- 3 hours ago
- #royalnavy
- #warshiplife
- #navaloperations
Dive into the intense world of the Royal Navy once more! Season 2, Episode 2 of Warship Life plunges you into the heart of naval operations, showcasing the grueling challenges and unwavering dedication of the crews.
Experience the thrill of maritime missions as we follow the sailors through their demanding daily routines. From high-stakes exercises to the quiet moments of camaraderie, this episode reveals the true essence of life at sea aboard a modern warship.
Discover the cutting-edge technology and sophisticated strategies employed by the Royal Navy. You'll gain a unique perspective on the precision and teamwork required to maintain national security in a complex global environment.
Get ready for an immersive journey that highlights the resilience and professionalism of these service members. This episode offers a captivating glimpse into the demanding yet rewarding career of a naval officer.
#RoyalNavy #WarshipLife #NavalOperations
Experience the thrill of maritime missions as we follow the sailors through their demanding daily routines. From high-stakes exercises to the quiet moments of camaraderie, this episode reveals the true essence of life at sea aboard a modern warship.
Discover the cutting-edge technology and sophisticated strategies employed by the Royal Navy. You'll gain a unique perspective on the precision and teamwork required to maintain national security in a complex global environment.
Get ready for an immersive journey that highlights the resilience and professionalism of these service members. This episode offers a captivating glimpse into the demanding yet rewarding career of a naval officer.
#RoyalNavy #WarshipLife #NavalOperations
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Short filmTranscript
00:06Hello and welcome to His Majesty's Naval Base Devonport here in Plymouth.
00:11For hundreds of years this place has been a home to the Royal Navy and around half the nation's fleet
00:16is based here.
00:19This is a remarkable place. Thousands of servicemen and women pass through here every week.
00:26There are billions of pounds worth of warships and weapons and enough food to feed a navy.
00:33And then there's the staff and crew who live in and around the base.
00:41We're here at a time of serious international tension when the Royal Navy has never been busier.
00:47And they've given us access across the fleet.
00:56Feel it reverberating through your whole body.
01:00You feel like you can reach out and touch that.
01:02That is wild.
01:05Just off our bow is a Russian submarine.
01:09Throughout these special programmes we're lifting the lid.
01:12Whoa. What are you doing?
01:14On what life is really like in Britain's Navy today.
01:18I'm sure you typed that tie correctly before being dragged through a hedge.
01:21You sound like my mum.
01:22Get out of yourself and move. Come on.
01:24These boys are fit.
01:25This is a different league within a different league.
01:28I do feel in very safe hands.
01:31Thank you very much.
01:35This is warship.
01:37Life in the Royal Navy.
01:40In this episode, Kate reveals what supplies a warship takes out to sea.
01:47Avocados.
01:48I didn't quite imagine the Navy doing smashed avocado.
01:52That's it, JJ. Nice and quick there.
01:54One year after failing the commando endurance test.
01:58I wasn't tough enough to get the job done.
02:00JJ makes his return to the Royal Marine Commando Training Centre to give it one last try.
02:06Final straight. All the way to the end. All the way to the end.
02:08But will he make it?
02:10As we go into the gates, you're going to have to stop filming for the moment.
02:14And Kate is granted unprecedented access on board a top secret nuclear submarine.
02:20Wow.
02:21It does look terrifying.
02:40Hello and welcome to the programme from here on the deck of HMS St Albans in Plymouth.
02:48Some of you watching will know that the ship that we're on, HMS St Albans, is primarily designed to hunt
02:53for submarines.
02:54In fact, we're in the part of the ship that holds the sonar device that is used to help spot
02:59submarines.
02:59The threat they pose to ships during combat is well documented.
03:04But what is less well known is what it's like to live and work on board one.
03:09Especially Britain's top secret nuclear fleet.
03:23Under cover of darkness, I'm travelling to Fast Lane, home to the entire UK Navy's fleet of submarines.
03:31All of the submarines are nuclear powered. Some of them are capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
03:38So you'll understand that for us to be allowed in is somewhat unprecedented.
03:45Few people know that this is the location of one of the Royal Navy's most secretive and secure bases.
03:55Before entering, the film crew and I have been vetted by intelligence services.
04:02As we go into the gates, you're going to have to stop filming for the moment.
04:08Every entry checkpoint is tightly controlled and there are many things we aren't allowed to film for reasons of national
04:15security.
04:16Morning. Morning.
04:17I am with the film crew this morning. We've got special permission to film on the base.
04:22OK, that's fine, but there's no filming here.
04:24Oh, OK. Can you just stick the camera down for the moment? Sorry about that.
04:28That's all right.
