Warship

- Season 4

(1977)

Ex Polaris submarine captain Edward Holt is in command of HMS Hero currently on duty in the Hong Kong area. In this episode he welcomes aboard his new first officer James Napier who has just flown into Hong Kong to meet the ship. There is local unrest about nuclear testing in the pacific area mainly voiced by Chris Panmuir. A press conference given on board ship by Mr Thomas Meryon MP leads to a challenge being thrown down by outspoken freelance journalist Zoe Carter and a 'protest cruise' in Panmuir's yacht Windsong being undertaken just as a test is about to start.

An executive jet flying a routine trip to Singapore issues a mayday call and is forced to ditch at sea. Captain Holt and the crew of HMS Hero are ordered to investigate. The plane was carrying top secret papers which Hero must try and locate and then take on to Singapore. Once there their attempts to safely hand over the papers result in a lengthy car chase. It is only after successfully evading their pursuers that the full truth of their mission is revealed.

One of the islands in the vicinity of Hong Kong now has a large oil field, to which the UK would like favorable concessions. To show the British presence, HMS Hero drops anchor in the port and Captain Holt and his crew practice their diplomacy ashore. The man with the most influence on the island, a Mr.Zee Khay Lim, Minister for Foreign Affairs presents a difficult challenge for Captain Holt, although it is his daughter Akiko who inadvertently helps to tip the situation in favour of the British.

Hero is asked to help the Hong Kong police catch wanted murderer Victor Chelten, a former businessman with mental issues who has escaped by boat. Lt. Cmdr. Kiley is a friend of Chelton's wife Jenny and feels conflicted.

Whilst watching a naval helicopter exercise HMS Hero rescue a Chinese girl from the water. When they return to Hong Kong it is with the assistance of the police that the mystery starts to unravel. Captain Holt and his guests are invited by wealthy businessman Henry Witzel to an opening of a local youth centre. It is not immediately apparent what the connection is between Witzel and the Chinese girl, now known as local night club singer Lily Tan. When Captain Holt and Zoe Carter do eventually piece the puzzle together it leads to a fairly surprising ending.

HMS Hero is docked at Eddowes Island, which is about to be handed over from British rule. The locals are welcoming to the Hero's crew, but they're opposed to the handover, and some are resorting to violence. The Hero's crew are asked to help keep the locals in order, which worries Captain Holt, and Lt Napier in particular.

HMS Hero is now on its way back from Hong Kong. As they move closer to Portsmouth harbour the ship's crew prepares for shore leave. Amongst preparations Mr. Parsons, the Catering Manager is busy doing the accounts totting up the takings. He retires for the night having made sure all is secure in the catering office. Later that night a break-in is reported the cash tin is found open and James Napier has to undertake and investigation. Whilst trying to learn which of the two main suspects is guilty an ulterior motive to the break-in is discovered.

HMS Hero's overworked pilot accidentally flies into the RNR manned HMS Rillington's firing exercise. He spends the next exercise on HMS Rillington while their irritating Lt Mannering inflicts his bragging on Hero. An emergency then occurs.

Having returned from an exercise the HMS Hero crew are needled about the state of their ship by Captain Calder. Captain Holt rebuffs with a challenge of a pulling race across the Portland docks. When Holt's crew win the race by unfair means this starts a friendly rivalry 'war' between the two crews. This includes a master strike by Holt using Zoe Carter's journalistic talents to 'interview' Captain Calder. As the 'war' escalates it's the CNC's daughter Arabella Ledson who plays a part in defusing the situation.

The new officer on HMS Hero is a Special Duties commission: in this case, a former Petty Officer. He attacks his new role perhaps too vigorously and this is not helped by being unable to mix well and so learn from the other officers.

Whilst observing a Russian ship, HMS Hero finds and takes aboard an experimental unexploded mine. With the mine onboard Captain Holt makes plans to sail for Belfast. However his chopper pilot, on a routine flyover of an uninhabited island, spots a man there. The MoD orders Hero back to the island while bomb disposal expert Lieutenant Commander Napier looks after the bomb. Meanwhile a search of the island is conducted to ascertain who if anyone is currently living there. Their search eventually yields the secretive Mr Robertson.

As HMS Hero continues to steam home to Portsmouth, the RAF drop a post package for the crew. For Able Seaman Blane this starts unsettling rumours as to the state of his marriage back in his home village. The timing of this coincides with his imminent CS exams. Captain Holt also has problems when his relationship with journalist Zoe Carter is called into question, to the point of forcing him to consider between Zoe or his career.

After an uprising - in which five British citizens have died - Hero and Bulwark are deployed to Dubarr in order to pick up evacuees. Captain Holt's girlfriend, journalist Zoe Carter, is one of the people trapped in the country.