#9 HMS Tamar | Playing bucketball on a ship? | Fancy a Brew?
Recently, three personnel currently onboard patrol ship HMS Tamar took part in the latest episode of our podcast, Fancy a Brew?
☕️ Welcome back!
Grab yourself something to drink and join us for the 10th episode of our podcast, Fancy a Brew? In the latest episode, join Leading Seaman Fawcett, Sub-Lieutenant Mileham and Chief Petty Officer Fitzgerald as they discuss life onboard HMS Tamar.
Patrol ship HMS Tamar can perform a variety of roles from intercepting drug traffickers and smugglers to protecting UK territorial waters and providing humanitarian assistance in the wake of a disaster.
HMS Tamar is also the greenest ship in the Royal Navy and is also the first ship to have the iconic dazzle camouflage since World War 2.
Haven’t listened to the episode yet? Make sure to tune in down below👇
Also available on 7 streaming sites:
Take a look at some highlights from the episode below:👇
How would you describe the ships company onboard HMS Tamar?
Fitzgerald: “We all get along well together, and that’s carried on from one ship to another, depending on how many ships you have had. Because we are experienced we have brought the younger ones up with us, so they tend to get on with our humour well and crack on with it.
Fawcett: “I totally agree. My last two ships were carriers, and coming onto HMS Tamar as my first proper small ship, the humour has definitely gotten better.
Mileham: “We are definitely all a family, we all know each other well. I suppose if we were on a bigger ship we wouldn’t necessarily know everybody. It is also clear that we are quite a young ship. Our average age is 27 which is pretty startling.
What are your thoughts on the new dazzle camouflage for HMS Tamar?
Fitzgerald: “I believe it is the first time since World War 2 that a ship has had dazzle paint, and it looks better than I thought it would to be honest. I think it’s good and fitting for us. We were also the fastest generated ship since World War 2 as well.
Fawcett: “I actually love it. When it first got mentioned that Tamar would be having a new paint job, I was a little bit skeptical, but when the painters first came in, the First Lieutenant got me in his cabin and asked me what I think, and as a Junior Rate I really appreciated the opportunity to share what I was thinking.
Mileham: “There has been some good comments about which other ships might be getting it next, and there is a little bit of jealousy I think within the fleet.
Can you tell us about HMS Tamar and her future operations?
Fawcett: “I am really excited. Again, this is my bread and butter. We are going out there to show a large presence in the far east. My previous deployments have mainly been in the Gulf and Africa, so to get out where I haven’t been recently, is amazing.
Mileham: “It will be amazing to be out in the Indo-Pacific region, and it is not just a short-term deployment, this is a forward basing of a ship. I think that we are the envy of the fleet at the moment, people want to be on Tamar.
What is bucketball?
Mileham: “Bucketball, for those who don’t know, it is like netball but you can move your feet. There is also a little element of rugby when you are trying to scramble for the ball, although that can be quite painful on the flight deck.
Fawcett: “The net is also able to move as well.
Mileham: “Yes, the bucket is held, and the person who is holding the bucket can move it so that they can catch the ball. Obviously they are being defended and guarded, but it is a lot of fun.”
