Page 21 - Cormorant Issue 20 2017

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technology at sea today meant that HMS Dragon was unable to make H-Hour for her rst batch of students, so some had to swap their night at sea
for a night ‘aboard’ HMS Raleigh, the Royal Navy’s initial training establishment over the river at Torpoint. Little has been said about that although it did offer an opportunity for some work to be done.
For those not at sea in the rst wave, the Barbican midweek gave us a taste of what sailors have to look forward to when they come home ... and
the May ower Steps gave our American brethren of British descent an opportunity to see why their ancestors left.
Those going to sea in the second batch had
their run ashore followed, bright and early, by a landing craft transfer to HMS Bulwark for a brief on amphibious operations before transferring ashore
to see everything the Royal Marines have to offer, from hovercraft to beach reconnaissance teams and marinised versions of all the capabilities you would expect to see in the land environment. The other stands followed, all staffed by sailors and of cers clearly enthused at the prospect of brie ng the military’s keenest minds. They did not disappoint and if anything, the only negative was the lack of time that could be spent at certain stands. The opportunity to go aboard a submarine was something many don’t want to repeat although it explained why submariners
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are as they are, but the real treat was the opportunity to get to sea.
HMS Sutherland had, by this time, done her best to make up for the absent HMS Dragon by taking two waves, shorter in duration, to ensure everyone got to sea. By the second evening, however, HMS Dragon arrived and in company with HMS Sutherland, set
off out into the night. A series of briefs on all the departments from control rooms to damage control and aviation made us ready to sling hammocks to
be ready, bright and early, for the Thursday War, which on this occasion was in the company of 16 multinational warships. We manoeuvred at speed, dodging simulated air attacks while keeping station with the other ships in the task group and responding to sub-surface threats. Although the fog descended, forcing us to slow down, we got a great, albeit
brief, insight into how a warship drives and ghts. We were even treated to ‘action snacks’ mid-way through the battle. Although some of our dark blue brethren were frustrated by elements of the visit, for the rest of us, we had been treated to an experience we may never be able to repeat. It showed us
a highly professional force operating extremely advanced (some of course not so) equipment, facing the same pressures and trials as the other services. Much was of course common to all the services, but for this retired Sea Cadet, it was an outstanding visit from which we all learned a great deal.
...it was an
outstanding visit from which
we all learned a
great deal.
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