A day aboard HMS Northumberland for the Royal British Legion Stamps

To spend a day at sea aboard a British warship is one of the most interesting, exciting, and rewarding experiences you can have, and such was our privilege as a group of us went to sea aboard HMS Northumberland. We witnessed at first hand the professionalism of the commander and his crew under pressure and made memories that will last a lifetime. Read to the end to find out why our exit from the ship was the most exhilarating experience!

Why we were there

At Glazier Design we created the Royal British Legion Centenary Stamps for the Isle of Man Government and Post Office; on the stamps we featured the people most important to the RBL - their supporters, fundraisers, nurses, staff and of course, their beneficiaries in the Army, Navy and Air Force. On the first stamp in the set we feature F238, HMS Northumberland, a Type 23 Frigate. We were on board to present a special postage stamp to Commander Hobbs and the crew of HMS Northumberland and to thank them for their cooperation in the creation of the stamps.

Leaving South Shields for the North Sea

Our day on board started in South Shields where the ship was moored. As soon as we were on board and had passed the ritual Lateral Flow Test, we gathered for coffee in the helicopter hangar. HMS Northumberland is a submarine hunter and would normally have a Merlin helicopter filling the hangar to within a few centimetres. When the ship is not at sea, the Merlin is not on board, giving us space to occupy the hangar for our early morning briefing where Commander Hobbs outlined our day.

We were soon under way, pulled out into the Tyne by two tugs; we then sailed down the Tyne and out to sea. We thought ourselves very lucky as the North Sea was about as calm as any of us have seen it!

Tour of the Ship

During the early part of the day we were free to roam the ship, meet the crew and ask questions about their roles on board. Meeting the officers on the bridge we got to see first hand how they steer 133 metres of warship with a 'wheel' little bigger than a PlayStation controller. As we were travelling down the Tyne and out to sea Commander Hobbs received a stream of running notifications as every civilian vessel within two miles was constantly assessed for risk. The ship was at a constant state of alert and well guarded when so close to land.

Weapons training and live firing

Our main activity for the morning was live firing with an SA80 rifle. We received a safety briefing in the Merlin hangar before we were equipped with protective body armour and helmets - I'm not suggesting the Royal Navy was in any way nervous about our inexperience and the risk we posed - their safety drill for civilians on board was faultless!

During the briefing the ship experienced a Total Electrical Failure - the power generated by the turbines failed and we experienced the immediate and professional response of a well-drilled crew, who sprung into action.

Live-firing was paused for a few minutes before we filed out onto the deck where we were given an SA80 with a full magazine and under the close control of a weapons officer, fired into the sea. As the ship was no longer under power we couldn't shoot at a towed target, so we used the splash of the previous round as an aiming point for the next round. Pity the mackerel...

Lunch! And the Arctic Winter

An Army marches on its stomach and it must be said for the Navy that they sail on theirs, as we were provided with an amazing curry in the officer's mess. We met some of the catering crew responsible for keeping the ship's company well fed - theirs is a crucial role, especially in the cold sea of the Arctic Circle. Last year the ship spent weeks tracking Russian submarines through the Arctic Circle in the middle of winter in sub-zero temperatures and near darkness. In one encounter they tracked a Russian sub using sonar, remaining within a kilometre of the sub for more than ten days. They got so close in fact that the sub had a brief encounter with the ship's sonar array!

Unsurprisingly, the ship's company is young, so it is perhaps even more impressive that a crew of 180 can spend months at sea, barely seeing daylight, while operating in stealth mode. The camaraderie in the mixed and diverse crew was immediately obvious. The Navy recruits well and with an increasing number of female recruits is also performing well in the balancing of genders on the front line.

A Presentation to Commander Hobbs

During lunch we had the opportunity to make a double presentation to Commander Hobbs. On behalf of the Worshipful Company of Bowyers, our Master David Laxton presented the most recent book about the history of the Bowyers. HMS Northumberland is our affiliated ship.

