Our Snowie Commands Cowes Guardship

15 Aug 2023 - MCDOA Honorary Secretary Alex ‘Snowie’ Snow is the Commanding Officer of HMS PUNCHER, a P2000 Archer class patrol vessel of the Coastal Forces Squadron associated with London University Royal Naval Unit (URNU).

Lt Alex Snow RN with HMS PUNCHER at Cowes

The Island Echo website contains this article by James Rann describing HMS PUNCHER’s participation as Guardship for this year’s Cowes Week Regatta:

ROYAL NAVY RETURN TO THE ISLAND TO PROVIDE GUARD SHIP COVER AT COWES WEEK REGATTA

The presence of a Guard Ship is a tradition dating back to when the Royal Family regularly attended the event, with Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia last mooring up in 1997. After a break of 25 years, the Royal Navy returned to Cowes in 2021 with HMS Ledbury keeping guard and representing the Navy.

This time around, HMS Tyne and HMS Puncher are docked in Cowes throughout the whole of the Cowes Week 2023 celebrations, providing a guardship for the regatta as the Navy have done for the last 3 years.

Mine Clearance and Diving Officer, Lieutenant Alex Snow is the current Commanding Officer (CO) of HMS Puncher, a P2000 patrol vessel of the Coastal Forces Squadron.

Originally built as a Navigational Training Platform, the 22metre long vessel – capable of travelling at a speed of up to 22knots – is being used to train Navy personnel and midshipmen of the University Royal Naval Unit (URNU) and has not long got back from a 2-month deployment above the arctic circle in Norway.

HMS PUNCHER’s bridge console

Lt. Snow, who was born on the Island and still lives here, admitted that he always wanted to leave the Island when he was a child but as he grew up he quickly realised it’s a lovely place to live.

“Like every teenager growing up, I hated it and wanted to get off, but I didn’t get far and joined the Navy in Portsmouth.

“But I think that the older you get, the nicer it actually is here especially outdoors. I’m always in the sea, surfing or diving. It’s got it all really.”

Most recently, Lieutenant Snow and some of his crew have been over in Weymouth and Portland completing trials and tests on a multitude of underwater autonomous vehicles.

HMS Puncher has a permanent crew of 5: 4 ratings and an officer. The ship can also accommodate up to 12 (URNU) Officer Cadets, along with a training officer from the Royal Navy Reserve.

For those wishing to join the Navy, Lieutenant Snow said:

“It’s on your doorstep with a lot of things being based over in Portsmouth.”

“There aren’t a huge amount of employers here on the Island, its a massive opportunity to see”

HMS Tyne is a River-class offshore patrol vessel built in Southampton for the Royal Navy to serve as a fishery protection unit within the United Kingdom’s waters.

Working for the Fishery Protection Squadron – the oldest formation in the Royal Navy – and, more recently, the Offshore Patrol Squadron, the 80-metr 1,700 tonne ship is one of the busiest in the Fleet, typically at sea around 190 days every year.

Tyne’s sister ship HMS Severn took up guard off the North Coast of the Island back in 2022, as previously reported by Island Echo.

Lieutenant Commander Hugo Floyer, Commanding Officer of HMS Tyne told Island Echo about his day to day duties:

“I’m responsible for the missions and tasks of the ship, from people to navigation to safety and making sure we decide what the best way to execute the mission is.”