Falklands 'forgotten ship' finally honoured

AT LAST there stands a memorial to the ‘forgotten ship’ on the islands she helped liberate 30 years ago.

On Hookers Point outside Stanley, and surrounded by small square granite setts representing the ship’s company, is the monument to HMS Glamorgan.

Nineteen miles from that spot in 1982, the guided missile destroyer was struck by an Argentine Exocet missile in one of the final acts of the Falklands war.

Twenty-nine years later and a memorial to her sacrifice was formally dedicated in the presence of three dozen Glamorgan veterans, plus 150 Falkland Islanders, while current Falklands guardian HMS Clyde was anchored offshore and Typhoon fighters flew over low the site in tribute.

That memorial, fittingly, comprises polished Welsh granite, cut at Trefor Quarry near Pwllheli, and transported 8,000 miles to the South Atlantic.

The drive to erect a Glamorgan monument was sparked by a pilgrimage to the Falklands by the ship’s navigator in 1982, Cdr Ian Inskip.

“There were memorials on the islands for all the ships lost and all units which had suffered significant casualties – except for Glamorgan,” he said.

“Mention the Falklands War, and images of Sheffield, Coventry, Antelope, Ardent, Atlantic Conveyor always spring to mind. Few people know that Glamorgan was hit by an Exocet just two days before the Argentine surrender and came within inches of blowing up with the loss of hundreds of lives.”

Fourteen men were killed in the hangar and galley, but the strenuous efforts by the ship's company in the subsequent three and a half hours saved Glamorgan.

The memorial can be found just off the Stanley Airport Road. If you look up after reading the inscription on it, you will face the spot on the ocean where Glamorgan was hit.

Fast jets buzz Albans off Plymouth

HOW far away are they?

Not very.

This isn't a trick of the eye. That Hawk really is rather close to HMS St Albans as the frigate is buzzed during training off Plymouth.

The Saint is undergoing combat training with the Flag Officer Sea Training organisation in Devonport in company with Britain's biggest warship, HMS Ocean, and destroyer HMS Edinburgh.

The Mighty O's being given some 'top-up' training by FOST ahead of some demanding aviation exercises involving Apaches, Chinooks and Merlin, while Edinburgh is readying herself for deployment later in the year after a lengthy refit in Portsmouth.

As for St Albans, she too is regenerating after a few months of maintenance and light duties in the UK following a demanding deployment to the Gulf last summer; she's due to deploy east of Suez again later this spring.

And what better way to waken everyone than an air defence exercise early in the morning?

The jets from Fleet Requirements Air Direction Unit based at Culdrose carried out low-level attacks on all three ships – which from the evidence of this picture is about 65ft above sea level.

The FRADU jets simulate both being buzzed by enemy jets and attacked by enemy missiles... while the bridge teams zig-zag, upper deck gun crews let loose with all weapons and the ops room teams launch countermeasures.

Having given the trio a good workout yesterday, the Hawks will be back tomorrow for FOST's infamous Thursday War which throws the kitchen sink at ships to determine whether they are fit to deploy.

• For a more sedate look at St Albans, she'll be spending three days on the River Dart later this month as a welcome break from being FOSTed.

The ship will be anchored off Dartmouth from March 18-20 and there will be a chance to look around her for free between 10am and 2pm on Saturday 19. Admission is ticket only via the town's tourist information centre because of limited space on boats running from Town Quay out into the harbour.

Pirates hijack bulk carrier; capture Danish family

Pirates hijacked the Greek-owned bulk carrier MV Dover in the North Arabian sea yesterday, while the Danish government announced that pirates had captured a Danish family and their sailboat, including three children.

The MV Dover was seized by pirates about 260 nautical miles northeast of Salalah in Oman. "The Panamanian flagged, Greek owned vessel was on its way to Saleef (Yemen) from Port Quasim (Pakistan) when it was attacked," the European Union's anti-piracy taskforce said in a statement. The crew include three Romanian citizens, one Russian and 19 Filipinos.
Meanwhile, on Monday Denmark’s government said that pirates hijacked a Danish sailboat as it was crossing the Indian Ocean. The vessel sent out a distress signal on Thursday and is now being towed toward the Somali coast.

The yacht was carrying a Danish couple, their three children (ages 12 to 16) and two crewmembers from the Maldives to Suez. The Danish naval vessel Esbern Snare is heading towards the yacht’s position.

Danish Foreign Minister Lene Espersen said she was "deeply concerned," over the incident, according to the Associated Press. "It is almost unbearable to think that there are children involved, and I can only sharply denounce the pirates' actions.”

It is believed that this is the first time children have been kidnapped by pirates.

The incident was the second time in a week that a yacht was captured. On Friday 18 February Somali pirates hijacked the American yacht Quest while on its way to Djibouti.

The American naval vessel USS Sterett was sent to negotiate with the pirates on Monday but the next day gunfire broke out on the yacht. The four American hostages on board were killed along with two pirates. It is not clear who started firing first and it seems that the pirates may have begun fighting amongst themselves, the US Navy says.

The attack marked the first time American have been murdered by Somali pirates since a wave of attacks began six years ago. The United States said it may bring the 15 Somali pirates captured in the incident to American courts for prosecution over the killings.

In a separate incident, pirates released the Japanese vessel MV Izumi on Friday, the European Union naval force said yesterday. The Panama-flagged ship and its Filipino crew of 20 are believed to be making for a safe port. There is no information on the condition of the vessel or the crew. The ship was captured in October last year.

