Hms Daring visit

Hms Daring visited Leith in November 2009.   See here for her pics of her during her weekend visit.

I was lucky enough to get a guided tour of the destroyer, here are just a few or her...

The ship's crest

Her bridge

Looking back from her bow

Ships galley

Junior rates galley

Junior rates bunks

Senior rates bunks

Ships laundry

Aft end under the flight deck

Daring alongside

Daring head on alongside the quay

Northern Ireland Squadron

The Northern Ireland Squadron was a unit of the Royal Navy.  It was established during the conflict in Northern Ireland known as the troubles to interdict the movement by sea of illegal arms for paramilitaries and to provide other material support for anti-terrorist operations in Northern Ireland.

The squadron was moved to HM Naval Base Clyde, aka Faslane Naval Base, Scotland in 1993.
In 1993, River Class Minesweepers, Blackwater, Spey, Arun and Itchen were all assigned to the Northern Ireland Squadron where they replaced the ageing Ton Class Minesweepers.

The River-class vessels were replaced in 1998 with the Hunt Class Mine Counter Measures Vessels (MCMV's)

In 2005, with the Provisional Irish Republican Army having decided to enter into a permanent ceasefire, it was decided that the squadron was no longer required. The last three ships of the squadron, the Hunt-class ships HMS Brecon, HMS Cottesmore and HMS Dulverton were decommissioned on 19 July 2005.

Hms Brecon (M29) 

Brecon was built at Vosper Thornycroft, the lead yard for the Hunt Class. She was launched by the Duchess of Kent and commissioned on 18 December 1979. Brecon saw service just after the Falklands War (1982) and the Gulf War (1991). In 1998 she was assigned to the Northern Ireland Squadron. She acted as guardship to the tall ships race when it visited Greenock in 1999.

Brecon was the first Royal Navy vessel to be commanded by a woman. Lieutenant Charlotte Atkinson became commanding officer of HMS Brecon in January 2004. "Charlie" was the only woman among the 45-strong crew of the ship. Her historic appointment came 14 years after the Royal Navy first began admitting female officers on equal terms with men.

Brecon's assignment to the Northern Ireland Squadron required modifications from her traditional minesweeping duties to become a fully capable patrol platform. This included the addition of Rigid Inflatable Boats and embarkation of a 10-strong Royal Marine boarding team.

Brecon was decommissioned following defence cuts announced in 2004.  The ship's company held a last Divisions and decommissioning ceremony on 19 July 2005.  In February 2008, Brecon was taken in hand for use as a static training ship at Jupiter Point, HMS Raleigh, where she is utilised to provide new recruits with their first taste of life aboard a Royal Navy ship.

 

Brecon is seen here arriving at her home base of Faslane

Seen here fitting out after her refit at Rosyth Dockyard

Hms Cottesmore (M32)

Cottesmore was a Hunt Class Mine Counter Measure Vessel (MCMV), launched in 1982 and converted in 1997 into a patrol vessel. The ship was declared surplus to requirement and put on the MoD list for disposal in 2004. In 2008 she was bought by Lithuania, alongside her sister HMS Dulverton.

Lieutenant-Commander HRH The Duke of York commanded HMS Cottesmore from April 1993 until November 1994.

She was decommissioned by the Royal Navy in September 2005. Her ship's bell and other memorabilia were presented to the village of Cottesmore, Rutland.

Cottesmore is expected to enter service with the Lithuanian Navy in 2011.

She is seen here departing Rosyth following her conversion to a patrol boat in 1997.

A close up of the RHiB's on the aft end.

Hms Dulverton (M35)
Dulverton was a Hunt Class Mine Counter Measure vessel (MCMV), launched in 1982 and converted in 1997 into a patrol vessel. The ship was declared surplus to requirement and put on the MoD list for disposal in 2004. In 2008 she was bought by Lithuania, along with Hms Cottesmore.

Dulverton is expected to enter service with the Lithuanian Navy in 2011.

She is seen here departing for a patrol from her home port of Faslane

HMY Britannia

Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia is the former Royal Yacht of the British Royal Family.  She is the second Royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the famous racing cutter built for The Prince Of Wales in 1893. She is now permanently moored as an exhibition ship at Ocean Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland.

 

HMY Britannia was built at the shipyard of John Brown & Co, Ltd in Clydebank, being launched by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 16 April 1953 and commissioned on 11 January 1954.  The ship was designed with three masts, a 133-foot (41 m) foremast, a 139-foot (42 m) mainmast, and a 118-foot (36 m) mizzenmast. The top 20 feet (6.1 m) of the foremast and mainmast were hinged, to allow the ship to pass under bridges.

