Lulworth firing ranges

[Cornishman]

Admiralty List of Radio Signals Vol 3, NP283, gives details of how warnings are promulgated. Look up Subfacts and Gunfacts. Similar details are in most nautical almanacs.

Down west weekly details are posted in the local press, so I guess the same will apply up country.

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[charles_reed]

Also on Navtex

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[duncan]

Portland on 67
MOD (Guard room) on the number given in the post
firing is normally suspended completely for the main holiday periods - Easter, Whitsun, Summer and that odd week at the end of October
They fire approximately 4 weekends a year (outside the above holidays)
Whilst there is a schedule I understand it can change hence they don't post it well in advance on the web or elsewhere.
The only thing it prevents is Kimmeridge and Worabarrow (?). Chapmans Pool and Lulworth can still be accessed, although the latter requires a long route to be taken from the East!

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[hlb]

Bloody stupid place to be firing guns anyway, same with Plymouth. It must be as much hastle to them as us. Not that I take much notice! They've got plenty of ships. Why not go out some where in the atlantic and stop being such a nuisance.

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn

 

[Twister_Ken]

Little difficult to take tanks and artillery out into the middle of the Atlantic for fire and manouver practise.

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[BrendanS]

Yep, got caught out on weekend of 14th June.Never dawned on me to check, as I thought they didn't fire summer weekends.

Lurking safety boat with big placard waved around saying Ch11, and just in case you don't have a vhf, also loudhailer - 240deg for 5 miles. And another safety boat a few miles out on the 240 deg course to check on you. If you cut the corner before you get to 5 miles they'll chase you, though what chance those things have of intercepting 3 40+knts sportsboats beats me <g>. We were nice and stayed out of the way.

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[Birdseye]

just ignore them. sail through - you're entitled to. after all, we pay them, provide them with expensive toys etc so the least they can do if play with their toys when convenient to us!

harumphhhh!

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[LadyInBed]

Re: Entitlement

That’s how I understand it as well. If you choose to ignore them they have to cease fire, either that or they get a moving target, which might also be the case!

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[BrendanS]

Re: Entitlement

That's what Solitaire did, when leading a bunch of smallish boats on a meet. Told to go 5 miles out, so replied that small boats and a bit rough, and not going out there. Had to stop firing. Easy enough to go around though, and the whistle as the rounds go over (this while we were in Lulworth Cove) is wonderful to listen to

The one thing that annoyed me is that the safety boat (when heading West) stops you just off the headland. If we hadn't timed it to be there at slack, the heading we were given would have put us straight through the worst of the race, and could have been very rough (we were in the inshore passage)

If they are going to send you 5 miles out, why not stop you a mile earlier, and send you outside the race?

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[ecudc]

you sure that wasn't local farmers taking pots shots at rabbits or their wife.......my understanding is that they avoid weekends, although in the run up to Afghanistan or Iraq they may well have needed some extra practice.

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[whisper]

They arn't still firing at Plymouth are they ? If so, where from ? PLEASE !

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[BrendanS]

If it's farmers, they've got themselves pretty well organised with safety boats and red flags etc.

They do fire at weekends, as I found out on 14/15 June this year

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[nicho]

See the Lulworth Firing Ranges section of theMacmillan Reeds Almanac, which quotes from the Bylaws...."the bylaws shall not apply to any vessel in the ordinary course of navigation, not being used for fishing, in the Sea Area and remaining in the Sea Area no longer than is reasonably necessary to pass through the Sea Area"

In other words, if you have the "bottle" to ignore the warnings from the safety patrol boats, you can wend your way through unimpeded, taking no notice of the shells exploding all round you!!

Personally, I think I'll go just a bit further out !!

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[Birdseye]

this applies, i believe, to all uk firing ranges and is one reason why their limits are not marked on UKHO charts. they are not exclusion zones.

mind you, dont try that trick in the french ranges. apparently, they just keep on firing!

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[LadyInBed]

Going West Saturday morning from St Albans Hd to Weymouth we were entertained by a Warship off Lulworth putting out five ranging shots then fifteen rounds rapid in the direction of DZB. I'm glad that I was on the inshore passage!

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