# HMS TRENT



## G.Gaskin

HMS TRENT to be based in Gibraltar, as announced in the UK Parliament under its Defence Review that seeks to increase Britain’s influence across the globe.
HMS TRENT will operate from Gibraltar later this year where she will be able to support Nato operations in the Mediterranean, as well as work with North African partners and support counter-piracy in the gulf of Guinea off the coast of Africa.
However, expanding Royal Naval presence in BGTW may also go some way towards curtailing Spanish military incursions, but as usual and as expected, there are rumblings in Spain against this move.


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## G.Gaskin

HMS TRENT has now set sail from Portsmouth to become the first Royal Navy vessel to be permanently based at Gibraltar.
Full story at www.forces.net/news/hms-trent. See also on YouTube.


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## John Gowers

In the 80s I sailed on another Trent, the British Trent an BP tanker, we called into Gib for repairs. The first photo shows the Trent tied up alongside an RFA ship, photo taken from the cable car. I remember the RFA guys were not happy with us climbing across their ship to go to the pub, or it may have been they were not happy with us coming back from the pub a little worse for wear.


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## G.Gaskin

What you see in the background were the water catchments where when it rained the water was channeled to the reservoirs inside the rock. This is not there anymore, as water is now distilled by four distilling installations.


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## John Gowers

G.Gaskin said:


> What you see in the background were the water catchments where when it rained the water was channeled to the reservoirs inside the rock. This is not there anymore, as water is now distilled by four distilling installations.


Showing the water catchments was one of my reasons for taking the photo. What did they do to them , dig them up? Here is another photo showing them from the top of the Rock. All the photos were taking in 1987.


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## G.Gaskin

The water catchments were deemed obsolete in 1991 with the advent of desalination plants in Gibraltar, thus promulgating their removal and restoration of the habitat in the 1990s. The restoration process was extremely laborious and consisted of the removal of the corrugated iron sheets, followed by the installation of a biodegradable mesh to stabilise the slope. A reseeding programme followed thereafter, using native grasses and shrubs in close consultation with the GONHS. This was carried out by experts from the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens. In addition to the removal of the water catchment and the reseeding of the slopes, a complex network of strong rock fall protection fencing was installed.






















Left as was when in use prior 1991 and Right what it looks like now


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