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Lyme Bay News

02 May 2016

VDRs Refit on UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary Ships

RFA Lyme Bay (Photo: UK MOD)

Danelec Marine informs it has supplied new-generation Voyage Data Recorders (VDRs) for three U.K. Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Bay-Class Landing Ship Dock (LSD) vessels. The three ships, RFA Lyme Bay, RFA Mounts Bay and RFA Cardigan Bay, have been fitted with Danelec DM100 VDRs, replacing the existing VDRs which are no longer supported by the manufacturer. The type-approved Danelec DM100s bring the ships into compliance with the new IMO performance standards, which came into force in 2014.

28 Apr 2016

This Day In Naval History: April 28

Frank Knox (Official U.S. Navy Photograph)

1907 - A U.S. Marine Corps detachment from the patrol gunboat Paducah serves ashore at Laguna, Honduras, to protect Americans during a war between Honduras and Nicaragua. 1942 - The U.S. Navys Task Force 99, which consists of USS Wasp, USS Tuscaloosa and USS Wichita, plus four destroyers, sail from the Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands, as part of the mixed U.S.-British force Distaff, to provide cover for Russian convoy at Iceland. 1944 - German torpedo boats attack U.S. Navy LST convoy in Lyme Bay during Operation Tiger training for the Normandy Invasion.

05 Jan 2016

UK-built Mussel Boat for Offshore Shellfish

Alysée (Photo: Alnmaritec)

U.K. based boat builder Alnmaritec announced it has designed and built a new 15.2-meter aluminum Wave Farmer 1400 mussel farming boat, Alysée, for U.K. shellfish farmer Offshore Shellfish. Developed from Alnmaritec’s Wave Train catamaran hull form, Alysée has been configured and customized to meet the specific needs of Offshore Shellfish, including a number of precise pieces of equipment, the builder said. When commissioning the build project, Offshore Shellfish sought a boat with excellent maneuverability…

22 Apr 2014

Marine Robots Survey D-Day Rehearsal Wreckage

Mission commemorates 70th anniversary of World War II Tragedy. A mission off the coast of South Devon, England has surveyed two U.S. Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs) that were torpedoed and sunk during the D-Day rehearsal Exercise Tiger on April 28, 1944. Using state-of-the-art autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) technology to collect data from the wreckage site, the mission has produced the first high-definition sonar images of this World War II tragedy. This was the first time in history that an AUV had surveyed the area. The mission, which was executed by Hydroid, Inc., a subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime and the leading manufacturer of AUVs, with additional data provided by the Royal Navy's Maritime Autonomous System Trials Team (MASTT), commemorates the 70th anniversary of Exercise Tiger.

11 Nov 2013

RFA Lyme Bay Onboard Rope Training

Photo: EU NAVFOR

Onboard RFA Lyme Bay, which is part of European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta, the Boarding teams from the Fleet Contingency Troop and K Company 43 Commando Royal Marines have taken advantage of the Lynx MK 8 that embarked from RFA Fort Austin to practice fast roping techniques. Each stick of the boarding team conducted three separate fast roping exercises, each from different heights and to a different location on Lyme Bay: from the flight deck up to the forecastle.

15 Jul 2013

Brad Pitt RFA Completes 5-month Refit

The RFA Argus Team: Photo credit A&P Shipyards

UK's A&P Falmouth completes a multi-million pound refit of Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) 'Argus' as part of the company’s through life support “cluster” contract with the Ministry of Defence. The Italian-built ship was originally a container ship and was requisitioned in 1982 for service in the Falklands War. This summer RFA Argus can be seen playing a starring role in the Brad Pitt zombie blockbuster World War Z, parts of which were filmed aboard in Falmouth in 2011. RFA Argus is a Primary Casualty Receiving Facility…

24 Apr 2013

Ships Line Up at U.K. Repair Yard

RFA Mounts Bay & HMS Severn in Drydock: Photo credit A&P Shipyards

Four ships have docked recently at A&P Falmouth's shipyard in SW England for repairs and refitting work. RFA Mounts Bay, Serco tugs Eileen &  Foreceful and the River Class patrol vessel, HMS Severn were the most recent arrivals. Also alongside under repair at Falmouth is RFA Lyme Bay, which has undergone alternator repairs and will complete in time to sail to join the major Operation Joint Warrior. The RFA Argus, which is base-berthed in Falmouth, is currently undergoing a refit period and is progressing on schedule.

21 Jan 2013

Seawork Expands for 2013 Event

Seawork, the commercial marine industry exhibition and conference (ABP Port of Southampton UK, 25-27 June 2013; www.seawork.com), has expanded into a third hall, due to increased demand for stands from exhibitors. At the close of 2012, Hall A was completely sold out, with Hall B set to follow close on its heels. The unique combination of exhibition stands, quayside and pontoons for vessels consistently attracts over 6,500 thousand marine professionals from around the world and is set to achieve further growth in its 16th year. Managing Director of organisers Mercator Media, Andrew Webster, says:  “Despite austerity measures across the world, the commercial marine industry, through necessity, continues to go about its business.

