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The
accommodation may be uncomfortable and noisy, but the discovery
of mines on the Iraqi vessels by RAN boarding parties has
bought a sobering reality that it is a whole lot safer.
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By
CAPT Phil Pyke
As
operations against Iraq commence, a very real threat has emerged
for the three Australian ships patrolling the Northern Arabian
Gulf under Operation Falconer.
With
mines recently discovered on board captured Iraqi vessels, Coalition
naval personnel stationed on board HMAS Kanimbla have had to find
new sleeping quarters away from the troops mess deck below the
waterline.
The
British and United States boarding parties are currently stationed
on board HMAS Kanimbla as the ship prepares to assist in the clearance
of the Kahwr Abd Allah waterway, Iraq’s only access to the
sea from the major port town of Umm Qasr.
So
the threat of mines sees Coalition Navy personnel lugging mattresses
and blankets up from the lower decks each night to set up rows
of bedding in the Hangar Hilton — Kanimbla’s hangar
that is normally home to Sea King, Shark 07.
