Royal Navy task group to visit Malta
Royal Navy aficionados will be able to board aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious, which will be berthed at Pinto Wharf in Grand Harbour between November 19 and 23. Illustrious, known affectionately by all aboard as Lusty, will be open to visitors on 21 and 22 November between 1pm and 4pm.
Illustrious will be in Malta as part of the UK task response group commanded by Commodore Paddy McAlpine Royal Navy along with three other ships: HMS Bulwark, RFA Mounts Bay and MV Hartland Point.
A reception in honour of The Earl and Countess of Wessex hosted by Commodore McAlpine will be held on board HMS Illustrious on 19 November.
An affiliation event between HMS Illustrious and the three cities – Senglea, Vittoriosa and Cospicua – will also be held. HMS Illustrious is twinned with the three cities and an affiliate's reunion event will be held on board on 20 November. Veteran associations and groups for each of the cities have been invited and will be given special tours of the ship beforehand.
While in Grand Harbour, sailors and marines will be helping out at a variety of worthy causes. This will include a clean-up in collaboration with the Nature Trust. Inter Task Group sports will be held with the assistance of local football, rugby and cricket teams in addition to activities at the Vikings Sailing Club.
The four ships are taking part in a three-month training deployment to the Mediterranean involving more than 3,000 sailors and marines.
The deployment, known as Cougar 12, sees Royal Navy warships, Royal Marines Commandos and naval airpower, which make up the Response Force Task Group (RFTG), train with French and Albanian maritime forces. Cougar 12 started its journey in the UK's South West at the beginning of October before the entire group met up in the Mediterranean later that month.
The RFTG is a rapid reaction force that deals with unexpected world events that require military intervention.
The Task Group has already overseen two key exercises: Corsican Lion, working hand-in-hand with the French. Following this it moved to the Adriatic to work with Albanian Forces both at sea and ashore.
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23 Comments
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Alfred G Grech
Nov 16th 2012, 06:21
Just now read Article 3 of Constitution and I find no violation of the Neutrality Act here. As for Sections (a): Visits do not make for the creation of a Military Base.(b) No Military Facilities are being used.The harbour is not a military facility during peacetime.(c) There is no "concentration" of forces here.(d) The visiting troops are performing civil activities,which is allowed.Welcome R.N.
J Giardina
Nov 17th 2012, 23:49
Mr Grech. You have the logic in reverse. Neutrality means that "except as aforesaid, no other facilities in Malta will be allowed to be used in such manner or extent as will amount to the presence in Malta of a concentration of foreign forces;". Not the other way around. This is clearly a violation of the constitution.
T Cassar
Nov 15th 2012, 19:59
Such a pity that visiting hours are so restricted and impossible for those who work office hours! Nevertheless welcome!!
Charles Cremona
Nov 15th 2012, 19:24
The Royal Navy is always welcome in our harbours, its part of our history, the bonds between Malta and Britain will always remain strong especially for those of us that served in the British Forces.
Ross Stephen Micallef
Nov 15th 2012, 21:23
totally, her Majesty and her forces have shown nothing but respect to Malta and its lovely that the Fleet is coming home to its old base for a visit :)
Charles Falzon
Nov 15th 2012, 19:11
The Royal Navy is always welcome here in Malta.
J Giardina
Nov 15th 2012, 15:28
To those who are commenting that this is good - may I remind you that the Maltese constituion clearly states that Malta's ports are not to be used by Foreign military vessels (AT ALL!) unless the sailors are doing civil works here. So you may be happy that these ships are bringing in a few Euros, but you should be FAR more concerned that the government is breaking the law, yet again.
Christian Grech
Nov 15th 2012, 17:16
quote from the article " While in Grand Harbour, sailors and marines will be helping out at a variety of worthy causes. This will include a clean-up in collaboration with the Nature Trust. Inter Task Group sports will be held with the assistance of local football, rugby and cricket teams in addition to activities at the Vikings Sailing Club."
