Two naval vessels proved to be a major hit with locals and tourists alike during the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta.

Landing Ship Logistic (LSL) RFA Sir Bedivere arrived in the picturesque Devon town in the wee small hours of the night, mooring in the centre of the River Dart, where she joined the recently-commissioned offshore patrol vessel HMS Tyne.

Members of Sir Bedivere’s ship’s company were involved in the festivities right from the start, with Commanding Officer Capt Shaun Jones RFA representing the Royal Fleet Auxiliary at the opening ceremony.

With the ship dressing overall, she formed a fitting backdrop to the events and competitions held both on and off the water – she was moored adjacent to the finish line for many of the water-borne races.

The ship’s company entered into the Regatta spirit by entering the Naval Whaler rowing race, competing against teams with a Naval connection including the Dartmouth branch of the Royal Naval Association (RNA), young officers from Britannia Royal Naval College, situated in the town, and a team from HMS Tyne.

Despite having only 20 minutes practice at rowing the 12ft craft before the race itself, Sir Bedivere’s team – Third Officer (X) Richard Battley, S/Lt Alan Petch, CDT(X) Kevin Clifton, SG1A Peter Lysaght and Cox CR1 Emma Sharp – performed with great credit, finishing in third place.

The landing ship was opened to visitors over the course of two days, with members of the public and visiting guests ferried out to the ship from the Town Jetty by small river taxis.

Visitors embarked and disembarked by means of a Mexeflote – a huge raft used for loading and unloading the vessel in deep water – which was supervised by personnel from 17 (Port and Maritime Regiment) Royal Logistics Corps.

Various displays around the ship outlined her role and that of the RFA, as well as advertising careers in the service. One of the most popular stalls was that run by CPO(E) Steve Ralph and PO(E) Jon Beggan, on the subject of NBCD (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defence), with members of the public able to handle equipment such as thermal imaging cameras, hoses and firefighting clothing.

There was also some weaponry on display – SA80 rifles and general purpose machine guns (GPMGs) provided by a Ship’s Protection Team from the RN Fleet Protection Group.

This team was made up of Royal Naval Reservists who were called up for active duty during operations in Iraq, and they provide additional security for warships and RFAs.

It was no surprise that the most popular area of the ship was the bridge, where visitors were able to meet Deck officers, ask about the responsibilities of the Officer of the Watch and find out how a modern vessel operates.

The amount of automation came as a surprise to many sightseers – as did the modest size of the ship’s wheel.

With fine weather on much of the first day of Ship Open to Visitors – a sharp downpour in the second day failed to halt the steady flow of visitors either – a total of more than 1,120 members of the public went on board the Sir Bedivere in a period totalling 12 hours.

Visitor number 1,000 was Mark Hartshorn, and as he came on board the ship he was offered a VIP tour of the ship, hosted by the Executive Officer C/O Rik Taylor RFA.

Other attractions during the Regatta included a display by the Red Arrows – and Sir Bedivere and Tyne offered a splendid platform from which to watch the aircraft – and Tyne’s builders, Vosper Thornycroft, hosted a cocktail party for local dignitaries on board the ship.

Sir Bedivere also lay beneath the flight line of an RAF Harrier GR7 which performed on the last day of the Regatta, and as well as RAF Chinook and Puma helicopters, the RN made a big impression with a Sea King from 771 Naval Air Squadron and the Lynx display pair from 702 NAS – and the latter proved so popular on one night that an unplanned second performance was staged the following evening.

The Sea King from 771 demonstrated its Search and Rescue capabilities by rescuing a ‘distressed swimmer’ complete with emergency flare from the River Dart, hovering just above the water merely 100 metres from the side of Sir Bedivere and the crowded river bank.

The climax to the Regatta was a massive fireworks display, costing around £9,000, which was launched from a barge moored in the River Dart.

Once the Regatta was over HMS Tyne sailed from the river to continue her fishery protection duties, while Sir Bedivere slipped a day later to undertake her annual staff navigation check with the staff of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST).

Once finished with FOST the landing ship is due to return to her base at Marchwood on Southampton Water to unload stores in preparation for a survey and repair period.