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Thread: Missing royal navy life ?

  1. #11
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    Default Re: Missing royal navy life ?

    Many years ago we had a customer in one of our pubs who had been on Subs.
    he told some very weird stories about life under the sea.
    Not for every one he said, had to be slightly mad to be one, and this guy was almost six foot tall.
    Spent about eight years at it before moving to 'normal' RN ships.'
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
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    Default Re: Missing royal navy life ?

    Was he bent or Crocked by then! LOL
    Senior Site Moderator-Member and Friend of this Website

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  3. #13
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    Default Re: Missing royal navy life ?

    #5 The survey ship wasn’t the Patricia was it Vic ? JS...

    RLT..from another post re bubbles . It’s not the bubbles that sink ships it’s the air inside them that does. It doesn’t have to be a scientist to be the bearer of this as is normal physics. It was one of my nightmares at one time as gas in the water does exactly the same thing , so the only thing to do is keep in an area where things are floating. Maybe Cappys birds were first home buyers looking for a nest on a newly formed island. Should be called Cappys pad . As to naval ships and helping with keeping them afloat if holed Most void spaces are filled with what one can only be called table tennis balls of various sizes. I never knew that until I took one out for trials and was there a week beforehand. Cheers JS.
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 5th June 2021 at 12:49 PM.
    R575129

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  5. #14
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    Default Re: Missing royal navy life ?

    The old Diesel Electric submarines had limited supplies of water and therefore cleanliness was not a top priority.
    Clean uniforms etc were flown out to the arrival port waiting for the Matelots.
    Vic

    - - - Updated - - -

    John, Helca comes to mind I am not sure and wouldn't bet on t.
    Vic

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    Default Re: Missing royal navy life ?

    Not the one I was thinking about. Think the name of the ship I gave a lift in my taxi to a matelot from Portsmouth Naval Dockyards main gate just a few days prior to part of the fleet sailing for the Falklands was a small survey vessel. For the short drive to his ship which wasnt too far from mine he informed me he was safe for not going to the Falklands of which he was very pleased about. However on drawing up alongside his gangway, they had staging up and were painting a big Red Cross on her side. The Baskets !!! he cried , you should have heard the language , good job there were no ladies or kids present. And this was only 10 in the morning. JS
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    Default Re: Missing royal navy life ?

    Quote Originally Posted by Doc Vernon View Post
    One had visions of the Sub Mariner, but after looking at a visiting Sub that was in Cape Town many Yeas ago, the thought of that soon passed me by!
    Talk of sleeping Quaters! Gees you had to be a contortionist to get in them Bunks! And watch you head as you went !! Eeeeeeek!
    Todays Submariner still has the same Vern my Daughter-in-law has a brother who is a Submariner i remember having a beer with him at a barbecue in my sons place he told me once they put to sea they do 100 days at sea each trip, They never know where they are in the world i said not for me mate but when i told him i had done two 12 month trips, He was flabbergasted there is know way i could do that he said,
    {terry scouse}

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  10. #17
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    Default Re: Missing royal navy life ?

    Quote Originally Posted by Red Lead Ted View Post
    Todays Submariner still has the same Vern my Daughter-in-law has a brother who is a Submariner i remember having a beer with him at a barbecue in my sons place he told me once they put to sea they do 100 days at sea each trip, They never know where they are in the world i said not for me mate but when i told him i had done two 12 month trips, He was flabbergasted there is know way i could do that he said,
    Terry, it depends what you were initially introduced to. I come from a mining community and at 15 years old got the application forms to be an apprentice fitter at the local pit. When my old man saw them he tried to discourage me from going down the pit and when he saw I was determined he organised a trip down the pit, twice as it happened, as the first trip did not deter me; the second one did (another story).
    On my first trip as apprentice we went into Sunderland with a full cargo of gas oil so my parents came down to the ship for a visit.
    Took my dad (blacksmith used to noise) down below and he couldn't wait to get out, there's no way I could work down there he said.

