Royal Naval Association Worthing Branch "Once Navy, Always Navy"
Royal Naval Association       Worthing Branch "Once Navy, Always Navy"

 

A number of older items have now been moved to the "Archive" page 

 

 

 

 

March Mess Meeting

 

The March Social Mess Meeting will take place at Broadwater Mens Working Club on Thursday 21st March 

 

This months Mess Meeting will include a raffle.  Donation of Prizes welcomed.

 

Gathering from 1830 for a 1900 start.

 

We look forward to seeing as many Shipmates there as possible.

 

All prospective new members welcome.

 

 

AGM and February Mess Meeting

 

The AGM and February Mess meeting Mess Meeting will take place on Thursday 15th February at the Broadwater Working Men's Club.

 

This Mess Meeting will be a Full Mess meeting. 

 

This months meeting will include a raffle.  Donation of Prizes welcomed.

 

Gathering from 1830 for a 1900 start.

 

We look forward to seeing as many Shipmates there as possible.

 

All prospective new members welcome.

 

 

Remembrance Parade 2023

 

 

A new Page has been added with details and photos of the Parade held on Sunday 12th November 2023, with additional Photos

 

 

 

Trafalgar Night Dinner

 

The closing date for applications for this years Trafalgar Night Dinner is rapidly approaching.

 

Please get applications in before 5th October to ensure your place.

 

Guest Speaker: Sir Peter Bottomley MP

 

Full details below.

Crossed over the Bar

 

It is with great sadness that we have to report the crossing over the bar on Sunday 24th September of SM Robert (Bob) Reynolds.
 

 Bob’s Funeral will be on 27th October at Worthing crematorium (12noon) and afterwards at the Findon Manor Hotel.

 

 
Our deepest sympathies go out to his family.
 
 

 

ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION

 

 

 

WORTHING BRANCH

 

Meets Monthly on the First Thursday of the Month

At Broadwater Working Mens Club

44 Broadwater Street East

Worthing

BN14 9AW

 

New Members always welcome

 

Contact:  message@rna-worthing.org

 

www.rna-Worthing.org

 

 

“ONCE NAVY  ALWAYS NAVY”

 

 

 

 

New Members always welcome

 

Here at Worthing Branch of the RNA, we are always looking to add new members to the Branch - an opportunity to meet with fellow "old Boys and Girls" and exchange a dit or two and socialise.

 

Membership of the RNA is free, and there is a small annual Branch subscription only.

 

Members can be Veterans, serving members or simply those with an affiliation to the Royal Navy.

 

Anyone interested in joining us, can email message@rna-worthing.org.

 

 

2023 Trafalgar Night Dinner

 

 

A reminder that the Annual Trafalgar Night Dinner will take place on Friday 20th October

at the Ardington Hotel in Steyne Gardens, Worthing.

1900 for 1930.

 

Cost £45 per person, includes Rum Tot and Three Course Dinner.

Dress:  Mess Dress / Black Tie / Lounge Suit

 

Open to All - not just RNA members.

Come along for a great fun evening.

 

Menu Options

 

Starters

1. Cream of Winter Vegetable Soup, Crème Fraiche and Croutons

  1. Pan Fried King Prawns on Sour Dough Croute, Garlic, Lemon and Herb Butter

               3.     Baked Goats Cheese on Bruschetta, Roasted Beetroot and Mixed Leaves                                                                          (V)

4.  Hot Thai Spiced Chicken, Asian Salad, Sesame Dressing

 

Main Course

  1. Chargrilled Aged Rib Eye Steak (cooked medium) Fries, Grilled Tomato and Portobello Mushroom,

(Optional Bearnaise Sauce)

  1.  Slow Roast Italian Shoulder of Pork, Caraway & Fennel Seeds Crust, Apple Sauce,

                                                             Pork & Sage stuffing

  1.  Roasted Fillet of Salmon, Basil and Pine Kernel Pesto Crust, New Potatoes   
  2.  Moroccan Vegetable Tagine, Almond and Raisin Couscous, Cucumber and Mint Coconut Yoghurt, Flat Bread (Vegan)

 

Selection of Vegetables

 

Desserts

  1.  Sticky Toffee Pudding, Salted Caramel Sauce, Vanilla Custard
  2.  Grand Marnier Chocolate Mousse, Homemade Shortbread
  3.  Roasted Pineapple, Coconut Ice Cream, Passion Fruit Syrup (Vegan)
  4.  Selection of Mature Cheddar, Brie and Stilton, Apricot Chutney, Savoury Biscuits

 

Coffee / Tea

Mints

 

Please make payment of £45 per person by cheque or BACs, and indicate menu choices from options above.

