HMS Bristol: Last Falklands warship given send-off by veterans
Veterans and members of the public have turned out to give a final farewell to a former Royal Navy flagship that played a "vital role" in the Falklands conflict.HMS Bristol was towed out of Portsmouth Harbour on Wednesday, almost five years after it was decommissioned.The warship, which was the last ship serving from the Falklands War, is being taken to a Turkish scrapyard.Chris Howe, from the South Atlantic Medal Association 1982, said the vessel had a "remarkable and unique legacy".
The Type 82 destroyer was commissioned in March 1973 but having been designed to defend a class of aircraft carriers which was never built, it was the only warship of its class to enter service.
The vessel led a group of two destroyers, five frigates and an RFA supply ship providing reinforcements in the Falklands, and later joined the carrier battle task group as an air defence destroyer.In 1987 it became a training ship before an explosion in its boiler led to it being used as a harbour training vessel - until it was decommissioned in October 2020, after almost 48 years of service.Members of the public and veterans congregated on Old Portsmouth's Round Tower to wave off HMS Bristol, which was visually rust-stained, as it left the Hampshire naval base.
"As HMS Bristol embarks on its final voyage to the scrapyard in Turkey, we pause to reflect on its remarkable and unique legacy," Mr Howe said."For many veterans, Bristol was more than a vessel - it was a home, a place of camaraderie, and a symbol of resilience."Its departure marks the end of an era, but its contributions to our history and the memories of those who served aboard will endure.""We honour all who sailed in her and bid HMS Bristol a respectful farewell."
You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘They had a feast': New Forest donkeys spark backlash after raiding new food waste bins
In the US, residents have to contend with bears and racoons rummaging through the trash. In the UK, we have donkeys. A decision to introduce food waste bins in the New Forest national park in Hampshire has provoked a backlash – after the tenacious equines were caught breaking into them. In the last few months plastic caddies to recycle food leftovers – common in much of the country – have been distributed to residents in the area for the first time. This has led to warnings that their introduction could spread disease as livestock that has historically roamed free in the area, including ponies, donkeys and pigs, would find them irresistible when left out for collection. Within weeks of their introduction, donkeys have been spotted in several locations eating food out of the bins in various locations. Photos taken in Brockenhurst, a large village in the national park, show several of the animals gathered around a toppled over bin eating food scraps that have spread across the road. Posting the photos on Facebook, New Forest resident Gail Whitcher asked others to keep their food waste bins inside their gates and described the scene as chaos. She said: 'The donkeys have knocked over the waste bins into the road and have had a feast all the way down the road on the food waste bins which I witnessed them opening. It's chaos.' There are 200 free-roaming donkeys in the national park, all cared for by the commoners – locals who have the right to graze animals – and are said to be vital to the area's ecosystem. The commoners said they were worried that the roaming animals could contract foot-and-mouth disease or African swine fever from the food waste, which would be 'extremely dangerous'. Authorities in Hampshire's New Forest first approved a divisive wheelie bin scheme in 2022. Under the £5.6m programme, food waste caddies are being delivered to residents in Brockenhurst, New Milton, Lymington, and surrounding areas between April and June. Andrew Parry-Norton, the Commoners Defence Association chair, said they want the New Forest district council to change its advice to leave the bins outside property gates and instead to keep them inside. They have also suggested more secure locks should be put on the bins. 'This is exactly what we thought would happen and I think it is only going to get worse,' Parry-Norton said. 'If the donkeys start working out how to get into these bins then they will keep doing it and the diseases will continue to spread, which is just not fair on the animals.' Households in the national park have been given a 23-litre brown outdoor food waste recycling caddy, and a five-litre grey indoor food waste recycling caddy. New Forest district council has been contacted for comment.