04:35Finally, we're in. This is His Majesty's naval base, Clyde.
04:41To find out more about this top secret facility, I'm meeting the person in charge of it.
04:48Good morning, Commodore.
04:50Good morning, Kate. Pleased to meet you.
04:52Lovely to meet you. I'm not quite... Do I curtsy when I meet a Commodore?
04:55No, no, that's OK.
04:58Commodore's Sharon Malkin oversees all the clandestine work happening inside the wire.
05:04Thank you so, so much for letting us onto...
05:08This is your base, isn't it?
05:09Indeed. I effectively run the base and look after 6,500 people every day.
05:15It feels sort of oddly inland for a naval base. We are not on the sea.
05:21Well, we are effectively on a lot.
05:22Particularly chosen in a quiet west coast of Scotland, very cloudy.
05:28So it was a great place to hide.
05:30That's extraordinary. So you literally chose this location
05:35because everything conspired to make it secret.
05:39The weather, the topography, the mountains around it.
05:42Absolutely. It's all part of that thinking about
05:45how do we keep things away from those people who we don't want to see what we're doing.
05:49And that's what we do every day.
05:54This base is home to two different types of nuclear-powered submarines.
06:00Vanguard-class boats carry Britain's Trident nuclear missiles.
06:05Underwater for up to six months at a time, their job is to remain hidden from the world.
06:11Standing ready to fire their nuclear payload, but hoping it's never needed.
06:17Helping to protect them are a fleet of astute-class submarines.
06:22Known as hunter-killers, their main job today is to gather intelligence on Russia's Navy.
06:32Let me be clear.
06:34This is a Russian ship.
06:36I authorised the Royal Navy submarine to make clear that we had been covertly monitoring its every move.
06:46With Russian naval activity near the UK growing, it's vital that Royal Navy submarines track Putin's warships and submarines around
06:55the clock.
06:58We see you.
07:00We know what you're doing.
07:03And we will not shy away from robust action to protect this country.
07:10Lieutenant Commander Bryce works on one of the astute-class submarines.
07:17But for security reasons, we can't tell you which one.
07:21Wow.
07:23I don't know what I was expecting.
07:26It sort of seems smaller than I imagined, but I'm guessing it's a bit like seeing a whale at sea,
07:32isn't it?
07:32There's a lot of it under the water.
07:34Oh, yeah, most of the submarine is underwater.
07:37That's just a small bit of it.
07:42What do you do on board?
07:44Yeah, so I'm the head of the weapon engineering department.
07:47My team are responsible for making sure that all the weapons are in a fit state to be loaded into
07:53the torpedo tubes.
07:54It is one of the most complex machines on the planet.
07:58As an engineer, it is an absolute honour to work on it every single day.
08:01Is there any chance that I can have a look?
08:06I've been given permission to take you on the team down our submarine.
08:11Wow.
08:15I'm about to go where no television presenter has gone before.
08:20This will be the first time the Royal Navy has allowed someone like me to go inside an astute-class
08:26submarine on camera.
08:34Wow, that is some special access.
08:36Like, I've been in and out of that camp a lot over the years, and they take the security pretty
08:40seriously.
08:41They absolutely do.
08:42Wondering how you blagged that one.
08:44Can't possibly reveal my sources, otherwise that might compromise national security.
08:49But it was incredible, as is what's coming up next.
08:55JJ tries to settle a score.
08:57I underestimated just how hard it was.
09:00And that has not sat well with me for a whole year now.
09:03As he prepares to take on the Royal Marine Commando Endurance Test one last time.
09:08Through tunnels with speed difference.
09:10What we need on the Endurance Corpus, Commander.
09:12But will he make it?
09:14What do you buy to supply a ship with 200 people on it?
09:20And Kate discovers exactly what's on a warship's shopping list before it heads out on deployment.
09:26It's bad enough in my kitchen trying to find stuff in the cupboards, but you need to be really on
09:30it, don't you?
09:44Hello, and welcome back to the programme.
09:47Now, viewers of the last series may remember that JJ went back to the home of Royal Marines Training just
09:54outside Exeter
09:55to see if he still had what it takes to pass their most brutal fitness test.
10:00Yes, all recruits must pass the Endurance course in order to earn their Green Beret and become a commando.
10:06And as Kate said, I went back last year and I gave it a crack, but it didn't quite go
10:11as I had hoped.
10:17The small village of Limston and Devon is home to the Royal Marines Commando Training Centre.
10:23Come on, jets, let's push, push. Keep working.
10:26Recruits come here to be moulded into elite soldiers in what is regarded as one of the toughest basic training
10:33courses in the world.