 

     BACs details: 

     Royal Naval Association (Business Acc).  Sort Code: 09-01-53   Acc No:  80784483                                                                               (Ref: Surname)

 

 

Name

Starter

Main

Dessert

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Email: minterpb@gmail.com                                                    Mobile: 07740 585453

Email:  lionelharman@outlook.com                                            Mobile:  07506 466457

 

Bookings close 5th October 2023

 

Crossed over the Bar

 

It is with great Sadness that we have to report that S/M Betty Scott passed over the bar last Wednesday - 26th April.

 

Our thoughts and Prayers go out to S/M Bob and his family.

 

 

 

 

HMS HOOD Anniversary

 

The Annual HMS HOOD Memorial Service was once again held this year on Wednesday 24th May

HMS Hood was lost – with all but three souls aboard – engaging Hitler’s flagship Bismarck in company with HMS Prince of Wales in the Denmark Strait early on the morning of May 24 1941.

Among the 1400+ casualties who went down with Hood was Admiral Lancelot Holland, in command of the two British capital ships.

He worshipped at St John’s Church in Boldre, Hampshire, where in the years since the disaster a special section has grown honouring the ship and her men, with a service held each year on the Sunday closest to the sinking.

 

 

 

 

LatestType 26 Frigate - HMS BIRMINGHAM - Laid Down

 

On the fourth day of the fourth month the fourth Type 26 frigate – and the fourth ship to bear the name Birmingham – began to take shape on the Clyde.


Work has now got under way on the latest of the Royal Navy’s next-generation submarine hunters, a £840m warship which will carry the name and motto – Forward – of England’s second city around the globe for a quarter of a century.

 

Joined by VIPs from Birmingham, builders BAE and veterans of the most recent ‘HMS Brum’ – as the ships were nicknamed – Defence Procurement Minister Alex Chalk joined BAE shipwrights in cutting the first steel plate in Govan, Glasgow.

 

Commodore Steve Roberts, heading the Type 26 programme for the Royal Navy, said: "Seeing the next Type 26 start the construction journey is a tangible representation of the success of the programme, thanks to the hard work put in by the DE&S and BAE Systems teams.

"These advanced anti-submarine warfare ships will provide the Royal Navy with a world-class cutting-edge capability to protect our Nation's interests well into the future."

 

Birmingham is the first of the second batch of five frigates which will complete the class – Sheffield, Newcastle, Edinburgh, London – to join the original trio of HMS Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast already under construction.

 

Identical to the first batch, but incorporating lessons learned in their construction and exploiting a new assembly hall which will shield the vessels from the Scottish elements unlike the first three Type 26s, the second batch represents a £4.2bn investment in the future of the Royal Navy and the shipbuilding/defence industry.

 

She’ll be the fourth Birmingham to serve under the White Ensign, building on foundations laid by ships whose service spanned the 20th Century.


The first two were cruisers which served through World War 1 and 2 respectively. No.1 fought at Heligoland, Dogger Bank and Jutland and served around the globe until the early 1930s.

She was replaced by a Town-class cruiser which was deployed around the globe but only earned one battle honour in WW2 (Norway), adding to it with service in Korea and broken up in 1960 (her sister, HMS Belfast, survives as a museum in London).


The most recent Birmingham was a Type 42 destroyer which joined the Fleet in 1976. Unlike many of her class, she didn’t serve in the Falklands conflict but was sent south as part of the security/peacekeeping operation around the islands afterwards.

 

Other peacekeeping duties included the Adriatic, protecting shipping in the Gulf during the ‘tanker wars’ and evacuating Britons and entitled civilians from Albania in 1997. She was paid off two years later and sold for breaking up in 2000.

 

The new Birmingham will be equipped with the Sea Ceptor missile defence system, a 5in medium calibre main gun, a Merlin or Wildcat helicopter, medium-range radar, powerful array sonars, a Mk41 vertical launch silo for missile systems, and a ‘mission bay’ allowing the ships to carry adaptable ‘pods’ for wide-ranging operations, such as disaster relief, drones, and mine warfare.

 

The eight 26s replace the eight dedicated Type 23 anti-submarine frigates currently in service (five new Type 31s will supplant the general duty 23s reaching the end of their lifespans) and are expected to serve for at least 25 years, taking the class into the 2060s.

