Kofi Ampeah Woode
Ghana Navy has given its national tourism industry a shot-in-the-arm by embarking on a novel voyage to the Centre of Planet Earth, where the Greenwich Meridian intersects the Equator, making it a must-visit destination to explore, for the adventurous.
With Ghana’s Navy aiming to capture the imagination of both the intrepid and mellowed explorer worldwide to Ghana, as the closest country to the Centre of the Earth, two Ghana Navy Ships (GNS) – ANKOBRA and VOLTA, along with a United States Naval supply vessel – USS HERSHEL WOODEY WILLIAMS, set sail from the Clinker Jetty of the Tema Port, at 1550 hours on Tuesday March 2024, after a flagging-off ceremony.
Aboard the GNS ANKOBRA and VOLTA were GN Senior Officers, Officers, Ratings, Master Coxswain, journalists and personnel from the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), who were wished fair winds and following seas by the Chief of the Defence Staff, and the Chief of the Naval Staff, Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, and Rear Admiral (R/Adm) Issah Adam Yakubu, respectively.
From setting sail till the vessels kissed Latitude 0ᵒ (the Equator) at 1730 hours on Wednesday 20 March 2024, as sight of land was long lost, varied intricate experiences were had by many a first-time sailor, with the wide expanse of the deep completely blued, the Executive Officer or Second-in-Command of GNS ANKOBRA – Lieutenant (GN) Ameckson, released a list in an envelope of all who were crossing the Equator for the first time, into the deep blue.
A number of birds travelled along the vessels as dolphins showed up to momentarily swim along the ships’ route, as the crew indulged in assorted games like playing cards, ludo, four-connect, draught, and spoilt for choice with drinks, and various Ghanaian dishes like Waakye, Jollof rice, Fufu, Kenkey etc., as the River-Class ships dangled their chartered paths on the mighty ocean.
In the evening of Wednesday 20 March, there was an exotic party aboard GNS VOLTA which was occasioned by the birthday of Lieutenant Commander (Lt Cdr) Frederick Kutsoati.
Morn the next day, at 0708 hours, the vessels arrived at the Intersection of Latitude 0ᵒ, Longitude 0ᵒ, and the Commanding Officers of the GNS VOLTA – Lt Cdr Samuel Sabbah Sarbah, acting as King Neptune, together with his crew, performed the naval tradition of ‘Crossing the Line’, converting all ‘Pollywogs’ (persons yet to cross the Equator) to ‘Shellbacks’ (able-bodied sailors/seamen). It was great excitement!
Sailing for 620 nautical miles from the Tema Port, the vessels then, after attaining their set objectives for setting sail, set their sights at Sekondi Naval Base, in the Western Region of Ghana – a distance of about 620 nautical miles.
It was at the anchorage of the Sekondi Harbour that a rainstorm which had been lingering in the eastern horizon, caught up with the vessels, and all sailors were told to revert to their cabins and close all doors.
Howbeit, the storm did not restrain the military sailors of GNS HALF ASSINI, GARINGA, CHEMLI, VOLTA, ANKOBRA from joining forces with a crack team from the Army Special Operations Brigade (ASOB), the Navy’s Special Boat Squadron, aided by the Ghana Air Force Fighter Squadron, in an Amphibious Military Exercise, training with a scenario of rescue operations on land from sea.
Speaking at a ceremony to commemorate the end of EXERCISE SEALION 2024 – which involved the voyage, initiation at the intersection, and the Tri-Service joint amphibious training exercise – Admiral Yakubu was of high commendation for participants of the exercise.
He presented certificates and ‘Shellback’ badges to persons who were initiated by ‘King Neptune’ as able-bodied seamen for crossing the Equator, and joining the league of the few sailors who have achieved this feat, urging them to wear their badges with pride.
On the tri-service joint amphibious operation, he said the last time such an exercise happened was several decades ago, and urged continuance to stand united, forging ahead with determination, to navigate new seas and conquer new challenges together.
It is expected that the Ghana Tourism Authority, would follow the lead of the Navy, prepare interesting tour packages, to bait potential investors in suitable vessels and programs worldwide, to sustain the efforts so far made.
Present at the termination ceremony at Aboadze, near Shama, in the Western Region, on Friday 22 March 2024 included the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command – Commodore (Cdre) Emmanuel Ayesu Kwafo; Commander, ASOB – Brigadier General (Brig Gen) Isaac N Paintsil; Director General, Training – Brig Gen Winfred Dzandu-Hedidor; Deputy Chief of Staff – Cdre Faustina Anokye ‘Shellback’, and many students from Senior High Schools.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