Ruben Mifsud
Nov 15th 2012, 18:11
Wow how patriotic are you!! Maybe the name HMS Illustrious does not have anything to do with our history??!!
Alan Cordina
Nov 15th 2012, 19:28
Oh My !! HA HA HA HA !! J. Giardina, are you serious !!?? Oh God !! Would you feel more secured if Alex Sciberras Trigona visits the ship and takes a photo wearing a sailor's hat, like he did on HMS Brazen ?? remember that one ?? ..... I can't believe this !!! ha ha ha ha ...
keith perry
Nov 16th 2012, 12:43
J Giardina: Sorry but I dont remember reading your post about foreign military vessels when that Russian ship visited earlier in the year - puffing dirty smoke everywhere!!
Neutrality does not mean you can ban who you want - it means the ships of all nations should be given equal status irrespective of whose they are....
J Giardina
Nov 17th 2012, 23:57
C Grech: The sailors could be picking potatoes for charity, it doesn't matter. Malta's facilites are not to be used so as to create a concetration of foreign forces. Constitution Chapter 1 Article1 section 3c. R Mifsud: making sure the laws are not broken (especially be the govt) IS patriotism. A Cordina, your post is juvenile and irrelevant. Sorry. K Perry: Agreed. Neither should be here.
Giov DeMartino
Nov 15th 2012, 15:19
The more we see of these ships, the better. Let us have more in our harbours.
Nazzareno Cortis
Nov 15th 2012, 19:53
Gio----while I respect your opinion (feeling happy about seeing morte of these ships) -------you must also know that there are others who do not want to see WAR SHIPS!!!!! Hope you respect their opinion as well!!!!
William Mahoney
Nov 15th 2012, 14:28
I was an Overseer on the first of class HMS Invincible at Barrow in Furness. Was on her for two years during the build and carried out twelve and a half weeks of sea trials on her too before seeing her off to Pompey for the handover. Be interesting to visit Lusty to see how they fared. Shame Invince was cut up in Turkey last year. Very sad. Hope Lusty doesn't go the same way in 2014.
John Spiteri Jones
Nov 15th 2012, 21:18
Although Illustrious has just come out of a refit i fear that her days are numbered and soon it will be put on the disposal list, and it will be a very long time if ever before we see another ship bearing the name Illustrious, as we all know the privious Illustrious is now part of maltese history ,When this ship is decommisioned from the RN she should be brought to Malta and turned into a museum.
Charles DeMicoli
Nov 16th 2012, 02:53
John, great idea. How do we make it happen? The Illustrious deserves to live on as a museum, especially in Malta.
Adrian Barnes
Nov 15th 2012, 14:09
This will be my 4th time visiting this ship! :D probably my last? pity no Harriers on board :(
Steve Mifsud
Nov 15th 2012, 12:02
Welcome, hope you have a great time here
Ms M Bugeja
Nov 15th 2012, 11:36
FYI The 3 cities are Senglea, Vittoriosa and Cospicua .. or else Isla, Birgu and Bormla
Anthony Farrugia
Nov 15th 2012, 10:53
Oh ! Shock ! Horror ! What about our neutrality ! Lighten up guys, the Berlin Wall went down 23 years ago. Goodbye Warsaw Pact ! Goodbye USSR !
John Dalton
Nov 15th 2012, 11:15
Well said Anthony, Before they post blogs they should think about the good things that these RN Sailors do for Malta i,e The Clean up campaigns that are sorely needed,parties etc,Plus the amount of money that will be spent in Malta by these 4 ships companies.
JR Apap
Nov 15th 2012, 13:35
John Dalton well said i second your comment, the trouble is with some Natives have a tendency to look a GIFT horse in the mouth with a brain the size of a frozen pea, i served in the RN (minesweeper)and loved every min. of it. Welcome Lusty.
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