THE Navy’s latest patrol vessel is due to make her public debut at this year’s International Festival of the Sea (IFOS) in Edinburgh – but the crisis in the Middle East will dictate the exact nature of the Senior Service contribution to the event.

IFOS 2003 – Scotland’s biggest maritime event this year – is expecting a Royal Navy flotilla including helicopter carrier HMS Ocean, which is currently in the Gulf region with the Amphibious Task Group.

Also pencilled in are Type 42 destroyer HMS Southampton, P2000 patrol craft HM ships Archer and Example and a Royal Marines Commando assault team, who will stage an action-packed daily amphibious assault display.

HMS Tyne, the first of the River-class offshore patrol ships, and only accepted into service at the turn of the year, is due to make her first public appearance, berthed in the ‘Fishing Village’ area to emphasise her role as the next generation of fishery protection vessel.

A wide range of displays, simulators and demonstrations designed to illustrate all aspects of the Navy and its equipment will support the visiting ships and personnel, representing a cross-section of Royal Navy capability.

The Royal Marines Band will give regular performances throughout the festival, which runs from Friday May 23 to Monday May 26. Opening hours are 1000 to 2200 each day.

Commodore Tony Rix, the Royal Navy’s Director of Corporate Communications, said: “We are delighted to play our part in the International Festival of the Sea.

“This festival will give us an opportunity top show the public in Scotland how we are defending their interests at home and abroad and allow us to show off our outstanding men and women who make it all happen on land, sea and in the air.”

Besides the Navy, the harbour at Leith will feature more than 150 vessels of all sizes, from tall ships to working boats, and visitors will get a chance to climb aboard many to talk to the crews about their life at sea.

Ashore there will be a vast interactive exhibition area with displays on international marine technology, oceanography and ecology.

Exhibits will range from displays of model boats to stands where visitors can learn more about sports such as deep-sea diving to sailing.

Educational displays will cover topics such as ecology and marine trades, and craftsmen and women tying knots, forging iron and building boats will be out in force, in some cases inviting visitors to have a go themselves.

Norway has been officially welcomed as the first ‘guest nation’ at IFOS, and the country’s strong maritime links with Scotland will be celebrated in a series of special exhibitions.

A number of Norwegian vessels, including Viking longboats and two of the country’s three tall ships – Christian Radich and Sorlandet – will be there, and IFOS will also be visited by a vessel which was part of the Shetland Bus covert operation during World War II, transporting people between Western Norway and Scotland.

Model boats will also feature prominently at the festival, including the renowned ‘Matchstick Fleet’, the results of more than 50 years work by one man, using just matchsticks, razor blades and glasspaper. The fleet, of mainly post-World War II machines, consists of more than 200 warships and 800 aircraft, and pride of place in the collection goes to a new model of the former Royal Yacht Britannia.

There will also be a tabletop dockyard – a water-filled pond showing a fictitious harbour and dockyard railway, with a fleet of radio-controlled vessels ranging from tugs and fishing boats to cargo ships and passenger liners.

Street performers and musicians will perform throughout each 12-hour daily programme from the decks of the great ships and around the exhibition arena.

Ticket prices are £15 for adults, £7.50 for children (aged 6 to 16), £36 for families (two adults and two children), and £10 for senior citizens. Tickets may be bought in advance from the website at www.festivalofthesea.co.uk

Tickets are also available from the Box Office at the SECC on 0870 0134060, at The Hub on 0131 473 2000 and through Ticket Scotland at Virgin Megastores in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.

For group discounts and bookings, ring 0141 587 6071.

Park and ride schemes at the approaches to Leith will be in operation for the Festival, which will be held in the Western Harbour area, home of the Ocean Terminal and the former Royal Yacht Britannia. Details of the scheme will be announced six weeks before the start of the event. Coach drop-off arrangements and parking will also be publicised, as will details of bus connections with rail services.

Previous Festivals have been held in Bristol (1996) and Portsmouth (1998 and 2001), attracting crowds of up to 250,000. Organisers hope to see at least 150,000 visitors to the Edinburgh event, which could bring up to £10 million into the local economy.