Royal Navy warship arrives in Nigeria to boost armed forces’ morale
THE United Kingdom
yesterday re-iterated
its commitment to
assisting Nigeria defeat
the dreaded Boko
Haram sect, whose
activities have claimed
thousands of lives, and
rendered many more
Nigerians homeless in
several internally
displaced persons
(IDPs) camps across
the country.
The British High
Commission, which
disclosed last night
that one of the
country’s Royal Navy
ships — HMS Lancaster
— arrived Nigeria, on
Tuesday, said Britain
was more than ever
prepared to assist
Nigeria defeat Boko
Haram. The Guardian
learnt that shortly
after the state-of-the-
art Type 23 Duke
Frigate arrived the
country on Tuesday,
the ship’s captain and
the UK’s Defence
Adviser in Nigeria,
Colonel Dominic
Fletcher, and his
colleagues made a call
on the Western Naval
Command Apapa, and
were received by its
Flag Officer
Commanding, Rear
Admiral Ralph
Osondu.
A subsequent
statement issued by
the British High
Commission stressed
that HMS Lancaster’s
visit “shows continuing
UK commitment to
Nigeria, and to
supporting Nigerian
military as they deal
with security threats at
land and at sea.
The British High
Commissioner to
Nigeria, Paul T
Arkwright, was quoted
as saying that “The
visit of HMS Lancaster
is a signal of our
commitment to Nigeria
and Nigeria’s military
forces as they face
security challenges.
“The U.K. government
is firmly committed to
supporting President
Buhari’s government
and prioritizes across
the board, in
particular when it
comes to scarcity.”
Since the frigate, the
first to fully deploy the
Royal Navy’s Wildcat
helicopt, berthed in
Lagos, a number of
trainings and exercises
have taken place
between the Royal
Navy and Nigerian
Navy.
Yesterday, the ship
played host to
Nigeria’s security top
brass among them a
representative of the
Chief of Naval Staff,
Rear Admiral OC
Medani, the Flag
Officer Commanding
Western Naval
Command Rear
Admiral Osondu,
representatives of the
Army Headquarters,
the Nigerian Police and
National Security and
Civil Defence corps.
Briefing journalists on
board yesterday, the
ship’s Captain
commander Peter
Laughton MBE said
“HMS Lancaster is
currently conducting
an Atlantic Patrol Task
to provide ongoing
protection and
reassurance to British
regional interests and
is maintaining the
continuous Royal
Naval Presence in the
Atlantic. During such
tasks Royal Navy ships
call at ports to interact
with Navies of our
partners, foster
relationships and to
improve maritime
security”
As the fifth largest
economy in the world,
the UK has
responsibilities
towards it allies. But
Britain also has global
ambitions, namely to
protect the seaways
underpinning the
country’s prosperity.
The Royal Navy plays a
crucial role in
fostering these
enduring alliance with
other nations”
The ship departs
Nigerian waters on
Friday after a final
scheduled exercise
with the Nigerian
Navy.
HMS LANCASTER was
built on the Clyde by
Yarrow Shipbuilders
and was launched by
Her Majesty The
Queen, on May 24,
1990. She was
commissioned into the
Royal Navy on May 1,
1992.
The close affiliation to
Her Majesty continues,
earning LANCASTER
the nickname “The
Queen’s Frigate”. She is
the sixth Royal Navy
ship to bear the name.
The previous
LANCASTER had been
launched for the US
Navy in 1918 as a 1,100
tonne destroyer named
USS PHILIP. In 1940
she was transferred to
the Royal Navy and
gained battle honours
for Atlantic and Arctic
Convoys, plus North
Sea patrols.
HMS LANCASTER
sailed from
Portsmouth for her
nine-month Atlantic
Patrol Tasking (South)
deployment on the 21st
March 2015. During
the deployment, HMS
LANCASTER has sail in
excess of 22,000
nautical miles, made
over 12 port visits, and
travelled to 4
continents with
highlights including
the Panama Canal
transit and Fleet Week
in New Orleans.
The ship has been
given the honour to be
the first ship to deploy
in the Royal Navy’s
new uniform. The new
uniform brings to an
end 70 years of the
old-style light blue
shirt and dark blue
trousers. The Ship’s
Company have really
taken to the new
uniform: it’s more
comfortable, looks
smarter, and provides
sailors with more
protection. The
additional pockets also
make life easier when
carrying the necessary
tools.
In another first HMS
LANCASTER is the first
ship to deploy with the
Royal Navy’s newest
helicopter, the
Wildcat. Replacing the
Lynx helicopter, the
Wildcat has many
improvements, making
it a significantly more
capable aircraft. It has
a redesigned tail rotor
system improving the
strength and stealth of
the aircraft whilst the
aircrew benefit from
the improved state-of-
the-art cockpit with
high tech
communications, crash
worthy-armoured
seats and full 360-
degree colour
surveillance radar. The
Wildcat, like its
predecessor can be
used in a variety of
roles including anti-
ship and anti-
submarine protection,
casualty evacuation,
battlefield
reconnaissance and as
a general utility
helicopter.
The Royal Navy
maintains a permanent
presence in the South
Atlantic and West
Africa to provide
ongoing protection and
reassurance, conduct
Defence engagement,
and conduct maritime
security patrols. The
commitment consists
of two warships; either
a destroyer or frigate
accompanied by a
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
vessel.
The UK has a
responsibility to its
citizens and its allies
to endeavor to
safeguard the high
seas. This is why the
Royal Navy protects
home and
international waters –
making sure the global
trade that Britain and
the world depend on
can proceed without a
hitch.
As the fifth largest
economy in the world,
the UK has
responsibilities
towards its allies and
partners. The Royal
Navy plays a crucial
role in fostering these
enduring and lasting
alliances with other
nations.
