A time to pause on the flight deck of HMS Diamond as the ship's company break from training serials to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Jutland.
Diamond is in the middle of her Operational Sea Training (OST), a 6 week package designed to teach the ship’s company how to deal with a range of incidents both within and external to the Ship.
At a time when personnel are practising high-end kinetic naval warfighting, the centenarary commemorations of the largest sea battle of WW1 are a timely reminder of one of the potential roles the ship may be asked to deliver and how the ship’s company must be prepared to perform.
In a service led by Padre ‘Segun Balogun, the ship’s company was joined by FOST staff in a short ceremony which included readings from the memoirs of British and German sailors serving at Jutland.
And whilst the courage, spirit and professionalism of those sailors in 1915 matches that needed of sailors some 100 years later, the political landscape has changed where enemies are now allies.
In testimony to this association is HMS Diamond’s PWO(T), Kapitänleutnant Frederik German Navy who contributed to the ceremony alongside his Royal Navy counterparts.
“It was an emotional moment to stand on the flight deck, shoulder to shoulder with my British shipmates, commemorating this very special day in both our histories", he said.
"I am glad of the strong bond we have established between our navies and I feel honoured in doing my part to build this relationship further.”
For Diamond's Commanding Officer, Commander Marcus Hember, the Battle of Jutland has a very personal connection. His grandfather fought at Jutland as a Torpedoman in HMS Yarmouth.
Cdr Hember said, “As well as having personal significance, I was very proud to stand with my ships’ company today and remember all who served at that time; that our German allies were represented on board with a valued member of my team made it all the more special”.
With commemorations complete, Diamond returned to her OST programme, a surface gunnery exercise, showing that despite the passage of time naval warfare has many consistencies.
