Gunline Aug08.qxd:Gunline

Gunline - The First Point of Contact Published by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service September 2008 www.rfa.mod.uk

Months of careful planningculminated in the formal

presentation of the Queen’s Colourby the Earl of Wessex onboard RFALARGS BAY on 18 July 2008. Fromthe initial announcement monthsearlier, every eventuality wasbrainstormed, risk assessed andcross checked, including the angle ofthe gangway, the provision ofgrandstand seating, security andmedia coordination. VVIPrequirements were forwarded andscrutinised. The supply andorganising of food and drink, fromservice and non service sources ledto the production of over 18,000canapés by the CPO(CK) and teamand service was enhanced by theHMS RALEIGH instructors andtrainees.

The weather stayed dry for theceremony, and the cool wind was notenough to blow hats off or calm theinner excitement of the day! TheColour Party and RFA Platoonconducted their part in theCeremonial with pride andprofessionalism, and the assembledguests shared that spirit with them.

After the formal ceremony VVIPguests were escorted to a reception onthe bridge, and the other guestshosted on the Container deck, offered

drinks and canapés, with the TASproviding a welcome wind break.Guests came from all branches of theServices, RFA ships in Port and HQ andshore side staff. Old acquaintances wererenewed, stories told, and all joined inwith pride at the honour and celebrationat the recognition.

Much effort was put in, by manyindividuals, from HQ and Agencies,RALEIGH and LARGS BAY to make

Queen’sColour

the day the huge success that it was, butthe award of the Colour is reflected inthe achievements of all connected withthe Royal Fleet Auxiliary, past andpresent, and the best accolade to standup for in the future.

Mike PalmarFirst Officer RFAPRORFA LARGS BAY

ROYAL FLEET AUXILIARY COMMUNITY WEBSITEFor Serving Members, their Family and Friends


www.rfacom.mod.uk

INFORMATION ADVICE COMMUNICATION

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This is the lasttime I shall

write to you inGunline as yourCommodore and Ido so with mixedemotions, foralthough I shallmiss all of you, I

am pleased to leave behind a Service thathas risen to many challenges andcontinues to earn immense respect athome and around the world. When I retireon 30 September it will be some 39 yearsafter I first joined the RFA, albeit I spent acouple of years in the commercial world –more of which later.

I had finished 3 years at NauticalSchool and finally realised a long-heldambition to go to sea. So 1969 was anexciting year not only because man hadtaken his first steps on the moon but also,young Bob Thornton had set foot on anRFA for the first time. You may or maynot be aware, that the RFA received anew ensign at the Fleet Review in Torbayin that year. This ensign differed fromthe previous one in that the admiraltyanchor was turned through 90 degrees tothe upright position. The harbour tugsand salvage ships retained the horizontalanchor and became the RMAS, anorganisation that recently hauled downit’s ensign for the last time. The RFA onthe other hand was getting to grips with6 LSLs acquired to support theAmphibious Task Group (BULWARK,FEARLESS, INTREPID), and the new“OLNA”, “NESS” and “REGENT” classof ships, designed and built to supportthe new aircraft carriers, that weresubsequently cancelled. Also appearingon the scene were the first three of thenew ROVER class of small fleet tankerswith a couple more to come.

It is interesting to think that as I takemy last step in uniform on an RFA, wehave just received the Queen’s Colourand we are getting to grips with the new“BAY” class of ships, (equivalent to 9LSLs) designed and built to support theAmphibious Task Group (OCEAN,ALBION, BULWARK) We await witheager anticipation, up to 6 of the newclass of fleet tankers designed to supportthe new aircraft carriers QUEENELIZABETH and PRINCE OF WALES,that have just been confirmed and thecontract to build placed. Solid SupportShips and Joint Sea Base Logistic Shipsare also on the cards. So you will noticethat there are some distinct similaritiesand some might argue that nothing haschanged; but they would be quite wrong.

If I compare the technology of the oldWWII Wave class with that of thecurrent Wave class they are worlds apart.If I compare the capability of the ships Isaw in 1969 with those of 2008, they arequite different. 39 years ago, the RFAhad just introduced the concept of atraining unit under the tutelage of aCadet Training Officer, to move usforward from a standard Merchant Navycadetship to something better tailored to

our needs that were themselves beingdriven by new technology andcapabilities. We still had ships crewedby Seychellois, Maltese and Hong KongChinese under British officers which wasa mirror of shrinking empire and thewider Merchant Navy practice. The flowof people from RFA to MN and backagain was easy and common, in fact afterI struggled through Second Mate’s ticketin London I went off to try the UKcoastal trade carrying coal from Ayr inScotland to the power station inBarnstaple. I lasted just 1 month!Shortly afterwards I tried my hand at therecovery of marine aggregates for justshort of 2 years, in the southern NorthSea, mainly because I wanted to benearer the lady who was to become mywife. Great experience and one thatreally broadened my understanding ofthe commercial sector, but I returned tomy niche in the RFA for there wassomething quite different and specialabout the Service.

I am being honest when I point outthat the RFA did not always enjoy thehighest of reputations for a variety ofreasons. I do not need to go into thedetail, but suffice to say that those daysare long past. We currently enjoy a veryhigh reputation across the world and thisis due to you, the people of the RFA. Ihave observed and always tried tocontribute to change both afloat andashore, for managed evolution is the veryessence of our survival as an entity. I amproud that I have contributed to ourhistory and immensely pleased andsatisfied with what has been achieved inthe past few years, particularly in ourrecruitment, selection and training.There are marked changes in ouridentity, our esprit de corps and ourprofessionalism. When I first joined wesimply provided fuel and stores at seaand I saw little or no contemporarywarfare knowledge or abilities; there waslittle connection with defence objectivesand expectations were limited. As Iretire, I see a highly capable Service,with increasing high professionalstandards across the range of activitiesfrom enablement to the delivery of whatis now described as military effect. I canassure you there are great expectations ofthe RFA and I am confident that youhave the ability to deliver whatever isrequired of you. You must continue toimprove, to adapt and to evolve if youare to deliver to the highest standard. Iwant to see, as I am sure you do, the blueensign defaced with the uprightadmiralty anchor, continue to fly proudlyover some splendid ships manned bysplendid people.

As I hand over the watch toCommodore Bill, it is fitting for me todo so by saying “You have the Ship”and by reminding you that you are all“A World Leader in Versatile, Valuedand Integrated Afloat Support” andthat you should “Stay happy but aboveall, stay safe”

Commodore Bob

From the Commodore…

RFA LARGS BAY with 815Squadron (215 Flight) from RNAS

Yeovilton embarked is returning to theUK following a highly successful sevenmonth deployment to the WesternAtlantic and Caribbean. Her firstAPT(N) patrol was tasked to providesupport to British Overseas Territoriesand to assist in the joint internationaleffort in the disruption of the flow ofnarcotics from South America toEurope and the USA. A significanthighlight of the deployment being theseizure of 575kg of cocaine, worth wellin excess of £20 Million at street value.Additionally, Largs Bay in its multi

functional role was involved in co-operative exercises with other naviesand armed forces of the countriessurrounding the Caribbean theatre.

Having undergone disaster relieftraining in October 2007, Largs Baywas ready to offer support to anydependant territory needing assistance.Fortunately, Largs Bay was not calledinto action for this scenario but herpresence in the area is designed to offerislanders an assurance that thecapability is there for use if required.During the deployment, the shipscompany of Largs Bay assisted in thetraining of the Defence Forces ofvarious Islands in skills such asamphibious operations and shiphandling exercises. These includedForces from Jamaica, Barbados andMartinique. The ship’s company evenhad time to stage a football matchagainst the Trinidad & Tobago DefenceForce two weeks before the nationalside would play against David Beckhamand Co in their National Stadium.

Largs Bay found a home from homein Willemstad on the Dutch AntillesIsland of Curacao. Spending nearly fiveweeks in the islands highly professionaldockyards for much needed AssistedMaintenance, this after steaming morethan 15000 nautical miles on patrol.Largs Bay left an impression on thelocal population and was invited toparticipate in the highly popular DutchNavy Days, where the ship attracted nonstop interest from the minute the gatesopened. The ship’s guided tours beingthe most popular attraction of the wholeday. With the support of a team from theoffice of the British High Commissionthe profile of the Royal Fleet Auxiliarywas raised to a higher level.

It was while alongside inWillemstad that one of the most bizarreoccurrences of the deploymenthappened. As Largs Bay lay at herberth, she was struck by another ship.The container ship MV RickmanRickman’s was leaving the containerberth heading for Panama when strongwinds and lack of tug controls resultedin the ship colliding with Largs Bay.Although there was never any great

danger to the Ships Company or thevessel, all hands were brought toEmergency Stations to effect damagerepairs and carry out a one hundredpercent search of every compartment,checking the watertight integrity of thevessel and all major systems.Fortunately, after temporary repairsand independent survey by the localLloyds surveyor, the ship was passedsafe and proceed to sea the next day.

Largs Bay supported a visit to thearea by Admiral Sir Mark StanhopeKCB OBE; Commander in Chiefwhich included passage from Port ofSpain, Trinidad to Bridgetown,Barbados. There, Largs Bay was thevenue for high profile lunch for localdignitaries and other VIP’s. Beforedeparting, Sir Mark gave the ship alarge thumbs up and thanked everyonefor their first class help & hospitality.

Largs Bay is designed to carry anEmbarked Military Force of 356 fullyequipped troops however this numbercan be doubled in war ‘overload’conditions. As well as transportingtroops, Largs Bay can carry 32Challenger Main Battle Tanks a vastarray of other military vehicles and 12x 40 or 24 x 20 TEU containers

Largs Bay has the aviationcapability to transport and operate twomedium (EH101 Merlin size) andChinook helicopters, having poweravailable for starting and servicing theaircraft, and the ability to re-fuel themon deck and in-flight. Whilst sufficientflight deck space exists tosimultaneously operate two Merlin’s,the class will initially have only onefully serviceable operating spot. Anaircraft shelter has been added sinceher introduction into service.

Largs Bay’s design includes a dockable to accommodate a single LCUMk10 or 2 LCVP

Mk5. Two Mexeflote powered raftscan also be side lifted. She is also fittedwith 2 x 30 tonne cranes to load smallcraft and other deck cargo.

Largs Bay is equipped withsteerable electric-powered thrustersand a bow thrusters unit. She isextremely manoeuvrable and capableof Dynamic Positioning; the ability toautomatically maintain a fixed positionon any heading based on satellitedetermined information.

RFA LARGS BAY RETURNS


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By 3/O (LS) Anthony Sincock

The latest class of Catering Assistant(Stewards) completed their thirteen

week training course on July 31st 2008.Each earned an NVQ with distinctions(the first Stewards Course to have a 100%distinction pass rate) and professionalqualifications to equip them for life afloat.

During their time at the DefenceMaritime Logistics School (DMLS) atHMS Raleigh they underwent rigorousinstruction from CPO (Stwd)’s TonyRennie, Joe Brown and the team of DMLSInstructors in a variety of locations.

Throughout their training the CateringAssistants have been kept busy withnumerous ship’s visits as well asproviding assistance to the DefenceAttaches luncheon held on RFA FortVictoria, Second Sea Lord’s Garden Partyand most recently, providing excellentservice to the RFA Largs Bay during theQueen’s Colour Presentation (ablysupported by a contingent of RFA TraineeCooks and Royal Navy Personnel).

The Catering Assistants have beenpraised for their professionalism andenthusiasm throughout their training and

in high profile events, receiving thankyou letters from CDR Ingham RN(Retired) and Commodore ThorntonRFA. None of this would have beenpossible without the hard work and effortof CPO (Stwd) Tony Rennie, who aftertwo years in situ as the first StewardInstructor at the DMLS is moving backinto the flotilla. His efforts have beenformally recognised by being awarded aDCLPA Commandant’s Commendationpresented by Brigadier Wallace OBE.

We wish both Tony and the CateringAssistants good luck in their careers at sea.

STEWARDS COMPLETE TRAININGAT HMS RALEIGH


The latest class of Catering Assistant(Cooks) completed their six month

training on July 10th 2008, each earnedan NVQ and professional qualificationsto equip them for life afloat.

During their time at the DefenceMaritime Logistics School (DMLS) atHMS Raleigh they underwent rigorouscatering instruction from CPO (CK)Martin Etwell and a team of DMLSInstructors in a variety of locations, fromthe realistic working environment,cooking for Royal Marines at Lympstoneand for RFA/RN Phase Two Trainees atPenhale army camp. More recently theyprovided support to the ship’s companyof RFA Largs Bay during the Queen’sColour presentation.

On leaving us at HMS Raleigh theCatering Assistants undertook the pre-requisite STCW95 qualifications beforetaking up appointments in the next fewweeks. We wish them well in their futurecareer in the RFA.

COOKS COMPLETE TRAINING AT HMS RALEIGH


July 18th 2008 will go down as one ofthe most significant days in the history

of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and thismemorable occasion clearly highlightsthe recognition that the Service rightfullydeserves. However, for CPO (CK) Etwellit will also be a day to remember for therest of his career as he was centre stageand probably the most photographed manthroughout the day.

