Dear Family and Friends

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HMS MONMOUTH DEPLOYMENT NEWSLETTER Issue 3

From the Captain, Commander Gordon Ruddock Royal Navy It has been a busy few months and much has happened since I sent my last letter to you all. Christmas and New Year has been busy as ever and spirits have been high over this festive time. Whilst enjoying the Christmas period the operational tempo has been busy. Our primary tasking remains to continue providing support to Combined Task Force (CTF) 152 to enforce maritime security in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. This commitment involves acting to counter illegal activity, including terrorism, drugs, weapons and people smuggling along with countering piracy. Whilst this is the main effort, HMS MONMOUTH remains strategically placed in a fragile and volatile part of the world fully ready to respond to any events that could unfold in the future. Whilst maintaining a sharp focus on operational duties, the need for down time and a chance to relax is extremely important. Christmas day was spent at sea on operational tasking and, whilst members of the Ship’s company still had to keep watches, time was put aside for present opening, a church service and a Christmas meal. In traditional fashion the Officers spent most of the day in the galley (under the close supervision of the chefs) preparing and serving the Christmas meal for the Ship’s company. Although friends and family were missed over this period, the Ship’s company got into the festive spirit and it turned out to be a good day onboard. New Year was spent alongside in Bahrain. This allowed some down time and a chance for all to relax and refocus before proceeding to sea on the 2nd of January. Most people spent the two days off relaxing by hotel pools and enjoying the 30 degree heat while also taking time to call friends and family back at home. Once Christmas and New Year had passed, MONMOUTH was straight back onto operational duties, conducting Maritime Security in the Arabian Gulf. Alongside this primary role, January has seen visits from various dignitaries, exercises with the US Navy and other Royal Navy units, continuous training at sea and alongside, two brief stops in Bahrain and a short stop in Qatar. The visit to Doha, Qatar, saw MONMOUTH host a visit of NATO Parliamentary Delegates, who were given briefs on the capabilities of the Ship along with being briefed on the day to day work that we carry out in this vitally important part of the world. The start of February was spent alongside in Dubai for a two-week maintenance period. This gave the Ship’s Company the chance to fly out their family and take some well deserved leave. The Ship also received a makeover and several important defects were rectified over this period. Having refuelled and taken on supplies MONMOUTH is now back at sea continuing to protect not only the UK’s interests but also those of the global maritime community by ensuring the safe and free use of the high seas. I wish you all the best and I look forward to hearing all about your holidays you’re your loved ones. yourones.oneonboard.

Emergency Contact Details

NPFS can be contacted on:

East & Overseas – 02392 722712; West & Eire – 01752 555041; North – 01436 672798

Out of Hours contact:

East & Overseas – 02392 726159 West & Eire – 01752 555220 North – 01436 674321

If you need to contact the ship, and you can’t get hold of your loved one through normal communications, NPFS should be your main point of contact. If there is an emergency or crisis at home then you should contact the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Cell (JCCC) on 01452 519951. Remember to check out the RNCOM website at www.royalnavy.mod.uk/community. This is where information will be posted should the Ship be required to turn off her communications for operational reasons.

Christmas on the Black Duke MONMOUTH kicked off festivities on Christmas Eve with an afternoon of sport on the sun-drenched flight deck with a traditional deployment game of bucket-ball. This, for those of you who don’t know, is a sport often played in the RN which is similar to netball but often ends up looking more like a rugby match once the competition heats up. The tournament saw good performances from all sides with the Royal Marines narrowly beating the Wardroom team in the final to secure the victory and bragging rights. On Christmas day there was a morning church service followed by a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. In time-honoured fashion the Officers were the last to eat having served everyone else first. Time was also put aside for present opening and the chance to relax on what turned out to be a fun and restful day onboard.

Boxing Day Hands to Bathe While Boxing Day for many might include re-heating the turkey or finding lost batteries, for the Ship’s Company of HMS MONMOUTH it meant a dip in the warm waters of the Gulf in the age-old Naval tradition of “Hands to Bathe”. With the Ship stopped in the water for over two hours and a marksman keeping a lookout for sharks, diving, jumping and the more-thanoccasional bellyflop were the order of the day. As the last swimmer clambered out of the water up the scrambling-net, HMS MONMOUTH resumed her duties of conducting maritime security in the region. The RN and RM boarding teams conducting a routine visit of a Dhow the Gulf.

Operational Training In order for the Ship and Ship’s Company to remain fully ready to respond to the wide range of threats in the region, training is a continuous part of day to day life at sea. The start of 2013 saw MONMOUTH conduct a gunnery serial using all small and medium range weapons onboard. Lt Matt Taborda explained: “It’s vital our weapons crews can accurately engage targets when required to in order to defend not just ourselves, but also smaller mine clearance vessels and merchant shipping we can be called upon to protect. Realistic training is the bedrock of this”.

