WITH red eyes and set faces, the men and women of 801 Naval Air Squadron stood as the Sea Harriers dipped their noses in a final bow.

THE two most senior officers in the RN have been in Iraq to inspect the progress being made by the country’s fledgling Navy under the Senior Service’s tutelage.

FOR THE first time since 1999, audiences will be granted the rare pleasure of watching the Massed Bands of the Royal Marines perform the Beat Retreat in the heart of London.

THE final act of HMS Somerset’s first commission was a memorable inaugural visit to the nation’s capital ahead of undergoing a refit.

HE main mast of Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring has been delivered to the ship on the Clyde as the extensive task of fitting her out continues.

AS befits its title, the Royal Navy is today celebrating the 80th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen wherever its men and women are in the world.

HUNTER-killer submarine HMS Turbulent provided her stealthy punch to NATO-led war games in Norwegian waters, Exercise Cold Response.

And she came out of it again, mercifully.

The star of HMS Illustrious shone brightly in the Atlantic night as Britain’s flagship unveiled a wonderful new piece of kit in Tenerife: light guns.

Frigate HMS Montrose has left Iraqi waters and is bound for Devonport, bringing the curtain down on a six-month tour-of-duty.

“A GLUT of high-profile events should keep the Senior Service in the public eye through the spring and summer.

“WE WILL use you, but we will talk to you first.”

FRIGATE HMS Lancaster broke off from her duties shepherding France’s flagship to rush to the aid of a ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden.

A SHORT visit to Sierra Leone saw destroyer HMS Liverpool blessed with the words: “We hope you are protected wherever you go”.

ON A COLD winter’s morning, Mancunian hearts were warmed by the sight of the men and women HMS Manchester parading through their city’s streets, exercising the freedom of the city.

SAILORS from mine countermeasures vessel HMS Bangor left their ship in Cherbourg to visit the sweeping beaches of the Vire and Douve estuaries.

BRITAIN’S Trafalgar-class submarines will remain in Devonport for 16 more years – until the last boat leaves service.

SUBMARINERS from HMS Vigilant were invited to a civic reception on the Isle of Man to celebrate ten years of ties between the two.

AT mid-day on March 2 1899, the crew of HMS Bruizer gathered high above Samos Bay on the Mediterranean idyll of Kefalonia.