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HMS VERNON 1971
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At HMS Vernon I successfully completed the Underwater Weapons Course(UW Course) and the Underwater Controllers Course(UC Course), by the way, as many of my readers will know, neither of these two courses were held under water.
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HMS Vernon from the west
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HMS Vernon and Gunwarf from the east
While at Vernon and between courses I had a loan draft to HMS Hardy a Type 14 Frigate for about a month. She visited Brussels along the Willebroek Canal, my first ever visit to a foreign country, and I experienced sleeping in a hammock for four weeks. While in Brussels for a four-day visit, it gave each member of the ships company the chance to have three nights shore leave, I think I may have got pretty drunk on that Belgian beer on all three nights. My bunk was hanging in the middle of the mess deck, and one morning at 0630 ‘call the hands’ I woke up and realised that my hammock was soaking wet, and I was soon to be shouted at by an angry senior Able Seaman who found his steaming bats(sea boots) full of urine directly below my hammock he was not a very happy man as you can imagine. Later, after I had cleaned and disinfected his bats, he saw the funny side of it.
I went on a coach trip to the site of the Battle of Waterloo, had my picture taken there
By the Naval photographer and it was sent to the Exmouth Journal, the local rag in my hometown, ‘Local Boy Makes Good’ Ha!
My only other memories of the Brussels trip was that the journey up the Willebroek Canal was very interesting and that it seemed as though we only just fitted within the banks of the canal, and of course who could ever forget the Mannekin Pis, probably Belgium’s most famous statue in Brussels of the little boy peeing.
I certainly had the micky taken out of me on this ship. One morning I was ordered to go down to the boiler room and get a bucket of steam, it took me ages to find something to use as a lid to try and keep the steam in the bucket.
The first time I was put on watch as the life buoy sentry on the quarterdeck, during the Last Dog Watch(1800-2000, I was amazed to see members of the after junior rates mess(I think that they were stokers) walking over the iron deck to the after hatch and down the ladder carrying their supper.
Later, I was sent on a loan draft to HMS Hecate, a survey vessel, which was surveying up and down an area off the Outer Hebrides, the most interesting train journey from Portsmouth Harbour to Greenock on the Clyde, was taken to join this vessel., not a lot happened while on the Hecate, except that I spent most of my working hours, washing, scrubbing, scraping and painting, and when it was finished we would probably do it all again. As the old saying goes: ‘If it does not move, paint it’.
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HMS Hecate
I
also managed to spend about a week sailing on the yacht Rhona, we sailed around
the Solent, and we also visited Alderney in the Channel Islands, as well as
Cherbourg, before returning to the Solent for the remainder of Cowes week and
took part in the Around the Island Race, which included Premier Edward Heath on
his yacht the Morning Cloud.
When we passed around the Needles at the west end of the Isle of Wight, the wind speed dropped to zero, and most of the competitors reverted to motor power and accepted disqualification. Returning to HMS Excellent for the final day aboard.
The following morning I was duty chef for breakfast, and when putting the plates in the oven to warm, I knocked the oven, it moved and the frying pan slid off the top and the burning splashed onto my face, I was in agony and had to be rushed to RN Hospital Haslar in an ambulance.
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The Yacht Rhona
HMS NAIAD 1971-1972
My first proper draft chit arrived at Vernon, and I was sent off to join HMS Naiad on the 18th August 1971. I remember spending some time in the autumn at Portland, some sort of workup! While at Portland I experienced seasickness for the very first time. I was bosuns mate on watch, and I asked to be excused to the heads, and I had my head down the pan for what seemed like ages, during this time, I recall the PO of the watch on deck calling me in the heads to see if I was OK! This was the first of only two occasions during my twenty-four and a quarter in the RN that I was physically sick I could still taste the diced carrots to this day.
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HMS Naiad
Reward for the success at Portland, was a trip to the Mediteranean sea and Malta stopping at Gibraltar enroute. What an Unusual place this is, now, should it belong to Spain, it certainly should and it certainly should not, it should because of it’s location, and it should not because of what it is, since my first visit there it has grown in size by the reclaiming of land from the sea, Gibraltar is what it is today because of what the British have done to it. I have always enjoyed visit the place have always found it interesting, and it seems to have it’s own type of weather, i.e.: when it rains, the rain seems to come from it’s own rain cloud that hovers over the rock, be careful where your standing when this happens as the rain just pours d
Down the streets to the sea.
