NAVY NEWS, MAY 2008 31
Another mystery ship
LETTERS to the editor should always be volume of letters, we cannot publish all of
accompanied by the correspondent’s your correspondence in Navy News.
name and address, not necessarily for We look for correspondence which stim-
AFTER the great
publication. E-mail correspondents ulates debate, makes us laugh or rais-
response to the are also requested to provide this es important issues. We particularly
‘mystery ship’ in front
information. seek letters from serving personnel
of the Doges’ Palace, I
Letters cannot be submitted to open up debate on issues that
wonder if your readers
would be kind enough
over the telephone. matter to you.
to identify this ship for
If you submit a photograph Please try to keep your submis-
me?
that you did not take your- sions as brief as possible
I had sent the photo
self, please make sure that – our space is limited.
to a friend, thinking it
you have the permissions The editor reserves the
was HMS Emerald, but for us to publish it. right to edit your sub-
it wasn’t. He suggested
Given the impressive missions.
that it could be my brother’s
first ship, HMS York, but I
know it was not that either.
I have searched through
Jane’s Fighting Ships but
No joy for
again I cannot trace it.
I would be most grateful
if anyone can come up with
the answer.
– S/M Ron Whelan,
Hemel Hempstead, Herts
Killicks
THE proudest moment of my RN career was passing my killick specs
course (after CO’s recommendation and passing an aptitude, both
View hallo!
unnecessary now) and joining the Fleet as a Leading Seaman specialist.
What a joy it was to join my next ship to start a new job, with newly-
earned respect and the pride of knowing that my role was vital to the
I HAVE seen the legendary hunt ship’s progress from port to port.
tattoo described in The Time of Many an hour was spent behind the wheel of the seaboat whilst on
Your Lives (April). patrol in the Northern Arabian Gulf, rigging for a RAS, or maintaining
I joined my first ship, HMS the SSE (Specialist Safety Equipment) sometimes bored, sometimes
Wilkieston, in Famagusta in excited, but always necessary.
March 1959. How things have changed. My draft order has come in and I will fly
I reached the messdeck when out to join my next ship in the Gulf after completing my TAC COMMS
the RO came down stripped off (Tactical Communications) course, forced on me without consultation.
ready for a shower, and lo and This time however I am not qualified to drive the boats (not my
behold, I saw the hunt as described job any more, anyway) and will spend my action station and defence
in your article. watch on the bridge, waving flags. It’s enough to make me weep, a non-
He also had an eye tattooed on boat-driving, flag-waving killick spec. Joy!
each buttock, and over this was I challenge the hierarchy to name one killick spec who is happy with
1984 Big Brother is Watching You. the changes made to our once-respected branch. Maybe I’m just being
I can’t remember the RO’s bitter and hostile to change, but there will not be many.
name but what an introduction to I, for the first time, am dreading my next sea-draft and can only count
the RN for a young REM straight away the days until I can leave the service. If I could put my notice in I
from training at Collingwood. most certainly would, unfortunately with a bitter taste and sad memories
– Brian Rayner, Wisbech, of a once-great Navy.
Cambs – Leading Seaman Gferer, DRSO, Portsmouth Naval Base
Harrier’s first
deck landing
THE photo shows what I
believe to be the first landing
at sea of the P1154 (Prototype
Harrier) in 1966 onboard HMS
Bulwark. This aircraft was
piloted by a civilian test pilot.
I remember the occasion
well as the aircraft had only
VHF comms aboard, and a
frantic scrabble ensued to
dust off and fire up the old
86m TxRx.
As you can see in the photo,
there are plenty of goofers,
and we were rewarded with
what in those days seemed an
impossible feat of flying.
– Barry Lazenbury
(former POREL) Yate, South
Gloucestershire
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