JEDDAH, 8 December 2006 — The UK Type 23 frigate HMS Westminster captained by Commander D.G. Fields paid a short visit to Jeddah recently leaving both pleasant memories and a trail of destruction behind her. At least, when the ship’s rugby team left the Jeddah Rugby Club’s ground with a 38-10 victory under its collective belt, there was a rueful shaking of heads at the “shock and awe” tactics applied on the pitch.
On the way home to the UK after a six-month deployment that saw duty as far East as Japan and Korea, there was a distinct “end of term” buzz among the crew when she docked in Jeddah late last month. “Two weeks, four days and seven hours to Portsmouth,” said Lt. Cmdr. Al Murchie, chief engineering officer who is responsible for keeping the ship’s mechanical and electrical systems running, “but who’s counting?” Most of the mixed crew of 180 — about 30 of them female — was but no one was telling.
Murchie’s particular area of responsibility is propulsion and mechanical systems through to desalination, ventilation and sewage treatment. The chief weapons engineering officer, one of the female crew members, is responsible for communications, radar and combat systems. “She puts the ‘war’ into warship,” Murchie said. The female members of the company are scattered through all ranks and branches of the ship — from lieutenant commander through engineering and air warfare to ratings.
The young crew — Murchie estimated their average age at 23 — takes responsibilities very seriously. “The service gives them responsibilities early on,” said Murchie, “and they invariably rise to them.” He regarded the issue of females on board as a fact consigned to history.
The Royal Navy has become a smaller more technologically-based force over recent years and the question is no longer who or what you are but: Can you do the job? “You pick your personnel well, train them well and invest time,” said Murchie. “The navy always has been good at that and still is.”
Eighteen-year-old armed sentries rather proved the point. “The days when a female crew member was an issue have long gone,” Murchie shrugged. “They’re all professionals; that’s about it.”
HMS Westminster is designed to fill a number of roles but is principally an anti-submarine warfare platform with a range of sonars available. On the rear deck stands a huge Merlin helicopter, a fearsome device that has its own dipping sonar and sonar buoys used to detect submarines at even greater ranges than the ship can manage. It can locate, track or attack with its own torpedoes or direct other ships or aircraft to the target.
There is a certain stealth element to her design; the superstructure has few right angles in it and slopes slightly inward from the main deck that gives her 3,500-ton displacement a remarkably small radar profile — about the same as a large trawler. This proved useful in the ship’s intercept role when tracking illegal human and drug trafficking in the Gulf.
Unique to the Type 23 frigate is the combined diesel electric and gas turbine power plant arrangement. Powered by both Rolls Royce SM1A Spey gas turbines and GEC electric propulsion motors, one set mounted on each of the two drive shafts, the ship runs very quietly up to around 15 knots. Up to this speed, the electric motors keep the noise signature low, another benefit in submarine hunting role. Powered by the main turbines, the ship can “sprint” at 28 knots. Scoring another first, this time in the area of weapons systems, HMS Westminster was the first ship to be fitted with the latest ASW low-frequency active sonar system and the 2170 torpedo defense system.
During her deployment, the HMS Westminster was involved in the continuing “Operation Enduring Freedom” where she patrolled an area covering two million square miles, including over 6,000 miles of coastline, stretching from Pakistan, Oman, Iran, Yemen and Somalia to Sudan and Egypt. Her main role during this time was to conduct maritime security operations under international maritime conventions and to ensure security and safety in international waters “making sure that all those who go about doing their legal business on the high seas are protected.”
While in Jeddah on her run home, the ship extended hospitality to the Saudi Royal Navy and the Coast Guard with a VIP sea-day. Murchie said it was an excellent opportunity for the two services to get to know each other and to “show some rather specialized equipment we have fitted that monitors and gives live feedback from the sea-boats.”
The equipment allows the progress on an intercept at sea and a boarding party to be observed from the ship. Now on their way home, the crew are reflecting on a day ashore buying “gizzits” (“gifts” in common parlance) with thoughts of home.
In Jeddah, however, plans are afoot. “They found their land-legs pretty quick,” one rugby supporter was overheard saying. “Have to take them away earlier next time.”