 

And thanks to lessons learned building the first batch, plus improved assembly facilities – including a new undercover construction hall – Birmingham and the four Type 26s will be built for around two-thirds the cost of the initial trio, and they will be built and delivered to the Fleet more quickly.

 

Construction of the 26s will sustain around 1,700 jobs at BAE’s yards in Govan and Scotstoun, plus 2,300 jobs across 120 suppliers and sub-contractors.

 

 

SEMAPHORE CIRCULAR - 05 April 2023

 

Wishing you a very happy Easter – here is the link to the latest Semaphore Circular: https://royal-naval-association.co.uk/members/downloads/2023/, there will be a Semaphore Short with you on Easter Monday and as well as that, we also have some updates for you:

 

Coronation Pin Badges

We are delighted to tell you we have a limited edition Royal Naval Association Coronation Badge to commemorate the Coronation of King Charles III for £5 including postage, it is similar to the Jubilee badge. If you would like to order please email engagement@royalnavalassoc.com, or more information via our Facebook group.

 

Uckers World Championships

The 2023 World Uckers Championships (doubles and singles) will take place at the Royal Maritime Club in Portsmouth on Saturday 21st October 2021. Registration is now open email engagement@royalnavalassoc.com or via this link to our Facebook group.

 

Army vs Navy Rugby Match         

We still have availability for subsidised tickets for the Army vs Navy on 13th May - £40 tickets for £35 and £35 tickets for £30 - support for transport costs are also available, please fill in the form available here: https://royal-naval-association.co.uk/.../rugby-booking... and send to engagement@royalnavalassoc.com – cut off date is Friday, 14 April.

 

RNA Gazebos – New Branding

We are able to source Gazebos centrally for a price of £976 (including VAT). This is a high-quality, 3x3m, commercial grade Gazebo; a quality gazebo comes at a substantial cost, negotiating a price centrally can allow clubs to ‘buy into’ and share the cost of a branded gazebo; more information attached, email engagement@royalnavalassoc.com with any questions or to order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first of the UK’s two new ships to protect key underwater infrastructure today arrived on Merseyside to begin preparing for front-line duties.

The distinctive blue-white Topaz Tangaroa, which has arrived at the Cammell Laird yard in Birkenhead, will become the UK’s first ship dedicated to safeguarding vital seabed telecommunications cables and oil and gas pipelines, beginning operations in just six months’ time.

Military equipment will be installed and the ship painted grey before the ship – the first of two planned Multi-Role Oceanographic Survey (MROS) vessels – begins training with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ready for its first front-line operations this summer.

Announced by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace in November 2022, the accelerated acquisition of this MROS vessel will be vital to our national security. 

“The first of two dedicated subsea surveillance ships will join the fleet this Summer, bolstering our capabilities and security against threats posed now and into the future,” he said.

“It is paramount at a time when we face Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, that we prioritise capabilities that will protect our critical national infrastructure.”

The Royal Navy scoured the world for a vessel which would meet its requirements and selected the Topaz Tangaroa.

She was built in Norway four years ago to support a mix of underwater operations such as work on oil/gas rigs, construction, maintenance and inspection work, as well as survey and remotely-operated vehicle/autonomous submarine operations, making her ideal for underwater surveillance and seabed warfare.

The 6,000-tonne vessel, which is equipped with a helipad, crane, and expansive working deck – 1,000 square metres, or the size of five tennis courts – has most recently been operating in the Pacific on underwater construction projects.

The ship also features a ‘moon pool’ – a large access point in the bottom of the hull through which robot submersibles can be launched.

The vessel, whose new military name is still to be announced, will be crewed by around two dozen RFA sailors, plus up to 60 Royal Navy specialists will operate the undersea surveillance systems and other survey and warfare systems when embarked.

“This is an entirely new mission for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary – and one we relish,” said Commodore David Eagles RFA, the head of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

“We have been entrusted with supporting a key operation to safeguard the UK’s infrastructure, security and prosperity and that fills all of us in the RFA with pride. These are really exciting times.”

 

The UK has taken charge of a key naval force tackling terrorism and drugs smuggling across the Middle East.

The Royal Navy has taken up the reins of Combined Task Force 150; tasking international warships and aircraft to patrol the Indian Ocean and waters of the Middle East to deter terrorism and illicit activities which support it, such as drugs smuggling. This is the eleventh time the Royal Navy have taken command of the Task Force.

The force has proven to be particularly successful in the fight against the illegal drugs trade. Since July 2022, and under the recent command of the Royal Saudi Naval Force, there have been six busts: capturing more than eleven tonnes of hashish, three tonnes of heroin, two tonnes of methamphetamines and three tonnes of opium – taking over £150m drugs off the streets.