10:35Go on, let's get a hard yacht, let's go.
10:40Two, one, go!
10:42Last year, I became one of the first survivors of an IED blast to take on the infamous Endurance course.
10:50Let's go, let's go, let's go. Where's he going?
10:53Which all recruits must pass to complete their basic training.
10:58That's cold.
10:59Come on, sir, let's go. Keep going.
11:03It's a gruelling six-mile run of hills and obstacles.
11:08To be completed in under 73 minutes.
11:12Pivot is hurt.
11:16But it didn't go to plan.
11:20Unsuccessful. 79 minutes.
11:30I'm not going to lie, my pride hurts for not making the time.
11:45So, one year later, it's time to put things right.
11:50When I look back, I underestimated just how hard it was.
11:54I'd forgotten how tough it is to be a Royal Marines commando.
11:57Like, I was mentally robust enough to get it finished, but I wasn't physically prepared.
12:03I just wasn't fit enough.
12:05I wasn't tough enough to get the job done.
12:08And that has not sat well with me for a whole year now.
12:11So, I've asked the Royal Marines if I can have another crack at it.
12:14And they've said yes.
12:18I've come back once more to the Commando Training Centre.
12:23Where physical training instructor Sergeant Ben Felgate is preparing me ahead of today's big challenge.
12:31So, this has got, like, the nuts and bolts of the types of stuff I'm going to do on an
12:35endurance course.
12:35Yeah, exactly. So, we've got walls, we've got water, we've got tunnels.
12:39So that then, when we transition from the bottom field area to the endurance course,
12:43it's a much more seamless transition at right.
12:45Well, I bet I'll go fall in with these lads, isn't it?
12:46Yeah, if you fall in with these boys, they'll show you the ropes.
12:48Literally.
12:51Joining me in my preparations this morning are serving Royal Marines physical training instructors to help spur me along.
12:58Okay, gents, yeah, line yourselves out. Okay, advance.
13:02Go on then, gents, let's go. Start getting into this.
13:06First up, the dreaded smarty tubes. Tight, cold and wet.
13:12Through tunnels with speed, gents. What we need on the endurance course, Commando.
13:21Come on, mate, this is what it's going to be like. Let's push, let's push, come on.
13:25A lot of these obstacles are similar to the challenges I'll face in the next few hours, during the six
13:32-mile endurance course.
13:35Good work. And push, and push, and push.
13:40That's it, drive, drive, drive, drive.
13:46Pull you under, head under, let's go, let's go.
13:50And up. That's it, gather yourself, gather yourself. Bad move, come on.
13:54Royal Marines don't do things by halves.
13:57Good. Come on then, JJ, let's go.
14:00How we get, how we get. Okay, start pulling now, start pulling.
14:03Oh, man. Let's go.
14:04So, although this is just a warm-up, I have to be careful that the intensity doesn't rob me of
14:10my energy for later.
14:11Let's get the hard yards in now. Let's go.
14:15Okay, up and move, let's go. Up, let's go, let's go.
14:22Okay, get yourself in. Get yourself some water.
14:28These boys are fit. This is a different league within a different league.
14:34The warm-up is over. In just a few hours, the endurance course awaits.
14:45Well, what a challenge JJ has ahead of him. I can't wait to find out how he gets on later
14:51in the programme.
14:54Now, ships like HMS St Albans are normally home to around 200 people when they set off on operations at
15:01sea.
15:02Sometimes those operations may last just a few days, but other times it could be many, many months.
15:09Yes, and like any long journey, you've got to make sure that you take everything you need with you.
15:13And for any crew, the most important thing is food, as Kate is about to find out.
15:25His Majesty's naval base in Plymouth is the biggest in Western Europe.
15:31And it's where many Royal Navy warships are prepared for deployments around the world.
15:38One of the Royal Navy's busiest warships is HMS Sutherland, and she's gearing up for her next mission.
15:45Busy day today.
15:47Next one. Guys, we've got to stretch out a little bit.
15:49But before she can set sail, this massive warship needs to stock up on supplies.
15:56Steady, Jack. Steady.
16:02That's everything done for this storeroom, so if we get everyone moving along this side.
16:07Today is what is known as Storeship Day.
16:10It's where the crew bring on board all the food they'll need when out at sea.
16:16So don't you think one of life's most fascinating things is somebody else's weekly shop?
16:22I mean, what do you buy to supply a ship with 200 people on it?
16:28Quite a lot of mayonnaise, it turns out.
16:30Chicken stock.
16:32Good old cereal.
16:34I've just been having a look here.
16:36Lots of tinned tomatoes.
