Moving a Royal Navy warship by muscle power alone not only saves money, but is also a good way of raising money.
Moving a Royal Navy warship by muscle power alone not only saves money, but is also a good way of raising money.
Cadets from the Lochaber and newly formed Oban Sea Cadet units joined forces with British Waterways and the Coastguard to pull HMS Smiter for a mile along the Caledonian Canal on Good Friday. The 21m long patrol boat weighs 53 tonnes and is operated by the Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities Royal Naval Unit.
Teams of cadets, ranging in age from 10 to 13, pulled from both banks and found it easy to maintain a steady walking pace once they had made the initial effort to get the ship under way. The event raised more than £2,000 for charity and was described by the commanding officer of Lochaber Sea Cadet Unit as “useful training in seamanship and teamwork”.