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Replenishment at Sea: RFA Regent-HMS Ark Royal-RFA Olmeda-HMS Naiad
While in Malta, I was Bosun’s Mate on the gangway, and there was a bit of a panic late at night, as some ratings missed the last liberty boat across Valletta harbour, and they decided to swim instead! Malta was very interesting especially at night, the local bar area Strait Street(Strada Stretta) was known as the ‘Gut’ this was an area of small bars in a narrow street probably not a lot more than 10 feet between the front door of bar to the front door of the bar across the street. This was to be where as soon as the sailors landed for shore leave, most would instantly head for. Some of these bars were known as dance halls, and you could meet a young lady, but it would probably cost you a bit to go any further, I remember that none of the ladies were particularly pretty. Nearly all the toilets were behind a curtain and one had to squat over or pee into a bucket.
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Valletta Harbour with HMS Naiad in the background
Some time in the spring of 1972, we were travelling across the Atlantic Ocean(Pond)
To visit the United States of America and the West Indies, one morning a piston on the starboard turbine blew off, and the decision was eventually made to return to Portsmouth for repairs. I had meant to have had the morning watch off, but still got shaken early on, what a disastrous trip for me as I was so looking forward to America.
HMS EURYALUS
1972-1973
On the 11th May 1972 I joined HMS Euryalus, if my memory is correct Naiad went into a refit and took the place of Euryalus, and a large proportion of the crew from Naiad transferred over. Shortly after I was promoted to Ordinary Seaman.
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In July of 1972, we sailed for the Far East. This trip was to last for nearly 6 months and we returned to Portsmouth just before Christmas of that year.
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HMS Euryalus
On the way to Hong Kong we visited: Gibraltar, Senegal, Simonstown(Capetown), Mombassa, Durban, Gan, Penang, Singapore(twice), and then back to Capetown, before a 3 week journey back to the UK. We spent one month as Hong Kong Guard Ship, Susies side party kindly painted the ships side for us, I loved it in Hong Kong, as I spent every single night ashore except for one, I was able to do this because at the time I was after PO’s mess messman(Blue Card), the reason for spending the one night onboard was because me and my mate Windy knicked a Rickshaw. This I realised later was to be one of the dumbest things I ever did, as a gang of what seemed like half of the male population of Hong Kong, chased us through the streets, with me on one side of the Rickshaw and Windy on the other, No more sweet and sour pork for us during our stay. Needless to say, we denied all knowledge of the theft of the Rickshaw to the Master at Arms(Jossman) knew it was us, so he stopped us one nights shore leave.
On the 22nd August I was awarded my UC* badge.
Part of our journey back to the UK took included a couple of weeks on Biera patrol, the ship that we relieved I believe was HMS Andromeda a few inter-ship sports events events were carried out, one being deck hockey, this is a game which takes place on the flight deck between two teams of five or six with a coat made out of a piece of rope about seven to nine inches in diameter covered with black tape, it can become a pretty physical game one of the reasons why steaming bats are worn, many a coat would be lost over the ships side. Another game is flight deck volleyball, where the ball would be taped to a long piece of light rope, this can be quite dangerous at times as the rope can often get caught around one of the players necks but at least the ball is not lost.
At Simonstown the train had to be caught to city of Capetown, We used to by a bottle of Cape Brandy for about the equivalent of £1, and share it on the train, we used to frequent a nightclub called the Navigators, how we ever found it each night I do not know. I met a girl here called Caroline, this was the first time that I felt that I had fallen in love, however, I could not visit her home and her parents because she was of a different colour to me, and this was not the done thing at the time, we wrote to each other(well I actually did most of the writing) while my ship was away in the Far East, until our return to Simonstown in early December, Caroline and I met up for the final time and obviously we called it a day before we set sail again for the return passage to the UK.
A few days after our departure from South Africa we had a mail drop, this is when an aircraft drops canisters loaded with mail or other items, and the ships boat is launched to collect the canister(s) from the open sea. Many of us were stood on the upper deck watching the drop, the canister came down from the fixed wing aircraft and on contact with the water the canister smashed to bits, this as it turned out was a wind up and another canister was dropped shortly after.
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Thomo and Me in after seaman’s mess
HMS DEFIANCE 1973
On the 8th February 1973 I joined HMS Defiance(Used to be HMS Forth), a submarine depot ship based in Guzz, I was one of a few seamen onboard, I can remember learning how to play Nominations(Noms) and Poker while here. We took it all very seriously, it was as though each day was based around the game of cards at Stand Easy(morning break) and lunchtime,
I wasn’t much interested in the game of Uckers prior to this period in my career.
