Visitors flock to attend HMS Collingwood open day

Hundreds gathered at the Royal Navy base in Fareham for a day of fun, activities, and spectatorship, as they watched crews take part in the ever-popular Field Gun Competition.

In it, crews from across the UK and as far afield as Gibraltar competed in 18-man teams to run, dismantle, reassemble and fire a gun in the shortest time possible.

Mr Hughes, commentator for the competition, said: ‘The Field Gun Competition has been around for a long time now, the sport has a very historical origin.

‘There are 24 crews across many services taking part and people absolutely love to watch.

‘It’s a wonderful spectacle and when it comes to teambuilding and crews being together, there’s nothing like it.’

The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers crew took home the coveted Brickwoods trophy for the second year in a row.

Parts of the base were open to visitors, allowing them to see Royal Navy training equipment and experience some training first-hand, like navigating a ship.

Lieutenant Commander John Brennan helped to organise the event, he said: ‘We’re raising money for charities, allowing children to gain new experiences, selling the Royal Navy, and letting the community get behind the wire and find out what goes on at our base.

‘We’ve got charity stalls, a funfair, children’s entertainment, tours, simulations, challenges like the high-rope course and more.’

The open day is a long-standing tradition and has been running for decades.

Debra Court, from Solihull, was at the event with her family. She said: ‘My son is in the RAF reserves and is taking part in the Field Gun Competition.

‘It’s absolutely fabulous here, we’re surprised at how much there is for people to see and do.’

Nikki Clapcott made the journey from Bournemouth to support her husband, a submariner.

She said: ‘It’s a perfect day out for the kids, my niece has really enjoyed herself. The organisers have done really well, there’s so much to do.’