"Royal Navy and
Maritime Book Reviews" PROVIDED BY - Rob Jerrard
Bantam Press, Transworld Publishers, Books Reviewed 2009
Phoenix Squadron
HMS Ark Royal, Britain's Last Topguns and the Untold Story of their
Most Dramatic Mission
Edition: 1st
Format: Hardback
Author: Rowland White
ISBN: 9780593054505
Publishers: Bantam Press ( Transworld Publishers )
Price: £18.99
Publication Date: 9th April 2009
Publisher's Title Information
HMS Ark Royal was the most powerful warship the Royal Navy had ever put to sea. 50,000 tons of British Sovereign Territory - a floating airfield that was home to 2700 men, a stockpile of nuclear weapons, and the most modern, capable air force in Europe. But by the early seventies, Ark Royal was in the twilight of her career. Only kept in service to help face down the Cold War threat from the powerful Soviet Navy, it seemed Ark would play no further part on the world's stage.
Then, in January 1972, intelligence reached Whitehall that British Honduras - now Belize - was threatened with imminent invasion. To defend the colony Britain's response had to be immediate and unequivocal. And Ark Royal offered the only effective means of preventing the little Central American country being overrun by battle-hardened, US-trained Guatemalan paratroops. But to do so the old carrier would first have to endure a destructive, high-speed 1500 mile dash across the Atlantic towards the Gulf of Mexico. Only then would it be possible to execute an audacious, record-breaking plan to launch a pair of Buccaneers on an extraordinary and unprecedented long-range mission. It was an operation loaded with difficulty and danger.
Drawing on many hours of interviews with the participants and previously unseen, classified documents here and abroad, Rowland White, best-selling author of Vulcan 607 has pieced together this remarkable episode for the first time. And has brought to life a unique, unfamiliar and thrilling piece of post-war British military history: the world of the Fleet Air Arm's last Top Guns.
Praise For Phoenix Squadron:
'Phoenix Squadron is a welcome addition to the history of British naval aviation. Rowland White's skill and dedication in telling the remarkable story of Ark Royal's mission is admirable. I enjoyed it. And I learned a great deal.' Len Deighton
'Aircraft carriers, jet fighters and a crisis on the other side of the world. Who could ask for more? It takes an obscure corner of British military history and weaves a story as gripping as any Tom Clancy thriller. It's completely riveting.' Jeremy Clarkson
'From the cockpit of a fighter jet to the violently pitching deck of an aircraft carrier at night, Rowland White combines pulse-pounding tension with riveting detail. If only all military history was written like this...' Andy McNab
2009 is the 100th Anniversary of British Naval Aviation
The book tells the story of how the US Navy's Top Gun' fighter pilot school was actually invented by the British... and the pilots weren't nicknamed 'Maverick' and 'Viper' but 'Alien', 'Dogbreath' and `Cholmondley'
Since the end of the second world war, Fleet Air Arm fighters have shot down 24 enemy aircraft. The Royal Air Force, by contrast, have shot down none. Dimished by cuts, the Royal Navy couldn't launch a similar mission today
Four of the fighter pilots who were flying from Ark Royal in 1971/72 accounted for a third of all the kills in the Falklands War in 1982
Timely intervention by Ark Royal in 1972 was able to prevent an invasion taking place. And that's a lot cheaper than having to fight to reverse one, as happened during the Falklands
Praise For Rowland White:
`Rowland White tells this splendid story with panache.' Daily Telegraph
`A masterwork of narrative history. Brilliantly described, the story of an impossible British mission is a compelling one; it's telling long overdue.' Clive Cussler
'Exceptional...Written like the very best thriller, it draws the reader into the exclusive world of the combat crew in a unique and truly gripping way.' John Nichol
'Absolutely riveting ... takes you right into the planning rooms and cockpits ... Don't miss this one!' Dale Brown
'Vulcan 607 grips like a two-spar fin torsion box structure, whatever your gender.' Evening Standard
About the Author
After watching a documentary about HMS Ark Royal in the late 'seventies, Rowland White wrote to Jim'II Fix It asking if he could spend the day on board the ship. To an eight year old boy, her fighter pilots seemed as impossibly exotic as the footballers and rock stars of the day. Jim never got back to him, but his fascination with Navy's last big aircraft carrier remained. At once, she was a potent symbol of both Britain's military prowess and her changing role in the world. She was a unique ship, much loved by the public. And yet while there was an iconic BBC fly-on-the-wall series filmed on board her in 1976, there has never been a book that tried to capture the drama, excitement and sheer power displayed by Ark Royal and her Air Group. In researching Phoenix Squadron and talking to the men who flew from her White was realising a childhood dream. And in writing it, producing a book he wished he'd been able to read a long time ago. Rowland is the author of Vulcan 607 which was 2007's best-selling history book.
Review
The subtitle is 'The untold story of HMS Ark Royal, Britain's last top guns and their extraordinary mission'.
The book is divided up into sections 1 to 4 in years 1970, 1971 and 1972. Before reading it you should study the excellent maps to remind yourself of where British Honduras (Belize ) is.
Generally speaking the book tells the story of Ark's Commissions and the activities of its Officers and the Air Group. What it doesn't tell us are the details of the general everyday life of the ship, some of which can be read in the Commissioning Books usually produced and sold to crew members at the end of each commission. In my opinion, for basic details these are the best of all. However it may be that they were censored, it isn't something I have given much thought to. There are also specific books by Neil McCart covering the life of a particular ship and this series covers three Ark Royals (Three Ark Royals).
