Gunline - The First Point of Contact Published by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service December 2010 www.rfa.mod.uk PIRATE BOATS BOARDED AND DESTROYED OFF SOMALIA FA Fort Victoria, under the Marines from the embarked Fleet Colonel Mark Gray Royal Marines, Rcommand of Captain Rob Dorey, Protection Group (FPGRM), provide Commander of the task force onboard deployed as part of a special counter- the boarding teams to Fort Victoria’s RFA Fort Victoria and HMS piracy operation with HMS current counter-piracy mission and Northumberland, said “contrary to the Northumberland in the Somali Basin Hollywood legend, there is nothing with Combined Maritime Forces’ romantic about pirates and piracy. It is (CMF) mission based counter-piracy a blight which has struck the shores of task force, Combined Task Force Somalia and strikes at the very heart of (CTF) 151. the UK’s national interests. Whilst conducting routine patrols Countering piracy is one of the Royal off the Somali coast an embarked Navy’s key roles even in this day and Merlin helicopter from 820 Naval Air age. One cannot help but get a sense of Squadron identified a suspicious The Command team onboard Fort whaler towing a skiff. The whaler was supported by the helicopter, Victoria assessed that this PAG was found to be carrying a significant approached the suspected vessels. As almost certainly in the final stages of the Royal Marines approached, the preparing to venture to sea in search of suspected pirates made a break for the new targets, before their activities Somali shoreline, but were rapidly were disrupted. surrounded. The suspected pirates CTF-151 is one of three task forces onboard the whaler were carrying six operated by Combined Maritime AK47s, a rocket propelled grenade Forces (CMF), a 25-nation coalition (RPG) launcher with four warheads based in Bahrain. Its main focus areas and six RPG booster charges, and a are defeating terrorism, preventing number of supplies, two hand-held piracy, reducing illegal activities and number of barrels of fuel. When the GPS units, three make-shift ladder promoting a safe maritime boat was approached by the helicopter, sections and four mobile phones. environment. In conjunction with four of the nine passengers tried to The nine suspected pirates were NATO and EU Naval Force hide themselves on the boat but not transferred to the smaller skiff, the very successfully. Royal Marines permanently disabled Suspecting that they may have their brand new outboard engine and satisfaction at the sight of a bunch of found a Pirate Action Group (PAG), handed them oars. Once the suspected chastened suspected pirates being Fort Victoria was granted approval to pirates were safely ashore, the whaler landed ashore, tails between their legs conduct a boarding by the CTF 151 was rigged with explosives and and the tools of their trade Commander, Rear Admiral Sinan destroyed along with the other disappearing with a boom and a flash Ertugral, of the Turkish Navy. Royal confiscated pirate paraphernalia. of flame.” ROYALROYAL FLEETFLEET AUXILIARYAUXILIARY COMMUNITYCOMMUNITY WEBSITEWEBSITE ForFor ServingServing MembersMembers,, theirtheir FamilyFamily andand FriendsFriends INFORMATION ADVICE (EUNAVFOR), ships from CTF-151 patrol in the Somali Basin and the COMMUNICATION Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden. CTF-151 also helps promote to the shipping community best management practice methodology for the www.rfacom.mod.uk avoidance of piracy. 2 - Gunline Commodore Bill Walworth FORT GEORGE - FROM AURIGA TO WALLIAN VENTURE inter has come ince returning to the UK in late August, at the end in the west coast of Scotland to top up the fuel Wearly this year with Sof the AURIGA 10 deployment to the USA, the cargo, take on stores and provisions and snow in November and ship has undergone a period of maintenance to ensure then embarked 814 freezing temperatures. she remains ready to continue in her role as the Fleet Naval Air Squadron’s Over half our ships are deployed, most carrying Flag Ship support AOR. There were a significant ground equipment out tasks that were not number of crew changes with the subsequent and personnel. Senior considered when the requirement to carry out an intensive period of officers attended ships were built. Our Emergency Scenario briefings at HM Naval shore staff everywhere, training to keep the Base Clyde in preparation for our next tasking – Joint working hard on the ship at its high Warrior 102 – “Wallian Venture” a very large multi outcomes of the Strategic national exercise off the north west coast of Defence Review and the readiness state. Value for Money Review. Following the period Scotland. It means, very sadly, a reduction in our manpower alongside the ship was Shortly after sailing with two Merlin helicopters over the next year. I will not say any more other