CPO (CK) Etwell took great pride inhis role within the presentation andworked extremely hard to perfect his

role and installed a sense of pride in allwho paraded alongside him.

CPO (CK) Etwell said “It was anhonour to be chosen to bring the coloursonto the parade ground and to play amajor part in this prestigious andhistoric event. I wish to extend mypersonal congratulations to those whoparaded with me, and to say howimmensely proud I am that the RoyalFleet Auxiliary has been acknowledgedin this way. I would also like to thankCommodore Thornton for his personalletter of thanks”.

CPO (CK) MARTIN ETWELL -Queen’s Colour Chief Petty Officer

The 46th RFA Golf Event was held atWaterlooville in Hampshire on 3rd

July. It is always played on the 1st Thursdayof each July. If you think that you may havedropped off the mailing list please [email protected] to ensure that you

are kept advised of future events. Also I am pleased to report that the

Joe Dines Cup has resurfaced. Ifanybody can advise me who won it in2007 please also e-mail me so it can besuitably engraved?

The 46th RFA Golf Event was hostedby Waterlooville Golf Club as ever

on the 1st Thursday of July, in thecustomary glorious weather. The coursewas in fine condition indeed the Fairwaysremained so as they were seldom visited,bunkers aerated and greens well spikedby the to and fro of us all.

It was a chance for old friends tomeet, some who had not done so for 30years or more. It was particularly good tosee some more seagoing entrants fromthe Fort Vic. We were all winners on theday but the leaders in each category were:

Seagoing.Steve HaywardRetired. Sean Slogett (Gordon

Ogilvie “Joe Dines Cup”) HQ and ShoreStaff. Mark Griffiths Ladies. FrancesOgilvie Guests. Bill Hutton

Most sincere thanks on behalf of usall to Robin Lock who has managed theevent for so long BZ. The chalice moveson to Roger Cox.

It was apparent that some of ourregulars were missing. Please update themailing list to me if you did not receivethis years letter or wish to be [email protected])

On April 8th 2008 CommodoreThornton RFA, accompanied by

First Officer Chris Jordan and SecondOfficer Anthony Sincock, travelled fromPortsmouth to Benfleet in Essex to visitHobson & Sons Ltd, the MODcontractor for the manufacture ofQueen’s Colours, one of which will bepresented to the RFA in July 2008.

On arrival we were met by RichardTurpin who took us into his office andexplained the manufacturing process forColours. Initially the MOD approachHobson & Sons and create a contract topurchase a new colour. After the designhas been agreed the College of Arms handpaint a copy of the Colour, which is thensubmitted to the sovereign for approval.The painting is then used as the templateby Hobson & Sons to enable them toproduce the colour. Prior to any workbeing done it needs to be checked that allspellings are correct and that all historicaldata is also correct. Due to the way thatColours are used a twenty year recyclableprogramme is instigated for everyInfantry Colour, with the exception of thecolours belonging to the Foot GuardsRegiments which are replaced everytwelve years due to high usage. Any newBattle Honours awarded in the interim canbe added to the existing colour.

However, it should be noted that thereis a set way that battle honours aredisplayed. All World War One and WorldWar Two battle honours are located onThe Queen’s Colour while all historicaland new battle honours are located onthe Regimental Colour. All battlehonours are in date order, and this orderis the same on both sides of the colour.

Once all these dates and spellingshave been checked the hand painting ofthe colour produced by the College of

Arms is converted into a computergenerated drawing.

This is then used to stencil the designonto a single piece of silk. Once thisstencil is committed to the silk the pointof no return is reached. If anything goeswrong at this stage the whole processneeds to be started from scratch.

Once this process is completed thestencilled silk will go into the workroomand the highly skilled work force beginto bring the colour to life. Each colourwill require between three and sixhundred hours of work depending on thecomplexity of the design and everystitch is done by hand.

For example, the Union Flag is cut insections and then hand sewn together.The silk embroidery threads that areused are imported from China. The goldwire that is used has to have at least 2%gold, this is a MOD specification.

It is usual for new colours to beordered at least a year ahead, and evenwith this timescale time is tight. As suchthe Queen’s Colour for the RFA wasordered in October 2007.

Commodore Thornton said “I wasdelighted to visit Hobson’s recently andsee for myself the extraordinary amountof intricate work that is going into ourQueen’s Colour. I would like to thankthe staff for their warm welcome andpatience in explaining their work. Thiswill be a huge honour for the RoyalFleet Auxiliary and I am privileged tolead the Service at this time. The Colouris a symbol of our proud history, of ourachievements, of our future, and of ourpeople. It is something that is to bevenerated and will become the focus ofour loyalty and pride as a Service, it willalso serve as a symbol for others to see,acknowledge and respect.”

These successful cadets celebrated instyle at Southampton Guildhall on

June 21st 2008 having graduated fromWarsash Maritime College. Pictured leftto right are: Claire Sullivan 1/O (X),Fiona Preece, Gavin Barron, JamesWright, Mark Allaway, Josh Hawken,Stuart Smith (guest), Matt Elgar, JakeGuest and Phil Gregory 2/O (E) CadetDevelopment Officer.

Also graduated but not pictured areGiles Hunniset and David Matthews.

AFSUP (Cooks) COURSE 0702 : 7th Jan 08– 10th July 08L – R: Cdr N Dodd (Cmdt DMLS), CA (Ck) TPark, CA (Ck) T Harbison, CA (Ck) G Wood, CA (Ck) O Green, CA (Ck) M Mutton, CA(Ck) D Skelton, CPO (Ck) M Etwell (Instr),1/O (LS) J Lillie (LO RFA to BLC Devonport).

AFSUP (Stwds) COURSE 0108: 5th May –31st July 08(L to R): CA(S) G McColl, CPO (S) A Rennie(instr), CA(S) J Akehurst, CA (S) C Walker,CA (S) D Hall, CA (S) M Steed, CA (S) PWoolgar, CA (S) K Brown, CA (S) L Jones,CPO (S) J Brown (instr).

VISIT TO HOBSONS


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Suduko By Chris WhiteAnswers on page 8

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CAPTAIN IAN GOUGHI joined the RFA Service in October 1976 and retired

on 28th May 2008 after a long and interesting careerin which I witnessed momentous world events andchanges to the service. I was the owner of FORTROSALIE since July 2003 and I was fortunate to servewith many friends in that ship. I was pleased to be ableto say a personal farewell to some of them during amess dinner on board in December 2007.

There are many people whom I have known overthe years that I have not had the opportunity to saygoodbye to and I would like to take this opportunity todo that through this letter. So to you all :-

“…. I wish you smooth seas and calm winds duringthe remainder of your careers and in your journeysthrough life.”

CHIEF PETTY OFFICERJEFFREY WHITE

Chief Petty Officer Jeffrey White has finally hungup his checks after 42 years service. Jeff joined his

first ship TIDESPRING in Aden in 1966. During hiscareer he has had the honour of catering for HerMajesty the Queen on RFA FORT AUSTIN for heronly visit to the service. He has served on every classof ship and was the lead Chef for the Defence SalesTours conducted in the 1980’s.

A collection from the Logisitc Supply Departmentsacross the flotilla and others raised a very respectablesum which enabled a number of retirement gifts to bepresented to him onboard RFA FORT VICTORIA. Jeffis now taking up the role of Master and Chef onboardhis canal boat cruising the inland waterways.

It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the deathof Simon Tudor-Jones. Simon trained at Riversdale in

1966 where he was probably the only right wingPresident of the National Union of Students in the1960’s! He initially signed with Marconi Marine,joining the Empress of Canada as 7th Radio Officer.Following Marconi he served briefly with NigerianNational MN, SAF Marine and a Cable Layer off the UScoast where he earned the princely sum of £35 per week.

By 1970 he had learned the error of his ways andjoined the RFA and his first ship RFA RELIANT.Christmas 1970 saw him on RFA TARBATNESS where,during a game of mess rugby he was mistaken for theball and in a subsequent touch down his arm was broken!

Short of stature but large of life, heart andgenerosity, Simon would be found in the forefront ofany ship or RFA activity. Leading on any ship MessCommittee he would ensure that every social eventwas well planned and executed.

In 1973 he attended the RFA Long Course at HMSCollingwood where, amongst other things he was cox’nof the RFA boat for the whaler race. Following muchtraining and encouragement by the RN Buffer the teamtook to the water and was well placed to win but Simon,always the gentleman, hadn’t the heart to overtake theWrens boat which had started half way down thecourse. After the race, in the finest traditions, the coxwas thrown in to the sea, but swiftly rescued so hecould take full part in the “post race activities”!

During the Falklands Conflict of ’82, Simon sawactive service with the Ship Taken Up From Trade(STUFT) cell.

Simon was appointed as the first Deputy RFADefensive Weapons Officer (RFADWO2) to FlagOfficer Sea Training (FOST) from 1983 to 1985. Ajob he thoroughly enjoyed as he expressed so muchenthusiasm for the post. He really had such a greatpassion for Gunnery and certainly gave it some

theatre, training fledgling crews in the art of safe andaccurate gunnery. With gaiters, whistle and stick hemade a lasting impression on anyone passing throughPortland! There were many in the RFA who werethankful for Simon’s extensive knowledge, expertadvice, patience, wit and humour. He was evercheerful and would never allow the challenges of thejob to get him down. He always had a friendly wordfor everyone he met and despite his height; hisfantastic personality filled any room he walked into.He was an excellent listener and would always maketime for others. It was Simon himself who rearrangedhis staff title to become the RFA renowned DWARFO,a title that stayed with him for the rest of his life.

Portland Navy Days on RFA BLUE ROVER in ’89he was to be found on the bridge in his trademark brownlab coat (with gaiters) giving a basic electronic display.

Simon served on many classes of ship and formonths following his pay off, tales of his exploitswould be joined with a raised glass and a distant lookin the teller’s eye!

In 1998 Simon served on RFA BAYLEAF and,typical of the man, he quietly retired from the RFA,leaving many saying “where’s Simon?”

From 1965 to 2000 Simon was a member of theSea Cadet Corps; Serving with TS BLACKCAP asinstructor, TS QUEENSBOROUGH as Radio Officerand 1st Lieutenant. He was an Honorary Lay Helperfor the Mission to Seafarers and an active member ofhis local church.

Simon’s funeral took place at the Holy TrinityChurch, Freckleton, on Monday 21 April, where thecongregation spilled over to the church yard, it wasofficiated over by 3 members of the clergy, all personalfriends of Simon and well attended by RFA friends, bothserving and retired. Simon’s wife, Judith was supportedby their three grown up children and many close friends.

A very sociable character, Simon will be sadly missed.

SIMON TUDOR-JONES1948-2008

Radio Officer RFA

First Officer Scott Tait is a very hard working,intelligent and professional First Officer Engineer

and he has been deputy to the current owner MarineEngineer Officer (MEO) on a number of occasions since2003. Specifically, during 2007 when RFA WAVEKNIGHT was deployed to the Caribbean, Tait and thereliever MEO at the time were sent to a small cargo shipwhose engines were running out of fuel. Withexceptionally rough weather, both engineering officerswere unhappy with the condition of the engines due tolack of fuel and identified fuel leaks from the mainengine. In order to keep this main engine running, afterchanging to the alternative engine for short period oftime, both officers rigged a portable hand pump andcontinued to manually pump fuel into the main engineuntil sufficient fuel was in the service tank for sustainedrunning. Once happy, both officers returned to RFAWAVE KNIGHT at which point Tait confessed he wassuffering from the effects of sea sickness and had beenthroughout the activity, but had continued to assistbecause the ship had a far greater need to be helped thanhim. The cargo ship eventually made it safely to the nextport accompanied by WAVE KNIGHT.

Tait has not only demonstrated his ability to achieveresults under extreme circumstances but also has athorough underlying knowledge of the ship and ship’ssystems and has continually made a consistent and

highly valued contribution towards maintainingoperational capability. With many ships systemsmonitored by his department, Tait can be relied upon toadvise on best practice as well as working withindividual systems, specifically the ship’s ChilledWater Plant and the HVAC system, to ensure thatoptimum conditions are maintained for runningmachinery. Earlier on this year, before proceeding onleave, he made a particular effort to ensure that the shipwas ready for the current ORION 08, as well as usinghis extensive experience to compile a list of Fuel Filtersand predicted filter usage for future ship’s deployment.Tait’s practical engineering ability is often utilised in

allowing him to manufacture, modify and fixengineering components using the Ship’s lathe.

As the Marine Engineering Department CadetTraining Officer, he is also willing to devote time andeffort into explaining ‘Engineering principles, systemsand practices’ to the young cadets in a manner thatwould make him an excellent college lecturer. In orderthat he may explain systems fully, it is not uncommonfor him to scribble in great detail, on what ever comesto hand, and easily understood picture, which may onlybe described a near perfect technical drawing!

First Officer Tait is a highly professional engineerwho continually demonstrates exceptional officerqualities in all aspects of his work. His experience and

CITATION FOR THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF FUELLERS ANNUAL AWARDFIRST OFFICER(E) SCOTT TAIT - RFA WAVE KNIGHT

calm nature have paid dividends in a crisis, whilst histhorough knowledge of the ship, personal pride anddetermination has significantly contributed to the ship asa whole. In parell, he takes time to train those who arearound him, to the benefit of all ship departments. Tait isdue for retirement in the near future and will be a sadlymissed asset of both RFA WAVE KNIGHT Ship’sCompany and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary as a whole. Withhis outstanding contribution, there is no member of thecrew who is more thoroughly deserving of this award.


