Wirral Royal Marines, sailors and soldiers join troops in huge Arctic training exercise

Mar 10 2010 by Vicki Kellaway, Bromborough and Bebington News

Royal Navy leading airman Alan Seaton, 42, from Heswall, was part of a team on warship HMS Ocean who dispatched marines by helicopter.

He said: “It’s certainly a challenging environment. We flew around the clock. We have to prove we can operate in any conditions.”

The entire operation was run from the warships, which have to be heavily protected.

Navy warfare specialist Christopher Kwok, 25, from Wallasey, was in charge of a gun on the deck which can fire 3,000 rounds a minute.

He said: “The cold weather means you have so many layers on, it makes it difficult to do your job as you normally would. You have to stay on top of everything.”

Before they reach the beaches, the marines live onboard and famously hate being “cooped up”.

Petty officer Gareth Green, 37, from Neston, looked after more than 200 marines on HMS Albion.

He said “It’s absolute chaos. They’ve been in the field three days and all they want is a hot meal, a shower and their bed. This is their safe haven.”

Some of the soldiers fresh from their training in the Arctic Circle sailed into Liverpool on Tuesday.

The crew of HMS Albion – which leads the Navy’s amphibious fleet – will leave the city on Saturday.

The ship’s busy schedule, which includes visits from schools and a trip to Claire House Hospice, means the public will be unable to go onboard.