Flagship ready for action against the Taliban

The crew of Royal Navy flagship HMS Illustrious were today preparing it for operations against the Taliban after being told they will not be home for Christmas.

The aircraft carrier, stationed in the Arabian Sea, is being converted into a launchpad for troop-carrying helicopters.

Its compliment of Harrier jets was flown off yesterday to make room for Chinooks and Sea Kings on the 20,000 tonne vessel.

But senior commanders said they would not be surprised if it was next year before they went into action.

Below deck, members of the 1,000-strong crew have been queuing up to call loved ones at home, who will have to spend Christmas without them. The crew on Illustrious have been told it will be March before they will return to the UK, with HMS Ocean then likely to sail out to replace her.

In the meantime, the carrier will lead a task force of Navy ships on standby to go into action against Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.

Two hundred Royal Marine Commandos will be moved onto HMS Fearless after about a fortnight of intensive live-firing practice in the desert in Oman, Marine sources said.

But Commanders admit they have no firm idea what exactly the British Forces will be asked to do, and nor do they believe it will happen quickly.

Rear Admiral James Burnell-Nugent, commander of the naval task force, said today he would not be surprised if operations from the ship did not begin until next year.

He believed it was going to be a long war, and said it was not clear how events would unfold. ‘‘It’s not clear in anybody’s mind, and that’s part of the challenge,’’ he said.

‘‘We are in the business of ‘asymmetrical’ warfare and, by definition, we can’t see that far ahead. We have to tackle each task at a time.’’

Admiral Burnell-Nugent said he was concentrating on getting the taskforce, which includes the frigate HMS Cornwall and destroyer HMS Southampton, ready for action.

The carrier itself, designed during the Cold War to chase Soviet subs, was easily adapted to its new role, he said.

Once at sea, the Marines will maintain their fitness levels - already at a peak following their involvement in Exercise Saif Sareea II in Oman - by exercising on deck.

Senior Marines said they were preparing for a range of missions but most would rely on ‘‘opportunity’’ in the form of specific intelligence about targets such as bin Laden.

Meanwhile, service men and women on HMS Illustrious were preparing for a long-haul.

Lieutenant Steve Walton, 28, was married just six days before the ship sailed from the UK on September 3, and is likely to have been away for the first eight months of his marriage to Camilla, an art expert.

He said: ‘‘She took the news as well as can be expected. She knows it is what I have trained to do for 10 years.’’

Lt Walton, from Petersfield, near Portsmouth, said: ‘‘The mood on board is very good. The crew will be able to deal with being away provided they are doing something, and it’s plainly obvious it’s something worthwhile.

‘‘This is the first time in a while that the country has called on us to do something, and whatever it is, we are ready.’’

Sub Lieutenant Sophie Nixon, 21, of Truro, Cornwall, said: ‘‘We knew there was always a risk because the ship is the one that is called on should anything go wrong.’’

Sub Lt Nixon, who has been in the Navy 13 months, added: ‘‘It’s exciting but a little bit daunting, but the ship is fantastic and the atmosphere is great. It’s a big ship but it’s a big family.’’

Petty Officer Chris Green, 32, of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, said no one was happy to be missing Christmas.

PO Green, whose wife Denise and son Ben, three, will have to spend the festive season without him, said: ‘‘You’ve got to grin and bear it. It’s bad news for them at home. At least we’re doing something for real.

‘‘We have got a cause now and a good one. We’re doing the right thing.’’

The ship’s satellite maintainer, PO Green who has been in the Navy for 12 years, added: ‘‘There was initial shock, but now we know that we have got five months, we are going to make the best of it.’’

Another petty officer, father-of-two Jonathan Davey, 40, of Swindon, Wiltshire, said he was uneasy about the war: ‘‘It was an atrocity on September 11 but I think the Government is two-faced. We’ve had terrorism back home for years but it’s only now the Americans have been affected that we’re in a war.’’

The Captain of Illustrious said the crew were responding well to their new assignment.

‘‘We do have to get ourselves fully converted and trained up in the new role, but that will not take long,’’ he said.

He said the service men and women were keeping in touch with their families via e-mail and a satellite phone which they have access to for free 20 minutes a week.

He said: ‘‘I’m pretty confident our families do understand that it’s a task to do and it’s an important one.’’

He added: ‘‘Something very dramatic and appalling occurred on September 11 and it’s clear to anyone that the world has changed in significant ways.

‘‘We’re dealing with a new kind of threat, a new way of doing business.

‘‘Therefore the policy of dealing with it is very broad-based. What I’m clear about is that this ship can have a significant contribution to this campaign.’’