16:37Quite impressed by the amount of flour, which tells me that either there's a lot of sauce-making going to
16:43go on,
16:44or maybe they make their own bread, which would be quite impressive on a ship, wouldn't it?
16:50We're going to take the stuff to our fridges and freezer now, so we start moving on this side.
16:55As one of the leading chefs, Staffan Richards and his team will turn this food into 600 meals a day.
17:04There you go, bud.
17:07Keeping the crew fed and watered requires a boatload of food.
17:11Coming on board today is 3,600 eggs, 360 kilograms of beans and 800 pints of milk.
17:21You're one of the chefs?
17:23Yes, I'm one of the leading chefs.
17:24You're one of the leading chefs.
17:25Yeah.
17:25You're cooking for how many people?
17:27Cooking roughly on, if everyone's embarked, like a 200 and some.
17:32So, yeah, because, I mean, pretty...
17:33I mean, it's bad enough in my kitchen trying to find stuff in the cupboards,
17:37but you need to be really on it, don't you?
17:38Yes, yes, definitely.
17:39It makes life much easier when you have everything organised in there.
17:46It is official.
17:48The Navy can't set sail unless it has a chocolate fountain.
17:51That is very true.
17:53But it's not just sweet treats.
17:56Food on all Royal Navy warships is designed to be nutritious to keep the crew healthy.
18:01So, I'm heading on board to find where they store all that fruit and veg on a warship tight on
18:08space.
18:09This is like a ridiculous ladder.
18:11I don't know whether I'm supposed to come down backwards or forwards.
18:14I'm sure there'll be somebody who can tell me.
18:17Right.
18:19There you go.
18:21Up the street.
18:23Leading hand Geoff George has the mammoth task of making sure all the massive fridges and freezers are organised with
18:31military precision.
18:32I've got your courgettes Geoff, I think this is the last one.
18:35Thank you very much.
18:36There we go.
18:38Wow, this is quite a fridge isn't it?
18:40Yeah.
18:41One of the many we've got.
18:43How many have you got on board?
18:44So, fridges, so we've got this one and then a little bit further up we've got a dairy fridge.
18:48Okay.
18:48And then we've got two freezers.
18:50Right.
18:50I've been slightly obsessed about who does the shopping list.
18:53Are you the shopping list?
18:54It is me, yes.
18:55That is my job.
18:57So, how many days worth of fresh stuff have you got capacity for?
19:01So, when we go away for long periods of time, we try and do 60 days.
19:06Can these fridges keep stuff in good condition for as long as 60 days?
19:10Because a domestic fridge couldn't do that, did they?
19:12No.
19:12So, we use these things called Effizorb tubes.
19:15Right.
19:15So, we've got four of them in here at the moment.
19:17Basically, what they're to do is essentially the gas given off by the veg that's slowly going gets caught by
19:24that and prolongs it.
19:25Because the air in the fridge isn't full of, as you say, the gases from decomposing food.
19:33Yeah.
19:33The food stays fresher longer.
19:35Yeah.
19:37If you want to pass me the broccoli, I'll pop them.
19:39Okay, so you're going to put all the broccoli in that corner.
19:41Yep.
19:42My husband thinks I'm mad, but I'm like, no, but the fridge isn't right.
19:45My mum loves it.
19:46Yes.
19:47Did she teach you?
19:48Did your mum sort of instill this kind of organised fridge thing?
19:52She definitely gave me the OCD with it.
19:54I'll tell you that.
19:57Avocados?
19:58I know.
19:58How swanky are you?
20:01Well, like you say, we've got quite an extensive shopping list.
20:04I didn't quite imagine, you know, the Navy doing smashed avocado.
20:10These special fridges are amazing.
20:13They're the key to keeping the entire crew eating healthily while out at sea.
20:18Payton is requested to the bridge to meet the commanding officer.
20:22That's me.
20:23I've been summoned to the bridge to see the person in charge of HMS Sutherland, Captain James Wallington-Smith.
20:30Hi.
20:30Lovely to see you.
20:31Captain of the ship.
20:33This has clearly been a big day.
20:35Is a store ship day for you as a captain a big day too?
20:40It's definitely palpable, the excitement for the team in getting back to sea.
20:44And one of the signs of that happening is definitely embarking all those stores we need to keep us at
20:50sea for a while.
20:51I've watched a lot of food.
20:53In fact, I've helped unload quite a lot of food onto this ship today.
20:57But I was quite surprised by the kind of treaty food.
21:01Is that important for a crew?
21:04I think those treaty things are really important.