BBC News
12 hours ago
- BBC News
House martin Hampshire nests surveyed as numbers decline
The organisers of an initiative aimed at reversing a decline in numbers of house martins are asking members of the public to report the locations of distinctive dark blue and white birds, which migrate from Africa each spring, are on the UK's Red List of endangered bird Hampshire House Martins Project will use the data gathered to help with conservation efforts, including providing artificial nest birds "need our help", said Keith Betton, chair of Hampshire Ornithological Society, which launched the project. Each April and May, House Martins return from Africa to spend the summer in the UK. They catch flying insects on the wing and build cup-shaped nests with mud under the eaves of houses and other buildings. The birds often form colonies with several nests in close decline in numbers has been blamed on a fall in quantities of insects and a lack of suitable nesting sites. Hot summers have meant soft mud to build their nests is in short supply, while modern plastic soffits on roofs make it difficult for mud to stick, resulting in nests being society is encouraging people to record locations of house martin nests on its website. More than 200 sites have been posted so data will be used to assess the extent of their decline and look into potential conservation is hoped that artificial nest cups in existing colonies could save valuable nest-building time for the birds, make their nests more robust and boost breeding Betton said: "We want to find out where they are nesting and, if possible, get artificial nest boxes installed in some places to encourage more to breed. "This is a lovely bird to have nesting close to us and they need our help." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Edinburgh Live
a day ago
- Edinburgh Live
Prince Harry's blunt words of advice from Prince Philip ahead of 'mission'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Prince Harry fondly remembered the poignant advice his grandfather, Prince Philip, gave him before his deployment to Afghanistan. In April 2006, after joining the Blues and Royals, Harry was commissioned as an Army Officer. In the subsequent year, Harry embarked on active duty, setting off for a 10-week stint in Afghanistan as a forward air controller, tasked with coordinating airstrikes against Taliban forces. His tour was cut short when international media disclosed his whereabouts, necessitating an early return home. Following Prince Philip's passing in 2021, Harry reflected on the sage counsel his grandfather offered prior to his departure for military service. READ MORE - Princess Charlotte 'handed back' lavish gift worth eye-watering £36k READ MORE - Edinburgh Council blasted over 'extremely concerning' £8m deal with convicted landlord Harry recounted: "Going off to Afghanistan, he was very matter of fact and just said: 'Make sure you come back alive'." Post-war, Harry acknowledged that it was Philip who provided him the opportunity to discuss his experiences in Afghanistan, reports the Mirror. Harry further noted: "Then when I came back, there wasn't a deep level of discussion, more a case of: 'Well you made it. How was it?' That's how he was. He was very much a listener, he sort of set the scene for you to be able to share as much as you wanted to share but he would never probe." Prince Philip's straightforward approach to discussing the war may have been influenced by his own military service in the Royal Navy during World War II. Philip initially enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1939 and was swiftly promoted to become one of the youngest first lieutenants at the age of 21. His vessel, the HMS Wallace, played a crucial role in the Allied invasion of Sicily, a turning point in the war. Throughout his military career, Philip held various honorary titles within the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Notably, he was appointed Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps, Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, and Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Training Corps. Furthermore, he underwent pilot training with the RAF and continued to fly until the late 1990s. His grandson, Prince Harry, followed in his footsteps by joining the military in 2005. Upon completing his officer training in April 2006, Harry graduated from the prestigious Sandhurst Military Academy. Subsequently, Harry received his commission in a regiment within the Household Cavalry. However, in 2006, his unit announced their scheduled deployment to Iraq the following year, sparking a heated public debate regarding the Prince's safety. Addressing his desire to serve on the front lines, Harry stated: "There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit on my a*** back home while my boys are out fighting for their country." Despite the public concerns surrounding his security, the Duke of Sussex was discreetly deployed to the Helmand Province in Afghanistan for ten weeks in late 2007. During this time, he assisted NATO forces as a forward air controller before his tour was prematurely terminated when his location was compromised. Prince Harry's military career saw him rise through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant with the Household Cavalry in April 2008. Later, he transitioned to the Army Air Corps, where he retrained as an Apache pilot. He subsequently returned to Afghanistan in 2012, serving as a helicopter co-pilot and gunner. His military service came to a close in June 2015, when he concluded his career at the rank of captain, following a stint with the Australian military. At the time, General Sir Nicholas Carter, the Chief of the General Staff, praised Harry for his decade-long contributions to the military, noting that he had "achieved much in his 10 years as a soldier".
