HMS Dauntless alongside in Portsmouth Harbour November 2015.
World Traders Best Sailor Award 2015 – HMS Dauntless
This years World Traders Award for the Best Sailor serving on HMS Dauntless was won by Leading Seaman Elaine Patterson.
A small group from the Company including Court Assistants Edwina Moreton and Peter Cozens with Liveryman Brian Howard and Past Master Michael Wren were guests onboard our ship in Portsmouth Harbour for the presentation on Thursday 12th November.
After a warm greeting at the Trafalgar Gate by Lt Commander Peter Barfoot there followed a meeting with all the serving officers and a visual presentation of the activities of Dauntless on her recent deployment in the Middle East.
This was followed with an introduction to the captain, Commander Charles Guy who had assembled the crew on the helicopter flight deck for the ceremony to present the cheque and certificate.
Past Master Michael Wren thanked all those assembled for their warm hospitality and read the citation to Leading Seaman Patterson before presenting her with her award.
This was followed by drinks on the bridge before moving on to the Captain’s cabin for an excellent lunch at which we were privileged to learn in some detail the inner working of current affairs in the Royal Navy and the future of our affiliated ship.
In the afternoon the group accompanied by the Captain and Lt Commander Peter Barfoot boarded the Queen’s Harbour Masters launch for a guided tour of Portsmouth Harbour before retuning to the ship to visit a number of the operational areas and learn more about the day to day workings of Daunless. It was a full and highly informative day enjoyed by all those present topped off by the Captain presenting the World traders with a framed picture of Dauntless together with a plaque.
PRESENTATION OF THE ANNUAL WORLD TRADERS AWARD – HMS DAUNTLESS. From left to right: Commander Charles Guy, Leading Seaman Elaine Patterson, Past Master Michael Wren
Leading Seaman Elaine Patterson Royal Navy
Leading Seaman Patterson has been a member of HMS Dauntless Ship’s Company for two years and 2015 has been a particularly successful year for her. The ship deployed to the Arabian Gulf for the first half of this year where Patterson conducted herself admirably in the Operations room, in the roles of both a Surface Picture Supervisor and an Air Picture Reporter. HMS Dauntless was tasked to support US and French Carrier Strike operations into both Iraq and Syria and Patterson was trusted to carry out the role of Crown operator, assisting the Fighter Controllers in air battle space management in the Arabian Gulf. This was a demanding role with her having to communicate with every coalition aircraft that passed through HMS Dauntless’s area of responsibility. She worked tirelessly to not only increase her own warfare knowledge, but those of her juniors as well.
Showing the required merit, she was locally promoted to Leading Hand a couple of months ago to fill a gapped position. She stepped up to her increased responsibilities with vigour. This included working as an Air Picture Supervisor, directly below the Air Warfare Officer, but also in whole ship duties such as Quartermaster. In addition to her main roles, she volunteered to become a Deputy Leading Hand of her Mess. This is a challenging leadership role, in which she instils the highest standards on her peers and subordinates alike, and has already produced excellent results. She is a cheerful and well-liked member of the department. Her professionalism and tireless work ethic have helped ensure that she was aligned as the strongest Able Seaman in the department for this reporting year. Her nomination for this award was a unanimous decision made with all of the other Heads of Department. I am delighted to announce that Leading Seaman Patterson is the recipient for The Worshipful Company of World Traders’ Best Sailor award for 2015.
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Michael Wren
19th November 2015
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