The crowds flocked to HMS Collingwood on Saturday 1 June as the Fareham base opened its gates for the annual Open Day.
The day was blessed with sunshine and saw thousands of visitors from the local and armed forces communities enjoying the variety of events and attractions on display.
The main feature of the day was the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity Field Gun Competition, which saw crews from across the UK, Naples and Gibraltar pulling out all the stops to compete for and win the prestigious Brickwoods Trophy.
In a tense and thrilling finale to this fast and furious competition, friends, families and visitors looked on eagerly as the final began.
All eyes were on the HMS Heron crew who were out to defend their title as last year’s winners, but in a tense and thrilling final and for the first ever there were joint winners; REME and HM Naval Base Portsmouth.
Lieutenant Commander Jason Steele, No 1 Trainer for the HM Naval Base Portsmouth crew said “The last thing I expected was this, I’ve been doing Field Gun for 30 years and I’ve never known it before.
“The penalities meant our final times were the same. It’s about running fast and running clean, we ran clean, unfortunately REME didn’t, I think over all it’s a fair result.”
Staff Sergeant Louie Munton, No 1 Trainer for REME said “Last year I thought we were unfortunate, we had a new crew this year and we got in the main final.
“I was so happy, and look at us now, sharing the trophy, it’s unbelievable.”
With other attractions at this annual show including a free fun fair, live bands, high ropes challenge, and the opportunity to witness the HMS Queen Elizabeth entering Portsmouth harbour in the Warship Simulator, plus much more, it was a great success.
Commanding Officer, HMS Collingwood Commander Mark Walker said “Our Open Day was a superb day and we generated significant funds for local and Service charities.”
