Options
Navy News MAY 1993
BATTLE OF THE A free tot of original Pusser's Rum will be offered to holders of the Atlantic Star who pre-book through the Royal Naval Association for the Charity Gala Concert attended by The Prince of Wales at Goodison Park, Liverpool on May 29. Tickets are £4 (children £2), all profits going to King George's Fund for Sailors. HMS Liverpool (inset) will be among the 47 British, Commonwealth and foreign vessels in the Fleet Review to mark the Battle of the Atlantic on May 26. See also pages 3, 7, 20, 21, 23, 30 and 31.
OVER 600 sick and injured were flown out of Srebrenica last month, three Royal Navy Sea Kings helping to evacuate 150 in the fifth airlift from the besieged Bosnian Muslim town on April 25. During earlier operations two UN helicopters were hit by bullets and one was damaged by shrapnel from a mortar bomb. Lieut. Tim Kelly, a Royal Navy Commando with the unenviable task of selecting the most serious
Helo earner order soon
ENDING months of speculation over the future of the Navy's amphibious capability, the Government announced it expected to place an order for a new helicopter carrier later this year. Plans to upgrade the landing ships Sir Bedivere, Sir Percival and Sir Geraint were proceeding, along with studies for replacing the assault ships HMS Fearless and Intrepid. Also announced was a third phase of up to 2,300 redundancies. See page 18.
cases for removal, painted a hellish picture of the situation. "The whole place is stinking like a rubbish tip," he told Navy News. "There is excrement everywhere. "There is water — but its quality is doubtful. It is being tested by specialists from the UN and the Red Cross. "It is deeply distressing to see the distraught relatives of the wounded crying and wailing as their loved ones are loaded onto the aircraft at the landing zone. "A French doctor and I prioritise the wounded for evacuation — you can't help feel sorry for those left behind. "The Serbs at Zwornik where we are searched before we go into Srebrenica are not friendly towards us, but they are very correct and thorough in their procedures. We have no complaints about their treatment of us." • See also pages 12 and 13 — the waiting game in the Adriatic.
• Above — wounded Muslims from Srebrenica are carried off 845 Naval Air Squadron's Sea King helicopters at Tuzla during a combined British and French evacuation mission. • Right — Mne Stuart Austin, a signaller attached to 845 Sqn, with one of the many handicapped children made homeless by the civil war. Wire pictures — LA(Phot) Paul O'Shaughnessy
HOT SPOT FOR A NUKE HMS Triumph, currently on a seven-month voyage to Australia to demonstrate how far nuclear Fleet submarines can operate without surface support, is seen here at Abu Dhabi — the first appearance by a British "nuke" in the Gulf. begun training on the first of three "We could be here in just over Russian-built diesel-electric Kilo three weeks after leaving the UK — and we don't need tankers to refuel Class submarines which will evenus or surface escorts to beat off air tually be based at Cha Bahar on the north-east coast of the Gulf of attack," said her commanding offiOman. But Capt. Macpherson said it cer, Cdr. David Vaughan, in a clear would be many years before they message of support to our Gulf could pose a serious threat to the oil allies. Capt. Martin Macpherson of Flag trade. Officer Submarines staff was there HMS Triumph spent a week exerto meet her. He told Navy News that cising with HMS Coventry in the Gulf a detailed tactical guide for submar- (see also page 3). Abu Dhabi is her ines operating in the Gulf — where first port of call since she left Devonthe warm water affects sonar ranges port in January — the next will be — was now being prepared, Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, pared. which will be her last before her arriIranian crews are reported to have val in Perth.
cnarzr? rLi LszJ
30p