Sea cadets visit Culdrose
Sea Cadets fromKetteringin Northamptonshire paid a welcoming visit to Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, and were treated to an exclusive tour of the base and some of its Squadrons.
During their station-wide acquaint the enthusiastic young members of 800 NAS Sea Cadet Unit spent time with 736 Naval Air Squadron. The squadron are Culdrose’s only Jet Sqn and closely affiliated to the 800 NAS Sea Cadet Unit, who uniquely take their name from one of the most famous of all Fleet Air Arm Squadrons. 800 NAS were decommissioned in 2010 and flew the Royal Navy’slegendrySeaHarrier. As a parting gift to the Cadets the Squadron handed over their name to the Kettering Sea Cadet Unit.
736 NAS, who fly the BAE Hawk T1 were more than happy to host the young visitors with a brief on their role as the Royal Navy’s Fast Jet Aggressor Sqn and a tour around their hangar facilities.
“Getting an opportunity to see these naval aircraft close up and chat with pilots is brilliant for the Cadets,” said Lieutenant Marc Pether RMR, Officer Commanding 800 NAS Sea Cadets. “You only have to see their faces to see how much it means to them.”
Having recently returned from Exercise Albanian Lion in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of the Royal Navy’s Cougar 14deployment, 736 NAS are currently deployed again on Exercise Joint Warrior inScotland, along with many other Royal Naval Ships and Units from other European Navies.
The Cadets also called in on 824NAS whose role is to train air engineers and aircrew on the Merlin helicopter across the Fleet Air Arm. They feed all the frontline Merlin Sqns whose futures are closely linked with the newly commissioned HMS Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier, which will enter operational service in 2020.
"Visiting the Fleet Air Arm at HMS Seahawk has been just fantastic, " said Leading Cadet Freddie Jablonski from 800 NAS Sea Cadets. “ We've been able to meet with real aircrew and ask them about their lives at Culdrose. Its life experience like this that makes being part of the Sea Cadets really great. It's also opened my eyes to all the different jobs and roles in the Royal Navy.
They finished off the visit with a tour of the Dummy Deck where they looked around RNAS Culdrose’s Sea Harriers and 771 NAS where they rounded off a full day with a look at the RN Search and Rescue frontline Squadron.