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Thread: merchant navy defence course

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    Default merchant navy defence course

    I read in the news letter about the bell from HMS Hood, there was also at the begining of the film a shot of a man talking but in the background was one of the training ships that I also was trained on many moons ago ,( there used to be 2 of them and also a replica of the ship discovery, ( I think that was the name of it ) these ships did the training course called the Merchant Navy Defence Course. I would like to know if they still run these courses and is it still on the ship shown?
    keith moody

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    Default Re: merchant navy defence course

    Keith
    Have moved this Thread to Ask the Forum .As it does not really qualify as an Article.
    Thanks
    Senior Site Moderator-Member and Friend of this Website

    R697530

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    Default Re: merchant navy defence course

    I did a two week Gunnery Course at HMS EXCELLENT, Whale Island , Portsmouth, 1951
    Brian

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    Default Re: merchant navy defence course

    I did that course at HMS Claverhouse in Granton

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    Default Re: merchant navy defence course

    Not being funny but when I was with BP 10 years+ I was told I had to take a defensive driving course, seriously I kid you not!!. I refused and was told if I did not take it I could not use my own form of transport to join a BP ship. Like hello as if I was going to drive my car to the UAE from Hoylake!!!
    They also said if I did not take the course I would not be able to travel to Sea staff / BP office seminars. Well as you can imagine I was gutted about that, taking days out of my leave to listen to a bunch from Hemel(HQ) telling the sea staff how well they were doing and how the pension fund was doing really well(sea staff were not in the BP employees pension fund)Anyway I ended up being given a choice do the course or leave the company, I needed a job and the pay was not bad. The instructor arrived at my home, he had a coffee and said okay lets go. We used my car and after 20minutes were back home. He had a few comments such as , before you drove off you did not check the oil or tyre pressures!!! Um!!! I was driving a Merc E Class at the time!!! ah!!! the car does that for me, can you mention in your report back to BP that I am actually a member of the IAM, also I am a qualified IAM observer. A****pass. The next BP sea staff love in. I travelled down on my Motorcycle, that raised a few eye brows. I hated working for BP, a company that is so far up there own !!!!. Sorry have deviated from the original thread.

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    Default Re: merchant navy defence course

    Form M.N.D. 3,




    Merchant Navy Defence Course.
    Certificate of Attendance.

    Session 1. Trade Protection.
    2. N.C.S. Organisation
    3. Convoy communication.
    4. Close Range Gunnery.
    5. Defence against submarines and mines principles of degaussing.
    6. A.B.C. Warfare
    7. A.B.C warfare
    8. A.B.C. Warfare
    9. Damage control and ship defence plan.
    10. Survival at sea.
    A,B. C. Stands for Atomic Biological and Chemical warfare.
    HMS Calliope Signature of training officer

    PS this was of 1962 vintage. It was expected after the first strike two thirds of the uk would be non compus mentos. No ports would be available , and discharging cargo would be direct on to beaches. Russia had over 600 operational submarines , at least 6 times more than the Germans ever had. The country would come under Civil Defence law. Looters would be shot on sight. The convoy system would continue as of the war years. All British merchant ships whether you knew it or not , carried the cipher books , code flags, and nuclear instruments for reading how many rotogens a seaman had been exposed to. If over a certain limit he was as good as dead and therefore dispensable so could be exposed to the outer air. Just the bloke to man the Bofors gun or do that bit of cutting in that didn’t get finished. Every British ship carried a sealed envelope in the masters safe . And on the reception of one word this was to be opened, Radio communications thereafter would cease to exist , all instructions such as convoy meet ups for world wide use would be in the envelope. When ships went up to Murmansk and such places for iron ore all these documents had to be landed ashore before sailing.




    JWS.
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 12th October 2018 at 12:24 AM.

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    Default Re: merchant navy defence course

    Incidentally the Admiralty paid you 5 guineas for the week. Best not tell the company though in case they took it out of your wages. JS

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    Default Re: merchant navy defence course

    For gunnery training in Hull 1943, got a certificate, 10 Bob and then supported DEMS gunners on every ship I sailed on to 1945.
    Cheers,Eric

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    Default Re: merchant navy defence course

    HMS Caroline in Belfast around 1969 while attending college. Remember getting a few quid from HM government towards lunch time beer coupons

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    Default Re: merchant navy defence course

    I attended the M.N. Defence Course on HMQS "Chrysanthemum" - either that or the "Wellington" on the Thames Embankment in February 1969, very interesting at the time but soon left it in the back of my mind.
    Phil Hughes.

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