Royal Navy Sailors Swap Places With Americans

The Portsmouth-based destroyer has been acting as sole escort for the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, which includes flagship Wasp, USS New York, USS Oak Hill, an air group of Osprey tiltrotor and Harrier jets and US Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Their joint operations provided the chance for seven sailors from each nation to ‘cross deck’ and experience life in corresponding navies for 48 hours.

Engineering Technician Bradley Jones was among the British sailors to join the Americans on Wasp.

“If you’ve ever seen the film Top Gun, I’m sure you’ve also had far flung fantasies of landing onboard the flight deck of a US carrier, taking off your safety helmet, hair windswept, and being greeted like some sort of demigod,” said ET Jones. 

“For one day this had become my reality, and I can’t deny how brilliant it felt. It was truly utterly brilliant.

“As I made my way across the flight deck, more conscious than ever of my gait and posture due to the ship’s snap happy photographer, I finally made my way into the ship itself.

To read more, visit the Royal Navy's website.