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THROUGH LIFE SUPPORT FOR THE ROYAL FLEET AUXILIARYBackground and ContextThe RFA spends in the region of £100mper annum on the maintenance andsupport of its 16 vessels. Before thecurrent reform programme, supplierswere routinely selected throughcompetition in accordance with PublicSector Procurement rules. Typically,several hundred competitions andcontracts were transacted annually;selection was based on lowest pricedtender and arms-length supplierrelationships were the norm.

Creating a Revolutionary StrategyA Category Management Team(Commercial Ship Maintenance CMT)was formed in 2004 to work with theRFA to implement radical reform ofprocurement practices. The aims andobjectives of the joint team were toachieve best practice procurement andtarget savings of over £30m throughrigorous commitment to categorymanagement principles and significantimprovement of relationships with itssupply base.

The team, supported by procurementspecialists from Atos Consulting,recommended a radical strategy totransform procurement and engineeringprocesses. This innovative approachrecommended a series of changes to theway the RFA contracted futuremaintenance requirements as follows:• Aggregating volume into six ship

clusters (groups of ships) and fourmarket facing categories (commoditiesor services)

• Contracting on a Through-Life-Support (TLS) basis (replacing many100s of individual contracts)

• Developing strategic relationshipswith key suppliers based on beneficialjoint working

• Implementing process improvementinternally and externally

• Realigning the RFA organisation tosupport the TLS strategies

Introducing Supplier CollaborationThe ship repair sector was widelyconsulted throughout the developmentof the strategy. For example, an IndustryDay held in July 2004 attractedrepresentatives from over 60 ship repairand related industries from around theworld. Workshops with industry wereheld to test specific aspects of thestrategy and to understand the views ofthe supply market and how the strategycould be implemented to deliver savingswhilst maintaining output levels. Over300 ideas for improvement weresubmitted by suppliers. These ideaswere used to develop and implementnew ways of working between the RFAand its suppliers. An executiveworkshop held in July 2005 broughttogether representatives from thefiercest of competitors (a feat that theengineers thought could never happen)and concluded; the procurement strategycould not only deliver the target savingsbut would help to reinvigorate adeclining UK ship repair market.

Creating Customer Buy-InThe RFA is responsible to Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CinCFleet) for the provisionof readily available and capable vessels.Convincing CinCFleet that reducingspend and maintaining operationalcommitments were both achievable wasno mean task, requiring the most polishedof influencing skills. In parallel,engagement of many key stakeholdersfrom the outset was fundamental to ensureenthusiastic buy-in. Communications tothe wider business and suppliercommunity was identified as a criticalsuccess factor- over 70 Newsletters havebeen published so that stakeholders arealways informed of progress.

At the same time, convincing othersenior MOD stakeholders and publicsector bodies such as HM Treasury, thatsuch a radical departure from thetraditional and risk averse “modusoperandi” required a robustdetermination and nerves of steel.

Proving the Strategy throughInnovationProof was needed that the strategy woulddeliver……enter RFA Argus. RFA Argusis a singleton Aviation Support andPrimary Casualty Reception andEvacuation Vessel. In December 2005 thefirst ever TLS Contracts were let betweenthe RFA and A&P Falmouth Ltd (ShipRepairers) and the RFA and Rolls-Royce(Power Generation) to cover all Argussupport requirements over five-years.This provided a pilot to test TLS, developjoint working practices and deliversavings. A co-located team comprisingrepresentatives from the RFA, A&P andRolls Royce was established in the shiprepair yard at Falmouth to undertake thefuture support and maintenancerequirements of Argus. In effect, thisstrategy was a test bed maintenanceoperation prior to rolling out the strategyto all other vessels. It proved to be aninvaluable experience of the strategy atwork. Key Successes were:• Savings of more than £4.5m have been

achieved (equivalent to 20% reductionin maintenance costs)

• The ship is now routinely maintainedin its best ever condition andavailability has improved to out-perform the customer’s operationalreadiness requirements

• New contracting strategies have beendeveloped, such as the innovative“Power by the Hour” solution for anew set of Argus generators - thismeans the Rolls-Royce is nowresponsible for all maintenance andsupport through-life and the RFA onlypay when the ship is in use.

Delivery of SavingsAs a publicly funded body the RFA isunder increasing pressure to make furtherefficiency savings, particularly in the faceof wider defence commitments. A detailedreview of the lessons learnt from theArgus pilot highlighted opportunities todeliver additional savings by acceleratingengineering optimisation and supplier

development across the wider business.This resulted in identification of a furtherincrease in savings to £123m in the RFA’s10-year support costs (4 times the originaltarget). At the end of Financial Year2006/07, a Defence Internal Audit (DIA)Team verified actual savings 21% aheadof the target of £10.664m for the firstthree years. Crucially, the DIA team wereconfident that a total savings of £123m(25%) over ten-years was both achievableand on track. Actual savings achievedduring 2007/08 amount to £11.869mproviding a four year accumulated total of£22.5m and representing a significantsuccess before the strategy was fullydeployed.

Supporting Front-Line OperationsGloballyA key aspect of supporting the military isto ensure the ability to maintain vesselson a global basis. Therefore a secondpilot was launched in March 2006 forRFA Bayleaf, an Oil Tanker that requireda major refit in Singapore. The objectiveof this pilot was to minimise operationaldown-time by testing “Global Reach”(support anywhere in the world whenrequired) – a key operationalrequirement if TLS was to proveeffective across the Flotilla.

The 12 month contract valued at £6mincluded all operational supportrequirements in Dubai as well as the refitin Singapore. Operational commitments,which are the number one priority for theRFA, could not be affected at any timethroughout the refit programme. Thisnon-negotiable requirement presented afinely balanced challenge for theimplementation team during intenseperiod of change. Nevertheless, RFABayleaf was returned to front-lineoperational support as planned anddelivered savings of £400k. RFA FortGeorge meanwhile was subject to a UKbased work-package testing jointworking principles that delivered savingsof £2.3m (15%).

Re-engineering the EngineersThe TLS Statement of TechnicalRequirements (SoTR) had to bedeveloped from scratch for all 16 vessels;this required 1000s of engineering manhours to collate the individual supportrequirements for the remainder of eachship’s operational life. A task of this scalehad never been contemplated before, letalone undertaken. It was led byprocurement specialists working withRFA engineers and based on theprinciples of “Lean Supply”, this also

necessitated new contract Terms andConditions suitable for TLS applicationsto be created. This involved theimplementation of new processes such asSupplier Relationship Management, TLSPerformance Management,Benchmarking and Target CostIncentivisation. A through-life “ShouldCost of Ownership by Year” model wasdeveloped and constructed by the projectteam using first principles to ensure thatTLS would be affordable and equallyimportant, sustainable over the long-term.The “Should Cost of Ownership by Year”model now holds the TLS cost projectionsfor all RFA vessels, broken down byevery applicable “class of work”. It alsoprovides the baseline from which toidentify and demonstrate future savings.

Strategic PartneringThe TLS Invitation to Tender (ITT) for allsix ship clusters was issued at an IndustryDay in August 2007. This was followed inOctober 2007 with the issue of fourMarket Facing Category (MFC) ITTsrepresenting over 96% of the RFA’s futurerequirements. In December 2007,following extensive evaluation and aninnovative presentation and scenarioprocess used as part of the selectionprocedure, two preferred bidders werechosen for the six ship clusters; four MFCproviders were progressively down-selected during the first quarter of 2008.In June 2008 the TLS Contracts werefinally awarded, two ship clusterContracts with Northwestern Shipbuildersand Shiprepairers Ltd and the A&PGroup, and three MFC contracts withLloyds Register (Classification), Trimline(Furnishings) and Hempel (Paint). Afourth MFC Contract for SpecialistEngineering Services id due to be placedat the end of 2008.

Re-aligning the Business to SupportTLSThe RFA is now implementing supplierfacing organisational changes thatincorporate ship cluster and MFC supportteams aligned with the new strategy.Following the Argus pilot, RFA resourceshave been co-located to supplier sitesbased at Falmouth and Birkenhead tomake sure that the TLS is embedded andsustained throughout the suppliercommunity. These changes complementa wider MOD reorganisation toamalgamate “New Build” procurementwith existing “In Service Support” andthereby create a holistic whole-lifeprocurement capability under theumbrella of Afloat Support Directorate.

The picture above shows RFA Argus inFalmouth

Signing of the TLS Partnering PrinciplesDocuments on RFA Fort Victoria at Portsmouth


6 - Gunline

Assault ship Lyme Bay welcomedmore than 10,000 visitors on board

during Dutch Navy Days in DenHelder. The LSD(A) was the soleBritish representative at the three-dayfree event, which attracted around180,000 people to the naval base northof Amsterdam.

She had pride of place at the jettywhere the twice-daily dynamic displaywas staged, providing a perfect vantagepoint for visitors.

Little of the ship was open tovisitors – manpower constraints meantthe dock and vehicle deck had toremain out of bounds – but there wasoften in excess of 60 people on thebridge at any time, pressing buttons andpeering out of the windows.

Flanking her were two Dutch assaultships, HNLMS Rotterdam, on whichdesign she was based, and Rotterdam’syounger sister Johan de Witt.

Lyme Bay’s football team took onAmerican frigate USS Elrod in achallenge match, with the RFA mentaking an early lead.

The (much younger) Americans hitback to lead 2-1 by the break, but the Brits regrouped and edged back intothe lead.

The best goal of the match was thefinal effort, a scorching volley by ABJohn Roberts which gave the keeper nochance. Sadly, it was into his ownside’s net, making the final score adiplomatic 3-3 draw.

Pictures by LH(HC) Chris Hayes, RFA LymeBay (079321 40033)One shows Lyme Bay at her jetty with acrowd watching the dynamic display, theother two are of the bridge during open days.Chris can supply name of officer, first nameJohn.

RFA LYME BAY IN DEN HELDERRFA Fort Rosalie is undergoing a well

deserved major refit in CammellLaird Shipyard at Birkenhead. She waslaunched in 1976 and accepted into thefleet in 1978. One of only four remaining22 RFAs which sailed in that imposingtask force 26 years ago to liberate theFalkland Islands. She was alsoinstrumental in Desert Storm in 1990 andactive in the NAG again in 2001-2003.After 30 long years of service FortRosalie was in need of a face lift.Although she has undergone a number ofAMPs and upkeep periods throughout herdistinguished service the accommodationremained, pretty much, unchanged fromthe day she was launched. So in additionto the ‘usual’ package of maintenance acapability upgrade is being undertaken,which includes the ship’s cargo lifts,refrigeration plants, air compressors, self-defence weapons capability andcommunication systems. But by far thegreatest challenge is the upgrade ofaccommodation and public rooms. Thisinvolves the removal of all fixtures andfittings prior to the demolition of allinternal structures and removal ofasbestos from cabins, public rooms,alleyways, refrigerated compartments,galley and dining areas. The newconstruction will utilise moderntechniques, materials and fixtures todevelop accommodation and capabilityappropriate for today’s operations andpersonnel expectations. This incorporatesthe design and installation of new hot andcold domestic water systems, waste waterand vacuum sewage systems, improvedstructural fire protection to include

redesigned ventilation systems and thefitting of fire proof dampers. It will alsoprovide all cabins with en-suite facilitiesand mess rooms with state of the artdining facilities. Concurrent with the refitpackage the ship will be receiving a newMaintenance Management System(UMMS) and an upgrade to Navy Star.

I know a lot of you will have fondmemories of the old worldly comfortsthat Fort Rosalie had to offer inabundance. But I’m sure she willmaterialise like a butterfly emergingfrom a chrysalis when she sails off intothe sunset from the Mersey, moreeffective and comfortable than ever (justin time for workup at Devonport!).

And it’s not all been work and noplay, during this upkeep period, we havebeen able to forge strong links withWeatherfield School for girls on theWirral and Nautilus House RetirementHome at Wallasey. Ship’s Companyhave visited both establishments forformal and less formal events. Some ofthe ship’s officers gave a presentation toyear 10 students at Weatherfield Schoolto discuss philosophy and ethics! Therehave also been a number of social visitsto Nautilus House. This has beenreciprocated by visits from pupils,teachers and parents from WeatherfieldSchool and staff from Nautilus House togain an insight into ‘The lifestyle ofmariners’. We have also been able toinvite our affiliated sea cadet unit T.S.Fort Grange based in Tamworth,providing them with a rare andopportune moment to observe FortRosalie in dry-dock.

RFA FORT ROSALIE REFIT

By Cdt (X) Ann Halliwell.

On arrival in the Falkland Islands Iwas surprised at what greeted me,

it was a crystal clear day with brightsunshine, the views were stunning andplaying joyfully amongst the wash fromthe tug were a pod of dolphins. I thoughtthis place is wonderful, what on earthwere the dismal stories about? Well,seven weeks down the line I still feel thesame. We’ve had some relentless foulweather and problems with transport towhat seems the only leisure facilityavailable coupled with a few other littlegripes, but on the whole the trip so farhas been thoroughly enjoyable. I wastold by my Father, a Merchant Seamanhimself that seafaring is what you makeof it, and I’ve certainly been making themost of my time down here.