Uckers is a board game based on the game of Ludo, the aim is basically the same, to get all your counters around the board as quickly as possible, you can either have 2 or 4 players. The game is normally played on a wooden board normally about 20inches by 20inches, and around an inch thick, the counters would have be sewn from a broom handle and would be up to half an inch in thickness. The rules have been modified from the game of Ludo and the game can become quite tactical. Not only do the lads on the lower deck play it, but members of the wardroom do too, the piling up of ’blobs’ made by counters of the same colour, create calls like ‘UP BLOB’, depending on how many counters in a blob, causes various challenges
from the opponent to overcome or delete this ‘blob’. In my time I had experienced inter mess challenges, as well as inter ship challenges. Some mess decks would either have a portable Uckers Board or a more permanent board incorporated into a coffee table, I have also seen a canvass board almost the size of frigates flight deck.
I tried playing football, but I was never very good at it at school and there sadly was no improvement during my time in the Navy either, which is a great shame as I am mad about football, most people who have ever known me will know that I am a big fan of Exeter City FC.
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UC2’S Course, DC79
I was temporarily drafted back again to HMS Vernon in March as an Ordinary Seaman UC* to do the UC2’s(Underwater Controller 2 star) course, and while on course I was promoted to Able Seaman UC2 departing Vernon on the 4th June1973 as an Able Seaman UC2. back to Defiance, I then went to the Ship Husbandry School and learnt how to clean and paint properly, and use paint spraying equipment, I returned to HMS Defiance and became the ships paint sprayer, the buffers party used to tape up and cover things (basically, anything that moved or had writing on it) in a compartment during the day and I then sprayed the compartment during the night, I can remember that it was a very lonely job, I was all by myself, and no one to play cards with, but after a few weeks and the ship now painted within, I went back to day working.
I left HMS Defiance on the 9th December and the following day I joined HMS Bristol, which had only been commissioned a few months prior to my arrival, this was a beautiful looking ship. In the 2 ½ years or so that I spent on here, we never went anywhere exotic, although I can remember having a great time in the ports that we visited, namely Liverpool, Bristol, Rotterdam Gibraltar and Madiera, we were programmed to cross the pond in 1975, but the fire that started in the Steam Turbine room, while in Milford Haven Harbour South Wales, put a stop to all this ‘Jolly’ business for the Bristol.
HMS BRISTOL
1973-1976
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HMS Bristol
At the time I was TAS Party, and late in the evening I believe around 11.30ish, we were duty watch of seamen waiting for the return of the last two liberty boats(the ships two workboats). One of them was coxed by LS Jim(Rab) Butler, I had been promoted in his absence, temporarily to Duty Leading Seaman, I thought that the Quartermaster actually ‘piped’ FIRE,FIRE,FIRE,………..FIRE IN THE S.C.R.(Sonar Control Room), I was wondering what piece of equipment I had left on, but NO, when the ‘pipe’ was repeated it was clearly FIRE, FIRE, FIRE ……..FIRE IN THE S.T.R.(Steam Turbine Room), needless to say, from that moment onwards it was HELL, but we managed to save the ship, and no loss of life. From what I remember just minor injuries from smoke inhalation. I will never forget : shaking all the Petty Officers in the mess directly above the STR, boundary cooling in the cabin flat 3 levels above the fire, cooling the bulkhead only one section in front of the Seadart Magazine, and abandoning our cooling hoses on the funnel deck, just prior to the Welsh Fire Brigade boats aiming their hoses and flooding the uptakes/downtakes from the STR, although this extinguished the fire, apparently it also almost sunk the ship, as we had not got enough pumps running to discharge the water. I think that I can honestly say that this was the worst night of my life, as the final flames did not go out until around 0600 – 0630. It was a fuel pump that burst a pipe and was shooting out flames! And although a lot of lessons were learnt from this experience, it was a thoroughly professional job carried out by the ships company.
Rab, and the liberty men finally returned to the ship at around 0700, having witnessed it all from the bay of Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.
When I arrived at North Corner Jetty in Portsmouth Dockyard, I stood on the jetty for quite a few minutes admiring this lovely looking ship thinking how lucky I was to be joining her.
Some other AB’s I remember from those days were: Jimmy Bond from Efford and Nish Brown, Steve Livesley was a very good friend of mine, I wonder what happened to them.
My first job on the Bristol was ‘Captain of the heads’ this meant that I was responsible for cleaning the after Romeo section junior rates toilets. I loved the job, it meant that I could set my own routine and have as much cleaning equipment as I wanted, I was basically my own boss, providing of course I kept it all nice and clean which I did, I’ve always loved cleaning it is one thing that I am good at. Even in my present job it is so satisfying when someone walks in the front door and remarks how nice the main hall looks.