During her career as Royal Yacht she conveyed the Queen, other members of the Royal Family, and various dignitaries on 696 foreign visits and 272 visits in British waters. In this time Britannia steamed 1,087,623 nautical miles (2,014,278 km).
 The Royal Yacht's last foreign mission was to convey the last governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten and the Prince of Wales,away from Hong Kong after the handover of the British colony to the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997.  Britannia was decommissioned on 11 December 1997.

She is seen here arriving Leith 5th May 1998

Seen having a touch up on the 20th July 1998

Alongside her previous berth on the 7th June 1999

Same berth different day (20th November 1999)

Alongside her new berth taken from MT Fidra during The International Festival Of The Sea event

A night shot of the yacht

Stern shot of the yacht

Final shot of Britannia on the Clyde passing the "bovril boat" Dalmarnock Head - A human waste disposal vessel.  Oh how the other half live!

HrMs De Ruyter

HrMs De Ruyter (F804) is a De Zeven Provinciën class frigate.

The De Zeven Provinciën class frigate are highly advanced air-defense frigates in service with the Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy). This class of ships is also known as LCF (Luchtverdedigings- en commandofregat, air defense and command frigate). The ships are very similar to the German Sachsen class frigates.

The ships are classified as frigates by the Netherlands Navy but internationally are classified as destroyers as this better fits their armament and role.

She was commissioned into service on the 22nd April 2004, she has a complement of 174 (227 including command staff), is 144.24 m long, with a beam of 18.80 m and a draft of 5.18m.  She displaces 6.050 tonnes (full load) and her top speed is 30 knots.

HrMs De Ruyter (F804) was previously commanded by Commander Jeanette Morang.  She was the first woman to command a Netherlands Navy frigate.

She is seen here alongside in Leith on Friday 18 June 2010

Her sister HrMs De Zeven Provinciën is seen here arriving Leith on the 10th April 2010

And again arriving Leith 7th February 2003

HMS Sceptre

Following the return for the last time, HMS Sceptre arrived at Devonport (Plymouth) for the last time on Wednesday 25th May 2010.

HMS Sceptre entered port to the sound of the pipes for the final time on Wednesday 26th May after an eight month world-wide deployment and a distinguished 32-year career.  Since sailing from HM Naval Base Faslane in October 2009 she has been conducting training and exercises in the Indian Ocean and Atlantic and has now returned to Devonport Naval Base before decommissioning later in the year. 

Whilst on deployment Sceptre continuously trained to ensure she was ready to fight and win in any future conflict.  This included ensuring she was ready to fire her Tomahawk cruise missiles in case they were needed in support of current operations and taking part in anti-submarine warfare exercises with UK and our international partners’ naval and air forces.

During the 31,000 miles Sceptre covered on the deployment she visited South Africa, Turkey, the UAE and Portugal, building upon the stable and co-operative relationships the Royal Navy enjoys with all four countries.

This final deployment was typical of her role over the last decade, having also been around the world in 2003, 2004 and 2007.  Such work is a far cry from the Cold War role she was designed for in the 1970s.  She spent the 1970s and 1980s patrolling the North Atlantic, hunting for Soviet submarines.  Once the Cold War was over she spent much of the 1990s conducting training and trials with the US, working on joint US/UK submarine and anti-submarine tactics.

Sceptre’s Commanding Officer, Commander Steve Waller, said: “This is a sad day for the submarine community as HMS Sceptre, the last Swiftsure Class submarine still at sea, returns home for the last time.  However, we have signed off with a flourish having successfully completed a long and demanding worldwide deployment, contributing to the security and future prosperity of the UK.  My crew have lived up to the hard-working reputation of the Swiftsure Class, whilst Sceptre herself has proven how well submarines that began life as archetypal Cold War warriors have adapted to today’s needs”

Here are a few of my pics over the past few years...

During her refit in Rosyth in 2003

Seen here with HMS Spartan

Departing Rosyth dockyard 30 March 2003

A close up off her Conning Tower

And a few from a very recent trip on her from Gibraltar to Devonport

The ward room

The narrow bulkheads

Looking down from the Conning Tower

The steering controls and the main periscope in the foreground

The Ships Laundry (as a crew member said one setting only - Nuclear Inferno)

Junior Rates Mess

Aft Escape Area

Torpedo on the Torpedo Rack

The Torpedo Tube area aka Bomb Alley (this is where I slept for the three days I was on her recently)

Torpedo Tube (FLOODED AND LOADED!)

The Main Engine Control Area

Ships Crest and Badge

Ships Name

My sincere thanks to Commander Steve Waller and the crew for allowing me to join the ship (at Gibraltar) and sail with her on her final three days at sea, it was a fantastic experience, and I hope that you will like my images, off course many of the crew have already asked for images which they already have.