21:06But I think what's more important with a food is when you've had a really tough day,
21:10when the weather's been challenging, being able to just sit down with your friends in your mess
21:15at the table for an evening meal or for lunch and have a really good plate of good home-cooked
21:21food
21:21is just vital to keeping the ship going.
21:29Today has been a true lesson in logistics.
21:33It has been an amazing insight.
21:35And one thing is for sure, wherever they're going and whatever they're doing,
21:39they are not going to run out of chocolate.
21:49Do you know what? I've never really considered just how much food a warship needs to go to sea.
21:53I mean, like, it's a lot of beans.
21:56A lot of beans.
21:57And imagine doing that big shot for over 200 hungry people.
22:01Big supermarket, Bill.
22:02Yeah, right.
22:03Well, from ships logistics to marine commandos,
22:06stick with us because we've got some serious action coming up.
22:12Welcome aboard HMS Wellington.
22:14Thank you very much.
22:16Our intrepid reporter, Dwayne, reveals how submarines very nearly cost Britain the Second World War.
22:23Those supply lines were crucial.
22:26If they were cut off, Britain may have faced starvation.
22:34And JJ returns to the endurance course.
22:38Struggling a little bit.
22:39A little bit nervous on time.
22:40But will he pass the ultimate test of a Royal Marine this time?
22:44Final straight now. Final straight.
22:46All the way to the end. All the way to the end.
22:59Hello. Welcome back to Warship. Life in the Royal Navy.
23:04Now, I've stepped off of our whole ship and onto a landing craft that belongs to 47 Commando Royal Marines.
23:12Now, all of the Royal Marines that are part of this unit will have completed the endurance course as part
23:17of their commando course,
23:18earning them the coveted Green Beret.
23:21Now, those of you that watched the last series will remember that I attempted the endurance course.
23:26I completed it, but it didn't make the time.
23:28For want of a better word, I failed it.
23:31And that has not sat well with me ever since.
23:34So I've decided to give it one more crack.
23:37Come on, gents. Let's push, push.
23:42Almost 20 years ago, I first completed my training to become a Royal Marine here at the Commando Training Centre
23:49in Devon.
23:52And last year, I became one of the first survivors of an IED blast to take on the infamous endurance
23:58course.
24:01Unfortunately, I failed.
24:03But today is my chance to put it right.
24:08I am back, and this time, I'm ready.
24:12Today, Sergeant Ben Felgate will be with me, every step of the way, timing my effort.
24:20Ben. You good? I'm good.
24:22Not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous.
24:24Like, I know I've gone away and I've trained, but I just don't know if it's enough.
24:29That mindset from back when you went through training, that's what we need to keep.
24:33Let's keep pushing through that.
24:34Mega.
24:34So you're gonna be there with me the whole way, obviously.
24:37I'll be there.
24:41Despite all my preparation, my chances are slim.
24:48In 2011, I suffered life-changing injuries when an IED exploded as my unit was on patrol in Afghanistan.
24:59Large sections of my body have been rebuilt, but I'll never fully recover.
25:10I had this built years ago by physios in my rehab.
25:14Basically, obviously, this arm took a huge amount of damage in the bomb blast.
25:18I don't even have any tricep function in it, so for example, without it, I can't put my arm above
25:22my head.
25:23So it gives me that little bit of function, which I'll need for the crawling.
25:27To pass this test, I need to complete the six-mile course in under 73 minutes.
25:33Okay, stand by.
25:34Three, two, one, go!
25:42The first two and a half miles of the endurance course is packed with obstacles designed to drain my body
25:48of warmth and energy.
25:51That's it. Smash it through it. Smash it through.
25:54That's it. We keep the speed. We keep the momentum.
25:56The first shock is called Peter's Pool.
25:59That's it, JJ. Nice and quick, then.
26:03A 25-metre stretch of deep, muddy water.
26:07Just keep flowing through this bit. Keep that weapon up.
26:11Keeping my rifle dry is tougher than usual, as the water level is very high.
26:18You fill this up for me.
26:19That's how it feels like it, doesn't it?
26:23That's it. Good, mate. And then we break into it.
26:25Good work, mate. Good work.
26:27That's it. Good.
26:29Next is the infamous sheep dip, where I'll be completely submerged.
26:35What? Go.
26:40That's it.
26:43Nice, mate. You good?
26:46My entire body is now freezing cold and wet through.
26:49Just drag you down.
26:52With the first few obstacles down, I still have over five miles to go.
27:01Good, JJ. Good. Head up, mate. Good.
27:09Next up are the smarty tubes.
27:12Let's go.
27:16A 50-metre network of pipes, each barely big enough to squeeze through.
27:22Good, mate. Let's push now. Let's push.
