Royal Navy's newest ship formally named in Glasgow yard The Royal Navy’s newest warship, offshore patrol vessel HMS Forth, has been formally named in a ceremony held in Scotland. The 90-metre craft was christened by Rachel Johnstone-Burt, who broke the traditional bottle of alcohol across Forth's bows – in this case, a bottle of whisky to reflect the ship's Scotstoun, Glasgow …
Or perhaps some sort of PFI initiative where the RN will pay for offshore patrol missions as required. But the oligarch will own, manage and maintain the vessel and also provide training facilities and some personnel. They will also be able to earn extra revenue by using vessel for commercial operations when not required by the RN.
'Atlantic Patrol Task (North), which involves cruising round the Caribbean looking for drug smugglers and generally flying the flag in the Commonwealth states near that part of the world.'
And the non-Commonwealth states, to be honest pretty much anywhere that'll serve a decent rum. Honestly it's a hellish deployment, wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy...
And hopefully won't be in port being continuously repainted.
Wife's dad used to be in charge of the British Rail viaducts, bridges and station platforms for the south-west (he was a stonemason by trade originally). She remembers being taken through the tubes over the top of the Tamar rail bridge one Sunday.
That's another bridge that was (almost) permanently being painted. He used to get gyp from the workmen because he made them rub the rust back to metal rather than just painting over it - unsurprisingly the paintwork lasted a whole lot longer where that had been done.
Sadly, I never got to meet him since he died in 1977 - at which point I was 12..
"The 90-metre craft was christened by Rachel Johnstone-Burt, who broke the traditional bottle of alcohol across Forth's bows – in this case, a bottle of whisky to reflect the ship's Scotstoun, Glasgow origins.
"She is due to enter service with the RN in 2018, and will spend the time between now and then on final fit-out and sea trials."
Who's she? The boat or Rachel Johnston-Burt? Or both?
I suspect she's actually the daughter of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Johnstone-Burt
Who's a top bloke by all accounts although I have yet to meet him myself.
Edit, tell a lie, it sounds like she's his wife.
http://en.mercopress.com/2006/12/20/helicopter-veteran-of-the-falkland-s-war-becomes-scotland-s-new-admiral
I can't help thinking Miranda Hart would have been more appropriate had she been available. Her father had a distinguished career in the RN, and given the humorous possibility of carriers without aircraft and submarines that don't go to sea very much, she might have been a more realistic choice.
Miranda Hart would have been more appropriate had she been available. Her father had a distinguished career in the RN, and given the humorous possibility of carriers without aircraft and submarines that don't go to sea very much, she might have been a more realistic choice.
And could have livened up the ceremony with some suitably-timed pratfalls.
"Your taxes pay some soldiers to not carry rifles while conducting their duties."
Many moons ago, a mate who was in the RAF based at St Athan was involved in an excercise to "defend" the base against an attack. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough weapons to go around. Those without were told to just say "bang! bang! you're dead!" if they encountered an "attacker"...
Many moons ago I was a professional cloud sniper. We would quit happily spin up Bllndfire and shout 'that's a hit!' while our pristine unfired Rapier missiles sat on the rails never to be launched, until a few years later when they all got fired off in the South Atlantic .. well those that didn't get blown up with Atlantic Conveyor.
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