Royal Navy base in Fareham celebrates its 80th 'birthday' following coronavirus delays
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.
A birthday bash was thrown at HMS Collingwood to mark the Fareham naval base’s latest milestone.
The site was commissioned on January 10, 1940, in a bid to train more frontline sailors to join the war effort.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdPlans to mark the anniversary with a massive birthday celebration in May were scuppered due to the coronavirus outbreak.
But after months of delays, the military establishment finally managed to stage a spectacle honouring its 80-year history.
The event saw Rear Admiral Phil Hally, who heads up naval training, and 17-year-old Engineering Technician Brendan Overal, the youngest sailor, cutting a cake.
While the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, Collingwood, performed a rousing version of ‘Happy Birthday’.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdCaptain Catherine Jordan, Collingwood’s commanding officer, said: I am delighted that we have been able to hold this special “birthday” celebration today, marking an historic event in the establishment’s history while we work to modernise training further and put Collingwood and the maritime warfare school on a sustainable footing for another 80 years to continue to deliver first class sailors to front line operations.’
HMS Collingwood is the navy’s largest training establishment.
It focuses on honouring the warfare skills of sailors and officers.
It’s neighbour, HMS Sultan in Gosport, specialises in training the navy’s future generations of engineers.
Looking for the latest Royal Navy updates from Portsmouth? Join our new Royal Navy news Facebook group to keep up to date.
A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron
Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues.
The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.
Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism and campaign on your behalf for our city.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.