Gunline Sept09.qxd:Gunline 28/9/09 15:48 Page 1 Gunline - The First Point of Contact Published by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service October 2009 www.rfa.mod.uk FORT GEORGE IN MONTSERRAT FA Fort George visited ship’s own boats took the food ashore, Montserrat from 15th -20th along with an advance party of helpers. RJuly 2009. On Saturday 18th The remainder followed on local liberty July the ship hosted a BBQ ashore boats. The children had a fantastic time. for 20 children with special needs, At one stage during the afternoon I including several members of the counted more than 70 of the ship’s island’s very successful Special company at the cricket ground, Olympics team. The BBQ was held including the Commanding Officer and at the island’s cricket ground and Chief Engineer which help to produce a was followed by a 20/20 Cricket tremendous atmosphere.” match. The cricket proved a challenge too DSTO(N) Rhodes, the Visit far, though it was definitely a day when Liaison Officer, paid tribute to the the game mattered more than the result. ship’s company for their efforts. No fewer than 14 members of the ship’s “There is no doubt that the 30 people company took part against what was a Right: Gregory Willcock, who went ashore to assist with the powerful batting and bowling side. But President of the Montserrat BBQ were great ambassadors for the they stuck to their task and whilst they Cricket Association with his RFA. It is not easy to host an event were never going to win, they tried their daughter Keanna Meade, after like this from an anchorage but best from first ball to last. A great day receiving an RFA Fort George plaque from 2/0 (LS) Alex Cook. everyone played their part. The was had by everyone. ROYALROYAL FLEETFLEET AUXILIARYAUXILIARY COMMUNITYCOMMUNITY WEBSITEWEBSITE ForFor ServingServing MembersMembers,, theirtheir FamilyFamily andand FriendsFriends INFORMATION ADVICE COMMUNICATION www.rfacom.mod.uk Gunline Sept09.qxd:Gunline 28/9/09 15:48 Page 2 2 - Gunline Commodore Bill Walworth Father Graeme Elmore 1947-2009 elcome to ather Graeme was a priest, a friend and showed TELIC. His presence brought comfort and a sense of Gunline, the many signs of being a truly holy man. He normality during those exceptional weeks. His humour house W served as a Naval Chaplain for twenty one defused and magazine of the RFA. F Since the summer years and we regularly worked together. We attended helped at such edition Wave Ruler and the sea survival and the helicopter dunker courses an anxious time. Diligence have returned when we joined our first ships. As a priest he loved Less than a from the Middle East. his work, always ready to celebrate mass, say year ago Father Cardigan Bay, Lyme prayers, hear confessions, anointing the sick and the Graeme was Bay and Wave Ruler dying. He radiated the true values of the church. His diagnosed with remain on operations services were never dull or long but were filled with cancer. He faced with a substantial joy and godly humour. Many chaplains and friends his time in coalition maritime force conducting maritime shared in the pilgrimages to Walsingham in North hospital and as a security operations including counter piracy, smuggling Norfolk. These times followed the Chaucerian style patient at the and trafficking. Fort George is in the Eastern Atlantic in which included a great deal of time spent in various hospice with company with HMS Iron Duke as APT(N) and Gold public houses and with the help of a spirit in liquid great courage. Many friends visited and even more read Rover in the Falklands, although as I write this she is in form drank from a glass we all edged our way closer his blog on the internet. In the last weeks of his life maintenance in Rio De Janeiro, it’s a hard life. Lyme to the divine. Graeme made his own personal journey. Having helped Bay is settling into her deployment with the UK Mine Father Graeme said that the four years he spent as so many others see the value of faith and the way to Countermeasures Group, but able to do that as the result Chaplain to Royal Fleet Auxiliary was the most holiness he left the Church of England and was of a fine collaborative effort between our engineers in Abbeywood and contractors who have the through life productive part of his ministry. He was at sea for the admitted into the Roman Catholic Church. support contract. These along with a local ship repairer start of the Afghanistan conflict and throughout OP May he rest in peace and rise in glory resulted in a complex upgrade of her machinery to