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SEPTEMBER 1995
50p
• LEFT: RFA Sir Galahad at Lobito, Angola — she is now home after a four month deployment in support of UN peacekeeping operations in the war-torn west African republic (see page 3).
INSIDE • LEFT: Naval Regional Officer for Northern England Capt Paul Sutermeister congratulates Jack Cotterell from Aston, who served m HMS Gloucester in World War I, on his 100th birthday (see page 13).
• RIGHT: a favourite with the Fleet. Comedian Jim Davidson drops in on HMS Marlborough (see page 8).
RN ships stand by Montserrat
Washday for 'Black Duke' HMS Monmouth — known as the 'Black Duke' — carries out anti-nuclear fallout "pre-wetting" exercises in the Pacitic. The Type 23 frigate has been visiting New Zealand, Fiji and Australia during her current deployment (see centre pages).,
AS A VOLCANO on the West Indies island of Montserrat threatened fullscale eruption last month, the Navy moved in to the rescue. HMS Southampton landed 90 sailors and 30 Royal Marines to help evacuate 5,000 to shelter in the north of the island. As Navy News went to press almost as many had flown out to neighbouring Antigua and St Kitts. The Type 42 destroyer had been standing by for several weeks as the previously docile volcano of Chances Peak in the Soufriere mountains started to belch smoke, ash and sulphur dioxide and the island suffered a number of earth tremors. Her ship's company helped erect a tent city on the cricket pitch of St John's in the north of the island as part of contingency planning. On August 21 the volcanic activity increased and the capital of Plymouth in the south west of the 11 by seven mile island was covered with a two inch layer of ash from a cloud said to have risen 7,000 ft. Then came three more eruptions and Royal Marines who scaled the peak found a t h i r d vent had opened.
Evacuation Governor Frank Savage signed an emergency order to start the evacuation of 5,000 islanders — almost half the population — from the Plymouth area. Around 2,000 were accommodated in the tent city while the rest were housed in designated shelters, schools or with friends. Mr Savage further advised evacuation of an area south of the Belham River. Anyone "uncomfortable with the situation" should consider leaving and arrangements were being made with regional airlines and other operators. He warned that it might be necessary to carry out a total evacuaVOLCANO WATCH: a Lynx helicopter from HMS Westminster flies out *'on of the island al a of Montserrat's venting volcano after taking gas samples. • Turn to page 16
later date