Royal Navy makes huge cocaine bust

[PartTimePongo]

http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp?StoryId=Cq:q00eidyNjPDgfPBI1JB2TLyNvZD

Date: Saturday, February 04, 2006 5:02:20 PM EST

LONDON, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Two British Navy vessels seized more than 3 tons of cocaine from a freighter in the Caribbean.

The estimated street value of the haul is 350 million pounds ($617 million), the Times of London reported.

HMS Southampton, a guided-missile destroyer, and Grey Rover, a Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker, surprised the MV Rampage in the waters between Cuba and Jamaica. The Southampton was transferred to the Caribbean recently after serving as a patrol vessel in the South Atlantic.

The Royal Navy assists the U.S. Coast Guard with anti-drug efforts in the Caribbean.

The Rampage is now in the hands of the Coast Guard and its crew is in custody in the United States.

Commander Rob Vitali of the Southampton told the Times a Navy helicopter surprised the crew of the Rampage shortly before the Navy vessels appeared.

"They couldn't make a run for it because it was an old tramp steamer, so all they could do was play the innocent which is what they did," Vitali said.

 

[Passed-over_Loggie]

A well earned BZ. Can't see many T45s being spared for such good works, though.

PoL

 

[Jenny_Dabber]

A well earned BZ. Can't see many T45s being spared for such good works, though.

PoL

It's usually the T23'S that go on sniffles but previosuly the T22;s but now pusser is getting rid of the almighty 22's................ach I am just jealous!

Good job lads n lasses :wink:

 

[dunkers]

Why do T22's need a 4-ring Captain in command but T23's just need a commander?

 

[Jenny_Dabber]

Why do T22's need a 4-ring Captain in command but T23's just need a commander?

Because 22's are the best!!! Bigger, armed more and more females onboard :wink:

I dunno but the above sounds good enough for me!

 

[Not_a_boffin]

Last I looked the Batch 3's will be around for another 10 years or so. Agree you won't get too many of the 45s doing that though - operating boats from them will be an intersting serial as well..........

 

[Jenny_Dabber]

Last I looked the Batch 3's will be around for another 10 years or so. Agree you won't get too many of the 45s doing that though - operating boats from them will be an intersting serial as well..........

hey are being rid of slowly, not so many left now.

 

[CheefTiff]

Good old Southampton (Old ships - stood by and did first commish on her)

Nice to see the old lady still earning her keep after all these years.

As for me, I'll never forget her launch at midnight in the absence of any shipyard workers - a decision long rued by VT management when the workers promptly blacked her for six months and wouldn't go near her.

 

[Father_Famine]

I thought a bunch of Matelots had apprehended Craig Charles in the Rovers Return

 

[brigham600]

Why do T22's need a 4-ring Captain in command but T23's just need a commander?

Because they are mainly used as Command platforms which basically requires the presence of a 4 ringer to carry more clout etc.

 

[sootblower]

Type 45 will be well placed for such operations with excellent boat capabilities and a "barracks" for 60 onboard. They will be fitted with the new Pacific 24 RIB which is more capable than the Pacific 22 in use at the moment. They will initially operate 2 Lynx and eventually have a Merlin. I still reckon the mini gun is the best way to slow down these fast movers full of coke or a fanatic in a rubber dingy. Not sure who will be in Command, I expect it will be a 4 striper. Out of interest as an interim measure T42s are to be fitted with better cranes to give them an imporoved boat capability.

 

[Engines]

And there I was thinking it was the new AIB test..................'you men get that barrell across that chasm..................& you men over there build a huge cocaine bust''

boomboom

 

[Passed-over_Loggie]

Type 45 will be well placed for such operations with excellent boat capabilities and a "barracks" for 60 onboard. They will be fitted with the new Pacific 24 RIB which is more capable than the Pacific 22 in use at the moment. They will initially operate 2 Lynx and eventually have a Merlin. I still reckon the mini gun is the best way to slow down these fast movers full of coke or a fanatic in a rubber dingy. Not sure who will be in Command, I expect it will be a 4 striper. Out of interest as an interim measure T42s are to be fitted with better cranes to give them an imporoved boat capability.

Probably so but will there be enough hulls in the water to spare for this sort of things? The 45s will probably be fully committed to screening the high value joint airpower projectors. Expeditionary warfare is the new fashion after jointery.

PoL

 

[Not_a_boffin]

Sootblower, they won't operate 2 Lynx (there isn't enough room in the hangar and in any case there aren't enough serviceable airframes) and operating Merlin will be interesting given that there's no handling system. Do you fancy moving a 16 tonne aircraft with the current nose trolley?

In addition, the way the boats are mounted will make it very interesting getting so far outboard to clear the chine. Goood to have the extra accommodation, but last time I looked at the arrgt drawing I didn't think there was enough for 60 - austere or not.

 

[sootblower]

Just passing on what I have heard & some bits from the T45 website. I had an input to the original deckplans. First draft had the two HV switchboards together, garbage disposal next to the JRDH and the shipping route for the FAMR involved taking out the operations room and on eof the workshops. Should we worry with ship design like that.

Also been to a CVF presentation. Looks okay and fitted for but not with a steam catapault. Got a Gucci simulator for the pilots as well. Expect they will get a lot of use out of that since we will have no aircraft. The French CVF (same design) will be fitted with the catapault, have a cross deck and a magazine for the stuff that turns third world countries in glass car parks.

Maybe someone in T45 project will keep us up to speed on what is going on. Or is RR too highbrow for the likes of Big and Expensive or the DPA?????

 

[Not_a_boffin]

Yeah, there are some very peculiar bits on the T45! Best one was the lack of an ammunitioning route from the RAS point 01 deck waist to the 4.5 mag 1 deck forward.

CVF arrgt looks OK from an aviation PoV, but I'd be a bit worried about the way they plan to launch the seaboats (through cut outs UNDER the sponsons!).

Wish we had a bit more than a GA for our £300M or whatever its cost so far though........

 

[ThePunisher]

Good Effort to all involved.

Should have made the drug-dealers swim for shore...after shooting them in the legs.

Ahh, the good days are gone forever!