enable her to operate in the high ambient temperatures of the Gulf. All three ships are operating extremely well in a busy and environmentally demanding theatre and we are all very proud of them. They are all demonstrating Heroes of the RFA the wide utility of the modern RFA in operations as well as their core job of providing fuel and support to warships and the Royal Marines. Wave Knight in Commodore Henry Owen L’Estrange DSC RD RFA 570 was about 80 miles south of Iceland when she particular has been active in the counter piracy enry Owen L’Estrange was born in Southern was spotted by an RAF Hudson and damaged her operations. Headquarters’ effort is very much focussed Ireland in 1912 and after being educated at with 4 air launched depth charges, the U boat had on supporting them and our manpower team are working Hhome and at Castlepark Preparatory School in come up to periscope depth when it spotted the hard to ensure they get the manpower they need to do Dublin, he joined his elder brother in the Merchant aircraft, and by the time it had started to dive again their jobs. Navy. the depth charges were in the water. Eventually, the Less operational but no less busy are the five ships in In 1926 Henry L’Estrange joined the training ship boat returned to the surface and the Hudson attacked major upkeep. ARGUS is starting to emerge from her HMS Conway at Liverpool and on completion of his again, this time with machine gun fire, the submarine conversion in Falmouth with A&P, while a quarter of the Flotilla is in Birkenhead at various stages of repair. We studies he became an indentured apprentice with hoisted a white flag, whilst the aircraft radioed for are all looking forward to seeing FORT VICTORIA back Alfred Holt of Liverpool, serving his time on ‘Blue reinforcements. on the operational strength in the coming months. Funnel’ line ships. On completion of his training The following day, Henry L’Estrange and HMS This edition, as ever, gives the reader a taste of the Henry remained with Holt’s as a fourth mate until Kingston Agate were one of the first on scene and breadth of activity we undertake and I hope a view that 1934, when ships and jobs started to be reduced during accepted the U-boat’s surrender. They were followed after all the hard work there are interesting runs ashore the great depression. Henry found and secured a job later by the destroyers HMS Burwell and HMS and events to enjoy. You will find articles amongst with the War Department fleet at Watchet in Somerset, Windermere and other units which stood by the others on training at Warsash College, visit to where he spent a year as a temporary mate on a target U-boat. Guantanamo and Montserrat as part of the regional The submarine commander had ordered all engagement work of our ship in the Caribbean – Fort towing vessel. George, the RFA Golf Tournament at Waterlooville golf Henry L’Estrange joined the RFA in 1935 as a 3rd ammunition and confidential papers to be jettisoned, club, Cardigan Bay in the North Arabian Gulf, Fort Mate, where he remained until being called up for war so when an armed party from the Kingston Agate Rosalie assisting Ministry of Defence Police in an service in 1940 with the Royal Navy, as he had joined boarded the U- boat they found that some of the exercise as well as news about our colleagues past and the Royal Naval Reserve in 1938. Henry first served in German crew had attempted to open the sea cocks to present. Mounts Bay was a major feature of the summer an Anti-Submarine trawler HMS Northern Sun from scuttle the submarine, this was stopped and the round of public events and you can read about her part July 1940 until February 1941, in July 1941 he was submarine taken in tow to Barrow in Furness. On of the Bournemouth Air Show and Plymouth Navy given his first command, another Anti-Submarine arrival at Barrow the U-boat was found to still have Days. There was a strong RFA presence at the Merchant trawler HMS Kingston Agate, where he was to win his two live torpedoes in her tubes which could have been Navy Day service in Trinity Gardens in London in early September, which remembered the 30,000 men and Distinguished Service Cross. used against the Kingston Agate. women of the Merchant Navy who lost their lives in the On the 27th August 1941 the German submarine U Compiled by the RFA Historical Society 2009 Second World War. Off watch time is important and I have been reminded of the sporting and adventurous training activities available to RFA members through the Royal CAPTAIN (E) GEOFF STOKES RETIREMENT Navy.