007 |
Commissioned: |
Expected into service 2009 |
Displacement: |
7,800 tonnes dived |
Length: |
97m |
Propulsion: |
Rolls-Royce PWR2 reactor (with full submarine life core), MAN (Paxman) diesel generator, 1 shaft |
Armament: |
6 21” (533mm) torpedo tubes, Tomahawk land attack missiles |
Complement: |
98 |
No. in class: |
4 planned: Astute, Ambush, Artful and Audacious |
HMS Daring
Type 45 Daring Class Destroyer
Daring, the first of the new generation Type 45 Daring class destroyers, currently at sea on trials, is due to be commissioned in Portsmouth naval base in early 2009. The Darings have been designed as powerful state-of-the-art area air-defence ships to replace the very successful and long-serving Type 42 destroyers. A prime task for the Darings will be protection of the new aircraft carriers. They will operate Lynx or Merlin helicopters and with their flexible weapon fit, including cruise missiles, will have a general-purpose role.
Launched: |
1 February 2006 |
Commissioned: |
Expected into service 2009 |
Displacement: |
7,350 tonnes |
Length: |
152.4m |
Propulsion: |
Integrated electric propulsion: 2 Rolls-Royce/Northrop |
Armament: |
SSM 8 Harpoon (2 quad), surface-to-air (SAM), |
Complement: |
191 |
No. in class: |
6 planned: Daring, Dauntless, Diamond, Dragon, Defender and Duncan |
Future Surface Combatants The Naval Staff had started to design the next-generation frigate to replace the Type 22 and Type 23 frigates with the ‘Future Surface Combatant’ project. In fact the project envisaged three new classes of warship to replace eight existing classes. The new warships would include a 6,000-ton ASW vessel to replace the frigates, a general-purpose vessel and a 2,000-ton ocean-going patrol vessel with an MCM capability. At the end of 2008 the project was still in its early stages.
MARS Programme A similar project was underway to replace the aging RFA fleet of tankers and support ships. The programme, entitled MARS (Military Afloat Research and Sustainability), was designed to cover the logistic support needs of the Fleet in the future with a new concept mix of fleet tankers and solid support ships.
Tomahawk Block 4 Missile In July 2007 the fleet submarine Trenchant fired the new Block IV variant of TLAM, ‘TacTom’ (Tomahawk long-range tactical land attack cruise missile). The firings, on the naval ranges off the east coast of the USA, were a complete success. The new Block IV TLAM is a much improved missile and will replace the UK’s outfit of Block III missiles.18
New Maritime Warfare Centre In August 2007 the Commander in Chief Fleet, Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, opened the new Maritime Warfare Centre in HMS Collingwood, the shore base at Fareham in Hampshire. This new ultra-modern hi-tech facility replaced the previous sites at Southwick Park and the Portsdown Technology Park.
‘Galaxy’ Paper At the beginning of 2007 Vice Admiral Johns, the Second Sea Lord, issued an internal communication to officers and senior ratings briefing them on likely delays in promotion and probable reduced promotion prospects as a consequence of planned changes in manpower levels. The briefing was picked up by the press and turned into a ‘gloom and doom’ story about a ‘promotion freeze’, which unsettled and worried some about their future careers in the Royal Navy.
Branch Development Vesting Day, 30 March 2007 The rating structure of the Royal Navy was fundamentally redesigned and modernised to reflect the manning requirements of modern ships, systems and operating patterns. New specialisations were established for training and employment, and to modernise professional development in the most efficient manner. The vesting day for the introduction of the new branches with new titles and new branch badges was 30 March 2007. On that day some 20,000 ratings adopted new branch titles and new branch badges, with ships being phased through onboard organisational changes, enabling ratings to complete the necessary transition training but at the same time maintain full operational capability. The switch to the new branch structure was completed by the end of the year.
Branch Development: The New Ratings Branches
The new ratings structure of the Royal Navy consisted of three principal branches: Warfare, Engineering and Logistics.
Warfare Branch Within the Warfare Branch the maintenance role was removed to enable ratings to concentrate on a narrower field of Warfare, Communications or the newly reinvigorated Seaman specialisation.