According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), there have been seven unsuccessful attempts at hijacking ships off the Somali coastal region during the last five days. The IMB reports that Somali pirates are currently holding 33 vessels and 711 hostages.

US ship to ‘bolster’ Europe’s missile defenses

The US military will send a warship to the Mediterranean next week as a first step in a defense shield to protect Europe from a potential strike from Iran's missile arsenal, a defense official said.

The USS Monterey, a guided missile cruiser equipped with Aegis radar designed to detect ballistic missiles, is due to depart next week from its home port in Norfolk, Virginia for a six-month mission, said John Plumb, principal director of nuclear and missile defense policy.

The ship's launch fulfills the US administration's goal of deploying military hardware for the shield in 2011.

After President Barack Obama announced a new missile defense policy in 2009, Plumb said "now here is our first concrete demonstration of our commitment to the missile defense of our deployed forces, allies and partners in Europe.

"We said we were going to do it, and now we're doing it."

The Ticonderoga-class ship, which will conduct exercises with US forces in the region, will form part of a planned "routine presence" by similar vessels supporting the system, he said.

Guided missile cruisers have been sent to the Mediterranean previously but this was the first time such a ship had been deployed to back up the missile defense system, he said.

The NATO alliance endorsed the shield at a summit in Lisbon last year but skeptics of the program have questioned the reliability of the anti-missile weaponry and whether more sophisticated interceptors will be ready on time.

Russia also has voiced opposition to the planned system, which will eventually include additional land-based radars and interceptors along with Aegis ships.

The United States plans to deploy land-based radars later this year in southern Europe but negotiations are still underway, said Plumb, without saying which countries might host the sites.

As part of the "phased" approach, land-based SM-3 interceptors are due to be deployed in Romania by 2015 and in Poland by 2018, with more advanced versions of the weaponry to be introduced at each stage.

The military is still developing a land-based model for the SM-3 interceptor, which is currently deployed on naval ships.

The Obama administration says the missile defense system is primarily aimed at the potential threat posed by Iran's nuclear program and its growing number of medium-range missiles.

PAKISTAN CHIEF OF NAVAL STAFF VISITS HMAS STIRLING

Admiral Noman Bashir, Pakistan Chief of Naval Staff visited HMAS Stirling for an informal brief by Captain Brett Wolski,RAN, Commanding Officer HMAS Stirling. He also conducted a tour through HMAS Farncomb and the Submarine Escape Rescue Centre (SERC), and was shown the local wildlife by the Garden Island Ranger.

Commander Brett Westcott, RAN, Submarine Escape and Rescue Manager,

greets Admiral Noman Bashir, Pakistan Chief of Naval Staff, in front 

of the Submarine Escape Rescue Centre (SERC).

Commander Brett Westcott, RAN, Submarine Escape and Rescue Manager,

briefs foreign dignitories on the facilities at the Submarine Escape 

Rescue Centre (SERC).

for more photos

Construction Begins on Navy’s Newest Aircraft Carrier

Advance construction started on the nation's newest aircraft carrier Feb. 25 with a "first cut of steel" ceremony at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Newport News, Va.

The steel plate cut will be used in the construction of the carrier, which has yet to be named, but will be designated CVN 79.

The carrier represents the second in a new class of ships designed to replace Enterprise and Nimitz-class carriers and save more than $5 billion in total ownership costs during its planned 50-year service life when compared to Nimitz-class carriers.

"Today we mark the beginning of the advance construction of CVN 79, second of the Gerald R. Ford-class of aircraft carriers," said Rear Adm. Michael McMahon, Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Aircraft Carriers. "It's an important step in continuing carrier construction using advanced technologies and efficiencies to reduce both ownership and procurement cost in this new class of carriers."

Ford-class aircraft carriers, while retaining the same hull form as the Nimitz class, contain several advanced technology systems including Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching Systems, advanced arresting gear, dual band radar, a redesigned smaller island and a new propulsion plant. The first ship in the class, Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), is also under construction at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Newport News and is scheduled to be delivered to the fleet in September 2015.

The PEO for Aircraft Carriers, an affiliated PEO of Naval Sea Systems Command, focuses on the design, construction, system integration, delivery and life-cycle support of all aircraft carriers.

HMAS TOOWOOMBA STEPS UP FOR NAMESAKE CITY

In response to the devastation caused by the recent floods in Toowoomba QLD, there was a strong desire among the crew of HMAS Toowoomba to do something to help those hardest hit. The ship’s company of the WA based warship organised a collection to contribute to the Mayor’s Fund. This donation by the 160 sailors raised a collective $ 3,800.00.

When the crew heard about Toowoomba having be heavily hit by the floods in Queensland there was a sense of shock. Toowoomba native Leading Seaman Lauren Tanzer said “members onboard including myself were worried as we tried to contact and check on loved ones to make sure they were safe.” She explained, “Personnel onboard who had family affected were offered all the services available to contact their families and friends for updates on their situation.”

The crew of HMAS Toowoomba has fostered a close relationship with the city of Toowoomba with a small delegation having visited the city for Anzac Day in 2010. Able Seaman Sam Whitfield who was part of the delegation remembered how warmly our crew was welcomed by the people of Toowoomba and how generous they were in looking after our sailors.

Commander Quinn said “I sincerely hope for this donation to make a small difference for the people who have to rebuild their lives after having lost so much in Toowoomba’s floods.” On behalf of HMAS Toowoomba’s crew Commander Quinn sends his sincerest well wishes to the people of Toowoomba.