Saved in a good mood

Do you know who the British Commodore-in-Chief Submarines is? None other than Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cambridge, better known as Prince William. His Royal Highness may not really have much to say in this position, but the title certainly looks good on any business card. And since as Commodore you also have obligations to your men and women, William visited the Clyde naval base in Scotland in the past few days. The opportunity was favourable, as a new facility with the smart name Submarine Escape, Rescue, Abandonment and Survival Facility (Smeras) had been completed and was still awaiting an official inauguration.

Exiting a damaged submarine is also practised

The £34 million facility is used to prepare the crews of all British submarines for emergencies. They can be trained to exit the steel tube and the correct behaviour on the surface afterwards. Until its closure last year, the training facility was known as the Submarine Escape Tank Trainer (Sett) at HMS Dolphin in Gosport, where generations of submariners had practised emergency exits in a water tank. Incidentally, this served as a model for the German deep-diving tank in Neustadt, which, when it was commissioned in 1977, made the German Navy independent of expensive safety training in Great Britain or Norway. Now, however, the various activities in the submarine sector are being brought together in Clyde, with the base becoming the Submarine Centre of Specialisation. This also includes the £100 million construction of a Submarine Training School, which will replace a similar complex in Cornwall at the southern tip of England.

Little text, but still historically valuable: signatures of the royal family in the guest book

But back to William's visit. As the Royal Navy proudly reports, the (next?) heir to the throne spent the afternoon with his soldiers in Scotland. He was shown around the new building and was obviously in a good mood when he spoke to the staff and course participants. Naturally, a demonstration of the "fantastic and world-leading submarine escape training facility" was not to be missed. And because the British not only love a good show, but are also proud of their traditions, William immortalised himself in a guest book that had been conveniently taken over from the old facility in Gosport. Remarkable and newsworthy because he did so on the same page that already bears the signatures of his recently deceased grandfather Prince Philip from 1961 and his father Prince Charles from 1972. In conclusion, we may express the hope that William will be luckier than his relatives, at least in terms of ascending to the British throne.

Text: mb; Photo: Royal Navy/Crown Copyright