Thanks to Fiona for sharing this latest news from the Royal Navy. Ed
A Royal Navy officer from the Isle of Wight will sail his ship into Cowes on Monday (7th April).
For Lieutenant Roger Skelley is the Commanding Officer of HMS Dasher, a P2000 fast patrol vessel and a former student of Carisbrooke High School, Archbishop King Middle School and St Thomas of Canterbury Primary School.
The Archer-Class vessel will dock at Sheppard’s Wharf at around 4pm on Monday 7th April and sail once more at 10am on Wednesday 9th April.
Touring ports along the south coast
HMS Dasher is a University Royal Navy Unit (URNU) ship attached to Bristol, and her 22-day Easter voyage will take her and the students to ports on England’s south coast, as well as across the channel to France.
Although 30-year-old Roger now lives in Somerset, he is originally from Carisbrooke near Newport on the Isle of Wight and he joined the Royal Navy in 2005
Roger said,
“This is certainly a highlight of our Easter deployment for me.
“Being able to bring HMS Dasher to Cowes is as close as I can get to my childhood village and is a true homecoming and a real privilege.
“It’s an honour to be able to bring the ship to the island and I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends.”
Well travelled
Roger’s career to date has included navigating minehunters in the Gulf and frigates in the South Atlantic. He has travelled far and wide, including Iraq, South Georgia, South Korea, Norway and Australia.
Each URNU ship carries a full-time Royal Navy crew of five, which will be joined by up to 12 university students at any one time.
But this is no Easter cruise.
The deployment will allow the students to put into practice what they have learned on shorter deployments and drill nights with their URNU throughout the year.
Skills such as seamanship and navigation will be put to the test throughout, perhaps none more so than on the occasional nights which the ships will spend at sea rather than in port.
Students put through their paces
Roger continued,
“Be under no illusion about the intensity of this deployment.
“The students will certainly be put through their paces.
“There is no better experience for them than to get to sea and put theory into practice in whatever situations or conditions are thrown at them.
“We are thoroughly looking forward to visiting so many ports during this deployment and their varied nature ensures there’s always plenty to learn.
“But, of course, there should be down time in the evenings for the students to have some fun and reflect on what that day at sea has taught them.”
There are currently 14 URNUs supporting universities in England, Wales and Scotland.
Each URNU is commanded by a Royal Navy lieutenant who is responsible for 51 undergraduates who each join the URNU as RN Reservists for their three or four years at university.
Training is conducted one evening a week in shore units at or near the university and at sea, over the weekends and during holiday periods, by a dedicated Archer Class P2000 20-metre patrol craft.