Engineering Branch In the Engineering Branch all new entries join as Engineer Technicians to be trained in maintenance and repair, and all have the opportunity to achieve a foundation degree in engineering. The branch was divided between Marine Engineering and Weapon Engineering, corresponding with the other services and facilitating more efficient integrated joint operations.
Logistics Branch With the emphasis on expeditionary warfare, a supply chain specialism had been developed to enable forces to deploy instantly with forward integrated logistics support. The three specialist areas established were Supply Chain, Catering Services and Personnel, the latter carrying out pay and administrative transactions using the newly taken on Joint Personnel Administration System.
VISP (Valuing and Investing in Service Personnel) At the beginning of 2008 the armed forces launched an extensive personnel survey called VISP (Valuing and Investing in Service Personnel). The tri-service survey was intended to establish how a range of service policies were coping with fast-changing elements of service life including promotion, career development, accommodation and allowances. Essentially it was an updated service attitudes survey. The survey questionnaire was sent to 16,000 naval personnel, and three months were allowed for the first phase of the project. The results were used to feed back into improvements in personnel policies so as to improve recruiting and retention.
Project Fisher In 2007 Project Fisher was set up to examine the most efficient ways of using manpower and manning ships in order to provide greater flexibility and responsiveness to requirements. The work built on the ‘TopMast’ concept, and an assessment of the new manning thoeries was conducted in early 2008.
HRH Prince William On 2 June 2008 HRH Prince William joined the Royal Navy as a sub lieutenant (Sub Lieutenant W Wales, Royal Navy) for an eight-week acquaint period. He spent three weeks of basic naval training at the Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth and then went to sea for a five-week deployment to the Caribbean on board the Type 23 frigate Iron Duke. The assignment was part of the Prince’s programme of familiarisation with the armed services.
Iron Duke – Type 23 frigate (PW)
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He was only at sea for four days before he was making headline news when Iron Duke intercepted a drug smuggler on 2 July. Sub Lieutenant Wales was on board the ship’s Lynx helicopter when he spotted the fifty-foot-long vessel off the coast of Barbados. The vessel was intercepted and discovered to have £40m worth of cocaine on board.
THE WHITE ENSIGN ASSOCIATION
Visit to Devonport Naval Base In April 2007 the Council of the Association went to the West Country for two days and visited HM Naval Base Devonport. The Council toured the base’s facilities and also took the opportunity to visit the new amphibious assault ship Bulwark, the Type 22 frigate Campbeltown and the Trafalgar class nuclear submarine Tireless. The Association’s Patron, Admiral HRH The Prince of Wales, visited the base on the same day as the Commodore in Chief Plymouth. The members of the Council were greatly impressed by all they saw, especially the high calibre of the men and women they met.
Guests of the White Ensign Association on board the carrier Ark Royal
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Sea Days Later in the year Ark Royal hosted a Sea Day for guests of the Association. The guests were taken to sea and had the opportunity to witness exercises in the Channel.
Chairman Admiral the Lord Boyce relieved Mr John Andrewes as Chairman of the White Ensign Association at the Annual General Meeting held at Lloyds of London in November 2007. Sir John Parker was appointed Vice Chairman.
Fiftieth Anniversary The White Ensign Association celebrated its Golden Jubilee with a banquet on 29 January 2008, held at Buckingham Palace and hosted by the Association’s Royal Patron, Admiral HRH The Prince of Wales. Guests of honour included the Countess Mountbatten of Burma and the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Jonathan Band.
Assistance Provided by the Association By the time the Association celebrated its fiftieth anniversary it had helped well in excess of 37,000 people and briefed over 100,000. Admiral Sir Jonathan Band, the First Sea Lord, stated: ‘I am delighted to state, unequivocally, my appreciation and support for the invaluable work of the White Ensign Association. At a time when the Royal Navy is deployed on operations more than at any other period in recent history, including contributing fully to operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the work of the Association is of ever-growing importance. The Admiralty Board and I join together in commending the vital work of this organisation and in voicing our appreciation for the service the Association provides.’19
Visit to RNAS Yeovilton At the end of April 2008 the Council of the Association visited RNAS Yeovilton. The Council was fully briefed on operations, including the Lynx Helicopter Force and the Commando Helicopter Force, and then given a comprehensive tour of the air station’s facilities, including the Lynx flight simulators. The members of Council witnessed flying operations and a brief flying display by Lynx helicopters. They also took the opportunity to visit the Fleet Air Arm Museum and see the ‘Flight Deck’ experience.