The ship has had a busy timetable,fitting in flying with the RN’s Lynx, theRAF’s Search and Rescue Sea Kinghelicopter and Tornado F3’s, RASingwith HMS Liverpool and HMS Clyde,loading cargo from the Single PointMooring (SPM) Gunex’s, anchoring, tankdiving and cleaning, the list just goes on.All this is providing an excellent trainingopportunity for the Three Deck Cadets

onboard for who Captain C Clarke isgranting no respite, this really is theperfect environment to be thrustresponsibility and to take advantages ofoccasions as they pop up. Only last week,I attended the daily brief at HQ to findthat an hour later I was at 10,000ft in aVC10 fuelling tornadoes (which I have toadmit is far more impressive than ourform of replenishment, I did not let theflight crew believe that for one momentthough). We Cadets have navigated ourway not only through Black Rover, wherewe found ourselves undertaking EngineRoom watches, down the ballast and fueltanks, aloft on the RAS gantry, on theflight deck and out on the crash boat buton board local vessels too. We’ve seendepartures off the jetty from a differentperspective on board the MOD TugGeissenstroom, and I have spent aweekend on board the South GeorgiaFishery Patrol Vessel MV Pharos.

Despite the demanding programmethere is always time for recreation andthe ship has built itself quite animpressive football team. Each Sundaymade available whilst alongside, tenmembers of the ships company maketheir way up to MPC to battle it out on

the pitch. This is an all ranks game withmixed teams and is unreservedlyenjoyed by all. It’s well attended andnew team mates are always popping upas and when old members pay off, lookslike it’s here to stay.

There is also always time to do gooddeeds and the ship has done a fair shareof raising money for charity. The shipraised cash for the forces charity ‘TheBig Salute’ and in return we werepresented with a recording of the FA CupFinal. There was a quiz night organisedby LH (HC) Mick McClean in whichproceeds were donated to the RNLI andI was pleased to be able to take part inthe Falkland Islands ‘Race for Life’. Itwas a miserable day but the women ofStanley were thrilled to be able to hostsuch an event as previously they hadbeen turned down on the premise ofbeing too small a community.

The time of year has brought usaround to the 26th anniversary of theBritish Task Force landings in SanCarlos right the way through toLiberation from the Argentines. Theseoccasions have been rightfully markedand several memorial services wereattended as well as two mess dinners.

Wreaths were laid by the CommandingOfficer at all three memorial services-San Carlos to mark the landings,Fitzroy the sinking of Sir Galahad andSir Tristram and at Stanley theLiberation of the Falkland Islands.

The ship has also been busy hostingguests from the UK. Three appointersfrom Whale Island came to visit the shipto get a taste first hand of what goes ononboard, and for the ship’s company togain personal interaction with theappointers and discuss any problemsthere may be. If the ladies thought theywere down here for a holiday then thingswere soon put into perspective for them.Each day was jammed packed and theship’s company worked hard to maketheir stay pleasant, yet realistic of theship’s daily routine. I personally hostedthem for their initial few days, as the shipwas still at sea and I had them hiking upMount Harriet, where we polished thememorial as a sign of respect to thosewho lost their lives. Back onboard theygot involved in crash boat drills, weaponsdemonstrations, first aid, ways of workingincluding laundry, amongst a plethora ofother tasks they really did have a busy, buthopefully enjoyable time.

TRAINING DOWN UNDER BLACK ROVER


Gunline - 7

RFA PERS OPS staff were invited to wearsomething blue in return for a donation to the Tom

Prince Cancer Trust. So far we have raised over £40.With many Pompey season tickets holders amongst

the staff, it was a chance to put on the team shirts andprepare for the Cup Final ahead – Come on Blue Army!!!

Front L-R: Amy Pay, Louise Formby, Andrea ParkinBack L-R: Kathryn Garbet, Sue Slack, Vickey Ferguson, Gill Martin, Lorraine De Puis, Sue Tweddle, Margaret Moase,Phil Gregory, Caroline Hunt, Mia Cameron-Dungey, RachelHarrison, Russ Farquhar, Richard Price.

RFA FORT AUSTIN – 2008

BLUE DAY

Coming out of refit in late 2007 and completing amajor restore – in excess of 4,000 loads (2,000

tonnes) of food, ammunition and general stores werehandled, Fort Austin began 2008 under the watchfuleye of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) off the coastof Plymouth. An intensive four week training periodsaw the ship and crew put through their paces with avariety of exercises and inspections.

No stone was left unturned; indeed all aspects ofthe ship were scrutinised, ranging from the ability tocater for 130 people at Action Stations to a crashlanding on the flight deck to a major engine room fireand RAS – replenishment at sea.

The final week, DCT(H) (Directed ContinuationTraining (High) ) concentrated on State One or warfighting training such as action damage and weaponfirings. Training culminated with a final “ThursdayWar” inspection by Flag Officer Sea Training and hisStaff. Declared “Satisfactory”, the ship headed for thewarmer climes of the Mediterranean and beyond.

A brief sojourn in Crete provided much neededR&R for those heading to the Indian Ocean and thechance for many to explore the island.

Reaching the Indian Ocean provided a variety ofchallenges, not least the defence of the ship againstpotential threats. The Straits of Gibraltar provided thefirst opportunity since training with FOST for the gun’screws to close up. 2/O(X) Deryck Osborne, the Ship’sPoint Defence Officer commented that ‘this provided amuch needed opportunity to allow our weapons crewsthe chance not only to practice with live ammunition,but also to close up under a very real threat’.

Bahrain provided an unscheduled port visit in earlyApril. By sheer luck the weekend in Bahraincoincided with the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix!Many of the ships’ company took advantage of thisand headed to the Sakhir circuit for a day out nonewill ever forget.

Leaving Bahrain behind and rejoining the TaskGroup heading east for the shores of India and thebeginning of Exercise Konkan. The journey east wasuneventful, although a marked change in climactic

conditions was noticed by all. 35˚C (95˚F) and 80%humidity adds an additional challenge to the workingday. Anchoring off the port of Mormugao provided afew days to explore Goa. This was the first time inIndia for many – some headed straight for the beacheswith others exploring the markets of Anjuna. Not toomany people can boast of a day trip to India!

Hosting a multinational cocktail party during thestay in Goa, the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mysorerepresented the might of the Indian Navy. Influencedby former Soviet ship design, the Indian Navy is theregion’s major naval power.

Numerous opportunities existed throughout thedeployment for personnel to x-pol. An x-pol isessentially the exchange of personnel between vessels,allowing each to experience the ways of the other.

HMS Trafalgar provided the first, with theCommanding Officer, Dale Worthington OBE,joining his counterparts for lunch under the IndianOcean and then 3/O (LS) Adkins and John Daltonfrom the STO(N) department ‘winning’ the chance tospend the night onboard.

Lt. Cdr Nilesh Khokle spent a week onboard FortAustin experiencing just about everything that makesa ship of the RFA ‘tick’. With 2/O (LS) Hill, theDeputy Logistics Supply Officer, and PTO AndyWaugh taking in the supply ship INS Aditya,numerous comparisons were made.

Offering the same chance the USS Cole, badlydamaged in a terrorist attack in Yemen in 2000, drewmany visitors from around the task group. On theirreturn everyone spoke of just how moving thememorial to those killed in that attack was.

‘Lusty’ (HMS Illustrious) provided the last chanceof the deployment for personnel to transfer – the luckyones from Fort Austin being the two first-trip deckcadets – Joe Davies and Dean Southall.

The INS Mysore made a reappearance later in theexercise conducting a RAS (Replenishment at Sea)serial, representing the growing relationship betweenthe two navies.

Perhaps the most unusual of the many

Deputy Commander, Military Sealift Command,Rear Admiral Robert Wray, recently made his first

official visit to the RFA along with PM1 Jim George(MSC), and Chief Officer Karl Woodfield (RFA).Admiral Wray has a keen interest in Admiral LordNelson and was in his element onboard HMS Victory.He thoroughly enjoyed his visit and the additionalinsight that was provided by Victory’s First Lieutenant,John Webb.

MSC and the RFA are similar organizations, thoughthere are some real differences. The commondenominator of the two organizations is the objective toprovide the right ship, with the right people, on time andon task. The cornerstone of this visit was to set thegroundwork for further inter-change with the intentionof “benchmarking” our respective organizations. Areasidentified so far are Personnel, Maintenance and Repair.The Admiral visited: RFA HQ, RFA Pers Ops, Phoenix,RFA Lyme Bay and DE and S at Abbey Wood. The visitproved to be very beneficial with the joint undertakingof a broader and closer partnership for the future.

VICTORY

replenishment serials was the transfer of stores toHMS Trafalgar – the first time many onboard hadencountered a RAS with a submarine.

15,056 miles and 59 days later Fort Austin and hercrew were once more in the Mediterranean Sea. Afterthe highs of the Indian Ocean, a temperature of 20?C(69?F) seemed positively chilly!

Homeward bound and with many of the crewanticipating their leave with some relish, a brief stopwas made in the Sicilian city of Palermo.

Having spent a few days alongside in Glen Mallanin late May, re-stored and with around a 30% changein personnel, a brief passage south followed to providea training platform for the UK’s Special Forces.

With the AMP behind us, RFA Fort Austin isheading for the South Coast Exercise areas for OFT,an RNR exercise and some more time with FOST!


8 - Gunline

NEWS FROM THE MIDDLE EASTNEWS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST

Each year, The Isle of Wight stagesthe “Walk the Wight” sponsored

charity walk with all proceeds donatedto the Earl Mountbatten Hospice. Thewalk covers the entire length of theisland from Bembridge in the east toAlum Bay near the Needles, - a totaldistance of some 26.5 miles.

As a proud island native, RFADILIGENCE’s MEO, Bob Huxtable,has previously participated in the walk,but not this year due to his currentappointment in the Gulf. Not deterred bythis minor inconvenience, Bob decidedthe best course of action was toparticipate in the walk whilst onboardthe ship alongside in Bahrain! With 20laps of the flight deck to the mile, allBob needed to achieve was a smallmatter of 530 laps!

Ably assisted by his enthusiasticsupport party, Bob set off at 0500 to takeadvantage of the cooler temperatures atthe start of the walk, - after all it was onlyabout 30C at that stage! After making12.5 miles in good time, Bob took onmuch needed fuel in the shape of a DIL“full truckers” breakfast before

continuing his trek. There was no let upin pace with upper deck temperaturesnow reaching 43C and the XO doing hisbest to simulate the rolling hills of IOWby introducing a substantial list!With constant re-hydration and ice-cooled flannels along the way, Bobcrossed the finish line at 1230, - a trulyastonishing effort in the conditions. Stillnursing blisters on his blisters, Bob isdelighted to have raised £250 for theHospice through sponsorship from theship’s company. Well done indeed!

BOB “WALKS THE WIGHT” – IN BAHRAIN!

Mounts Bay had left Salvador, Brazil and the rest ofthe international task group, and was heading

home by herself. It took 2 weeks to cover the 4502nautical miles back to the UK. The Navigators chosenroute involved long periods steering the same courseand seemed to avoid all the main shipping lanes- wewent for days at a time without seeing any other ships.Instead our most common companions were flying fishand seabirds, with occasional visits from dolphins andthe odd turtle or two. The normal programme of internaltraining and exercises continued, including training withcharged fire hoses for the Fire and Repair Parties andequipment briefs for the bridge teams. On the 22nd Maywe crossed the Equator again, heading north and had asmall ceremony for those who had joined the shipduring our time in Brazil and who had not previouslycrossed the line. This was followed by a BBQ, andmuttering from the old salts that “crossing the line goingnorth doesn’t count.”! On the way back home we alsoheld a Machinery Space fire exercise, putting all theprevious training by sections into practise as a wholeships company. The bridge and engine-room teams alsoconducted Man Overboard drills and MachineryBreakdown drills, running through and practising theprocedures should something go wrong.

The day of our return started early, rendezvousingwith RFA Gold Rover for Replenishment at Sea, to topup our fuel tanks again after the long passage north. Aftercompleting the RAS, we arrived in Portland in the

evening, glad to be home again. Mounts Bay had lessthan a week in Portland, and the crew were kept verybusy. Aviation fuel was discharged to road tankers,ammunition was landed ashore and new personneljoined. As if this wasn’t enough we also had ourInternational Safety Management (ISM) Code audit- allour routines and paperwork were checked to ensurethings were done as they should be. Integrated with theaudit were various training sessions for the crew, such as

manual handling and risk assessment. Just 5 days afterarriving, Mounts Bay sailed again, heading along thecoast to Falmouth.

