NAUTILUS P01 OCTOBER 2010.qxd - Nautilus International

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October 2010 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 29 MEMBERS AT WORK Members in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary have taken part in a major multinational exercise to demonstrate the UK’s ability to deploy, operate and sustain a task group out of area for a prolonged period. First officer Richard Lavender reports… “ They delivered where, when and as required ” Cdre Simon Ancona, Commander of the Carrier Strike Group, and Captain Dale Worthington, CO of RFA Fort George s Ospreys overhead, ORCs on the deck, LCVPs heading to the beach and the lean green eating machine is already queuing for lunch — it’s just another day for RFA Largs Bay on Auriga 10! The mighty RFA Largs Bay was deployed from early June as part of Exercise Auriga 10. A combined operation involving the carrier battle group, under the command of Commodore Simon Ancona in HMS Ark Royal and the amphibious task group, commanded by Commodore Paul Bennett in HMS Albion. During its deployment, the group exercised with several nations’ assets — including the United States — off the eastern seaboard of America. RFA Largs Bay operated as part of the amphibious task group and embarked elements of 42 Commando Royal Marines and supporting echelons, which allowed us to demonstrate the utility, flexibility and adaptability of this outstanding littoral support platform. s The presence of such a large number of troops onboard for such an extended period provided a significant challenge for the ship’s company but — as ever in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary — they succeeded in supporting and delivering as required, when required and where required. The galley team produced Living it Largs on Exercise Auriga over a thousand meals a day, the deck team supported round-theclock docking operations, the technical branches kept essential services online, the Royal Logistics Corps provided their expertise and the flight deck team, as well as doing their respective day jobs, were ready at a moment’s notice — or 15 minutes to be more precise. Sailing in company with HMS Albion and HMS Ocean, the 4,600nm passage across the Atlantic was relatively benign and the ship concentrated on integrating with the task group and — perhaps more importantly — integrating the Royal Marines into the ship. For many of the young Marines this was their first experience at sea, but the booties are, as ever, adaptable and the ship soon echoed to their never ending quest for physical training and food. s After a two-week crossing, Largs Bay stopped briefly in Morehead City, North Carolina, to offload some of the troops and wheeled vehicles for further move to Camp Lejeune, where the land force exercises took place. A problematic stern door was cause for concern, but a hard day and night’s work saw the technical branches succeed in fixing the problem, and the offload continued. From Morehead we sailed to the exercise area and began to offload troops by air and landing craft. It was then that we got to see some of the Royal Marines’ equipment at work, as the ORCs (Offshore Raiding Craft) and the LCACs (Landing Craft Air Cushion, aka hovercraft) were put through their paces. Following an underway replenishment with the USNS Leroy Gruman, the ship’s next port of call was Norfolk, Virginia, where defence regional engagement was conducted by some of the ship’s company. The officers had a pleasant evening entertaining their opposite numbers from our host ship, the USS Carter Hall, whilst some personnel took the opportunity to visit Washington DC and New York. RFA Wave Ruler was alongside as well, conducting a maintenance period as part of her upkeep prior to taking up her duties conducting drug interdiction and disaster relief. s Too soon the visit was over and our friends in green were re-embarked and the ship returned to its day job. On departing Norfolk, the amphibious task group rendezvoused with the carrier battle group under the command of HMS Ark Royal but also included RFA Fort George to form the Mighty Expeditionary Strike Force. The exercise was set in a fictitious country where, following a natural disaster, UK forces are put in place to protect the delivery of aid to the civilian population whilst insurgents threatened the supply line. As the exercise moved into the free play phase and the mighty USS Kearsarge came into view, life got even busier as round-theclock dock operations demanded even more of the ship. Finally, the end was in sight and the UK side of the exercise was handed over to a US Marine Expeditionary Unit via a relief in place and Largs Bay headed into Mayport, Florida via Morehead City, where we conducted a vehicle on and off load for a much-needed port visit to replenish the ship’s stores. Florida saw a quiet time for the ship and some of the ship’s company visited Kennedy Space Centre but, in general, it was preparing the ship for the return to the UK… Seafarers onboard the RFA vessel Fort George carry out a replenishment at sea with HMS Sutherland RFA Fort George in company with the task group during Exercise Auriga 10 jobs-at-sea.com your next job is only a ‘click’ away
