20 December 2013
Just five days to Christmas and there’s no let-up for the sailors of HMS Montrose in the Gulf who’ve come under attack from a myriad of jets – and broken boarding records when it came to keeping the waters safe.
The frigate is one of 20 Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels which will be deployed over Christmas – more than a dozen of those in the Gulf and Middle East region.
A US Air Force F15 Strike Eagle leaves contrails in the Gulf sky as it banks past Montrose. Pictures: LA(Phot) Knottie Knott, HMS Montrose
JUST five days to Christmas and there’s no let-up for the sailors of HMS Montrose in the Gulf who’ve come under attack from a myriad of jets – and broken boarding records when it came to keeping the waters safe.
RAF Typhoons, US Air Force F15s, French Rafales and jets from Gulf nations roared around the Plymouth-based frigate, as well as minehunter HMS Quorn, during a major exercise of air power in the region.
The exercise allowed pilots to practise air and surface defence manoeuvres with the added realism of working with other nations’ aircraft and warships.
Although not built specifically for air defence duties, Montrose can take out incoming enemy aircraft with her Seawolf missiles – and has automatic and hand-held weapons such as machine-guns and Miniguns as last lines of defence against aerial threats.
Evasive manouevres from Montrose as a Kuwaiti patrol boat attempts to 'attack' her
Lt Cdr Ben Evans, the frigate’s operations officer, helped to plan the exercise and, as one of the ship’s senior warfare officers, talked to the aircraft as they made numerous passes over his ship.
“All the pilots were highly-skilled and a pleasure to work with and hopefully we’ll do so again in the future,” he said.
“The Royal Navy, RAF, US Air Force and our regional partners have again proven that we can operate and fight together effectively.”
Hearts and minds (1)... Montrose's boarding team chat with the crew of a small cruiser
While the skies above Montrose were alive, the frigate’s boarding team were frantic on the waters with 36 visits to fishing dhows in five days – a record since the ship arrived in the region in the summer.
Getting to know dhows is vital for building up the ‘pattern of life’ in the area – making it easier to spot illegal activity – as well as to build good relations with and offer assistance where needed to local seafarers.
The ship’s boarding party comprises nine Royal Marines from 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group (the green team) as well as 15 members of Montrose’s ship’s company (the blue team), drawn from every branch aboard; when the announcement ‘hands to boarding stations’ is made, they change from their blue uniforms into camouflage.
Hearts and minds (2)... The green boarding team meet up with a dhow in the Gulf
They can board vessels by rapid roping – similar to abseiling – from the ship’s Lynx helicopter, or more typically by racing up in Montrose’s two sea boats, which can reach speeds of over 40kts (46mph).
“Keeping the sea boat alongside the moving dhow while both boats are rolling in the swell can be a challenge,” said ET(ME) Ethan Curley.
“One of my roles is to be the scribe for the boarding officer when he asks the fishermen questions. It can be challenging for both parties to get their message across but it’s always smiles and improvised sign language and the fishermen’s English is usually much better than our Arabic or Farsi.
“All members of the team help out to make sure we leave them with a positive impression of the naval service.”
Lt Chris Poulson, one of Montrose’s officers of the watch, added: “I've found that most of the fishermen are quite friendly, happy to help and not dissimilar to fishermen I've spoken to in the middle of the English Channel. Most are just plying their legal trade on the sea and the things they care about most are the safety of their crew, their boat and their business.”
The team can spend hours at a time toiling in the Gulf heat – particularly if they’re carrying out half a dozen or more visits in a day. It can be tense – “If we suspect illegal activity is taking place or the vessel’s flag doesn’t correlate with information we possess, we can board the vessel,” says Capt Chris Nightingale, the Royal Marine in charge of the boarding team.
But there are also lighter moments. “One that sticks in my mind was when we returned to the ship at sunset to find a pod of dolphins coming to play with the sea boats,” said Capt Nightingale. “Even when we stopped in the water they continued to play. It was a great boost to morale.”
Montrose’s Commanding Officer Cdr James Parkin is full of praise for his hard-working blue and green boarding team:
“It is great to see my boarding team doing the job that they are trained to do. The fact that we have both Royal Marines and Royal Navy sailors in the boats together provides a formidable blend of skills and experience. They go out and put a professional face to the White Ensign for local mariners.”
Montrose is one of 20 Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels which will be deployed over Christmas – more than a dozen of those in the Gulf and Middle East region.