27:38Oh, they keep coming.
27:40He's doing well. He's moving pretty well.
27:42You can see he's feeling heavy at times, but if he just keeps that mindset going, we could be in
27:47for a shower.
27:50Nice, JJ. Let's go, mate.
27:52With just one tunnel to go, my injured arm is slowing me down.
27:59Come on, JJ. Here we go.
28:01We're down here now.
28:04Go straight through, JJ. Come on.
28:08Let's go, mate.
28:09Mate, last one. Here we go. Last one.
28:11Mate, we're working. We're working well.
28:13Let's keep it going. Come on.
28:14Keep sucking it in.
28:15Last tunnel. Come on, mate.
28:25Every time I push forward on my elbow, it's agony.
28:30We're on the brink. It is 50-50 in terms of time, so we need to push hard on this
28:35last bit.
28:36That's it, mate. Come on.
28:41Good, JJ. Let's go, mate. We up and move. Nice, mate. Nice.
28:43Here we go.
28:47With the obstacle section complete, I've now got a four-mile race back to the commando training centre.
29:00With the target time of 73 minutes or less fixed in my mind, rifle in hand, and 10 kilograms of
29:07kit around my waist, I have no idea if I'm going to make it.
29:14He's struggling a little bit. He's got a little bit lethargic.
29:18A little bit nervous on time.
29:27Nearly there, mate. Nearly there.
29:32Mate, at the level. Nice.
29:36Come on, mate. Bone straight now. Bone straight.
29:38All the way to the end. All the way to the end. Here we go.
29:41My injured muscles are about to give up on me.
29:47But, as the finish line comes into view, so do some of my Royal Marine comrades, who I served with
29:53in Afghanistan.
29:57Come on, mate. Come on, mate. Come on, mate. Come on, mate. Come on, mate. Come on, mate. Come on,
30:13mate. Come on.
30:13All right. Come on, buddy. Unbelievable. Unbelievable effort.
30:19If you want to know the time there? Come on, mate.
30:23It was 68 minutes, 26 seconds, mate.
30:28Chad, you smashed it.
30:29You smashed it.
30:30You all right?
30:31You smashed it.
30:32You all right?
30:33That was quality, mate.
30:34The effort level's in that.
30:38Get your lid on.
30:39Get your lid on.
30:40The Green Beret is a symbol of becoming a Royal Marine.
30:48Putting it on now means as much to me as it did two decades ago
30:52when I served alongside these lads.
30:57He's back on.
31:02Good effort, mate.
31:04That's amazing.
31:06What a savage.
31:13Been a while, is it?
31:17I really didn't know if I could do that.
31:20Oh, like I knew I could finish it and train.
31:24But like, I just didn't know if this body was capable of it.
31:27Simple as that.
31:31It's going to take a while to sink in, that.
31:35But I didn't do it by myself.
31:37Obviously, Ben was there with me.
31:39The lads, I didn't know they'd be at the finish.
31:41But in a lot of ways, they were there with me the whole time.
31:45I'm proud of myself.
31:52I'll sleep tonight.
31:53Better than ever.
32:00I am so proud of you.
32:04I mean, that was an astonishing achievement.
32:07What were you thinking?
32:08What mentally were you thinking going through that?
32:11That whole thing was personal.
32:13Like, for a year, I've not worn my green beret
32:16and I just didn't feel like I deserved it anymore
32:18and I just had to kind of right that wrong.
32:20You 100% deserve it now and I hope you realise that.
32:24Particularly when I crossed that finish line,
32:26I saw that sort of sea of green lids, you know, cheering me across.
32:29I knew that I deserved to stand amongst them again.
32:32You're brilliant.
32:35I can't believe he pulled that off.
32:38What a hero.
32:40And now another heroic Royal Navy story,
32:43this time from World War II.
32:45We sent our roving reporter, Dwayne Fields, to find out more.
32:52During the Second World War,
32:56German submarines were destroying cargo ships in the Atlantic.
33:04Stopping supplies of food and ammunition getting through to Britain.
33:09It was known as the Battle of the Atlantic
33:11and thousands of cargo ships made the treacherous journey
33:15of over 3,000 miles under constant threat from the Nazis.
33:26One ship that defied the odds and still survives to this day
33:30is HMS Wellington.
33:31And I've come to London to find out more.
33:41Welcome aboard HMS Wellington.
33:43Thank you very much.
33:45Curator Andrew Chong from the National Maritime Museum
33:48is an expert on the Battle of the Atlantic,
33:51which Churchill called Britain's darkest hour.
33:56HMS Wellington is one of those many, many ships
34:00that plays a vital role in the Battle of the Atlantic.
