THE Royal Marines staged their assault landing on East Cliff Beach during a brief lull in the constant roar of jet engines yesterday afternoon.

Pirates took hostages ashore from the ferry Dart Princess, and equipped with rigid-inflatable boats, and with a Merlin helicopter circling overhead, the marines went to the rescue.

The crowd-pleasing spectacle included marine snipers taking out pirates on the beach, Viking armoured vehicles churning sand as they rolled in to support their comrades, and a boat chase.

Captain Matt Williams, who narrated the battle, said: “There are around 40 guys taking part and there are a lot of recruits here today, this forms part of their training.

“It is a big operation to organise as we have to condense all these elements into a small area and a short period of time. But we always get a positive response from the people here, and we are lucky that the Armed Forces are so well supported.”