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    Default Re: Missing royal navy life ?

    my granda toook me down the engine room on the ss flamma a collier at the age of 7 or so ...i thought it was frightening world .....i remember what was to me it was dark very noisy ...and the fires glow was very much offputting ......two or three years later it was no prob but would not have liked to work below ...worked in galleys ...saloons .....on deck ...sailed yachts ......but never wanted engine room work and at this date today ....i think those guys working below .....and in the convoys should have been given a medal and pension credit for every trip....i recalll swimming in the tanks in ballast in the british defender ..when a smart ass dropped the lid ....thinking it was funny ...a black lad from shields couldnt swim and had a life jacket on.....he started to flap and gasp for air.....and a good mate of mine in shields came up from watch up the gulf....sat on a bit on the ass end drunk a beer squashed the can.....then state ive had enough and jumped over the wall ....the vessel came about and nothing was ever seen again....not many could spend a life below ....they tell me now they sit on the bridge and control ......i suppose the greaser and water tender ratings are finished now suppose lewis knows unless there is a breakdown .....who is below...regards cappy

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    Default Re: Missing royal navy life ?

    #7 Vic did you or anyone else find out or know how many Davis Lungs the old diesel subs carried. Has always intrigued me , as know submariners had to do submarine escapes at HMS Vernon ( know someone else called that) and have just found out it no longer exists. HMS Reclaim at one time was the official submarine escape ship and she was built in the 1950s and no longer is in commission. We stood in as the vessel for such , until HMS Challenger was built and fitted out she was a multi-purpose vessel. However the story went around that after the Falklands war and it was apparent that aluminium in ship structure would burn and was unsuitable , and as Challenger had a lot of Aluminium in her structure her lifespan was very limited. I imagine the RN would at present be in the same position as before and have to rely on a civilian ship for any disasters such as a bottomed submarine. Cheers JS
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  14. #20
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    Default Re: Missing royal navy life ?

    Cappy, only ever sailed on one ship that had the engine control room on the bridge. it was only used as such during UMS hours. BP British Adventure think she was built early 2000's. Daftest thing ever. You had 3 minutes to answer an engine room alarm before the engineers call went off in all the engineers cabins. So you had to wake up, leg it to the bridge answer the alarm and get to the engine room , obviously not a wise move to use the lift. Then once there you had to sort the problem out. As it was two decks up from my cabin I used to phone the bridge and get him to answer the alarm while I went to the engine room. There was a sub- control room in the engine room workshop so I could see what the alarm was and deal with it. There was also a thing called the dead man alarm which you had to turn on while you were in the engine room alone, this had to be reset every 20 minutes, failure to do so would sound the engineers call. never seen so much crap in all my life. Common sense was not all that evident really with in BP concerning HSE.
    I got my knuckles rapped for by passing official procedures. The poor old 2nd mate got told off as well because he answered the alarm on my instruction.
    So we went back to the official way of doing things. That soon changed again though. I suppose this was me being out of step again lol. Before entering the engine room you had to be wearing engine room boots, Boiler suit , ear defenders and safety helmet. Try doing that and beating the 3 minute clock!!!
    Concerning the working environment in a ships engine room , yes at times it was uncomfortable especially in the Gulf/Red sea in the summer months. In my early days no control rooms. Air conditioned control rooms are not for the comfort of the engineers they are for the comfort of the computerised control systems. ER workshops are air con but not a lot of use if you are on the generator flat or boiler flat. As said earlier it is all about what you are used to. I think being on the bridge would have done my head in boredom would have driven me ashore I am sure. My best memories at sea are certainly from my earlier years and older tonnage. Modern ships are more comfortable for sure. I was lucky if I wanted to phone my wife I never even had to leave my cabin just pick the phone up and call her. The most comfortable ship I was on was the LNG Carrier British Merchant I did 4 years on her from a new build. Air con was Climate control I used to keep my day room at 25 degrees, my bedroom at 21 degrees, the bathroom had underfloor heating. I would say my cabin/suite was every bit as good as what some may have paid thousands for on a cruise ship first class even down to having a load of deck space just under the wings of the bridge.

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