Captain to tell families: we're still on manoeuvres

The captain of HMS Illustrious said today he would write to relatives of the crew to allay fears that they may form part of an attack on Osama bin Laden or the Taliban regime.

Captain Charles Style decided to take the action after growing numbers of the crew expressed concern at the anxiety being caused to their loved ones over perceived uncertainty of the vessel’s role in the Gulf.

Illustrious, with around 1,200 men and women aboard, is currently off the coast of Oman where she is due to take part in the second phase of Operation Saif Sareea or Swift Sword a huge military exercise which has been four years in the planning.

But speculation had been mounting that the ship was about to abandon the manoeuvre becoming operational and heading up the British element of any attacks on Osama bin Laden or the Taliban regime.

Crew aboard the 20,000 tonne aircraft carrier had expressed concern that some media coverage speculating about the ship’s role in the region had led to undue worry among their families.

Rating Stacey Waller, 19, from Southampton, confirmed that her family were anxious back at home.

"My family are worried because they do read the newspapers and watch the TV and even though I try to tell them everything is all right they can’t get away from the reports that we could be going to war.

‘‘I speak to them on the telephone about once a week and their first question is always ‘what is happening’ and ‘what is going on?’

‘‘I am not so concerned about me but about them, I don’t want them sat at home worrying,’’ she said.

With a large contingent of young crew aboard Illustrious - some aged just 17 - Capt Style was eager to reassure families that everything was well and that the planned training exercises were going ahead as normal.

In an announcement to the crew today he said he would be contacting their families by e-mail or letter to put their minds at ease and assure them of the latest developments surrounding Illustrious.

Capt Style insisted that while the vessel, as the Navy’s on-call aircraft carrier, was ready for any eventuality, for the time being it remained an integral part of Operation Swift Sword.

‘‘My orders have remained absolutely unchanged since the day we sailed. Our direction has been clear throughout that we would be carrying on with this exercise, because it is a very important one and it will achieve a lot for us.

‘‘Naturally everyone is aware of what is going on in the world, you could not possibly ignore it, but we are carrying on as planned with this exercise,’’ Capt Style said.

He said he saw the role of allaying the fears of loved ones back home as one of his most important tasks.

‘‘I give this very high priority and there is a lot I can do which makes a real difference,’’ he said.

HMS Illustrious operates a system called the Link Letter Scheme, where anyone who wishes can give the chaplain of the ship an e-mail or postal address for family at home in order to receive communications and updates from the captain.

With more than 90% of those on board signing up to the scheme, chaplain Chris Lovecrast said it was a very good way of reassuring loved ones during times of crisis.

‘‘Many of those sat at home see the news or hear rumours which can cause great worry. This is a way of letting them know for sure exactly what is happening out here and their minds can be put at rest,’’ he said.