Festive fun comes to Royal Navy base HMS Sultan to mark Christmas
CHRISTMAS cheer came early for naval personnel at one of the area’s biggest military bases as they staged a week of festive fun.
The Yuletide spirit was in full flow at HMS Sultan as sailors and staff alike united to mark the Christmas season.
The action was kicked off on Monday during the Gosport military hub’s annual carol service, which was held on St Nicholas Day- the patron saint of sailors.
Magical tunes were provided by the military establishment’s own volunteer band.
In the evening - and in keeping with naval traditions - Sultan’s boss, Captain John Voyce and his command team dressed as Father Christmas to serve Junior Ratings their Christmas dinner.
The festive fun spilled out into the parade ground on Tuesday, as sailors replaced their neat military uniforms with outrageous Christmas jumpers and hats.
The colourful madness was all part of Sultan’s charity divisions day, to raise cash for Save the Children and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.
The wackiness returned on Wednesday as festivities continued at Sultan’s sports and recreation centre for the HQ’s ‘Christmas It’s a Knockout’ contest.
Teams in fancy dress from across the establishment, competed in a series of fun games, ranging from sticky pudding runs, assault course races and carol singing contests.
Captain Voyce was full of pride for his men and women, who have faced a challenging year, impacted by lockdowns and the coronavirus pandemic.
Reflecting on the year, he said 2021 had ‘been busy for everyone at HMS Sultan’, adding: ‘Training throughout the year we have continued to equip our air and marine engineers and technicians with the skills to keep the Royal Navy’s ships, submarines, and airframes at sea and in the air.
‘In addition, we’ve supported local and national events of importance, promoted STEM activities to engage future engineers and supported our local community, through charity events, including our fireworks display.
‘All this delivered as we celebrate 65 years of HMS Sultan as a centre of Royal Navy engineering excellence.
‘Nothing would have been possible without the ongoing efforts of our people, military and civilian, and as we reflect on the year that has passed I am delighted that we can come together and enjoy some well-deserved fun.’
HMS Sultan is the Royal Navy’s premier engineering training centre, responsible for delivering technicians, marine engineers and air engineers.