HMS Prince of Wales visits the Mersey

THE City of Liverpool is playing host to HMS Prince of Wales and her crew. The 2nd of the UK's giant new Aircraft Carriers emerged from the gloomy grey horizon and into the Mersey Bay as it headed into the River Mersey, at around lunchtime, on 28 February 2020, before berthing at the Liverpool Cruise Terminal, with the help of tugboats and HMS Charger.

Currently the Royal Navy is transforming to focus on carrier strike forces; supporting the ships as they conduct:- carrier strike missions, enforce no fly zones, deploy Royal Marine Commandos, deliver humanitarian aid, and build international partnerships with our allies.

HMS Prince of Wales is at the heart of the fleet as 1 of the most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK. Along with her Sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth, they are the largest ships ever built for the Royal Navy, coming in at 65,000 tonnes. It also cost ₤3 billion to design and build!

The ship's flight deck is 70 metres wide and 280 metres long, enough space for 3 football pitches. Unlike most large Aircraft Carriers, Prince of Wales is not fitted with catapults and arrestor wires, instead it is designed to operate V/STOL aircraft.

She has the latest generation close in weapon systems, including the:- Phalanx Gun System, designed as an anti aircraft and anti missile defence. This system is radar controlled; meaning it automatically detects tracks and engages incoming threats. It also features a 20 mm M61A1 cannon with a rate of fire of up to 4,500 shots per minute!

HMS Prince of Wales is also equipped with a host of small calibre guns which are the ship's last line of defence against small fast craft, like speedboats or jetskis.

HMS Prince of Wales was put through sea trials in October 2019, in the Moray Firth and the North Sea. The trials looked at all aspects of the vessel including testing the long-range radar, tracking 2 Typhoon jets that were flown out of RAF Lossiemouth.

The aim of the carrier is to increase the UK's defence options by maintaining carrier strike capability, which means that 1 of the warships could be in maintenance with the other in any maritime operation.

Before she sailed in, Commander Gareth Mawdsley, 41 from Liverpool, who is the Commander of Logistics on board HMS Prince of Wales said:- "Having grown up in Liverpool it is always special to be able to sail back along the Mersey, and I have been lucky enough to do so in several ships before. But being able to bring the largest ship in the Royal Navy fleet into my home port is fantastic. The City is always welcoming to visitors and mariners in particular, so I am delighted we have the opportunity to return the hospitality by welcoming people on board during our stay. This Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier, like her sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth, is vital to the work we do, keeping Britain safe. I would encourage everyone to come and take a look at us while we are here."

She has a ship's company of 700 sailors, which will increase to around 1,600 when the aircraft on board.  1 of those is local lad, 36 year old, Petty Officer Joe Hornby, an aircraft engineer, who is from Kirby.  He has been in the Royal Navy for 17 years. In an MOD press release he said:- "It's going to be such a good day and everyone is really excited to see me. My family have been asking about it and it will be so good to show them the ship. I joined up in the careers office in Liverpool, and it seems like a long time ago. If someone told me then I would be coming back into the City on 1 of the Aircraft Carriers, I wouldn't have believed them. I can't wait for my family to see the carrier, it is the first time they will see it and it makes it even more special that it is in Liverpool. The whole City will be so excited."

She will now be in the Mersey, until Friday, 6 March 2020. If you are not lucky to have a ticket to go on her, please note that on Liverpool's beautiful waterfront, you will find lots of activities taking place and displays, throughout the visit.

Police record almost 4,000 parcel thefts in past 2 years

BRITISH Police Forces have recorded 3,715 instances of parcel theft in the past 2 full calendar years (2018 and 2019), according to official data released by iParcelBox; the smart parcel delivery solution. The data was obtained via the Freedom of Information act, and analysed official responses from 35 out of 49 Police Forces in the UK. It found that there were 1,838 reported incidents of parcel theft in 2018, compared to 1,877 in 2019; the slight increase suggests that Police have not yet implemented an effective method to combat this crime. Essex Police recorded the most instances of parcel theft in the past 2 years by a large margin, with 443 reports; 232 of these occurred in 2018, compared to 211 in 2019. 2nd, was Kent Police, with 353 reports; 170 in 2018, up to 183 in 2019. 3rd and 4th most reports were held by Hertfordshire Constabulary and Merseyside Police. The former recorded 249 reports, 135 in 2018 and 114 in 2019; the latter recorded 247 reports of parcel theft, 96 in 2018, up to 151 in 2019. Port of Dover Police and South Wales Police, both recorded zero instances of parcel theft across both years, and City of London recorded just 12 instances in over the 2 years. Paul Needler, Founder, iParcelBox comments:- "It's clear that Police Forces across the UK are failing to affectively get a grip on thieves who continue to target unattended parcels in residential areas across the UK. As things stand, this is understandable; in some cases, an unattended parcel is very easy for an opportunistic thief to steal, and very difficult for Police to track down. Therefore, online shoppers must take safety precautions into their own hands, this involves investing in a smart parcel delivery solution so that uncollected, often valuable, mail can be stored safely in a weatherproof, locked, box, until the addressee is home."