UK: HMS Tyne Pays Visit to Tyne

A Royal Navy reservist from Jesmond will sail into the Tyne on Tuesday (April 22) aboard his own warship.

For Able Rate Edward Warrington, this five-day visit to Northumbrian Quay is a proud moment, as he returns to his home city a month into six-month deployment on HMS Tyne.

The 79.5-metre offshore patrol vessel is usually engaged in marine enforcement operations and maritime security around the coast of the UK and is also affiliated to Tynemouth.

Primarily in the city to replenish on board supplies and to allow the crew time ashore, the ship will also conduct a number of pre-arranged tours, including one for members of HMS Calliope in Gateshead – Edward’s own reserves unit.

Members of Trinity House will also be among guests at a lunch on board on Wednesday and three members of the ship’s company will attend the Uniformed Services Dinner at Northumberland County Hall in Morpeth hosted by The Civic Head of Northumberland County Council Cllr Kath Nisbet on Friday.

“I have been on board HMS Tyne for a month now,” said Edward. “And I will complete another five months with her before joining HMS Clyde in the South Atlantic for a further three months. I am what’s known as a warfare specialist within the navy and am also a sea boat coxswain and harbour quarter master.”

“I studied at the University of Newcastle and joined HMS Calliope in 2010 – the flexibility of being part of the reserves unit fitted in well with my studies and has given me expert training for my role within the reserves forces, much of which are skills sought after and transferrable to employers.”

“Since then I have had the opportunity to work alongside my regular Royal Navy counterparts at the London Olympics in 2012, as well as on board the Antarctic survey ship HMS Protector.”

“It is fantastic to be able to call in it Newcastle as part of this deployment – a real homecoming and I am looking forward not only to catching up with my girl friend Valerie, but also friends in the city and my colleagues from HMS Calliope. My parents live in Harome in North Yorkshire and will also be coming up to visit me while I’m in port – I’ll be really proud to show them around the ship.”

“Although this is a low-key visit to Newcastle for us, it is always special to be back on the river which gave the ship her name,” continued Lieutenant Commander Robert Laverty, Commanding Officer of HMS Tyne. “We are limited in our public engagement on this occasion, but I have no doubt that the North East hospitality will shine through.”

HMS Tyne is one of a quartet of River-Class offshore patrol vessels, three of which were built to safeguard the sustainability of fishing stocks in the UK often operating hundreds of miles off the UK coast. The fourth is HMS Clyde and is the Falkland Islands’ Patrol Vessel continuously based there to provide protection to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. HMS Tyne, like her sisters, is one of the busiest ships in the Fleet and she spends on average nine out of every 10 days of the year at sea.

Her primary role is enforcement of national and EU fisheries legislation within British Fishery Limits on behalf of the Marine Management Organisation. HMS Tyne has also been designed to carry out a number of other tasks including – but not limited to – environmental protection, search and rescue and maritime security. With a crew of just 42, split into three watches, the ship is able to patrol for in excess of 300 days per year.

HMS Tyne was built in Woolston Docks, Southampton and is based at HM Naval Base Portsmouth. She is the sixth ship to bear the name Tyne in the Royal Navy.

HMS Tyne will leave Northumbrian Quay on Saturday April 26.

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Press Release, April 18, 2014; Image: Royal Navy