Ships are complicated things and need regularmaintenance to be kept in top condition - equipment canget worn or damaged, steel rusts and new kit isdeveloped and needs installing. Mounts Bay had beenprogrammed for a CSP - essentially some TLC! Initiallythe ship went to a normal berth, before shifting round toa dry dock in order for checks to be made on the hull anda fresh coat of paint applied. We spent 10 days sitting onthe blocks before flooding up, restoring the ship to hernatural state once more. Amongst others, Deck andEngine Room department equipment has been serviced,the communicators have had new gear fitted, everythingfrom fresh water tanks to lifeboats has been inspected,and anything that doesn’t move (and a few things thatdo) has been painted.

Mounts Bay is now in great condition and morecapable thanbefore. After aweek oftidying up thelast few jobs,she sails againto participatein a variety ofexercises andport visits.

MOUNTS BAY RETURNS HOME FOR SOME TLC

TURKS & CAICOS - BEACHEXPEDITION TO GIBBS CAY

Daily Orders called it a Beachexpedition, and it certainly lived up

to expectations. We embarked onto thejumbo Gemini via the pilot ladder andmade our way around to the jetty toawait the coastal patrol boat which wasto act as our guide through the manyreefs to our destination of Gibbs Cay,which is a small un-inhabited island tothe east of Grand Turk.

Once the patrol boat arrived andtook aboard the local volunteers we setoff, following in her wake, getting wetthorough from the spray picked up inthe strong breeze, but enjoying everyminute. Approaching the narrow gapthrough the reef one of our outboardengines suddenly started belchingclouds of black smoke. CoxswainSG1A Barley, quickly shut down theengine and isolated the power supplybefore it burst into flames. It wasquickly decided that it was toodangerous to continue so we turned for home.

Lucy, our environment agencyguide had a word with the patrol boatand she came alongside to take some ofus onto the island then return to thejetty for the rest.

So off we set, the master of the patrolboat using his local knowledge as weshot through the gap through the reef atabout 40 knots. Minutes later we wereoffloaded onto the pristine beach on the

western side of the island. Immediatelygrabbing bin bags and gloves we headedoff onto the other side of the island tobegin the clean up operation.

There was the usual sorts of things,bottles and cans, a multitude of plasticcontainers, fishing gear, loads of flipflops and shoes, even disposablelighters.

The strangest thing found was a TVset. It’s such a shame that so muchrubbish is floating about in our oceans.If you don’t want to find it on your ownbeach then don’t throw it overboard.Also we found the bottom portion of amangrove that will have been growingon the African coast somewhere.

40 plus bags of rubbish later wecalled it a day and dived into thecooling waters on the lee side of theisland, and almost immediately had thesting rays coming to investigate us.There were 3 that were happilyswimming amongst us allowing us to carefully touch them as they “flew“ past.

It was the perfect end to a hard fewhours and capped the experience for allof us. It will certainly stay with meforever and it completed a hardweekend that had started with anothertesting match on the Wave Ruler 2008cricket tour of the Caribbean, but that’sanother story.

Neil Williamson LH (HC)

8 2 5 9 7 3 6 1 44 9 3 1 6 5 2 7 81 6 7 8 4 2 5 9 35 1 9 2 8 4 3 6 77 3 8 5 9 6 1 4 22 4 6 7 3 1 8 5 96 8 4 3 1 7 9 2 59 5 1 4 2 8 7 3 63 7 2 6 5 9 4 8 1


WAVE KNIGHTContinuing with Gulf ready tanker duties for the foreseeable future.

WAVE RULERAPT(N) Counter Narcotics operations and other maritime exercisesincluding standing by for disaster relief and the protection of dependantterritories in the Caribbean in company of HMS IRON DUKE.

GOLD ROVERGone into refit in Birkenhead. Will remain in refit for the foreseeable future.

BLACK ROVERAPT(S) Remains in the South Atlantic in support of HMS LIVERPOOLconducting protection of dependant territories.

BAYLEAFAt the entrance to the Meditteranean, off Gibraltar.

ORANGELEAFFOST tanker duties in September.

FORT VICTORIAContinues her extended period alongside in Portsmouth Dockyard.

FORT GEORGERemains in refit in Birkenhead until the end of October. Then she goes into restoringand work up.

FORT AUSTINShe will remain UK based in support of wider Seedcorn training activities.

FORT ROSALIEStill undertaking a £28 million refit at Birkenhead which is still expected to lastuntil November 08.

CARDIGAN BAYContinuing to undertake operations under Op Telic up NAG supporting NATT.

MOUNTS BAYConducting operations in the English Channel.

LYME BAYOff Portland for trials.

LARGS BAYOff Portland.

ARGUSIn Falmouth for maintenance period prior to resuming aviation training.

DILIGENCEProceeding East through the Meditteranean.

Gunline - 9

RFA CARDIGAN BAYRFA WAVE KNIGHT

RFABLACK ROVER

IN BIRKENHEADRFA GOLD ROVER

RFA FORT GEORGERFA FORT ROSALIE

RFAWAVE RULER

IN PORTSMOUTHRFA FORT VICTORIA

RFA MOUNTS BAY

Provided courtesy of The U.K Hydrographic Office

RFA LYME BAYRFA LARGS BAY

RFA ARGUS

RFABAYLEAF

RFADILIGENCE

RFA FORT AUSTINRFA ORANGLEAF


10 - Gunline



www.rfacom.mod.uk

INFORMATION ADVICE COMMUNICATION

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary‘s Community Websitewas launched on 25 June 2008 by the Earl of

Wessex at Abbeywood. The site has a growing numberof registered members; why don’t you become one?

www.rfacom.mod.uk is for RFA personnel, theirfamilies and friends and offers a wide range ofinformation on RFA and family matters. Connectingand supporting the RFA community worldwide 24hours a day, 365 days a year, this internet basedCommunity Support Facility is for everyone within theRoyal Fleet Auxiliary community. If you are a servingmember of the RFA, a family member or friend this siteis for you, linking you with the RFA world.

The RFA Community Website is not intended toreplace or duplicate the Deployment News that unitscurrently publish on their respective pages of the RoyalFleet Auxiliary website. www.rfa.mod.uk is aimed at amuch wider audience, including the general public,potential recruits and journalists.

The member’s area of the RFA Community Websiteis open to serving personnel, their families and friendswho have registered to use this facility. The membersarea can only contain information of an unclassifiednature forbidding the inclusion of information such asforthcoming port visits and other operational aspects ofa ship’s programme. However the area contains a hostof RFA relevant information that enables you to keep intouch with the wider RFA Community.

As well as information the members area has a chatroom and several discussion forums. With “If in doubtleave it out” policy on sensitive material. These Forumscan lift you up as well as leave you lying on the floor

with laughter.To register for an account, you will need a valid

email address; the serving persons discharge book,number, full name and date of birth. These details areused to verify every applicant, with approvalsprocessed within 48 hours.

www.rfacom.mod.uk will keep you and yourfamilies informed supported and united, so why notgive it a go? Add you and your family and friends to thegrowing member of the RFA Community Website.Keep in touch, share your views and participate in theRFA Community Website popular forums.

Please register for an account today and log in toexplore the facilities available. You can e-mail anyfeedback or suggestions, to [email protected].

LAUNCH OF ROYAL FLEET AUXILIARY COMMUNITY WEBSITE

Earl of Wessex

(Left to Right) Commodore Preston, Commodore Thornton, Earl of Wessex, Mr Nigel Gigg, 1/O(LS) Prunty.

WONDERING WHERE THECREW LISTS ARE?

Log on to www.RFACOM.mod.uk to see the liststhat have previously been in Gunline, they will beupdated monthly so you can find out where yourshipmates are.


Gunline - 11

THE HONOURABLE COMPANY OF MASTER MARINERSThe Company has recently adopted

two RFA ships, the RFA Largs Bayand RFA Cardigan Bay and we proudlystand alongside the WorshipfulCompany of Fuellers and WorshipfulCompany of Carmen as City of LondonLivery Companies who have adoptedRFA ships. We are proud to have amongour membership the current RFA Headof service, Commodore Bob ThorntonRFA and Captain Bill Walworth RFA,the RFA Head of Service designate.There are also many retired and servingRFA Officers who are both Liverymenand Freemen of the Company.

City of London Livery CompaniesThe 108 Livery Companies, as of 2008,that make up the Corporation ofLondon, continue to flourish today.

The Livery Companies are all basedin the City of London, almost all of whichare known as the Worshipful Company of- the relevant trade or profession. SomeLivery Companies (for example, theGoldsmiths and the Fishmongers)continue to have a regulatory role todayand some (for example, the LongbowMakers) have become inoperative exceptas charitable foundations. All LiveryCompanies have charitable andeducational functions as well as playingan important part in social life andnetworking in the City of London.

After the Fan Makers were establishedin 1709, no new companies were formedfor over 200 years until the MasterMariners in 1926. Post-1926 companiesare referred to as the Modern LiveryCompanies of which there are currently30 who have received their livery fromthe Corporation of City of London.

PrecedenceIn 1515, the Court of Aldermen of theCity of London settled an order ofprecedence for the forty-eight LiveryCompanies then in existence, which wasbased on the Companies’ economic orpolitical power. The first 12 LiveryCompanies are known as the GreatTwelve City Livery Companies.

GovernanceLivery Company members generally fallinto two categories: freemen andliverymen. One may become a freeman,or acquire the “Freedom of theCompany”, upon fulfilling theCompany’s criteria. Traditionally, onemay be admitted to the Freedom by“patrimony” if either parent was afreeman of the company at the time ofbirth, by “servitude” if one has served asan apprentice in the trade for therequisite number of years, or bypurchase (“redemption”). Admission tothe Livery is subject to the rules of theindividual Company.

The Companies are governed by aMaster, Wardens and a Court ofAssistants, elected by the Freemen andLiverymen of the Company, who in turnelect the Master and Wardens. The Clerkto the Company shares somecharacteristics with that of the role of

Chief Executive. Freemen generallyadvance to becoming Liverymen by avote of the Court of the Company.Historically, only Liverymen can takepart in the election of the Lord Mayor ofthe City of London.

The Honourable Company of MasterMarinersFormed in 1926, the HonourableCompany of Master Mariners aims to:• encourage and maintain a high

standard of ability and professionalconduct in the officers of the BritishMerchant Navy

• promote and maintain in all respectsefficient and friendly co-operationbetween the Merchant Navy and theRoyal Navy

• be available for advice andconsultation on all questionsconcerning or affecting the MerchantNavy, or judicial, commercial,scientific, educational or technicalmatters relating thereto

The origin of the Company lies at theAnnual Shipmasters’ Dinner held inLiverpool on 2nd March 1921, when SirRobert Burton-Chadwick suggested thatthe profession was entitled to form, andwas capable of forming, a Guild orCompany very much on the lines of theold City of London Livery Companies.His vision was realised on 25th June1926 with the formation of the Companyof Master Mariners.

In March 1928 Edward, Prince ofWales, assumed the office of Master. InJune of that year His Majesty KingGeorge V bestowed the title ofHonourable on the Company - a rareand singular honour for their services theNation and Empire at sea during WorldWar 1. The title of Honourable has onlyever been bestowed on two othercompanies; the Honourable East IndiaCompany and the Honourable ArtilleryCompany. The Honourable ArtilleryCompany continues today as a territorialregiment in the British Army, whereasthe Honourable East India Company wasstripped of its administrative powersover India in 1858 before beingdissolved by Act of Parliament in 1874.

The City of London welcomed thenew Company with great warmth and in1932 the Court of Aldermen conferred onthe Company the status of Livery andofficial recognition. It was the first timein over 200 years that the ancient doors ofthe Guildry of London had been openedto a new Company. The Companybecame 78th in order of precedence in theLivery and is noted as the first “modern”Company and as such is held in highesteem within the City.

Her Majesty the Queen became theHonourable Company’s Patron in 1952.His Royal Highness the Duke ofEdinburgh was Master from 1954 to1957, and then became Admiral of theCompany - a post he holds to this day.His Royal Highness the Prince of Waleswas Master from 1988 to 1990 while,most recently, the Princess Royal wasMaster from 2005 to 2007.

HQS WellingtonIt was always the ambition of thefounding members of the Company tohave a Livery Hall and up to the outbreakof war in 1939 various proposals wereexamined, including the purchase of thesailing ship Archibald Russell. After thewar, it became apparent that thepossibility of building a Hall in the Cityof London had been rendered veryremote and when, in 1947, the sloopHMS Wellington was made available bythe Admiralty, the Company decided tobuy her with money subscribed by theMembers and convert her to a floatingLivery Hall - an appropriate home for aCompany of seamen.

Built at Devonport in 1934, HMSWellington saw service on the NewZealand and China stations before theoutbreak of World War 2 during whichshe served primarily in the NorthAtlantic on convoy escort duties. Duringthe war, Wellington was fitted with two4.7 inch and one three inch guns.Additionally, anti-aircraft guns werefitted for self defence. Depth charges foruse against submarines were alsocarried. The Wellington served primarilyin the North Atlantic on convoy escortduties. She shared in the destruction ofone enemy U boat and was involved inOperation Dynamo, the evacuation oftroops from Dunkirk. A fuller account ofWellington’s war service has beenwritten by Captain Archie Munro in hisbook HMS Wellington.

