Royal Navy sailors recently hosted the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, Colonel Peter McCarthy, along with a number of other guests on board HMS Tracker.
After being welcomed on board by Lt Velickovic and crewmembers, the guests were taken out to sea where the Faslane-based P2000 Patrol Boat took part in some Operational Sea Training with two of the Royal Navy’s Mine Counter Measure Vessels (MCMV), HMS Grimsby and HMS Hurworth.
HMS Tracker and her crew had to pretend to be the “enemy” for the duration of the training – this meant them harassing the two minehunters until they had no option but to respond and engage with HMS Tracker.
At this point HMS Tracker and her crew sprang into action and demonstrated to the visitors how they would react to various emergency situations on board such as; damage to the ship, fire on board, flood or Man over board.
Also, on board for the visit were leaders and staff from organisations which provide support to young people from minority groups in Glasgow and across Scotland.
Among them were Raza Sadiq and Sabrina and Fiaz Khan from Active Life Club, a popular club for ethnic minority youths in the Glasgow area and Tariq Iqbal, a leader of the Scottish Communities Initiative, whose aim is to create a more equal, just and educated Scotland.
Lieutenant Commander (Lt Cdr) Gary Farmer has worked with both groups to establish partnerships with a view to providing opportunities for young people to challenge themselves and develop and grow a wide range of skill sets.
The guests were invited to see first-hand the range of transferable skills such as time management, working as a team and other hands-on skills, which the Royal Navy can offer.
The aim is to get some of the young people to sea in the near future to let them experience for themselves what a career in the Royal Navy could offer them.
Also attending the visit were Her Majesty’s Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Rector David Girdwood DL, Mr Bruce Reidford, next Deacon Convener, Matthew Stewart, City of Glasgow College Nautical Faculty and Elspeth Talbot , local business woman, Solicitor and Trustee of Trades House.
Lt Velickovic said: “All of the guests were impressed with how professional the crew were throughout the day and each of them left with a better understanding of the Royal Navy and what we do, how we train and the high standards we maintain.
The Faslane Patrol Boat Squadron are based at HM Naval Base Clyde and help protect high-value shipping on the Clyde.
The Squadron consists of two P2000 Patrol Boats, HMS Tracker and Raider, and are part of the Faslane Flotilla which operates the ships and submarines berthed at the Scottish port.
