00:00 So Cameron, you're captain of HMS Expoit, how do you think, is your ship well prepared
00:12 ahead of the expedition stop?
00:13 Yeah very well prepared, our first support stop will be Ramsgate on our longer journey
00:18 up to the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway.
00:21 We're deploying as part of exercise Steadfast Defender but our part of the first exercise
00:25 will be Joint Viking, so that's working primarily with the KJK, the Norwegian Coastal Rangers
00:32 and the Skald Class Corvettes.
00:33 So it's definitely expeditious, it's the longest, furthest north deployment that P2000s have
00:40 ever done.
00:41 So yeah, it's a good day, hopefully the weather holds and we can get out the door.
00:46 What sort of things will you be doing on exercise Joint Viking?
00:48 So as I said, working with the Coastal Rangers and some other units up there, so that will
00:54 be primarily sort of whatever they task us under their umbrella of operations up there.
01:01 Clearly it's their back garden so we'll be working closely with them and learning from
01:06 them as well.
01:07 Again, we've not operated up there properly for a good number of years so this will be
01:11 really exciting to learn from them.
01:13 Have you been on exercises where you've been deployed to the spin forward but not like
01:17 this before?
01:18 Yeah, so last year I deployed to the Baltic in Exploit for two and a half months, just
01:22 after the King's Coronation.
01:23 We were in London and then went straight to the Baltic for two months for Bolt Ops and
01:27 that's the traditional P2000 deployment in the summer, good weather, working with NATO
01:32 navies, sort of defending them, attacking them etc. as part of the exercise.
01:37 This is a complete step change for us.
01:39 We're going at the complete other end of the year, the weather's not going to play ball
01:42 I'm sure but we will be going a lot further north in completely different conditions and
01:48 I think it's going to be a lot more serious exercise.
01:51 It's part of NATO's biggest land and maritime exercise in a long time.
01:57 So I'm very excited to go on this deployment.
02:00 I'm definitely lying if I'm saying I'm not nervous but I am definitely nervous about
02:04 it.
02:05 I think it's just more like being away from home that I'm nervous about but I'm so excited
02:09 to go to Norway.
02:10 It's been one of my bucket lists for a while now.
02:13 We've basically been told that it's like a NATO exercise, working with allies and we're
02:17 going to the fjords.
02:20 So how do you think you'll be able to cope with the weather in the fjords?
02:24 I think it'll be definitely cold but we've got a lot of gear to help us with that and
02:29 I think with the clothing that they've gave us we should be absolutely fine.
02:35 What do you think you'll look forward to the most?
02:38 I'm definitely excited to go to the fjords.
02:40 I've never been and I'm definitely excited to go and see all the views and the northern
02:44 lights as well.
02:45 Anything else properly ahead?
02:46 Yeah, no not really.
02:47 Why was Norway on your bucket list?
02:52 What made you want to go there?
02:53 I think it was just more the northern lights, the scenery and the views.
02:58 I think it's just a beautiful place in general.
03:02 So Elliot, your first deployment, how are you feeling ahead of it?
03:06 I'm really looking forward to it, yeah.
03:07 I'm pretty optimistic about the deployment itself and looking forward to the challenges
03:11 that lay ahead.
03:12 What made you decide to join the Royal Navy?
03:16 It was something I always thought I was going to do.
03:19 I was up for a bit of a challenge and it's a bit of a different workplace as it's a turn
03:23 to working in the normal 95.
03:24 As a Yorkshireman are you happy now that you're down south and preparing to go on a large
03:30 expedition to the Norwegian fjords?
03:33 Yeah, so I'm back down south now and heading back north, further north than I've ever been
03:36 before so I'm happy about that.
03:40 What sort of things do you think you'll learn on the exercise itself?
03:43 I think it'll actually really bring my skills all together in terms of just being fresh
03:48 out of training.
03:49 I do feel pretty fortunate to be working with a small tight-knit crew and hopefully not
03:54 have the pressure too much having a larger vessel and get everything in place.
03:59 I think.
03:59 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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