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The helicopter
carrier HMS Ocean
prepares for the deployment of her
embarked contingent of Royal Marines
from 45 Commando, taking aboard
stores and fuel from the Royal Fleet
Auxiliary Fort George in the Arabian
Sea. The Royal Navy has maintained
an amphibious task group in the region
since September 2001 precisely for
contingency operations such as
the deployment of the battlegroup
(Click
here for high resolution version)
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A Royal Marine of 45
Commando
during final pre-deployment training
on the ranges at Barry Budden, Scotland
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here for high resolution version) |
Royal Marines of 45
Commando
and Army Commando gunners
from 7 (Sphinx) Battery, Royal Artillery,
prepare for deployment at Barry Budden
training camp
(Click
here for high resolution version) |
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Royal Marines of
3 Commando
Brigade's Patrol Troop check their
weapons whilst packing at Stonehouse
Barracks, Plymouth
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here for high resolution version)
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Brigadier Roger Lane, commander
of 3 Commando Brigade, who will
lead the headquarters supporting
the battlegroup
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here for high resolution version) |
Royal Marines pack their
equipment
at Stonehouse Barracks
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here for high resolution version) |
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A US Navy Seahawk
from the carrier
J F Kennedy pays a liaison visit to
HMS Ocean
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here for high resolution version)
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A Royal Marine receives instruction
on the Browning 0.5" heavy machine
gun mounted on a reconnaissance
Landrover, during target practice
firing off the stern of Ocean
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here for high resolution version) |
Other Royal Marines
hone their abseiling
skills, descending from Ocean's bridge
to the hangar deck, via the well of the
lowered deck lift below - a height
of some eight storeys
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here for high resolution version) |
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Army Commando gunners
and an RAF
Chinook demonstrate at Plymouth the
high mobility of the Light Gun used
by 7 (Sphinx) Battery
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here for high resolution version)
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The 105mm Light Gun
can be flown
rapidly to the roughest of terrain
by helicopter and brought into action
with particular speed
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here for high resolution version) |
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A truck and gun of
7 (Sphinx) Battery
offloads from the Royal Fleet
Auxiliary Fort Rosalie at a port
in the Gulf region, for onward
transport to Afghanistan
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here for high resolution version)
|
Royal Marines disembark
from
HMS Ocean at a port in the
Gulf region
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here for high resolution version) |
Royal Marines load
their kit aboard
a truck. A few hours later they
arrived by air at Bagram
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here for high resolution version) |
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RFA Fort Austin
resupplies HMS
Ocean in the North Arabian Sea
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here for high resolution version)
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The Type 42 destroyer
HMS York
escorts Fort Austin and Ocean,
as Sea King helicopters deliver supplies
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here for high resolution version) |
Sea King helicopters
active
aboard HMS Ocean
(Click here
for high resolution version) |
