Missing royal navy life ?

[Malcolm Lawrence]

Just to add to the Submarine threads if you ever wanted proof of not choosing subs take a look at the escape tank in what was HMS Dolphin in Gosport (not now in service) all submariners were inserted at the bottom of a 100ft tall water tank and you were expected to pop out at the top, if something didn't go quite to plan or you didn't breath out on the way they had divers at different levels that punched you in the solar plexus to make you breath.
Oh, and just in case you got the bends there was a decompression chamber and a qualified Doctor at the top to look after you, easy eh?
Gosport SETT.jpg

[j.sabourn]

Hi Malcolm you sounds as though ex or even present RN. Like most ex or present MN seafarers we have a little knowledge of bits and pieces of nautical life , as you can imagine we were wanderers in more ways than one. I worked for a few years on the perimeters of saturation diving RN style and have nothing but admiration for those who did the deep water stuff .If you know the submarine story as in the Gosport museum you may have noticed the Hollande 1 .We found it off the Eddystone in 1979 and it was later recovered .There used to be an escape tower I believe at HMS Vernon but in contact with RN people out here it no longer exists .Anything you can add you will probably find an appreciative audience from ex or present matelots on the site . Regards JS

[Lewis McColl]

I used to play golf with a guy who had been in the RN Diver? when he came out of the service he was diving in the offshore sector. He told me he enjoyed diving but really had been at it to long. He would at times take dizzy spells while golfing and he would have to have a sit down for a spell.
He was a fit lad and looked after himself. We would take turns at doing the driving back and forth to the golf club or at different clubs if playing inter club competitions.
I was driving past his house one day and as I had just got back from sea, I thought I would drop in as his car was up the drive. His wife opened the door, the poor girl looked as if she had not slept in a while. Turns out Chris dropped dead in the shower the week before. He was only mid 40's cause of death was put down to COPD.

[j.sabourn]

#32..To add to this post , I am not a big lover of being underwater and do not have webbed feet. I can swim but would rather not. However for those working offshore I believe this has been put up before in Australia every two years , think it was a longer period of time in the uk , if were using helicopter transport over water you had to have a current certificate called a HUET Certificate and if this was not current you were not allowed to fly. HUET stands for Helicopter Underwater Escape Techniques , and to receive such you had to make 4 escapes from a helicopter underwater strapped into your seat .these 4 escapes were all from different angles one usually sitting on your head
As said the only water I like is in the shower, as suffer from enclosed spaces at the best of times. So when they used to ask any non swimmers I used to put my hand up. At least I knew the divers who were stationed under water would see me if in difficulties and hopefully pull me out stili breathing. JS

[Malcolm Lawrence]

Hi JS, Not an RN man but had 7 years visiting military sites all over the UK as a H&S Mgr/Confined Space man, and yes I have seen a lot of specialist bits of kit over the years.
HMS Excellent in Portsmouth may be of interest to this site as they have a full size mock up of a ship they regularly fill up with water, stuff a load of youngsters in it and tell them to fix the leak, when they ask what leak the instructors fill the space up with freezing cold sea water, oh did I mention the whole thing is on hydraulic rams so they can replicate a bit of bad weather.
Then there's the Fire training one, think I will let the imagination work on that one

[Bill Cameron]

#36, this is not new, and not confined to the RN, Edinburgh Fire Brigade, had a vessel of at least three deck built to simulate a vessel,
That they set on fire with various degrees of ferocity used as a MN fire trading facility, HMS Cochran’s in Rosyth had a similar three deck high structure the they had filled with old railway sleeper which they doused in a flammable liquid and set fire to it all we had to climb from the top deck to the ground with all the gear on, as a Reservist I had to do this every second year, scary at first, but soon respected fire

[j.sabourn]

#36... I liked the M notice think it was in, that all ships in port should have a fire plan of the ship and the layout of vessel for visiting professional fire fighters , at the top of the gangway in a sealed envelope. I would of been happy to leave them to it as we adjourned to more favourable surroundings. We put a blaze out once in a warehouse on the Clyde with the ships fire monitors and put out the fire ok but also knocked the warehouse down. Another time in Portsmouth with the same monitors and lying alongside the quay I put the monitors on facing away from the quay, in the celebrations welcoming the fleet back from the Falklands. The wind blew the residue of water back onto the quay swamping it and the hundreds of sightseers thereon. Its a wonder I wasnt sued for damages to same for soaking and cold water shock. Firemen are the ones who have the greatest success with fire. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

We had a very large fire training place here in Victoria, owned by the Uni I was at.

Had to close as a number of those that trained there contracted some form of lung disease.
It was caused by the chemicals they used to simulate fire fighting such materials.
Apparently the fumes protection they were given was not good enough to keep harmful fumes out.

[William Kean]

While a Cadet at RMAS we were given the chance to visit the other services, I had 2 days on an A Class submarine HMS Artemis and a 16-hour trip on a Shackleton with the RAF. I suspect it was the Army's way of showing you that you had made the right career decision.

[j.sabourn]

#40... William you do mean the Royal Maritime Auxilary Service dont you ? If so I never knew they had a Cadet Scheme. Just the other day I was talking to the lady barber I use and she was telling me her father now deceased had worked for the RMAS for a lot of years . And putting a lot of loose ends roughly together he may of been on the RMAS vessel Which fired the practice torpedoes up in NW Scotland and at one particular time I was there which was about 1980 ish. I cant remember his name but can find out next time I see her, it is a topic of conversation whenever I have a haircut now. He was however an old ex merchant seafarer as I thought they all were. The family have been out here about 12 years. If you want to know lets know. Cheers JS