34:02If they were cut off, Britain may have faced starvation.
34:07They certainly wouldn't have been able to have kept the fighting up.
34:10And what exactly would a ship like HMS Wellington do?
34:12So this is very dangerous work.
34:15Wellington's main job is to engage the enemy submarine and attack it.
34:18That is her job, respond to the threat, fix it and sink it if possible.
34:24She steams an incredible quarter of a million miles,
34:28which is an unbelievable feat.
34:30And in that time, she escorts 103 convoys.
34:35With many men away at sea, on ships like HMS Wellington...
34:39It is up to the women of Britain to take over the non-combatant duties.
34:45An army of women began working.
34:47Some of them were given the job of helping the convoys
34:50get past the German submarines.
34:53They were known as the Wrens, the Women's Royal Navy Service.
35:02Hello, Christian. How are you?
35:05Can I join you?
35:07Yes, please do.
35:08Brilliant.
35:10105-year-old Christian Lam served as one of them.
35:16Do you remember what your job was during the Battle of the Atlantic?
35:22We had a big plot in the office
35:25and we had many people came and asked us questions
35:30about what was going on
35:32and we were able to tell them.
35:35Would you plot the location of the enemy vessels as well?
35:39Well, as far as you could know them,
35:41you certainly did.
35:44Any ship that was in danger,
35:47any of the other ships,
35:49was naturally interesting to us.
35:54By plotting and tracking the positions of enemy vessels,
35:57the Wrens helped convoys and their vital supplies
36:01navigate around any threats.
36:04It ultimately helped the Allied forces win the war.
36:10Do you think, without the Wrens,
36:14there would be more ships that would have been sunk
36:16on the Allied side?
36:18Well, I think you might say that.
36:20I wouldn't like to boast that.
36:31HMS Wellington's survival is a testament
36:33to those special women
36:35who answered the call
36:36when their country needed them most.
36:38Those extraordinary women,
36:40like Christian Lam,
36:42whose grit and determination
36:43ultimately paved the way
36:45to Allied victory.
36:52Powerful stuff.
36:53We owe so much
36:54to so many female veterans
36:55of the Second World War
36:57and they are unsung heroes still to this day.
37:01Here's what's still to come.
37:04I've actually been given permission
37:07to take the UN team down our submarine.
37:10Wow.
37:11I'm granted unprecedented access
37:13to see what it's really like
37:15inside a nuclear submarine.
37:18You come in like it's a normal job,
37:20but actually you know
37:21what you might have to go out and do.
37:24And that is quite daunting
37:25when you think about it like that.
37:27MUSIC PLAYS
37:41Welcome back.
37:42Now, the Royal Navy
37:43has a huge variety of ships
37:45in its fleet,
37:46from small P-2000s like this
37:48all the way up to warships
37:50like HMS Richmond.
37:51But it also has a fleet of submarines.
37:53And Kate was invited
37:55to take a look around
37:55a state-of-the-art nuclear submarine
37:57to find out what life is like
37:59below the waves.
38:03The Royal Navy's top-secret base
38:06on the Clyde
38:07is home to all of Britain's
38:09nuclear submarines.
38:11Some are designed
38:13to fire nuclear missiles
38:15known as Trident
38:16from the depths of the ocean.
38:20But others are hunter-killers
38:23designed to silently hunt
38:24for Russian warships
38:25and submarines.
38:29to either gather
38:30valuable intelligence
38:34or attack
38:36without warning.
38:44It does look
38:45terrifying.
38:47Well, if you think about
38:48what they're designed to do
38:49as well,
38:50it is a sobering thought,
38:51actually.
38:52Lieutenant Commander
38:54Bryce works on one of
38:55Britain's hunter-killers
38:56known as an astute-class submarine.
39:01And I'm being allowed
39:02to go on board with him.
39:05I've actually been given
39:06permission
39:07to take you and the team
39:09down our submarine.
39:11Wow.
39:12We can bring the cameras
39:13and everything with us?
39:14So not your cameras.
39:16We've got to take cameras
39:17that can't record any sound.
39:18No microphones?
39:19No microphones, yeah.
39:21That's off.
39:22You're turning yours off.
39:31For reasons of national security,
39:34no sound can be recorded
39:35on board astute-class submarines,
39:37and the pictures we capture
39:39will be heavily vetted
39:41by intelligence experts.
39:47The ladder down
39:48brings me out
39:49into the control room,
39:50where the captain
39:51issues orders
39:52to the crew
39:53from his special chair.
39:56Walking down the corridor,
39:58there's literally
39:59no room.
