British warship moored in Darwin Harbour for the week

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A British warship is moored in Darwin Harbour this week, a regular stop on its travels around Australia. HMS Spey is on a five-year deployment in the Indo-Pacific and considers Darwin a safe haven for its 90 crew members.

Transcript

00:00 Nestled in the Darwin Harbour, a ship committed to southern shores.

00:06 HMS Spey, now on its 7th visit to the Top End, continuing its peacekeeping mission across

00:12 the Indo-Pacific.

00:13 It's not by any stretch to change the balance of power, it's to regenerate and reinvigorate

00:18 relationships with partners and allies in the region, which we haven't really done since

00:22 the Royal Navy left Hong Kong in 1997.

00:25 Since leaving Portsmouth two years ago, HMS Spey and her sister ship Tamar sailed across

00:31 to Colombia, up the US West Coast, then past Hawaii and Japan, now roaming across the Indo-Pacific

00:38 for the length of its five year deployment.

00:40 A posting the commanding officer says is one of the most rewarding in the Royal Navy.

00:45 The old adage of join the Navy and see the world is only really practised by a couple

00:49 of ships and HMS Tamar and HMS Spey are certainly at the forefront of that.

00:52 It's been everything I could have hoped for, travelling around South East Asia, the Pacific,

00:57 Australia, yeah the port visit's just been great.

01:00 And with one month back home for every three worked on the ship, life on HMS Spey is one

01:05 sought after in the Royal Navy.

01:07 I've only been on four weeks but I think it's the best one I've been on so far and it's

01:12 probably the best one I'll ever go on.

01:14 Rather than high end warfare, HMS Spey's mission in the Indo-Pacific is more diplomatic, visiting

01:18 countries like the Philippines and Timor-Leste to solidify relations.

01:22 But here in Darwin, officers take the time to rest, relax and see the sights of the territory.

01:28 I love being here, the town's got a really good vibe to it.

01:31 I like going to the National Park, some great swimming spots, some great picnic spots around

01:36 there as well.

01:37 And while the twin ships are only deployed here for five years, those on board expect

01:41 to stay in the region for a little while longer.

01:44 The effects we can have in a diplomatic sense and on a military engagement sense is huge

01:48 compared to the size of the ship.

01:50 So I believe we'll probably stay here for five to ten years at a minimum.

01:54 A British naval presence here to stay.

01:56 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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