than subsequently re-tasked to carry out operational flying from 814 NAS embarked, the training work-up to assure everyone we will let you know the plan as training with 824 Nava Air Squadron which was carried phase of the exercise soon as we can. out off the south coast. The next tasking was to take commenced with By the time you read this Cardigan Bay will be part in the “Perisher” submarine command training all the various units on the way home after her highly successful years in the North Arabian Gulf. Many RFA, RN and RNR course.Various planned manoeuvres, along with integrating to prepare personnel have taken part in her deployment and can a Type 23 Frigate, were undertaken to stretch for the operational be proud of their contribution. She is assured of an the abilities of the “war fighting” phase. enthusiastic welcome home in the New Year. Fort would be submarine Ships taking part Victoria has been in the news for her counter piracy commanders. An included units from USA, Holland, Greece, Turkey, operations off the Somali coast. We’ve seen the interesting day was Italy and with the exercise also acting as a major photographs of sinking pirate skiffs and plumes of smoke and flames. Her Royal Marines were had and with a milestone in the validation of the NATO Joint Rapid obviously taking no chances, why have a small film crew embarked Reaction Force it was a very intensive period of flying, explosion when you can have a big one! preparing footage for a programme to be aired on RASing and war fighting. We pride ourselves on the standard of food on our Channel 5 next year we will be looking forward to Some of the highlights of the exercise included ships. Our chefs prepare food for a wide range of seeing FORT GEORGE on television. RASing five ships of the Minesweeper Squadron using occasions from formal dinner parties for foreign On completion of the submarine training we sailed the rarely practiced crane rig and the transfer of a Sea dignitaries to filling hungry sailors and soldiers with vast quantities of calories. We all know they are north for a swift week-end visit to an Oil Fuel Jetty Dart Missile to HMS YORK. continually judged and found wanting three times a day by the real chefs on the bridge, but now they have evidence of their ability to prepare quality NEW CERTIFICATE SCHEME FOR SINGLE HULL TANKERS meals. Chief Petty Officer Cook Matt Rowberry, his n the wake of a long string of maritime disasters Looking from seaward, the differences between the RFA chef colleagues and the team of RFA trainee Iinvolving tankers such as the Exxon Valdez, the Braer new certification scheme for SHTs and the rest of the catering assistants represented the Naval Service at and more recently the Prestige, the subsequent enquiries Flotilla are largely presentational around the wording on this year’s Exercise Joint Caterer formerly found that much of the environmental damage could the certificates; existing survey cycles will be retained Combined Service Culinary Challenge. In the Parade de Chefs they beat the Army and Royal Air have been avoided if the ships had been better protected and surveys will be carried out to the same scope, Force teams, producing a delicious three course with double hulls. As a result, International and frequency and thoroughness as they are currently. In meal for over 60 VIPs. Well done and good luck to European legislation was passed for the compulsory future, certificates issued by the MCA will be entitled all the new CAs out in the Flotilla. Matt was also withdrawal of Single Hull Tankers (SHTs) to a timescale ‘Government Ship Certificates’ and those issued by LR recently selected to join an elite team of chefs, the which was linked to the ship’s age. In recognition of will be ‘Class Equivalent certificates’. In both cases, the Combined Services Culinary Arts team, this, in 2002 the MoD embarked on a replacement existing rules and regulations against which the ships are representing Great Britain in the military section of programme for the Leaf and Rover Class tankers as part assessed will remain exactly the same. an international cooking competition which took of the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) The background, policy decisions and detailed place in Luxembourg in November. programme. The existing SHTs have now become non- arrangements have been recorded in a Policy Document Earlier in the year I visited the National Memorial compliant with both IMO and EU legislation and a which has already been widely reviewed and the SHT Arboretum in Staffordshire. You should all take your families there, it is a beautiful place. Frank different approach to the certification of these ships has Certification policy has been formally endorsed by the Andrews, who many of you will remember, was become necessary as an interim measure until the new RFA Management Board.