Defence Secretary Michael Fallon today (Thursday 18 December) visited Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde, ahead of Christmas, to meet the personnel who will be based there over the festive period, and to reaffirm Defence’s commitment to Scotland.
On his first visit to the Faslane base since the Referendum in September, Mr Fallon met personnel from the Royal Navy’s submarine and mine counter-measures flotillas as well as civilian employees and contractors from the wide range of organisations that support the substantial defence outputs of the base.
During his visit, Mr Fallon also had the opportunity to extend a welcome home message to the ship’s company of the minehunter HMS Grimsby, which had just returned to Faslane after four months of undertaking NATO operations in the Mediterranean Sea.
Speaking from the submarine HMS Triumph at HMNB Clyde, Mr Fallon said:
It is so important as we head towards the end of what has been a very important year for Scotland, that we continue to affirm our commitment to the country, not only as a fundamental part of Defence, but as a part of the United Kingdom as a whole.
In Scotland we employ vast numbers of highly skilled military and civilian workers. At this base alone there are more than 6,700 people working on transforming the area ready to receive HMS Triumph and HMS Talent and the remainder of the Astute class submarines to the Clyde by 2020.
Commodore Mark Adams, the naval base commander at HMNB Clyde, added:
It has been a pleasure to welcome the Defence Secretary to the Naval Base, providing an opportunity for him to engage with Royal Navy personnel, whilst also updating him on the good progress being made towards the HM Naval Base Clyde becoming the Submarine Centre of Specialisation.
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Press release, Image: UK Navy