Royal recognition for submariners

Submariners who have undertaken 20 or more patrols at sea were awarded gold pins by Prince William during a ceremony on the banks of the Clyde yesterday.

The prince visited Scotland's naval headquarters at Faslane to present 22 naval officers with the gold badge - the first time the honour has been awarded.

After the awards ceremony, the prince, who is the Commodore in Chief Submarines, unveiled a plaque to officially name the base as the future home of all Britain's submarine services.

Chief Petty Officer Stephen Irvine, 43, received a gold pin in recognition of his 28 patrols, which have seen him spend more than eight years in total under sea since joining the navy as a 16-year-old.

Some 500 naval officers were awarded pins during the ceremony, with the others receiving silver to mark sailing on deterrent patrol for more than 30 days. The prince also awarded silver pins to 20 veteran sailors.

Ron Laley, 75, from Rhu, said: "HRH said to me 'You must know a lot about submarines'. I told him I'd forgotten most of it now and he said he didn't believe me."