Visit to HMS Duncan

WOKING SECURE NEW STRIKE FORCE
Football Conference Skrill Premier club Woking sealed the deal on an exciting new partnership with a visit to Portsmouth last week.

Marking an affiliation between The Cards and the The Royal Navy's newest high-tech type 45 destroyer, HMS DUNCAN, representatives from the club went aboard the recently commissioned £1.1bn warship on Thursday 17 October, to meet the Captain, Commander James Stride and handover a full set of the cardinal's shirts to the ship's football team.
Following a guided tour by Duncan's team Manager, Petty Officer Jarrom, which included the space age operations control room, helicopter flight deck and impressive bridge, Chairman Mike Smith, fellow Director Geoff Chapple, Head of the club's community affairs Jane Spong and club photographer, David Holmes took coffee with Commanding Stride RN, in his cabin and charted a course for a long and lasting relationship between ship and club.
As well as flying the flag for Woking and non-league football in future games to be played by the ship's team around the globe, both parties placed great store in the real opportunities presented to support each other.
Speaking about the relationship, Jane Spong said, " The ship is really impressive and we were made to feel most welcome. Woking is a family club and our strong community involvement places us in a unique position to both support and involve HMS DUNCAN and its extended family in club affairs through the friendship of football".
Commander Stride expressed his grateful thanks to Woking Football Club for their generosity in supplying the ship with football shirts and interest in working closely in the years to come.
Mike Smith, Chairman of The Cards added, " Last year, Woking FC was added to the notably diverse affiliations with the ship. I am extremely grateful to Peter Jordan for his generosity at that time in sponsoring the shirts through Calor Gas. Handing over the shirts as "Duncan" enters service in the Royal Navy allows us to send a wider message that, servicemen and women may operate out of sight of the public, but they are drawn from caring communities like Woking, who proudly support them and their families."
HMS DUNCAN is the sixth and last Type 45 Destroyer (and seventh "Duncan") to enter service in the Royal Navy. The ship's programme for the rest of the year and next year will see HMS Duncan continuing to conduct the all important trials of systems and operational capabilities necessary for deployment anywhere in the world.