Royal Navy training ships at Wick, Scrabster
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The Universities Royal Naval Units’ (URNU) ships, HMS Tracker and HMS Raider, will call in at both Wick and Scrabster this week during their six-week round-Britain summer deployment.
Tracker, which is the patrol vessel for universities in Oxford, and Raider, which is Bristol’s equivalent, set off from Portsmouth on June 27, and Wick (on July 12) and Scrabster (July 13-15) are, respectively, their 11th and 12th ports of call.
Although not open to the public during their visits to the north of Scotland harbours, locals will be able to spot them in port and the crew always welcomes the chance to chat to people.
Being small ships, their deployment is unusual not only in the fact that they will sail all around the UK, but also that they will call in at many ports along the way where other Royal Navy vessels would never be seen.
As well as large oft-visited ports like London, Newcastle, Leith, Liverpool and Cardiff, some of the other stops include the likes of Brighton, Scarborough, Wick, Portrush, Pwllheli, Aberystwyth and Padstow.
Each ship carries a full-time Royal Navy crew of five, which will be joined by up to 12 university students at any one time – all in all the student crews will change three times during the voyage, while the Royal Navy crew remains permanent throughout.
During the six weeks plus at sea, the ships will each cover 2,336 nautical miles, visiting 28 different ports.
But this is no summer cruise.
The deployment will allow some 72 students, in total, 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 three nights which the ships will spend at sea rather than in port.
"Be under no illusion about the intensity of this deployment," explained HMS Tracker’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Brian Drewett. "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 also thoroughly looking forward to visiting so many ports during this deployment," continued Raider’s CO, Lieutenant Richie Gray. "And 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.
The organisation’s mission is to "educate a wide spectrum of high calibre undergraduates who show potential as society’s future leaders and opinion formers in order to better inform them of the need for and role of the Royal Navy, and to develop awareness of career opportunities in the service."