One of those seizures – totalling nearly £15.5m of illegal narcotics – was carried out by Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose in October. She’s now been replaced in the region by her sister ship HMS Lancaster which has been on patrol in the Strait of Hormuz with the US Navy.

The Royal Navy’s Captain Jim Byron took charge from the Royal Saudi Naval Force at the group’s HQ in Bahrain.

Capt Byron said his predecessor, Rear Admiral Abdullah Al-Mutairi had achieved “huge success” in his six months in charge.

“Commanding Combined Task Force 150 is a huge privilege and I am delighted to have been welcomed so warmly to Bahrain to work once again with our Combined Maritime Force partners.

“The work these 38 nations do – ready and stronger together – is a clear demonstration of what can be achieved when like-minded nations come together for the common good.”

“Through persistent military presence, we will do all we can to maintain maritime security across the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman, ensuring the legitimate use of the global maritime commons and disrupting the illicit activity of terrorist organisations and narcotics traffickers.”

 

He continued: “My Royal Navy staff, supported by personnel from both the Royal Navy of New Zealand and the Italian Marina Militare, will work tirelessly to keep a watchful eye over the region”.

The Chief of Joint Operations at the Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, Lieutenant General Charlie Stickland, highlighted the United Kingdom’s long history of contributing to regional security in the Middle East, working with allies and partners.

“Taking Command of CTF150 for the eleventh time demonstrates our continued commitment to supporting maritime security in the region. During the UK’s Command, CTF150 will bring together our partners to collectively respond to malign smuggling activity and promote the international rules based order to deter the illicit use of the seas.”

CTF 150 is one of several task groups operated by the Combined Maritime Forces, the world’s largest international naval partnership, with more than 30 nations providing security for merchant shipping by conducting, supporting counter-piracy, counter-terrorism and maritime security patrols.

They cover the Red Sea, the Gulf, the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and the wider Indian Ocean and include three of the world’s busiest maritime chokepoints – the Suez Canal, the Bab el-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz.

Disruption to the regular flow of traffic would impact not just the UK – which benefits from regular supplies of liquid natural gas from the Gulf – but the global economy

 

 

DIARY OF COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS - WORTHING 2023

(Further details for each event will be promulgated once timings etc are known.)

 

 

20th August     Canadian Memorial                        Canadian Memorial - Opposite Grand Avenue

 

17 September   Battle of Britain Service                Christs Church, Chapel Road Worthing

 

24 September   HMS Fittleton Memorial (tbc)       Worthing Pier

 

15th October    HMS Broadwater Memorial           St Mary's Church, Broadwater

 

20th October    Trafalgar Night Dinner                   Ardington Hotel, Worthing

 

6th November  Open Garden of Rememberance    Town Hall

 

12th November Rememberance Parade                  Worthing Memorail outside Town Hall

 

19th November Pidgeon Memorial (Animals)        Venue tbc

 

 

REMEMBRANCE DAY PARADE 2022

 

The annual Remembrance day Parade took place at the War Memorial on Sunday 13th November. 

 

The Branch was represented along with representatives of local Cadets and Youth services.

 


 

Trafalgar Night Dinner​ 


The Branch held a Trafalgar Night Dinner at the Ardington Hotel in Worthing on Saturday 22nd October 

Photos can be found on the Trafalgar Night 2022 page on the website.

 

The Trafalgar Night Dinner for 2023 is booked for Friday 20th October 2023 again at the Ardington Hotel.

 

 



 

HMS BROADWATER MEMORIAL SERVICE

 

The annual HMS BROADWATER Memorial service was held at St Mary's Church in Broadwater on Sunday16th October.

 

The Service was attended by Shipmates from Worthing Branch, the Mayor of Worthing - Councillor Henna Chowdhury, TS VANGUARD and the Standards from the RNA, Royal British Legion and Worthing Sea Cadets.

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have any old Photos of your old Ships?

 

We are looking to start a page dedicated to ships that members have served upon in the past (or where still serving - currently) as a sort of Rouges Gallery!

 

If you have any photos - along with any comments or dits that you would like to see go on, please email to : 

pro@rna-worthing.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Follow us on Twitter @WorthingRNA

 

 

Follow us on Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/383613735532004/

 

Updated 13th March 2024

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Royal Naval Association - Worthing Broadwater Working Men's Club, 44 Broadwater Street East, Worthing, BN14 9AW