Then on behalf of the Isle of Man Government and Isle of Man Post Office, I presented Commander Hobbs with a blow-up stamp featuring his ship, a set of first day covers and a set of postcards.

A postcard home

The postcards we donated to the ship feature a photograph of HMS Northumberland in the Artic Circle at midday, the sun just above the horizon for the few minutes of daylight. We gave the postcards so that the crew could all write messages home - many did and the cards were collected up, sent to the Isle of Man Post Office, where the ship's own stamp was applied. It was a special occasion for family and friends to receive a postcard from their loved one that featured the ship, the ship's stamp and a message of love. We hope they will be treasured by families for years to come.

Tour of the weapons control room

In the afternoon we descended below decks to the control room in the heart of the ship, where a dedicated team of specialists track every nearby vessel and aircraft. The listening stations, so deep below decks, were reminiscent of a submarine control room. The ship uses state of the art radar and sonar to track, identify and engage enemy craft, but is also tracking every nearby civilian, merchant or friendly vessel.

Visiting the control room again reminded me of my last trip aboard, when during sea and weapons trials, a fast jet towed a drone missile above the ship so that the operatives could train on tracking, intercept and firing the defensive missiles (formerly Sea Wolf, now Sea Ceptor). For the first two passes I was on deck as the jet roared over, for the next two I was in the control room as they locked onto the missile and simulated firing .

For obvious reasons, no pictures of the Weapons Room! So here are some Sea Ceptor missiles!

Navy signwriting

Navy signwriting is a joy. There is a wide variety of functional and warning signage on board a ship, where pretty much everything can hurt or kill you if you mistreat it, ignore it or bump into it. How do you imply immediacy in a sign? Colour, font and bold statements!

These are some of my favourites - and for the uninitiated, FOD is Foreign Object of Danger - anything loose that might be whipped into the air by a Merlin helicopter downdraft. Gash is garbage, rubbish, anything unwanted.

Xerox on board!

As consultants to Xerox, we are always on the lookout for Xerox machines playing a part in everyday life - a warship is no exception! We were very pleased to see Xerox machines 'in action' and well secured, providing an essential service on board HMS Northumberland.

The crew with 'their' stamp

During the day we met with as many of the crew as we could, grabbing a quick photo while they went about their duties. After we left, the WEO also collected photos of others in the crew - we are grateful to them all for their cooperation in the launch of the stamps.

Meet more of the crew in the fuller article and gallery at GlazierDesign.com

Departure by jet rib

They say that spontaneous events are often the most fun and so it turned out with our exit from the ship. Commander Hobbs had planned to sail back up the Tyne and moor at South Shields again, but having experienced a Total Electrical Failure, which had been found and fixed, we were briefed that he would not to take the risk of it happening again in the tight passage of the Tyne. We were told that we would leave the ship by fast jet rib. You can imagine our elation!

To comply with safety regulations we had to kit up in dry suits and helmets for the two mile journey back to shore. The super-efficient crew managed to fit out the guest parties , who I will say with honesty, differed in size and shape from the average person in the Navy.

We boarded the rib five at a time and travelled at high speed back to shore, waving a fond farewell to the ship and crew.

Our Navy and the Royal British Legion

The reception on board was exceptional and we were welcomed by everyone on board; nothing was too much trouble for a crew that should really have been focussing on their sea trials, weapons testing and fault-fixing. The professionalism and calm competence exhibited by crew, some of them only a few months older than my son Chris, was incredible. These people spend months at sea tracking submarines, often with greater responsibility for life and liberty than any of us will experience in our lifetimes.

It is right then that they are supported by Navy welfare charities and the Royal British Legion. Every service person is entitled to support from the RBL after seven days in service for the rest of their lives, and the charity has been supporting our forces and their families for 100 years.

It would be an understatement to say that it was an honour to be on board, to work with HMS Northumberland and the RBL to commemorate 100 years of this great charity and to meet the people that really matter - our Navy.