Back to Operational Duties Whilst all enjoyed Christmas and Boxing Day the need to get back into operational tasking was the priority once festivities were over. The Ship’s tasking is primarily to conduct Maritime Security Patrols in the Arabian Gulf to counter illegal activity including terrorism, drugs, weapons and people smuggling as well as piracy. On a day to day basis MONMOUTH will patrol specific areas of the Arabian Gulf looking for suspicious and illegal activity. The Lynx MK8 helicopter will fly on a daily basis to gain a greater surface picture of what shipping is in the area and to keep a lookout for any activity out of the norm. The RM and RN boarding teams will then deploy in the Ship’s sea boats in order to visit Dhows and Skiffs in the area. This is to gather intelligence, check if any illegal activity has been sighted and to reassure friendly sea goers in the area.

Further training opportunities were taken when MONMOUTH carried out exercises with HMS ATHERSTONE which is one of the smaller Mine Countermeasure Vessels (MCMV) in the area. Officer of the Watch manoeuvres were carried out to allow the junior Warfare Officer onboard the chance to practice their ship handling skill at high speed and in close proximity to other vessels.

injured and unable to play. “The players who are missing won’t walk back into the side, the team is working well and it’s great to have healthy competition for places, it’s a great incentive for the Ship’s company to stay fit” said LPT Danny Card.

Working with the MCMV also provided an opportunity for the detachment of nine Royal Marines to practice some fast roping from MONMOUTH’S Lynx helicopter onto the deck of HMS ATHERSTONE. During this exercise, the MCMV played the role of a suspected pirate vessel and the Marines were dispatched to capture the vessel. One of the major roles performed by the Marines is to conduct boarding missions against possible pirates and smugglers and this training proved valuable to the Commandos.

RM Boarding team conducting fast roping training onto HMS ATHERSTONE

Latest Sports Updates Whilst at sea the chance to play team sports is very limited (for obvious reasons) so when the Ship gets alongside every opportunity is taken to organise team sport fixtures. Rugby, Cricket and Football are the most popular sports amongst the Ship’s company and several fixtures have been played in both Bahrain and Doha over the last month. MONMOUTH’S football team have played three games against the Bahrain Ex-Pat team in the last few months which has developed a healthy rivalry between the two sides. The team have now won two of their last three games on the deployment and aim to keep up the winning form, even with a few regular team members

The Ship’s rugby team have also played two fixtures, one against the Bahrain Ex-Pat Team and secondly against a local club team during the visit to Doha. Both matches were competitively fought and showed some good levels of grit and determination by the Ship’s team. Despite some strong performances throughout the team, both matches were narrowly lost. Lt Tom Foley commented ‘’It is great to be able to play some rugby at the various stops we make. The lads showed lots of character in the last two games and with a bit more training and organisation we could put a strong team together. The team now look forward to their next fixture in Dubai’’. The visit to Doha allowed the Ship’s company to play their first cricket match of the year. Captained by MONMOUTH’S Operations Officer, Lt Cdr Ian Feasey and umpired by the Commanding Officer, the match was played against a local league team. The day-night match saw a good level of competition from both sides. Despite the best efforts of the team the score went in favour of the home team who clenched victory in the dying overs of the game.

Visits from UK Ministers Whilst having a busy month at sea, the short periods of time that MONMOUTH has spent alongside have been equally as busy. January saw a visit from The Rt Hon Andrew Robathan MP, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, Mr Philip Dunne MP, Minister for Defence, Equipment, Support and Technology and Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, Commander Joint Forces Command. The visit allowed the ministers to gain a better understanding of the area in which the UK has provided an enduring naval commitment for more than 30 years. During the visit, the ministers heard firsthand how the Royal Navy’s presence in the Middle East reassures our allies and protects both UK interests and those of the wider international community. Speaking about the RN’s contribution in the Gulf, Mr Robathan said, “I was pleased to meet the Commanding Officer of HMS MONMOUTH and to see for myself the excellent work they are doing in the region, protecting not only the UK’s interests but also those of the global maritime community”.

Charity Fundraising onboard the Black Duke January has seen a push in charity fundraising from several members of the Ships’ company. PO(CIS) James ‘Dutchy’ Van-Der-Linden has hit the half way mark on his 1000 mile run for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity. 1000 miles is the equivalent of running from Plymouth to Gibraltar and the distance is being covered by running around the Ship’s upper deck and ashore during port visits. As the deployment heads into the spring, Dutchy’s main concern now will be the heat. Temperatures can be expected to hit 40 degrees in the later months. Anybody wishing to sponsor PO(CIS) James ‘Dutchy’ Van-Der-Linden can do so at the following link: www.virginmoneygiving.com/DutchyVanDerLinden

Cycle from Faslane to Dubai? You must be mad! Alongside Dutchy’s fundraising efforts the Royal Marines have just finished a charity cycling challenge. During our last week at sea the Royals cycled 4,825 miles which is the distance from their home base of Faslane to the Gulf port of Dubai. The 9 strong team completed the distance on one bike, mounted on a turbo trainer on the Port bridge wing of the ship during one of its routine patrols of the area. Once the challenge started there has been a Marine continuously cycling on the bike for 24 hours a day until the full distance was covered; this equated to over 500 miles per Marine. The team have done this in order to raise funds for the Royal Marines Charitable Trust fund. The Trust supports the Recovery, Quality of Life and Through Life pathways of all Royal Marines and their families. To donate, please visit www.justgiving.com/faslane-to-dubai