Monmouth in search of the pirate scourge

GO AHEAD, make his day.

Mne ‘Stretch’ Taylor practises his pistol skills on the flight deck of HMS Monmouth as the Black Duke knuckles down to anti-piracy patrols of the Gulf of Aden.

The frigate has replaced HMS Cornwall (now back in Blighty) scouring the waters east of Suez for criminal activity.

Before raising the Operation Calash banner, Monmouth received stores and – most importantly – information and tips from the F99 team about how to deal with the pirate menace.

Monmouth left Devonport at the end of March and made just a couple of pit stops (Gib and Souda Bay in Crete) on her dash to her operational theatre.

On the way, the ship overhauled HMS Invincible, being towed by tugs to a breaker’s yard in Turkey. A few Black Dukes who’d served on the old carrier took the chance to take a last look at Vince. It was, said logistics officer Lt Cdr Matt di Maio, “a poignant moment seeing the Falklands veteran at sea for the final voyage.”

Monmouth’s brief visit to the Rock permitted the obligatory race to the top of the mountain, football and rugby fixtures against the local Combined Services and Barbarians respectively, and some exercising with the patrol boats of the Gibraltar Squadron.

As for Souda, it’s the standard port of call for NATO vessels about to head east of Suez; its ranges are used to test all radars and sensors are ready for the tasks ahead.

While the Black Duke’s wizardry was tweaked, her Royal Marines from Fleet Protection Group honed their skills with the ship’s own boarding team and the Black Knight, Monmouth’s 815 NAS Lynx.

So with men (and women) and machine all as one, the Type 23 sailed through Suez.

“Among the ship’s company there was a real sense that they were entering the operational theatre,” said Cdr Dean Bassett, the Black Duke’s CO.

“There was a change in mindset aboard – every member of the ship’s company focused on their role ensuring that Monmouth can react quickly to any situation.”

‘Any situation’ covers a wide range of possibilities as Monmouth has a vast domain (the Red and Arabian Seas, Indian Ocean and Gulf) and, aside from counter-piracy, the Black Duke will be asked to perform counter-smuggling and counter-terrorism sweeps and take part in international naval exercises.