40:00The walls are narrow
40:01and the ceilings
40:03are low.
40:08Further down,
40:09this 100-metre-long boat
40:11is the ward room,
40:12where the crew can relax,
40:13but there aren't enough seats
40:15for everyone
40:16to fit in at once,
40:17and of course,
40:18there are no windows.
40:22Food supplies
40:23are eaten in order
40:24of freshness
40:25and have to last
40:26up to six months
40:27on long patrols.
40:31Around 110 people
40:32work on this boat
40:33in round-the-clock shifts
40:35of six hours on,
40:36six hours off.
40:39Some of the most junior crews
40:41share bunks
40:41and swap beds
40:42between shifts
40:43in what's known
40:45as hot bunking.
40:47To find out more,
40:49I'll have to step off the boat
40:50and back onto dry land.
40:54Harrison and Poppy
40:55are junior submariners,
40:57meaning they only qualify
40:58for the smallest bunk space.
41:01What's that hot bunking thing mean
41:03and what does it entail?
41:04The way we work our shifts,
41:06we work six on,
41:07six off.
41:07Yeah.
41:08So, while you're on,
41:09your opposite number
41:10will be in the bed.
41:12When they come on,
41:13you'll go to bed.
41:14Do you change sheets
41:14in between?
41:15Yes.
41:16Hopefully.
41:17Yes.
41:18Yes, we absolutely do.
41:20Yeah.
41:20So you might be
41:21hot bunking with a man?
41:22No, no, no.
41:23Always with a woman.
41:24Always with a woman.
41:27No.
41:28It's still not ideal, though.
41:30No.
41:30You have no contact
41:32with friends or family either
41:33when you're on board, do you?
41:34No, hardly any contact as well.
41:36How tough is that?
41:37Yeah, it can be really hard.
41:38Like, you don't care about
41:39things like social media
41:40when you're at sea,
41:41but just wanting to message
41:42your family and friends,
41:44that's what you find
41:45extremely hard.
41:46Yeah.
41:46Yeah, and it must be hard
41:47for them as well,
41:48not kind of knowing,
41:50because everything you do
41:51is secret, isn't it?
41:54So no one,
41:55not even your mum,
41:56can know where you are
41:57and what you're doing.
41:58I think they're trained well
41:59to know, not to ask
42:00those questions.
42:02I probably need
42:03that same training.
42:05Does it feel like
42:07you're doing something
42:08that is of such
42:09national importance?
42:11I think day to day,
42:12you just sort of
42:13tend to focus on the work
42:14you're doing at the time.
42:16You come in like
42:17it's a normal job,
42:18but actually you know
42:19what you might have
42:20to go out and do,
42:22and that is quite daunting
42:23when you think about it
42:24like that.
42:25Rather than you than me,
42:27but thank you so much
42:28for doing what you do
42:29and for keeping us all safe.
42:35What an extraordinary
42:37experience this has been,
42:40to be on board
42:42a submarine,
42:44a machine that so few people
42:47have any idea
42:49how it works,
42:51what it does,
42:52and to understand
42:53the importance
42:55of what they do
42:56was, well,
42:58frankly, humbling
42:59and we are incredibly
43:01lucky to have them.
43:02going on.
43:11Well, there you go, JJ.
43:13Now you know
43:13what the inside
43:14of an astute class
43:16submarine looks like.
43:17Yeah, but can you imagine
43:18not just spending
43:18a day or days, weeks,
43:21months on board?
43:23I'm literally not sure
43:24I could last a day.
43:25It's so cramped
43:26in there.
43:27And talking about
43:28lack of space,
43:29we've run out of space
43:30in the programme,
43:30but don't go anywhere
43:32because we've still got
43:33lots of access
43:34all areas
43:35with the Royal Navy.
43:37Next time...
43:38Do we know why
43:39Prince Charles,
43:40as he was then,
43:41chose the Navy?
43:42Putting the Royal
43:44in Royal Navy,
43:45the King's astonishing
43:46journey from recruit
43:47to commanding officer.
43:49He was treated
43:50exactly the same,
43:51but he got the special
43:52privilege of driving
43:53his own car here.
43:54His famous
43:55Aston Martin.
43:58I join
43:59the Royal Marines Band.
44:04As I'm challenged
44:05to perform
44:06in front of
44:062,000 people.
44:11And I'm on board
44:13HMS Dragon.
44:14So you're
44:15Queen of Guns.
44:16I mean kind of.
44:17To witness
44:18the full might
44:19of its firepower.
44:21You don't just hear that,
44:22you feel it reverberating
44:24through your whole body.
44:27We'll see you then.
44:29Bye.
44:31Bye.
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