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Warfare course and parachute drops in harbour and eastside
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A familiar sight in the Naval Base over the next few days will be the Type 42 destroyer, HMS Manchester. She arrives on Friday and, after a weekend loading stores and equipment, she will provide the platform for the final element of the latest Principal Warfare Officers’ Course.
During her visit to Gibraltar, the ship will also host a visit from Commodore Steve Kirby, Commodore of the Maritime Warfare School.
The Principal Warfare Officers’ course is a major career course for RN officers. It lasts for nine months and prepares officers for a role in which they co-ordinate a ship’s Operations Room and fight the ship on behalf of the Captain.
During her time in Gibraltar’s waters, HMS Manchester will also be the focus of Exercise Med Gun, two parachute drops by men from 148 Forward Observation Battery Royal Artillery and from the Submarine Parachute Assistance Group. The drops will be into the area of the harbour on Monday afternoon and into the Eastern side of the Rock on Tuesday morning.
"148 Forward Observation Battery's primary role is to direct naval gunfire but its personnel are also trained to control and co-ordinate fast jets and artillery fire. "The Battery is unique in that it contains both Army and Naval personnel who can be inserted into an area of operations on foot, by ski, by parachute, helicopter, boat, submarine or vehicle. Their small teams of highly trained men are capable of deploying into any environment and delivering all forms of indirect fire on the enemy, whilst providing detailed intelligence to higher formations," said a spokesman at Command British Forces.
21-01-10
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