The cost of the conversion atChatham was met by an appeal to whichLloyd’s, shipping companies, LiveryCompanies and many other benefactorsgenerously contributed. She arrived ather Victoria Embankment berth inDecember 1948. In 1991 HQSWellington was dry-docked at Sheernessfor three months during which, apartfrom extensive steelwork repairs andcomplete external painting, shereceived a major refurbishment whichincluded the refitting of all toiletfacilities, offices and accommodationareas together with a new galley. For thefirst time, Wellington was fitted withcustom-made carpet, which added afeeling of comfort and warmth to theship. This, coupled with imaginativedisplays of the Company’s marinepaintings and artefacts, gold and silverplate, ship models and early 18thcentury charts, help make the ship aLivery Hall which is admiredthroughout the City of London.

On the 1st of July 2005 ownership ofthe HQS Wellington was transferredfrom the Honourable Company to theWellington Trust. This is a charitabletrust established to ensure the

preservation of this historic ship. Moreinformation about the Wellington Trust,including the hiring of this prestigiousvenue, may be found on their web sitewww.thewellingtontrust.com.

A Developing Role. In the 82 yearsfrom its inception the HonourableCompany has made huge changes in howit conducts its business while adhering tothe principles and ethos enshrined in theCompany’s Charter. It is a young andforward looking Livery Companyenjoying a multi-function role in the Cityof London, seaports of the UnitedKingdom and abroad. Membership of theHonourable Company is open toqualified Master Mariners of the Britishand Commonwealth Merchant Naviesand qualified seamen officers of theRoyal Navy.

Education. The Company providespractical support to the education ofmariners. Grants from the Company’sEndowment Fund and Charitable Trustsmay be available for education purposesprovided trust criteria are met. TheCompany has supported the training ofDeck Officers and Masters since it wasfounded in 1926. The Company istaking the lead in developingprogrammes to support mid-careermariners and those who wish to broadentheir educational base. Initiativesinclude a MSc in Maritime Operationsand Management at City University.

Charities. The Company managesfour charitable trusts which supportneedy mariners and their families andthe education of those either wishing tomake a career at sea or already pursuinga seafaring career.

Adopted Ships by the HonourableCompanyThe Company has adopted RFAs LargsBay and Cardigan Bay. The currentMaster of The Honourable Company ofMaster Mariners, Captain A.P.M.Davisand I as Senior Warden, were privilegedto be invited to the recent presentation ofthe Queen’s Colours to the Royal FleetAuxiliary in RFA Largs Bay atPortsmouth.

We look forward to meeting theOfficers and ship’s company of LargsBay and Cardigan Bay in the near future.

Joining the Honourable Company ofMaster MarinersAny qualified RFA or retired Officerholding a STCW II/2 Master Mariner’squalification or RN equivalent iswelcome to apply to join the HonourableCompany of Master Mariners as aFreeman. For those Officers not holdingthe required qualifications, you can stilljoin us as an Associate Member afterinterview. We also have apprenticeshipmembership for Cadets/Midshipmen.For further information look up ourwebsite at www.hcmm.org.uk.

Captain Malcolm W ParrottSenior WardenThe Honourable Company of MasterMariners


RFA ASSOCIATION

Headquarters

01434 220000

E-mail:

[email protected]

CHAIRMAN

Pat Thompson

01833 640045

07879 254168

Skype Captain.Pat

E-mail:

[email protected]

ADMIN

01434 220000

E-mail: [email protected]

MEMBERSHIP

Dawn Reay

01434 220000

E-mail:[email protected]

TREASURER

David Cameron

0131 3345665

E-mail:

[email protected]

SECRETARY & FINANCIAL

SECRETARY

Under consideration

PLYMOUTH BRANCH

David Gerrard (Acting)

E-mail:

[email protected]

SOLENT BRANCH

Brian Waters

01722 320562

E-mail :

[email protected]

LONDON BRANCH

Peter Robinson

01322 448788


SCOTTISH & NEWCASTLE

BRANCH

John Roddis

01786 821379

E-mail:

[email protected]

MIDLANDS BRANCH

Vacancy

CAMBRIA & NORTHWEST

Frank Andrews

01722 685427


Office Address:

3-4 Station House

Bellingham

Hexham NE48 2DG

Mailing Address

PO Box 52

Barnard Castle

DL12 2BA

Web Sites:

http://www.rfa-association.org

and Plymouth Branch

http://www.rfaaplymouth.org

RFA ASSOC IAT ION

CONTACT

INFORMATION

The RFA Reunion 2008, thehighlight of the Association SocialCalendar, was held this year at the

Marriot Hotel Edinburgh on 10th May2008. The event, hosted by the Scottish andNewcastle Branch, was very well organisedand BZs are deserved all round for theorganisers and their efforts. A good turnoutof the membership ensured a splendidevening.

Highlights of the evening includedthe proceedings being opened by a piperand concluded with a presentation to RexCooper the retiring Chairman of the RFAAand his wife Pat. The main gift was apainting of RFA ROBERT MIDDLETONsteaming up the Sound of Mull - Rex's firstcommand in 1973, and a ship for whichthey both have much affection. Thepainting was by Rachel Person, a graduateof the Glasgow School of Art. Pat alsoreceived a beautiful silver photo frame anda Caithness glass paper weight.

Rex gave his valedictory speechoutlining the background of theAssociation, it's development into the

This year's AGM was held at 1130 on

5th June at the Thistle Hotel, Newcastle (where

it all began so many years ago). Below is just a

précis of the proposed minutes and must not be

considered the definitive document.

The meeting was opened by the

outgoing chairman, Rex Cooper, who

welcomed all the attendees. He also welcomed

Mrs Lesley Allen (Bellingham Community

Trust) who acted as the independent scrutineer

of the voting arrangement. He went on to

outline the administrative arrangements

including the procedure for voting on

resolutions and the ballot for the chair.

Following a personal statement from the

outgoing chairman the meeting moved on to the

agenda.

1. The minutes of the last general meeting held

on 14th November 2007 were duly passed

as a true record of proceedings and the

Chairman signed the Minute Book.

2. Following year-end 2007 efforts had been

made to simplify the funds and accounts,

and the revised layout is now in use for the

year 2008. The Chairman also confirmed

that the Charity is now registered in

Scotland.

3. The Trustees Report and Accounts for 2007

were presented and the chairman guided the

members through these documents,

whereafter the members were invited to

ballot for the resolution to accept them.

4. Mr Peter Nicholls (HMS Nelson) was then

balloted to continue as Independent

Examiner of Accounts.

5. Following final remarks from the candidates

for the post of Chairman of the Association

and questions from the members, a ballot

was held for the post.

6. The Chairman introduced the trustees

standing for re-election and thanked those

retiring. A ballot was then carried out,

following which the Independent Scrutineer

retired to conduct the count.

During the count a most agreeable buffet

lunch was served and the meeting reconvened

for the results:- as follows.

Ordinary results, carried.-

Pat Thompson was elected to the Chair

of the Association

Frank Andrews, David Bass, Mike Day,

Chris Locke, Alan Roach and Brian Waters

were re-elected as Trustees of the Association.

The retiring Chairman warmly thanked

Lesley Allen for all her work and care in this

matter and welcomed Pat Thompson as the new

Chairman of the Association.

And finally as there was no further

business, and after the final formalities the

retiring Chairman brought the meeting to a

close thanking everyone for their attendance

and contribution. The next meeting will be held

in 2009, date and venue to be advised.

Association we know today and his hopesfor the future.

Commodore Bob Thornton also gavehis valedictory speech - he is to be relievedlater this year by Commodore(Desig) BillWalworth. His speech highlighted therecent developments in the Fleet, includingnew ships, new training regimes, newopportunities and a new security of tenurefor the RFA and it's people. This isprobably the best news that we have heardfor a long time.

Numerous photographs were takenand are available to view in the MortimoreCollection at rfaaplymouth.org or on a CDfrom HQ.

And finally, work is already inprogress for next year's Reunion. Liverpoolhas been selected as the location, given ourconnections with the port for so manyyears. Trustee Frank Andrews will beconducting an initial recce to identify asuitable venue, determine costs etc. Detailswill be announced on the website and bymailshot as soon as they are finalised.

RFA Reunion 2008

Rex Cooper and his wife Pat receive a gift of a painting of the RFA ROBERT MIDDLETON.

AGM 2008

Since my election on the 5th June

at the AGM it has been like a helter-

skelter ride descending into mayhem

(and that was on the good days). There

I would of course like to thank

everybody who supported my

candidature for the post and also Rex,

who, although he has taken his hand off

the tiller after so many years is still

keeping a weather eye out of the

wheelhouse window.

There is so much to do, but

frankly there will always be so much to

normal routine of Charity Management

communication with the membership

and finding more sources of funding

immediately come to mind. I am

addressing both these topics,

communications by a revamp of the HQ

website and funding by polishing up the

metaphorical begging bowl.

The change in management has

also necessitated change in the contact

arrangements. The telephone number

remains the same 01434 220000 but

added to that is a mobile number 07879

254168 and, especially for the benefit

of member's living abroad, a Sk py e

number "Captain.Pat". This latter

number seriously cuts the cost of

contact from expensive to free via the

internet.

Postal arrangements have also

changed. Obviously the address, 3-4

Station House Bellingham remains the

same but a new PO box is available. See

the sidebar for details. The old PO box

remains available for a few more

months until the rental runs out but will

then lapse. I will post the actual date on

the website as the date approaches.

Remaining on the topic of

communications, please remember that

if nobody tells me I will not know.

House moves, change of e-mail

address, change of telephone numbers

and of course when members cross the

bar. Please keep in touch so that the

pastoral aspects of our Association can

be properly addressed.

My thanks go to Mike Day for the

County Class Catamaran article and

photograph and to George Mortimore

for the photographs of the Queen

Colour Ceremony,

Finally, I do apologise for the

amateurish standard of my journalism,

the whole issue of writing for Gunline

has scared the pants off me, so please

give me a break this time,

I promise to do better next time.

Pat Thompson

Chairman's Dit.

do so where does one start. Out with the

has been and still is, so much to learn.

's

12 - Gunline


F O R S E R V I C E , S E A FA R E R S A N D FA M I L I E SREG CHARITY NO. 1093950. PATRON: HRH THE EARL OF WESSEX, KG KCVO ADC REGISTERED IN SCOTLAND No. SC039054

The following members, sadly,

have "Crossed the Bar"

Dave Weedall RFA (Rtd). 6 June 2008

Captain (E) Nanabhai (Nana) Karsondas

RFA (Rtd). 7 June 2008 aged 81

Commodore Sam Dunlop CBE DSO

RFA (Rtd). 17 July 2008 aged 85

Captain Maurice Telfer RFA (Rtd)

17th July 2008 aged 93.

Picture the scene. It's a warm, May afternoon, in

1974. In the small office attached to a huge, Georgian

stores warehouse in Britain's smallest and, some say,

friendliest Royal Dockyard the telephone rings. It's Friday,

3.30 pm and the Senior Storehouse man is looking forward

to going home. Chatham is also a slightly old-fashioned

dockyard where the personnel turn to at 7.00 am and get

breakfast provided by the dockyard. Consequently they go

home a little earlier than most people in industry.

Reluctantly he picks up the phone. "Hello?" he says,

hoping the person calling will appreciate he does not want a

long conversation.

"Hi, it's John here, STO(N)'s department, REGENT.

How are you, Fred? Looking forward to the weekend?"

"Yes, I am John, so I hope you aren't going to get me

chasing all over the place. Can't it wait till Monday?"

"Well, I thought you could just give me a little

information. I need to order something for the skipper

before we sail first thing on Monday. He's got a bee in his

bonnet about it. He wants us to get him a County Class

Catamaran, like they have on the RESOURCE. I knew you

were the "cordage, dunnage and fenders" man so I thought

I'd contact you. Have you got the stores number, etc?"

Fred thought for a moment. It's a wind up. It's got

to be. He'd never heard of such a thing. "Look, John, I don't

know what you've been doing since you went afloat. I've

heard this happen to our people before. You get a bit stir

crazy. Are you having a laugh? You can't be thinking of the

Bramble Leaf fender can you? They've been in service for

years".

They certainly had. after the

BRAMBLELEAF, a fast RFA fleet oiler of the First World

War, the fender consisted of a large baulk of timber about a

foot square and 12 feet long, which had been run through

the centre of about two dozen old heavy duty rubber tyres,

Chairmen's Visit to

Buckingham Palace.

On the 19th June outgoing Chairman Rex,

accompanied by incoming Chairman Pat

Thompson, performed his final act as Chairman

with a visit to our Patron His Royal Highness the

Earl of Wessex at Buckingham Palace.

Who would have thought that the RFA would ever be honoured with a Queen's Colour.

Well, given the qualities and achievements of the Service for over 100 years, the Queen did!

On the 18th July 2008 our Patron, HRH the Earl of Wessex KG KCVO ADC as the Commodore in Chief of the Service, made the presentation on her behalf. A Colour Party made up from

men and women of the RFA with the Royal Navy and Royal Logistic Corps did the honours, well supported by the Band of the Royal Marines.

The whole amazing event was hosted by the ship's company of RFA Largs Bay and didn't they all do so incredibly well.

The Association was well supported with a very good turnout and I am sure that George Mortimore's and Dave Bolton's stalwart efforts will soon appear on the RFAA Plymouth website.

