THE ROSE

HMS Montrose’s most trusted families’ newsletter July/August 2020 │No 0000003 Only 0.499 BHD to subscribers

Damage Control Training Rewarding Starboard on HMS Monmouth Crews Top Sailors

Starboard Crew are back and ready for Action

August is here, and with it and support them as the a new newsletter and a country tackles Covid 19. flight to for HMS We have also been able Montrose’s Starboard to conduct specialist Crew. As we re-join our training to ensure that our ship for another exciting 4 key warfighting skills are months in the Gulf. This kept up to date and we marks the end of our are ready to hit the regeneration period back ground running when we in the UK as we prepare return back onboard. In to return to our home this edition you can see away from home and take the hard work the ships From the back the reigns from our company has put in to It is great to see this newsletter complete and on its sister crew, Port. The past maintain our operational way to you. We have returned to the extraordinary 4 months back home skills as well as the heat of the Gulf, professionally trained and ready for have allowed us to spend individuals who have an exciting and rewarding deployment. We will keep some much needed time been awarded for the you posted with updates on what we are up to so with our family and hard work that they have please keep in touch also – its great to hear from friends . put in. you! – CDR Charles Collins, CO MTRO STBD Crew

3,000 Miles Ran £3,000 Raised

In the final weeks of our Derriford Hospital in last rotation we set the . That’s just over challenge of running the £1 for every mile ran! The distance from ourselves, charity run gave families out on ship, to our home at home the chance to port of Plymouth. The virtually connect with their distance, a massive 3,312 loved ones at sea and miles. With the help of our also keep fit while families back home observing lockdown. running the distance to Derriford hospital was meet us, we completed chosen as a thanks for the distance, raising a the hard working NHS fantastic £3,360 for staff in our homeport. THE ROSE │July/ August 2020 derrifor Keeping Our Warfighting Teeth Sharp

In between rotation s on During this training period board HMS Montrose , the time was taken for the Crew is able to maintain Principal Warfare Officers

our fighting edge thro ugh (PWO) from Starboard use of the Maritime Crew to receive their Composite Training PWO pins. The pin has System (MCTS). Here the been introduced to ships warfare team is provide some recognition able to train in advanced for the warfare Officers war fighting capabilities whom complete the 12 from a state of the art month long PWO course Ops Room simulator . It and emerge into the Fleet simulates scenarios that ready to lead the Ship in

we may encounter while a battle and ensure the on operations and allows defence of the Ship our professional war against all potential fighters to hone their skills threats. Throughout the in anti-air, anti-surface years there has been no and anti- recognition of the training warfare. This provides a burden, responsibility or great training benefit as it skill of the PWO, but now allows us to train in an it is now being recognised environment that with a pin to be worn with simulates threats at real pride on all uniform. The world speeds and added gold colour also detection ranges. It also provides recognition that allows our new sailors to the individual has train on the systems achieved a selected which they will be using command position such on ship. as our CO and XO.

Damage Control Training on HMS Monmouth

Damage Control is a way to a simulated vitally important skill as collision with a container we need to be able to leaving us with multiple keep our home safe if we holes in the side of the are at sea. It is difficult to ship. This involved train without a ship, bringing the ship to thankfully HMS Emergency Stations Monmouth is currently forcing everyone to stop alongside in Plymouth what they’re doing and awaiting refit and thus jump to action to save the offers the perfect platform ship. In these exercises for us to hone our skills in we practice the skills damage control. For 2 and techniques weeks we tested our necessary to keep our mettle in various different ship floating, moving and the ship. Fires are also a personnel are well trained exercises from a fighting. Pictured you can danger onboard and it’s in firefighting with all simulated fire in the see members of Ship’s not as simple as calling members of ships Galley which allowed us Company erecting a build the fire service when company able to tackle to train our ability to fight to stop water leaking in you’re out at sea. All the fiercest of blazes. fires onboard, all the from a hole in the side of all sailors onboard are waaaaayyy the ship trained

THE ROSE │July/ August 2020 Rewarding the Hardest Workers of Starboard Crew

As you may have seen Awards to members of over the past year, HMS the ships company who Montrose has been at the have worked forefront of several news exceptionally hard while articles for the operations onboard. Prize winners she is carrying out in the came from every Gulf Region. From department onboard. protecting Merchant These were SLt Trutch shipping in the straits of PO O’Keefe (middle), Hormuz to drug busts in LET Higgins, LET the Gulf of Oman, McIntosh, LCH Potter Montrose has been (top), ET Baker and AB consistently delivering on Cruickshank. In addition the tasks required of her. to the award all recipients This success however received a £50 Amazon would not be possible voucher. That wasn’t all without the incredible as LET Balcombe was hard work of our sailors. presented with his Petty Some of our sailors push Officer rate before he left themselves even further the ship to attend his to go above and beyond Petty Officer qualifying to ensure that Montrose course. Captain Allen consistently delivers. We then took this opportunity don’t let these sailors go with all of the ships under the radar, instead company present to we reward them for their address them prior to efforts. At the end of our 2 Starboard crews return to weeks training on HMS HMS Montrose. He spoke Monmouth, we received a of his pride for the work visit from Captain Allen, the crew has done and the Officer in charge of the importance of being Surface Ships within the able to deliver in such a . He came to key operational present Herbert Lott environment. awards

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Families and friends can join our HMS Montrose Below you can see all the mail waiting for us when Starboard Facebook community we arrived at Bahrain. It’s a great feeling to receive mail from home and lifts our spirits while we’re away!

THE ROSE │July/ August 2020