Holed battleship towed back to port

The final chapter in one of the most embarrassing incidents in Royal Naval history began today with the stricken warship HMS Nottingham being towed to Australia - backwards.

The multi-million pound pride of the British fleet almost sank when she ran on to rocks two miles off Lord Howe Island in the Pacific Ocean on 7 July.

Now three tugs and a salvage crew of 37 will escort the warship nearly 400 miles to Newcastle on the east coast of Australia. The main tugboat, the Pacific Chieftain, will tow the stern while another tug will be tied to the damaged bow - repaired with several tonnes of iron girders - to keep the Nottingham straight.

Limping along at two to three knots, the hazardous journey is expected to take three to four days. The danger of fire through electrical faults is a constant concern and the tug crews practised firefighting drills before the operation.

The salvage was delayed for two days because the holiday island has been lashed by gale force winds. Today, with calm seas, conditions were ideal as the Nottingham, under the captaincy of a salvage skipper, got under way. Her Navy captain, Commander Richard Farrington, flew to Sydney yesterday and will travel on to Newcastle to meet the ship.

The Nottingham will be towed up river to a disused wharf, where her now volatile Sea Dart missiles will be offloaded. The missiles and other explosives have been kept in seawater for the past three weeks. Experts have warned that if they are allowed to dry out, they could explode. The Royal Navy selected Newcastle as the preferred port for the disarming of the Nottingham, but Royal Navy spokesman Lieutenant Commander Mike Souter said the ship would not be repaired in Australia. Structural strengthening and the removal of stores and ammunition needs to be completed before the ship can be brought back to the UK.