Farewell the Artificer
’They are an amazing breed, these quiet, rather pale men, in whose hands lie the strength and power of the ship.’ (Rudyard Kipling, The Fleet in Being, 1898)
In 2007, Artificers – including women in the surface fleet since the early 1990s – were given the Tri-Service title of Engineering Technician (ET), abandoning a naval title introduced in 1868. All Engineering ratings now enter as ETs and are taught engineering principles, the ability to operate machinery and basic craft skills via hands-on practical work. Further training in engineering skills is provided on promotion to the next higher naval rate and later career opportunities included award of a Foundation Degree as a Senior Rating, and promotion to Warrant or Commissioned Officer. All ETs (Marine Engineering) receive their initial 5 months’ training at Sultan, Gosport, where all ME training is consolidated: earmarked for transfer to a Tri-Service Defence Training Academy by 2013.
In 1958, when the White Ensign Association was founded, Engine Room Artificers (ERAs) joined the Navy at HMS Fisgard, near Devonport, as 16 year-old Apprentices before going on to HMS Caledonia at Rosyth to complete their 4-year course of craft skills and engineering theory and practice. These were followed by 2 years’ practical training in the Fleet before being rated Chief Petty Officer (CPO) and considered competent to take charge of a ship’s Marine Engineering watch. Subsequent experience and training could lead to selection as a Chief Artificer allowing them to take full charge of a small ship’s ME Department, such as a Minesweeper, and was an essential step for selection and commissioning as a Special Duties List ME officer. As Air, Marine and Weapon engineering were harmonized in the ‘Big E’ Branch, ERAs were renamed Marine Engineering Artificers (Propulsion), without significant changes to their operator and craft training. After introduction of the “Fleet Chief” (later to be Warrant Officer (WO) 1st Class) in 1970 in all Branches, Charge Chief Artificers were accepted in 2004 as WOs 2nd Class.
Shipwright Artificers – known as ‘Chippies’ since Nelson’s days – entered the Fisgard/Caledonia stream alongside ERAs, but trained only in wood-and metalworking craft skills, not in machinery operation and maintenance and when renamed MEAs (Hull), they remained non-watchkeepers. The proposed abolition of the MEA (Hull) specialist stream in 1981 was cancelled after experience of damage repair needs in the Falklands Campaign and a new specialist MEA (Metalworker) introduced, but now part of the watchkeeping team.
By 1958 the much shorter Branch training of Mechanics (E) s, a separate stream of semi-skilled ratings with origins in the Stokers of coal-fired ships, was well established at HMS Sultan, where they returned for further Career training if ‘advanced’ (promoted), or if selected for 2-years’ training as ME Mechanicians (MEMNs): increasingly regarded as equivalent to MEAs for drafting purposes and for ME officer selection. All Artificers and Mechanicians could be selected as Special Duties ME officers, these at one stage making up half the ME Officer total. Mechanician training provided the only route for a Mechanic to become a commissioned officer.
Engineering Branch Development (EBD) in 1979 re-introduced electrical skills to the ME sub-Branch along with new titles, linking naval rate to sub-specialism as well as indicating level of electrical competence: for example, CPOMEA (ML) for a CPO ME Artificer with mainly mechanical and some electrical competence, and POMEM (EL) for a PO ME Mechanic with deeper electrical competence and skills.
All craft skill and engineering training for ME Mechanicians had been concentrated at Sultan from the outset, and in 1985 all Artificer training was moved to Sultan to be fully integrated with Mechanician courses. Since the 1960s, Sultan also had developed ADditional QUALification courses (ADQUALs) providing Artificers with specialised maintenance skills, such as in refrigeration plant, before being ‘drafted’ to nominated ‘billets’ in ships’ ME complements.
Tubal Cain, First Artificer
(Genesis 4:22)