Presentation of the Queen's Colour to the RFAIn RFA Largs Bay at Portsmouth 18 July 2008.

properly secure. There were two lengths of wire hawsers

secured to eyebolts, one at either end of the timber. Placed

over the side between the issuing and receiving ship, they

rolled up and down the ships' sides, as the ships rolled gently

in a sea and their drafts changed. They would not tip over

like the standard catamarans or "camels", and being more

substantial than the cane fendering also used, they could take

a lot of weight without being damaged or causing damage. A

very clever invention which did the job well.

"No", replied John. "You needn't worry about me.

I've got a picture of one in use right in front of me. I'll post a

copy to you. Perhaps you can help me when we get back.

Bye for now, Fred".

Fred was quite relieved - the yard's steam whistle,

like a fog horn, had just blown. Time to go home. He was

sure he had heard John laughing as he put the phone down.

He'd have to wait and see what this photo was all about.

And this is the photo he eventually received.

In February 1974, RFA RESOURCE was on a very

eventful trip covering the east coast of the USA. There was

a spectacular visit to New Orleans before the ship, under the

command of Captain Don Averill, berthed in San Juan for a

few days. It was an alongside berth so that was a joy to an

ammunition ship's crew.

During the approach to the berth the local pilot lost

control of the tugs and the Chief Engineer's accommodation

made contact with a sponson on an USN commando carrier,

the INCHON. The Captain took over and put the engines

full astern. The Carrier's crew, rushing onto the flightdeck,

were covered in black smoke from our funnel as the

engineer's tried to re-balance the blowers.

Shortly after we berthed, all very excited about being

alongside, a County Class got permission to berth alongside

us. That was innovative in itself. Imagine that happening in

Devonport.

We heard TIDEPOOL in VHF conversation with

BLAKE and the Flag, not happy about being berthed outside

at anchor. The Captain had been talking with the Port

Authorities. Apparently there was enough water to berth

outboard of us. That meant outboard of the County Class

destroyer. We all laughed on RESOURCE. It would never

happen. By late afternoon it was happening. And the rest

you can see.

And that is how the County Class catamaran came

into existence, to keep two large RFAs apart in port.

(c) Mike Day 2008 Extract from his book "British

Fleet Auxiliaries" in 3 volumes.

The County Class Catamaran

Obituaries

Named

Gunline - 13


14 - Gunline

LIFE AT SEA IS NO BARRIER TO LEARNINGWhen it comes to distance learning The Marine Society’s College of the Sea has often led the way. Its Director of Education for the past two decades, Brian Thomas, reviewsthe latest initiatives to benefit RFA seafarers.

The Marine Society & Sea CadetsThe Marine Society

Nelson sent us a fiverbefore Trafalgar…and his legacy lives on today!

Now we needyour help to stayafloat in a fastchanging world.

By leaving us alegacy you willbe our nextnaval hero!

For 250 years The Marine Society

has supportedseafarers andchampioned

Britain’s maritimeheritage. And with

400 “trainingships” nationwide,

the Sea Cadetsoffer young people

a start in life –Navy style.

For more information: www.ms-sc.orgemail: [email protected] phone: 020 7654 7013

The Marine Society & Sea Cadets202 Lambeth RoadLONDON SE1 7JW

A charity registered in England & Wales 313013 and in Scotland SC037808

The Marine Society College of the Sea (MSCoS) hasidentified a need for a distance taught route for

seafarers to top up their HND/FD into a BA/BSchonours degree and a demand amongst senior seafarersto have their Class 1 Certificate of Competencyrecognised and accredited by a reputable university thatoffers a swift and seafarer-friendly route to an MA orMSc degree.

So the MSCoS has entered into a partnership withthe Institute for Work-Based Learning (IWBL) atMiddlesex University to devise such a pathway that canbe achieved entirely by means of distance learning.Two ground-breaking programmes are now available.

There’s no requirement for attendance, though thereis an opportunity to attend on-campustutorials for those who wish/can; but theseare entirely optional. Internet access isn’tnecessary: a work-round is in place wherebyresources are made available on regularlyupdated CD/DVDs.

The financial cost of the programme isvery competitive, and is made even moreattractive by The Marine Society’s offer offinancial assistance to individual UK-domiciledseafarers through interest-free loans and a range ofscholarships.

There are two main start points annually: Septemberand January; minimum time to complete theprogramme is just eight months.

These exciting and innovative products have strucka chord with the sector, and already there are several

RFA personnel on-programme.Director of Education at The Marine Society & Sea

Cadets Brian Thomas told Gunline: “Key to the success of these initiatives was getting

Middlesex University to accredit senior seafarers’experiential and prior learning.”

Brian continued: “Judged by the volume ofexpressions of interest being received, and testimonyfrom seafarers, this pace-setting programme fulfils amarket niche and has been long awaited by bothseafarers and the sector.”

The merit of these programmes to the individualseafarer is self-evident. But the valid point has beenmade by many in praise of the programmes that theyrepresent a significant step in bestowing upon theseafaring profession a mainstream academicequivalency that has for too long eluded it.

Formally endorsed by the Nautical Instituteand supported by the Merchant Navy TrainingBoard, the programmes complement the effortsof the latter and others in enhancing the appealof seafaring as a career and in turn helping toattract a higher quality of applicant, thereby

investing in the future of our seafarers.More at www.ms-sc.org/mdx or email

[email protected] or phone 020 7654 7050.

On 24 June staff from The Marine Society & Sea Cadets andMiddlesex University spent an acquaint day board RFA FortVictoria, enthusiastically hosted by the ship’s XO, IanDrummond (centre).

GCSE/A LEVEL ACHIEVEMENTSCongratulations to all Marine Society

College of the Sea learners who sattheir exams with overwhelming successduring summer, amongst whom RFAseafarers are well represented.

Twelve RFA seafarers are currentlycelebrating their remarkableachievements, with over 93% of MarineSociety GCSE learners awarded gradesA* to C – this compares to the nationalaverage of 65%. And 88% who sat at ALevel achieved Grade C or above.

The Marine Society College of theSea been providing supported self-studyat GCSE and A Level for decades; itcurrently has more than 600 UK seafarerlearners at this level.

And because they’re an accreditedexam centre The Marine Society canenter and arrange examinationswherever its learners find themselves inthe world, including at sea.

RFA Steward Andrew Rawlinsonwas amongst this summer’s crop ofachievers and offers this account of hisexperience of studying at sea:

“Three years ago I enrolled with TheMarine Society to take English at GCSElevel. Why did I do this? One glance atmy woefully lacking CV will suggest ananswer.

To begin with I thought why am Ibothering? What benefit will this bring?But then I thought of the sense ofachievement, higher self-esteem and abetter appreciation of the words thatmake up our English language. A line inmy CV now reads “GCSE Grade A”,

and I’m proud of that. I honestly thought that I’d struggle

with the work, and the thought of doingthis at sea away from a classroomenvironment would make success at theexam harder. Really though I need nothave worried.

The Marine Society put me in touchwith my tutor Ruth: a wonderful lady, ofwhom I can’t speak highly enough. Ruthguided me through the whole course withhumour and patience. Towards the end Ifound that I’d truly enjoyed the work: theimprovements that I made from thebeginning to the end of the year werequite dramatic, and incredibly satisfying.

Since then I’ve completed a MathsGCSE exam whilst serving onboardRFA Lyme Bay and was pleased with theresult. Maths isn’t an easy subject, butthanks again to The Marine Society andmy tutor David I can add another newline to my CV.

I’ve found that re-educating myselfat the age of 45 has given me a newpurpose and a better understanding ofmyself and the world around us.

I’m currently tackling a computercourse ECDL (European ComputerDriving License) and I intend to take aGCSE Science subject next year.

My only regret is that I should havedone this years ago, and to anyone whois thinking of studying at sea, I say do it– because you’ll not regret it! “

Find out more at www.mscos.ac.ukor email [email protected] orphone 020 7654 7050.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCEThe Marine Society continues to

financially support serving officersand ratings with the RFA.

Administrating the JW Slater Fundon behalf of Nautilus UK several ratingsare studying for their OOW certificate.The awards are worth £15,000.

Interest-free loans are available toassist those who wish to study forvocational courses and WorcesterScholarships to assist with highereducation programmes.

Already this year several Worcesterscholarships have been awarded to RFApersonnel. They include assistance toobtain a BSc in Maritime Studies, a BScin Marine Engineering, and a professionalqualification from the Chartered Instituteof Personnel & Development.

When awarding scholarships TheMarine Society is looking for a carefullyconsidered application with theunderpinning aim of furthering amaritime career.

The Marine Society also considersthe award of loans which maysubsequently be converted into grants.For example, should a seafarer wish tostudy for a vocationally orientateddiploma by distance learning he/shemay be offered a loan, but when thecourse has been successfullycompleted the loan may be convertedinto a grant. The aim is to provideadditional motivation for a form ofstudy that is often very difficult to

follow through. Contact The Marine Society for more

on 020 7654 7000 or logon atwww.mscos.ac.uk or [email protected]


Gunline - 15

The first 6 months of 2008 have seen WAVE RULERemerge from refit in Birkenhead and pass through the

stringent process of Fleet Acceptance and subsequentOperational Sea Training before deploying to the familiarbeat of Atlantic Patrol (North) and resuming operations insupport of the significant UK interests in the Caribbeanand Central America.

The period of post-refit regeneration was extremelybusy with the usual multitude of conflicting taskingbetween getting the Ship in a fit state to safely conductroutine operations at sea and getting personnel into thetraining mindset required to successfully deal with thefloods and fires of FOST. In between all this, a quick runto Scotland to load 16000 tonnes of oil and a full outfit ofammunition. Amazingly and with full credit to the Ship’sCompany, having left Birkenhead in a somewhatdishevelled state, WAVE RULER presented on time forFOST, was assessed safe at MASC and continued on to anoverall “Very Satisfactory” at Final Inspection. One ortwo minor hiccups en route with the inevitable couple of“rescrubs” from the wreckers, but WAVE RULERemerged at the end of the Regeneration tunnel fighting-fitand ready for duty just 12 weeks after leaving the hands ofNorth West Ship Repair at Birkenhead.

Primary duty once deployed to the Caribbean AORis support and re-assurance to the UK OverseasTerritories, particularly as we approach the height of thehurricane season. Visits and regional engagement to theUK OTs of Anguilla, British Virgin Isles, CaymanIslands, Turks and Caicos along with visits to Curacao,Grenada, Belize and Jamaica have ensured that UK

interests are again upheld by WAVE RULER operatingas a singleton unit for much of the time prior to thearrival of HMS IRON DUKE. At each visit, the shiphas provided training for local fire services, coastguardor police marine units, search and rescue organisationsand has engaged with local disaster managementcommittees. WAVE RULER also represented the MODat a high-profile Disaster Management Seminar held onthe island of Montserrat, led by the FCO and attendedby all Island Governments and the various UK and UNhumanitarian agencies. On completion of the seminar,the ship completed a circum-navigation of the islandwith the delegates embarked in order to view thevolcanic destruction from the sea.

Of course, the ship’s company has alsoenthusiastically conducted beach surveys and

offshore/littoral reconnaissance on each of the islands.Unfortunately, the West Indies sporting tour has runinto some difficulty. The Anguillan national footballteam (who play Austria later this year) narrowly(?)defeated WAVE RULER with RFA (and USCG) guileand cunning no match for youth and talent. After abright start, the cricketers are finding life in theCaribbean particularly challenging – as the islandsbecome embarrassingly smaller, the defeats seem tobecome embarrassingly bigger.

Secondary tasking revolves around Counter Narco-terrorism operations in support of UK and US LawEnforcement Agencies to restrict the flow of illegalnarcotics into Europe and the USA. Yet again WAVERULER found herself at the sharp end of this business,jousting with drug smuggling boats on an almost dailybasis. Whilst arrests have not as yet been achieved,disruption to the drug-traffickers trade has been wide-spread. With our embarked US Coast Guard LawEnforcement detachment, WAVE RULER remainsstanding firm as a force for good.

WAVE RULER RETURNS TO THE CARIBBEAN FIGHTING-FIT AND READY FOR DUTY

There is a history of long deployments within the RFAand the latest to claim a milestone is RFA

BAYLEAF, which returned from the Gulf Region at theend of May after seven years away from the UK.

The RFA has maintained a proud record of unbrokenservice in the Gulf Region with a tanker on stationsince the early 1980’s with the ARMILLA Patrols, andlatterly as the Arabian Gulf Ready Tanker (AGRT).While this has been BAYLEAF’s longest period awayfrom the UK, she has spent much of her operational lifedeployed to this Region.

BAYLEAF has been under the Operational Control(OPCON) of United Kingdom’s Maritime ComponentCommander (UKMCC) based in Bahrain, and day to daytasking delegated to the American logistics coordinator,Commander Task Force 53 (CTF 53), also in Bahrain.CTF 53 has the complex task of matching the logisticsrequests from warships of the coalition nations to thereplenishment ships available over a huge operatingarea. Task Force 53 replenishment assets are mainly U.S.ships with BAYLEAF being the only UK tanker. TheJapanese also provide tanker support for Op EnduringFreedom and is mainly based in the Gulf of Oman andArabian Sea. This central coordination allows thecoalition warships operating in support of OperationIraqi Freedom in the Gulf, and those supportingOperation Enduring Freedom mainly outside the Gulf, tooperate freely as the tanker moves between them. Thenomadic existence of BAYLEAF is necessary to coverthe 2.4 million square miles of sea of the Joint OperationArea (JOA) and the widely dispersed warships.