Chapter 1 briefly mentions 1964 when a potential Army mutiny in Tanganyika was nipped in the bud by swift Naval intervention, including a show of force from the squadron of Blackburn Buccaneers on board HMS Victorious.
http://www.rjerrard.co.uk/royalnavy/vic/vic.htm
I was in Vic, Victorious was actually at Gan when the news reached us. Parties ashore were hastily retrieved and we proceeded with all despatch. The Commissioning Book (my copy) takes up the story.
'News reached us that an Army revolt had broken out in Tanganyika, and we waited to see if it would affect our programme. HMS Centaur embarked the Royal Marines of 45 Commando from Aden and sailed to join HMS Rhyl off Dar-es-Salaam as a precautionary measure; there are many thousands of British nationals in Tanganyika, and their safety was in doubt. Although it was not certain that there was a direct connection between the Zanzibar revolution and the trouble in Tanganyika perhaps it was just that it was the Revolting Season the Governments of Kenya and Uganda feared that the contagion might spread to their territories and so asked Britain for help in maintaining law and order; Victorious was ordered to sail for Mombasa. Our diversion parties ashore at Gan were hastily retrieved, and off we went.
Two days later, after 45 Commando had landed from Centaur at Dar-es-Salaam and disarmed the mutineers, at the request of President Nyere, and other British troops had stabilised the situation in Kenya and Uganda, Victorious was proceeding 'with all despatch'. Our role was uncertain, but on passage our landing parties were trained for a landing by helicopter. Diana went ahead at 29 kts to Mombasa, and our replenishment group, Reliant, Retainer and Olna were left to follow on behind. Tidesurge met us off Mombasa, and we spent the night of Sunday 26th cruising close inshore with the island and ensign staff floodlit.
After one day at Mombassa, we were ordered to Dar-es-Salaam to take over from Centaur.
During the next few days, we re-embarked a very buoyant 45 Commando (the efficiency of their operation had made them extremely popular not only with the European and Asian but also with the African community in Dar'). The 16/5 Lancers and two R.A.F. Belvederes also came on board; it was a bit of a squash for we also had our own squadrons embarked, and 'A' and 'B' hangars became one vast Cdo bedroom. There followed a period when the 'fire extinguishers' were kept at the ready in case there should be a further outbreak of the brushfire' which had been so quickly extinguished.
While we remained at anchor off Dar-es-Salaam, there was no shore leave except for sports parties; bathing from a nearby small island became very popular, and the sailing dinghies were in great demand. ( I took up sailing again myself ) Previously, sailing had been limited to a small team of enthusiasts; ….and for the friendly match arranged by the large and thriving Dar-es-Salaam Yacht Club there were plenty of volunteers! ….On the way, we disembarked most of our fixed-wing aircraft to Embakasi airport (Nairobi)….
Our stay at Mombasa was notable for the bus trips which were organised to the Game Reserves, for the enormous quantity of wooden carvings bought by the ship's company.
Albion arrived; Albion then took '45' back to their Aden base.'
What the Commissioning Book does not say is that upon arrival at Dar-es-Salaam some boats were sent inshore. I was one of the boats crews on one of the ship's fast motorboats. We didn't know much about the rise and fall of the tide and contrary to Royal Navy tradition we managed to find ourselves high and dry on the beach (we were actually at the Yacht Club being entertained - and the tide went out. We had to extend our stay at the Yacht Club waiting for the tide to come back in and to cap it all one of our boats (not mine) hit a reef on the way back out. Oddly enough none of this appears in the Commissioning Book. I had no idea what the Air Boys (WAFU'S) were up to! Other things happened, which even now I cannot tell you about. Anyway that's about Victorious not Ark and this book takes us through the years of Ark's life, leading up to the crisis in British Honduras when it thought that an invasion was imminent.
At times the author diverts from the main theme, the story of Ark and the long-distance flight by Buccaneers to tell the aggressors that the Navy is here, eg On Page 34 there is a discussion concerning Commander (Special Branch) LPK Crabb RNVR GM OBE HMS Vernon, as the 1955 and 1956 Navy Lists record him. In the book he is described as 'a former RNVR Diver' who had his throat cut by a Soviet Navy Diver. I believe this is just one theory based on very flimsy evidence. This is not the place to discuss Crabb, however look at my comments in a review at http://www.rjerrard.co.uk/royalnavy/pen/pen2008.html#pompeym
This is a book, which will still stir the memories of those who served in a carrier, Ark or any of the others, and in particular during that period. On Page 119 the author writes 'the Wessex exploded into life in dangerous-looking clouds of smoke….by a succession of detonating cartridges'. I wish I had read this before my first flight from the deck of Victorious into Aden, because when it happened I (including the heavy search and rescue beacon set I was wearing) were half way out of the Wessex before the crew pulled me back, saying it was normal.
Could we do it again? Could we face another British Honduras or Falklands? The most significant quote is perhaps summed up on Page 348
“It would have been nice to have had a few more Harriers but I'd have preferred it if we'd had the Ark Royal, but then again, if we'd had the old Ark Royal and all her aircraft I don't think the Argentines would have invaded in the first place.”
Corporal Stuart Russell, 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, speaking after the Falklands War.
Even better, what if we still had, Ark, Victorious, Eagle, Hermes and the smaller commando carriers?
Rob Jerrard