30 Jul 2012

British Fleet Auxiliary for Falmouth Refit

A&P Group Team: Photo credit A&P Falmouth

Lyme Bay returned to Falmouth after three years in the Persian Gulf supporting coalition naval operations and as 'mothership' to the UK Mine Countermeasure Fleet. The major refits, carried out every five years, have been completed on the RFA Argus, RFA Mounts Bay, RFA Largs Bay and RFA Cardigan Bay between 2009 and earlier this year. The grey ships, which have become a familiar part of the Falmouth skyline over the past four years, are in the docks as part of the Cluster Support…

10 Nov 2008

Report on Napoli Beaching Incident

On Nov. 6, The Maritime and Coastguard Agency delivered its in-depth 103 page Report to the Chairman of Devons local Inquiry into the circumstances leading to the beaching of the MSC Napoli off the East Devon coastline. The Report summarises the Agencys activities from the moment the incident broke on the18th January 2007, when the MSC Napoli was on passage in the English Channel, loaded with 2,318 containers and bound for South Africa and when she suffered a catastrophic hull failure and got into severe difficulties. A number of possible locations were assessed by both the French and British authorities for a place of refuge on both sides of the Channel; however, the south coast of England provided better options for a place of refuge.

06 Mar 2008

MSC Napoli Inquiry is Under Way

The MSC Napoli was deliberately beached in Lyme Bay in January 2007 after it was damaged in storms. The inquiry is considering whether the protected coastline should be a place of refuge for shipping in emergencies, the BBC reported. It is also looking at salvage and public disorder issues. The Devon County Council-led inquiry has a dedicated webpage for online submissions during the initial evidence-gathering phase. Inquiry response packs will also be available to allow people to make submissions via the council's community roadshow vehicle at local events. The Napoli's hull was damaged in a Channel storm off the coast of Cornwall on January 18 last year when it was enroute from Antwerp to South Africa.

07 Oct 2003

Maritime Meanings

LASSIE In itself, Lassie is not a nautical term, but the name of this famous collie has an interesting connection with maritime history. The first British battleship to be torpedoed by a German submarine was HMS Formidable, sunk just off Portland Bill in the English Channel in 1915. A few hours after ther sinking, some fishermen found the body of a seaman that had been washed ashore in Lyme Bay; they carried it to West Bay and laid it out on the floor of the Pilot Boat Inn, and out of decency, covered it with a tarpaulin. However, the dog belonging to the landlord of the inn kept pulling aside the tarpaulin and licking the face of the dead seaman.

03 Apr 2002

Wynn Marine Gets RFA Contract

Wynn Marine has been awarded the contract to supply the Window Wiper Equipment for two Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) landing ships currently under construction at the Swan Hunter shipyard in the UK. The ships are expected to enter service in 2004 and 2005. Wynn will be supplying 30 of its new Type D Mk III Straight Line Wipers to each new landing ship, which will be controlled by the Series 3000 Network Control System. The Type D MKIII is the latest heavy duty externally mounted motor straight-line wiper development from Wynn’s Ocean Range. The Series 3000 Network Controller is modular, allowing flexibility to manage a fully functional window wiper system with integral wash and air purge.

25 Mar 2002

Wynn Awarded RFA Contract

Wynn Marine has been awarded the contract to supply the Window Wiper Equipment for two Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) landing ships currently under construction at the Swan Hunter shipyard in the UK. The ships are expected to enter service in 2004 and 2005. Control System. The Type D MKIII is the latest heavy duty externally mounted motor straight-line wiper development from Wynn’s Ocean Range. The Series 3000 Network Controller is modular, allowing flexibility to manage a fully functional window wiper system with integral wash and air purge. The system also controls wiper and bridge window heaters from a conveniently positioned control location.

09 Jul 2007

Grounded MSC Napoli to be Refloated

According to reports, work will begin on Monday to refloat the container vessel MSC Napoli six months after it ran aground off the Devon coast, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency said. Engineers will aim to pump out 58,000 tons of water during the next three days in an attempt to prevent it breaking up and damaging the environment. A barge with winches and cranes, along with tugs and an anti-pollution vessel are at sea to help in the operation. More than two thousand containers and 3,000 tons of fuel oil have already been removed from the vessel which was deliberately beached off Branscome in January to prevent it sinking after being holed during storms. About 200 containers fell off and some reached the shore, sparking a looting spree.

22 Jan 2007

MSC Napoli Beached and Leaking

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) issued a notice stating that the MSC Napoli was being towed to sheltered waters in Lyme Bay, Devon. A second notice reported that, due to continuing bad weather, the container ship will be beached to prevent it from sinking. A third notice said that approximately 50 containers have been lost overboard as severe gales rock the beached ship. There are indications that bunker oil is also leaking from the ship. Source: HK Law

13 Jul 2006

Troubled Yard Ordered to Hand Over Ship

It has been reported that the shipbuilder Swan Hunter will be ordered to hand over its last remaining warship - which will then be completed at a rival yard in Scotland. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel, the Lyme Bay, will be handed over to BAE Systems at Govan, in a move which is feared could spell the end of shipbuilding at Swan Hunter. The MoD, had become increasingly concerned about the spiralling costs of the dock landing ship contract. Swan Hunter was forced to renegotiate its 160m contract with the Government at the end of 2004 following problems adaptation an off-the-shelf design for the Largs Bay and Lyme Bay vessels. Source: The Northern Echo