No task has been too great or small and BAYLEAFalways offered a positive and flexible approach totasking. Some of our smallest customers were just asgrateful as our largest. HMS RAMSEY and BLYTH(Sandown Class Minehunters) were accompanied fromthe Red Sea to the Gulf requiring 15t of fuel perReplenishment at Sea (RAS) and at the larger end ofsupport would be ships like the Amphibious AssaultHelicopter Carrier USS BOXER needing a 2500t top-up.A large majority of our customers over the years have

been the US Navy who works in gallons, so 650,000gallons would give you an idea for USS BOXER!

Over the 7 years BAYLEAF has conducted over 770replenishments with warships from 17 differentnations. The coalition nations have the common aimsof detecting, deterring and disrupting illegal activitywithin the JOA and to establish and maintain MaritimeSecurity in order to provide stability for regionaldevelopment. The illegal activities are wide ranging:smuggling, drug trafficking, piracy and terrorism. Thevast JOA is subdivided into 3 area Commands: CTF158 commands ships in the Northern Arabian Gulfprotecting the Iraqi Oil Platforms – this is where SIRBEDIVERE and latterly CARDIGAN BAY providedinvaluable support to this effort. CTF 152 looks afterthe Central and Southern area of the Gulf and then CTF150 has the largest area with all waters outside theArabian Gulf as far south as the Somali Basin. Thenomadic existence of BAYLEAF provided contrastsand variety of both tasking and threats. Piracy offSomalia has been a growing problem with Merchantships hi-jacked and ransomed back to their owners.People trafficking in the Gulf of Aden continues in allweathers and dhows smuggling drugs across theArabian Sea are all facets of every day life in thisregion. Overlaid with the security concerns and threatsof terrorism, then no day was a dull day…

Life onboard developed into a good routine withrepetitive but essential training to integrate new joinersand maintaining awareness and operational capability.The weapon crews have been an important part ofeveryday life with regular live firings to hone theirresponses and skills. A novel experience was to conductOperational Sea Training (OST) in theatre with FlagOfficer Sea Training Staff (FOST) basing themselves inSalalah Oman. A worthwhile and successful trainingperiod culminating in a Thursday War Inspection,(although it was Sunday!), and an Inspection RAS withthe American Amphibious Assault Ship USS SAIPAN.

Over the years BAYLEAF has seen ships come andgo and made some good friends along the way. The

PNS TIPPU SULTAN (ex HMS AVENGER) wasparticularly keen to invite our PO(Comms), who servedon AVENGER in the Falklands War, for a visit and tourduring a replenishment serial.

It’s not all work and no maintenance, and in 2003and 2006 the ship benefited from a short dockingperiod in Singapore, which gave us all a brief change ofscenery… and some rain. BAYLEAF benefited fromreturning to the same Gulf ports with Dubai and JebelAli becoming ‘home-from-home’ ports, both with thebenefits of good logistics and maintenance support.During the past seven years Dubai has seen some of themost rapid development imaginable and BAYLEAFhas witnessed this first hand. Many of the worldslargest dredgers are employed creating new islands(The Palm and The World are just two) and the skylinechanges with architectural wonders providing afantastic backdrop to this vibrant City – for those ofyou who remember the long drive between Dubai andJebel through the desert sands you can now expect tosee one continuous construction site – the drive is stilllong but now even slower, but it’s hoped the new‘Metro’ train system will help. Even Port Rashid hasnot been spared, and the developers are busy filling inthe berths to create a marina and cruise linerdevelopment – a fantastic place and it’ll be better whenit’s finished! The ‘Seafarers Mission’ is still as manyremember and remained a popular venue for RFApersonnel and the ship’s departure was suitably markedwith a barbecue event.

The new ‘kid on the block’ for the AGRT role isRFA WAVE KNIGHT and she will provide an extradimension to support in the Region. She will be newer,faster, aviation capable, have extra space for stores etc.but despite that I’m sure BAYLEAF will be welcomedback before she is due to go out of service in 2014.

BAYLEAF returned to the UK in May and, in trueRFA tradition, conducted a short maintenance andstoring period before taking on her next tasking as theFOST TANKER ……. helping ships prepare for theirown operational deployments.

The photo shows MedTech Steve Manlow and PO(Q) JohnDoherty dealing with the aftermath of the road accident at theDISTEX site.

The photo shows WAVE RULER berthed in St George’s,Grenada.

SEVEN YEARS DEPLOYED


16 - Gunline

Printed by Holbrooks Printers Ltd, Portsmouth PO3 5HX

RFA WAVE RULER VISITS THECARIBBEAN – MAY TO JULY 2008

RFA Wave Ruler left Portland early inMay passing via Plymouth to

complete the last FOST Serial. Twoweeks later, after a sometimes bumpyride across the Atlantic, a flight deckBBQ with horse racing and stopping torecover a small RIB found floating in themiddle of nowhere, we arrived inCuracao with its beautiful waterfront justin time for the Dutch Caribbean NavyDays. We berthed around the cornerfrom RFA Largs Bay and though slightlyout of the way, still attracted a good levelof interest from the appreciative visitors.

Then there was a chance to recoverfrom FOST and head to Mambo Beachfor some snorkelling along the reef,followed by some salsa and cocktails athappy hour, always welcome after anafternoon in the hot sun! The local cricketclub put up a strong opposition winningby 153 – 5 to WVRL 123 – 4 with a fineresult from SG1A Gaz Woolley scoring47 not out. So after exploring the island,enjoying the Dutch slant to living in thesun and with the maintenance complete itwas time to move on.

We arrived early at St. Georges,Grenada at the end of May. As always onarrival, it is a busy time for all on theship, receiving visitors, mail & storesthrough to disposing of the ships refuseand hosting a lunch reception. The lushgreen landscape of the volcanic islandwas so inviting that it was not longbefore many took the tour of the “SpiceIsland” finding Nutmeg (the main crop),Cocoa Beans and a few waterfalls toswim under. We saw the damage yet tobe repaired following Hurricane Ivan in2004 and much mention of the politicalslogan “Let the progress continue”. Ofcourse the local rum was available for afree tasting en route and the OfficersMess President discovered some newbar rules. As per all our visits to theBritish dependencies co-operating withthe FCO & DFID, there was training anda spot of engineering assistance to theGrenada Coastguard.

Anguilla is the paradise it is paintedto be on the poster in your travel agent.Shoal Bay East is the classic curvingwhite sand beach. Here the cricket teamfought against the national side, loosingby some margin with an excellentperformance from MM1 John Mizen, 1wicket for 25 runs. The football teamwas up against the national side,unfortunately with a similar result, asour team was twice their age. Some ofthe Officers Mess attended the Queen’sBirthday Reception held by theGovernor, including a ColoursCeremony and survived in one piecewearing the full mess undress across onthe liberty boat, a sandy beach, anAmerican school bus and a very shortrig run, while waiting for the returningboat. On the last day whilst the Disaster

Relief meetings were carried out ashore,the ships company taught Navigation toCustoms & the Police Marine Unitwhilst Damage Control and Re-EntryTechniques were provided by the PO(Q)John Doherty to the Fire Fighters.

The next day, whilst the XO DaveEagles attended a regional disaster reliefconference in Montserrat, twelve of theships company were given a police escortto explore areas of the live volcano thatare normally out of bounds to the public.They saw the devastation caused by theash, mud and rocks deposited onPlymouth, the former capital that is nowdeserted. This was followed by theconference delegates joining the ship forlunch and a tour around the island to seethe full extent of the damage and thesolidified larva flows.

Tortola, in the British Virgin Islandwas a very popular visit, but unfortunatelyas we carried too much draught to makethe cruise berth, we were at anchor 4miles from Road Harbour. Again therewas much training carried out with thePolice & Fire Brigade and we visitedVirgin Gorda, one of the other islands, tocelebrate the Queen’s Birthday with theGovernor and staff from the FCO. Tortolais also known for Pussers Rum. This iswhere the tot of rum for the Royal Navywas produced until there was no longer adaily issue. The trading rights for“Pussers” are now owned by a former USMarine of the Vietnam era along with abar / restaurant / tourist shop. Anotherreason that the BVI is so popular is that itis one of the yachting mecca’s of theworld, with kind waters and good windsyear round. In terms of cricket it wasanother hard struggle against a nationalside. TCI 163 – 5 WVRL 53 - 9. Notableachievements were LH(C) Tony Freer 2wickets in 3 overs, 1/O(X) Gareth Lees 1wicket & 1 run out in 5 overs, MM1 JohnMizen 1 wicket in 5 overs.

After a short pause at Antigua to collecta Police patrol boat, we stopped off atProvidenciales in the Turks & CaicosIslands for an evening reception held bythe Governor where the Police boat, a giftfrom the UK government, was formallyaccepted. Then it was on to Grand Turk,the administrative and political capital ofthe TCI’s where along with the nownormal training for the Police and Firefighters, we held a tour for 50 schoolchildren and cadets, helped withmaintenance at the Museum and a boatparty helped clean up Gibbs Cay (seearticle). We very much enjoyed the quietof a small island (11km x 2.4km) withbeautiful white beaches and great diving,until the cruise ship “Caribbean Princes”arrived with 1240 crew and 3440passengers, heading ashore like an army ofants and we finished off with a CocktailParty on the flight deck as they sailedaway, leaning over their balconies.

LARGS BAY SHUTTLE LAUNCH –TECHNICAL TEAM OUTING

Once RFA LARGS BAY’s Systemand Marine engineers found out

that the latest space shuttle was to belaunched from Cape Canaveral whilstthe ship was in Mayport it was anopportunity not to be missed. Not onlyfor the launch but for the many retailopportunities that such a trip presents.

Mission Statement:To be able to say that we had ‘BEENTHERE, DONE THAT, GOT LOADSOF T-SHIRTS’ (and other associatedcommercial items of tat)

Mission LogDate: PM Thursday 28th MayLocation: Mayport Naval Station Golf ClubRemarks: Planning meeting convenesand decides that Technical Team outing isessential to ongoing team effectiveness.A pitcher of beer seals the deal toorganise an expedition 200miles south towitness the Space Shuttle Launch.

Date: Friday 29th MayLocation: RFA LARGS BAYRemarks: Responsible personnel withinthe technical branch are identified asdesignated drivers and hire cars booked.On arrival of cars, function test andtesting of gear carried out prior todeparture at O’ crack sparrow next day.

Date: Saturday 30th MayLocation: RFA LARGS BAY to CapeCanaveralRemarks:

0730: Mission leader RichardMaddock (MEO) gathers gallantexplorers for pre-departure brief. Snacks,cameras, sunscreen and deckchairschecked and loaded into vehicles.

0815: All gear tested, radio checkscomplete team gets underway.

0915: Denny’s for breakfast stop,large quantities of hash browns, eggssunny-side up and pancakes with Maplesyrup consumed.

1100: Re-fuelling stop1215: Arrival Cape Canaveral and

recce of area to find suitable viewingarea. After many stops and a thwartedattempt to get into Kennedy SpaceCentre using Military ID the gallant teamdiscover a large NASA camping area bythe coast, overlooking the launch site.

1345: Set-up camp to await launchtime. Compulsory visit to gift shop tobuy Launch memorabilia. We also hadthe added bonus of seeing Manatees intheir natural habitat.

1702: THE LAUNCH – with camerasat the ready our intrepid team watch thelaunch from only approximately 4 milesaway. It was an impressive sight as theshuttle left the pad and streaked into the airwith an unexpected eerie silence until afew seconds later we were hit by the sonicboom and the roar of the powerful engines.

1730: Happy and elated the teamthen headed out back into Cocoa Beachto seek out much needed sustenance.

2030: After surviving somehorrendous traffic congestion our teamfinally travel the 10 miles to theirdestination – HOOTERS. After beingfed and watered it was back on the roadfor the long journey home.

0130: We arrived tired but fulfilledthat we had witnessed one of those oncein a lifetime experiences.

Team Members:Mission Controller: C/O(E) RichardMaddock. Delivery Vehicle 1 Pilot:3/O(E) Seb Cornish. Delivery Vehicle 1Co-Pilot/Navigator: 3/O(SE) Tim James. Delivery Vehicle 1 Support Team:Capt(E) Ed Quigley, 1/O(SE) MarkRoyston-Tonks, 2/O(SE) RichardJohnson, 3/O(E) Rob Urquhart. DeliveryVehicle 2 Pilot: 3/O(E) Craig Mitchell.Delivery Vehicle 2 Co-Pilot/Navigator:3/O(E) Paul Revill. Delivery Vehicle 2Support Team: 2/O(E) Colin Parnell,MM2 Chris Ballard, MM2 Jim Clark.

By 1/O(SE) Mark Royston-TonksSEO RFA LARGS BAY