30 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2010 MARITIME HISTORY Cadet became master writer John Masefield in his later years. He died in 1967, at the age of 89 No.1 Global Induction, advanced and familiarisation courses provider of Nautical Institute accredited DP courses* All instructors/consultants have at least 5 years DP operational experience Courses use Kongsberg and Converteam (formerly Alstom) DP hardware & software Training facilities conveniently located in London, Singapore, Philippines, Brazil (Macae) and Spilt, Croatia Onboard training and provision of expertise for DP operations DP trials and provision of expertise for DP operations DP trials and vessel audits Surveys and consultancy Technical Services covering FMEA’s and Audits etc to IMCA standards Consultancy services available worldwide offices in Marine centre’s London, Houston, Singapore and Spilt, Croatia From Merchant Navy trainee to Poet Laureate is quite some career path. Trevor Boult tells the story of the seafarer-turned-writer John Masefield… F John Masefield has been described as ‘A brightness not of this world’. To seafarers, and many former pupils of school-taught English, he will be largely remembered for two poems: Sea-Fever, and Cargoes. This is a testament to his talent, for these poems were amongst the earliest of his published writ- *Based on total number of students ings, which were to span a period of some seven decades. Masefield was able to pen such verses in his early 20s from the conviction and sensitivity of youthful personal experience — a potent quality openly acknowledged by the great writer of the seas, Joseph Conrad. His current reputation largely rests on these sea poems, but this obscures his wider achievements. He was as much a celebrant of the English countryside, was Poet Laureate for many years, and became e a best-selling author — publishing many volumes of verse, plays, novels, historical works and volumes for children. Yet Masefield was so much more than a writer. Regarded as a sea poet, his actual experiences of sea life were relatively short. But they were intense, and of a nature that quickly gave his ing undeniable and lasting writ- authority. F Born in Herefordshire in 1878, Masefield’s early years were spent in idyllic rural surroundings. Beyond the garden of the family home lay a reach of the Hereford and Gloucester Canal, then still active in the movement of coal. To the young lad the canal was one of the wonders of the world, the barges carrying ‘hearts of gold and cargoes of wonder, and always, always, returning a salute, even at a distance’. Water had a compelling attraction for Masefield, and the early experiences which meant most to him were those which occurred when he was alone amidst the beauty of nature. His mother was an able inventor of stories for her children, also delighting in poetry, and the first ever poem which moved young John he learnt by heart for her. Poignantly, it was Tennyson’s The Dying Swan. Before Masefield was seven years old, his mother succumbed to a fatal illness. Her son became ‘a swift, eager, gluttonous reader’, par- ticularlyo of exciting fiction. Such avid reading was to bear rich fruit, ling both his creative imagination fuel- and his innate abilities to retell out loud the stories he had read. Inspired by a godmother whose supportive influence shaped his ideas and tastes, these were the positive elements in Masefield’s life, which countered the grievous family loss and the increasing disruption to family life. John Masefield began life as a boarder at Warwick School before he was 10 years old and for the first time he committed verses to paper. ‘I was too young... and they found that I wrote poetry. I tried to kill myself once by eating laurel leaves but only gave myself a horrible headache.’ But he soon adapted and came to enjoy life at the school. After his father died, Masefield was taken under the guardianship of an uncle and aunt. Although this was considered a courageous and unselfish act of family loyalty, the aunt’s personality did not permit a happy atmosphere. To John, especially, she was brutally scathing. His artistic leanings were met with crushing disapproval, whilst his love of books aroused her scorn. To toughen him up, it was she who first suggested that he should be trained to go to sea. Such were the work- ings of fate that a callously motivated act should unwit- tingly combine with an inspir- ing account of life on the school ship HMS Conway, and John Mase- field scuppered his aunt’s intent in the onrush of his enthu- siasm to enrol. I F In common with other such school ships of the period, HMS Conway provided initial training and a certain amount of general education for boys wishing to become officers in the merchant service. The transition from sail to steam was well advanced at this time, but an apprenticeship in sail was still considered the best preparation for a career at sea. At this time the Conway was moored in the River Mersey. Masefield joined her when he was 13. He was overawed by his first sight of the great port of Liverpool, but he had no inkling of ships or The Dynamic Positioning Centre is a leading provider of Training and Consultancy in the field of Dynamic Positioning. For further information about forthcoming DP training courses, please visit www.thedpcentre.com www.thedpcentre.com t +44 (0) 20 7407 3131 e courses@thedpcentre.com Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack, Butting through the Channel in the mad March days, With a cargo of Tyne coal, Road-rails, pig-lead, Firewood, iron-ware, and cheap tin trays. from Cargoes by John Masefield
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