At Sea on HMS Dauntless
Following the decommissioning of our previous affiliation with the Royal Navy HMS Manchester, the Worshipful Company of World Traders now enjoys an affiliation with HMS Dauntless, one of the new Type 45 Daring Class Destroyers, commissioned in June 2010. With a shrinking UK fleet there has been some doubling up and we are proud to share this affiliation with The Clothworkers' Company.
On September 9th 2011, three Liverymen and one Freeman from the World Traders were fortunate enough to be guests of the Captain and Ship's Company of HMS Dauntless, on a two day passage from Portsmouth to King George V Wharf near the Excel Exhibition Centre in London. Mr Harry Braund, Mr Ian Taylor, Mrs Vicki Dryden Wyatt and Mr Graham Booth joined three fellow liverymen from the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, four executives from Oyster Marine, and Mr Jonathan Adnams OBE from Adnams Brewery.
We were met at 8am on a grey day by Lt Cdr Eleanor Stack RN, the Air Warfare Officer, who was our excellent liaison officer throughout the visit, and whose warmth and efficiency ensured our visit was crammed with memorable moments and some superb highlights.
Having been shown to our comfortable two-man cabins, we reconvened for a warm welcome from the Commanding Officer, Captain Will Warrender MA RN. The programme and logistics brief followed in the spacious Wardroom Ante Room, a greatly appreciated space where Officers can relax, watch television, read, or enjoy a coffee or a drink. The programme ahead left us all astonished by the activities planned for us, including a flight from the deck on a Lynx Mark 8 Helicopter, a visit to the hi-tech Ops room, and freedom to come and go from Bridge at most times.
The morning included a highly efficient demonstration of man-overboard rescue capability, using a large rib with a top speed of 40 knots, which winches out and is lowered from a concealed compartment on the side of the ship. Driven expertly by a 20 year old Able Seaman, the crew quickly recovered our (dummy!) man overboard. The rib was soon safely winched back on board. Both speed and efficiency were impressive.
We experienced some adrenalin rushed moments as large machine guns were deployed on targets in the water, and then we too were shown how to fire semi automatic rifles off the stern of the ship. Sensibly our own attempts were limited to the guns being in the manual-firing mode!
After a very enjoyable lunch in the Wardroom, we witnessed standard manoeuvres from the bridge. For a 500ft long vessel of over 7500 tonnes, the Daring class warship is remarkably responsive and agile.
The Operations Room really is like a futuristic film set - a huge windowless area crammed with technology. Demonstrations of this system's capabilities leave us speechless - the step change from the Type 42 capability is massive, and it is clear that the Warfare Officers are more than confident in this highly complex attack and defence system.
As the afternoon drew on, so the weather deteriorated, and we were preparing ourselves for a huge disappointment - the cancellation of our Lynx flights. We were planned to go in 4 groups of 3 from the aft deck of the vessel. Suddenly the fog cleared, and group one were kitted up for flight. To our great relief, the weather continued to improve, and all 12 of us had the exhilarating moments of take off and landing. The flight itself was an amazing photo-opportunity, and completely unforgettable.
Conversation about our day was animated and enthusiastic at dinner in the Wardroom (a delicious curry) with the CO and Officers. After dinner Lt Cdr Peter Lee ran a fun music quiz to keep us all amused. Some of us were better at the Elvis to Abba period, leaving the young Officers to help us out with later years, but Ian Taylor's outstanding performance kept World Traders' reputation high.
From 10pm we entered the busy Straits of Dover, and most of us went to the Bridge for a couple of hours to witness the passage. Our bunks then called, and on a gently humming, quiet ship, we slept well.
SATURDAY 10TH
After a hearty breakfast, as we navigated the Thames Estuary, we were taken on a fascinating ship's tour - sickbay, the hanger, the boat bay, the junior ratings' accommodation, the laundry, and the galley. Here we learned from the Catering Manager that the budget per man per day for all food and soft drinks is £2.75 per man. Having shared their fare, we were amazed. The competence of the Catering Team in providing such good food for so little money is hard to believe.
On we went to the engineering control room, the responsibility of Lt Cdr Peter Lee. The main power source is a twin Gas Turbine system, producing enough electricity to power a city such as Leeds! This electricity powers the electrical motors which in turn power the shafts. Two diesel-electric systems come into play when the ship is alongside, powering its domestic and security needs. High tech monitoring equipment provides real time and historic information from every aspect of the power sources.
We then enjoyed a presentation from the brave Firefighter Team - all volunteers from their 'day jobs' and crucial to the safety of the vessel and crew. It is dangerous, demanding and very skilled work.
HMS Dauntless was a key part of the recent DSEI Exhibition (Defence and Security Equipment International) at Excel from Sept 13th to 16th, hence our trip to King George V Wharf. Entry into the lock was a challenging and tense manoeuvre for a ship of HMS Dauntless' size. It was akin to a Panama Canal lock entry, but without the aid of the mechanical mules that 'do the work' there. Capt Warrender shared (afterwards!) his concerns, but safely and gently eased his vessel through, with the aid of some very beefy tugs.
Our amazing two days were at an end, but the memories will last forever. How very fortunate we are to have a Royal Navy with such remarkable capability. How very sad if we allow further decline in our assets and our officers and men.
On HMS Dauntless, it was apparent that every man and woman had enormous pride in this state of the art vessel, their role on board, and in being part of our senior service.
World Traders interested in further technical information on HMS Dauntless and the Daring Class Fleet will find two extremely good sources on the internet. Google 'Type 45 Destroyers', and go to the Royal Navy site and also the Wikipedia site. Both give good detail of the ships themselves, the missile capability and answer just about any question the more technically minded could wish to know.
Vicki Dryden Wyatt
