The ship’s programme began with a series of practice manoeuvres and exercises during the 450-mile crossing of the Black Sea, which helped Nikolai and many of the ship’s company to become familiar with the various capabilities of the Admiral Essen, until they had their first sight of the spectacular skyline of the Bosphorus on their third morning at sea. The traditional minarets and modern skyscrapers of Istanbul and the two suspension bridges glistened in the sunrise – tending to distract attention away from the task of navigating gently through the increasingly busy shipping as they passed through into the Sea of Marmora. For this tricky passage, as the second of the three frigates in convoy, the Captain was on the bridge. Nikolai had not sailed through these waters for about five years, and he had time to see how construction on both sides of the waterway had continued to expand dramatically. He took a few photos for his personal collection before they reached rather quieter waters and the Captain handed over “the con” to his new Lieutenant.
Nikolai was in command as the ships covered the hundred-plus miles through the Sea of Marmora, which was quite busy with oil tankers, freighters and cruise ships plying the sea lanes between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The three warships were a fairly unusual sight as they made their way southwards, in a line, at a steady 15 knots. Nikolai completed his watch, and eventually, they reached the Dardanelles, which meant another 100 miles of very busy shipping in the narrow channel between Europe and Asia, before sailing into the Aegean Sea.
And then the “cruise” was over. It was time for business in the Eastern Mediterranean. The three frigates were put on a battle-ready footing as they neared the Syrian coastline, and they began using their technology for the task of monitoring the American and European ships and submarines which were also operating in the area as a deterrent to President Assad’s relentless attacks on the “rebel” groups in his country, supported by Russia. Then came a special duty when, for two days, the three frigates acted as “dummy targets” for Russian aircraft operating out of their Syrian base. This activity was all monitored and controlled from the sophisticated operations centre on board each ship.
To Nikolai and his fellow sailors, it seemed like the Cold War again, with long periods on high-level alert, until, after completing three intensive weeks in the area, their instructions changed. The captain announced that they would be heading westwards through the Mediterranean to eventually meet up with ships from the Russian Baltic fleet for a further period of exercises in the Atlantic Ocean.
It came as a welcome relief when they were no longer at “action stations” as they cruised towards their first stop, the dockyard in Malta, for refuelling and a few welcome days ashore to relax and explore the island. For many years, Valetta was the favourite watering hole for generations of British sailors, but it was now a more cosmopolitan port, and Russian sailors were just as welcome at the local bars, shops and clubs. It was also an opportunity for Nikolai to find an internet café where he was able to sign on to the dating website. From there he sent an e-mail to update on his travels to Marina: “After a month at sea, we are now in Malta and heading your way.” Fortunately, she was on-line and was able to send an almost immediate reply:
“How lovely to hear from you again… It has been a long time, and I was becoming anxious. At last I know that you are really coming this way, and I look forward to seeing you. I have heard that Malta has a very interesting history, so bring some pictures. And let me know your date of arrival in Portsmouth.” Which, of course, she already knew.
The “rest and recreation” stop was all too short for the crews of the three frigates, and soon they were setting off again, through the Straits of Gibraltar and into the Atlantic Ocean, to carry out a six-day programme of exercises with submarines from the Russian Baltic fleet. This enabled them to test their underwater electronics systems which seek and track the movement of submarines. It also meant more days and nights at “action stations” again, until the time came when fuel supplies had diminished, exactly as planned. But they still had sufficient reserves to cruise through the Bay of Biscay’s winter storms and into the English Channel for their scheduled refuelling visit to Portsmouth Dockyard. This is a traditional courtesy provided by most navies in the world in times of peace – though not often used because ocean-going refuelling tankers are usually available to work with operational ships as needed. But this time, the request for a refuelling stop from the Russian naval command to the British Ministry of Defence had been approved, not least because it would provide an opportunity for an up-close look at three of Russia’s latest guided-missile warships.
As they sailed northwards, another few days ashore, this time in Portsmouth, were eagerly awaited by the Russian sailors – not least by Lieutenant Aldanov on board the Admiral Essen. Often, and especially on his long night watchkeeping duties, he found himself thinking about his first meeting with Marina.
3.
MARINA’S MOVE TO PORTSMOUTH
Marina’s early life as an only child and at school in South London had been largely uneventful and generally happy. Her parents were occupied with their fabrics business, but family life was always a priority for them, and they never missed a school meeting for parents or a prize-giving event.
She made friends easily at primary school and retained strong friendships with childhood friends throughout her teenage and secondary school years. She was a popular student with an ever-packed schedule of after-school activities, and she enjoyed taking part in music and acting classes and theatre shows alongside her studies. In school, she was a studious girl with a flair for history and mathematics. She achieved a top grade for her GCSE mathematics and was put forward for the country’s inter-school Senior Mathematics Challenge, where she achieved a gold certificate of excellence. Her teachers praised her natural mathematical abilities and suggested the prospect of her one day pursuing a career in accountancy or finance. These serious-sounding ideas felt a lifetime away for the teenage Marina, but she rather liked the idea of having a path laid out for her, and secretly enjoyed having something she was naturally rather good at. All in all, she was content to breeze through her A-Level examinations without too much stress.
With a strong set of results and a glowing academic reference from her tutors, Marina landed a place at Royal Holloway University in London to study accountancy. Her carefree school days were about to come to a sudden end as she moved into student halls of residence and embraced a round-the-clock timetable of seminars, lectures, all-night library sessions and endless essays and assignments. She took on a part-time job at the Student Union bar to help fund the ever-growing expenses of living in London and found herself enjoying the plunge into adulthood.
Whilst some of her peers and housemates frivolously ploughed through their student loan allowances within days of receiving them, Marina’s mathematical mindset encouraged her to adopt strict budgeting and saving. She lived within her means during her University years, enjoying cheap Interrailing trips around Europe with friends during the summer holidays, and her horizons widened. She carefully put money aside for these adventures each month. She also longed to travel further afield – perhaps to Russia to bring to life some of her grandparents’ fond memories – but for now, she was content to work, save and plan for a comfortable future.