Page 26 - 10052 WORSH Marketor Issue 79.indd

2017 – a proud and
productive year
HMS ST ALBANS spent over eight
months of 2017 as Duty Towed Array
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the Maritime). By the end of 2016,
following a challenging
maintenance package and trials
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deployment and regenerate into this
high readiness role. Assuming the
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deployed to Faslane in January. This
was swiftly followed by noise ranging
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surface warfare tasking. This saw the
ship intercept and escort Russian
Federation Navy ships including its
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cruiser, Piotr Veliky, through 1,100
miles of UK waters. HMS ST ALBANS
was working in close conjunction
with other NATO units enhancing our
cooperation with our allies and
reinforcing to the Russian Federation
the resolve of NATO. This operation
set a theme for the coming year and
its public nature allowed us to bring
the public increasingly into an area
that has remained discrete.
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followed, conducting the
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Command Course or ‘Perisher’ as
opposing forces. This was made
more interesting by it being in the
challenging navigation conditions of
26 marketors.org
Cdr Chris Ansell RN
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the Norwegian fjords. This allowed 'XULQJ GU\ GRFNLQJ LQ PLG VXPPHU
further engagement with NATO allies we took the opportunity to invite
at sea and ashore, highlighting the Marketors on board to dinner and to
service’s status as a world class force present the Marketors’ Prize to Lt
of high standing. Thereafter Jenny Reid RN. It’s not often a band
operating in conjunction with HMS gets to play under the sea but the
SOMERSET, the ship conducted Band of the Royal Yeomanry paid a
weapon systems trials off Stavanger, YLVLW WR WKHLU DIÀOLDWH ZDUVKLS +06 67
providing new data for future ships ALBANS – 10 metres below sea level.
and Task Group operations, primarily
in support of future Carrier Task HMS ST ALBANS took an additional 50
Group Operations. trainees to sea in 2017 in
supplementary billets and delivered
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tactical innovation has not just been ÀUVW 6SHFLDOLVW 1DYLJDWLRQ FRXUVH LQ
limited to trials at sea; the ship several years. Combining this with a
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Warfare Conference, hosting an delivered towards the manpower
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syndicate and acting as the Fleet This was acknowledged by Flag
lead unit in this area. 2IÀFHU 6HD 7UDLQLQJ ZKR DZDUGHG
A visit to London in support of HMS ST ALBANS with the annual prize
International Women’s Day allowed for the best coaching unit in the RN.
HMS ST ALBANS to demonstrate her
HIÀFDF\ DVKRUH KRVWLQJ PXOWLSOH Despite an exceptionally busy
events, including the Marketors, all operational programme, HMS ST
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media campaign which resulted in are considered at all times. Active
her featuring on national television use of Facebook and Twitter has
and radio broadcasts along with NHSW IDPLOLHV DIÀOLDWHV DQG WKH ZLGHU
community engaged. Furthermore
multiple social media over 400 man days of adventure
communications. This reached an training have been delivered during
estimated audience of 14.8 million visits and base port periods. We have
individuals. This success was more than halved the amount of
recognised with the ship winning the outstanding leave across the ship’s
Government Communications company and had over 10% of the
Award for the best government ship’s company promoted in the
media effort for that month as year, an unusually high statistic.
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International engagement has been
a key theme of the period; HMS ST
ALBANS hosted a visit by an Australian
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warfare capabilities with a view of
how these will translate into the new
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was sent to Japan to and spent two
weeks training in the Japan Maritime
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Kashima. HMS ST ALBANS also hosted
a United States Navy Intelligence
team during her autumn theatre
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well as operating closely with
Norwegian, United States and
Canadian ships directly on operations.
WORSHIPFUL COMPANY of MARKETORS