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HMS Bristol's Guard during the ‘Freedom of the City’ Ceremony
I am the right hand marker, on the left
Prior to the freedom of the city ceremony in Bristol, the guard on occasions before the ship sailed for the weapon range, would be dropped off at Aberporth and we borrowed the station platform for guard training. We were practising the fixing of bayonets, as some of you will know this is done in three movements, on the first movement the right hand is to go to the bayonet handle and twist it around at the same time pressing the release catch, well on this particular occasion, my bayonet would not release, so I was struggling to be ready for move number two, I struggled and struggled and when the order ‘2’ was given by the Petty Officer of the guard, I was putting so much effort into it the bayonet finally came out with so much force in a semicircular movement, I stabbed the chap to the right of me in the middle of the cheek of his left bum, there was blood everywhere!
We marched all over the City centre and then paraded on the main green(see photograph), then we had a wonderful party in the Town Hall.
I believe that being given the freedom of the City means you have the right to go just about anywhere in the city, but of course when it comes to it this is not strickly true.
We were to be in dry dock in Portsmouth naval base, and the accommodation ladder was being lowered by members of the buffers party. Chats/Harry Harris was stood on the upper platform when the hydraulics tripped, wearing no safety harness he was shaken off to the bottom of the dry dock, he later died in the Royal Hospital in Portsmouth.
I think it was before the fire, we visited Madiera, and my Part Of Ship(P.O.S) was Boats Party at the time, we had two twenty foot workboats(already mentioned) an Atlantic’ R.I.B. and a Fairy Huntress, it was a great job looking after those boats and the deck around them, quite often when I was tired I got inside one of the boats and fell asleep under the canopy. However, after the first night ashore in Madiera, my Petty Officer decided to take the Huntress out for a spin, it was fast enough to tow a skier, and boy did he know how to handle it, sadly on this occasion he chose me to be the crew, he threw it around all over the bay of Funchal, and suffering from the influence of Madiera wine and Mateus Rose’ (Matelot’s Rose’), you can imagine what I was going through.
The ‘Part of ship’ to clean included the main mast, I believe at the time was the tallest mast in the RN, I was often seen to be hanging off of this mast on a bosuns chair, in those days all you hand as safety was an Oppo and a safety line tied around your waist.
I remember one morning, a communicator was cleaning the yardarm on the forward mast, he fell off, and hung on his safety harness for what seemed like ages, he eventually pulled himself up, climbed back along to safety, went down below for a cuppa, and returned to his ‘post’ on the starboard yardarm 20 minutes later, what a brave man. I am lucky to have never been afraid of heights, when I was a young boy, I used to love going up the tower of All Saints Church, where I was Head Choir Boy, and sit there for ages, and I was often seen climbing out of the bedroom window and climbing over the roof, for some unknown reason, needless to say, I learnt my lesson one morning when I fell out of a conker tree!
After the repairs to the damage from the fire, we finally went to Portland for a Work Up, I remember one day, when we had had everything thrown at us, I was sent down to the Quarterdeck for something probably to launch a Bathythermograph, and on my return I decided that I had had enough, and on entering the S.C.R. I collapsed and pretended to be unconscious, the Flag Officer Sea Training (F.O.S.T). staff went along with it, and I was carried to the Sick Bay where I enjoyed a relaxing end to the days exercises!!!
I loved it on the Bristol, the only thing I do remember not liking much was the smell of the Leading Regulators feet while he was billeted in the watchkeepers mess, the other mess I was in was 4R Starboard.
We visited Liverpool, in fact Birkenhead. What a wonderful place. Although I did venture into the City on one occasion, the locals in Birkenhead were so hospitipal
I did not feel that I had to go much further than half a mile from the ship. I frequented a local pub where the card game of Nominations was popular, and I was often told what a big risk taker I was, I always seemed to win.
On the day a group of us decided to walk into the city, we decided that the quickest route would be through the Mersey Tunnel, NO! we were warned off of doing this by the armed guards.
During my time on Bristol I studied for promotion to Leading
Seaman (Sonar)LS(S), yes! By now it was no longer known as Underwater
Control(U.C), it was now to be Sonar. I completed the task books and was
promoted to Acting Leading Seaman (Sonar), and then eventually made my way back
to HMS Vernon where I successfully completed Leading Seaman courses.
HMS LOWESTOFT
1977-1979
For some reason I was selected for Passive Training at HMS Vernon, George Forster and Derby Allen were the other 2 Killicks (Leading Hands) on the course, we were all to pass and were drafted together to HMS Lowestoft. At the introduction of the course we were all asked to stand up and introduce ourselves, I said that my name was Richard, sometimes known as Jan, AND George Forster jumped up and announced that ‘From this moment on you will be known as ‘Dickie Drew’’ and that name stuck with me from 1976 to this present day!
My seniors were correct in picking me for this ‘sub-branch’, as I apparently became an expert at the techniques of Passive Sonar Analysis, Well done to them.
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