Nice photo of IOM ship

[Doc Vernon]

Ah! yes now that i have enlarged the Pic i can see the actual name on her Bow now ! Maidstone .
Cheers

[James Curry]

#8 Anyone know why she is dressed overall , What was the occassion ? Perhaps the Queens birthday? I thought perhaps maybe her paying off but surely there would be a long pennant. What is it a yard for every years service. No doubt that is another tradition that has gone by the wayside

Am I right using the term Dressed overall? Perhaps some DEck officer can confirm that term.

[Doc Vernon]

Hi JAMES
Seems the Picture was taken late 1956/early 57 , and as far as i can read on the Met as follows , so may be this was the occasion, (Pompey Dockyard 1957)

In 1957 Maidstone was the Flag Ship of the C in C Home Fleet

Cheers

[Ivan Cloherty]

Ah! yes now that i have enlarged the Pic i can see the actual name on her Bow now ! Maidstone .
Cheers

Hate to tell you this Doc, but that name is on the STERN

[Doc Vernon]

Dont know my A--- from my Elbow Ivan !

[James Domleo]

Yes,that’s the submarine depot ship,Maidstone.Was moored close to her at the 1953 Coronation review in the Solent.

[j.sabourn]

Talking about submarine Depot ships , anyone who was with BUE may have further information about the British Magnus, which was I was lead to believe bought by the Australian Navy , to act as such at Garden Island Fremantle in the 1990s . I had been master on her for a short period in the North Sea when she was utilised as a supply vessel. The mate I had with me at the time on an Australian supply vessel was offered a run job to bring her from Wallsend ( Tyne) to Fremantle and asked me to stand in for him if he couldn’t make it, I was quiet looking forward to doing so, however he made it and phoned me from the airport to say he was on his way to the uk. I never followed up on her new name or future career as a naval Auxillary , anyone know her now history, she was quiet a luxurious ship on board ,all the modern aids etc. JS

[James Curry]

Was she at one time called the Balder Cabot built in Marystown shipyard , Marystown Canada in 1981. Became the British Magnus in 1985 until 1998 and sold to the Australia. If so she is now called Seahorse Standard and I believe registered in Fremantle.
Hope this helps.

Balder Cabot.jpg

British Magnus.jpg

Seahorse Standard.jpg

[Doug Hardie]

Hi Tony
I Remember the LST as well , I believe it was linked to the Admiralty pumping station at Bowling near the Forth and Clyde canal.I also think HMS Maidstone was docked there for a time . I don’t know why they were there ,but you are correct it moved round to Faslane , maybe prior to the Base being Built.There were also Subs based in the Holy Loch , American after that time . Maybe some connection to HMS Maidstone verifying suitability of the area for submarine operations . Maybe some ex Rodney members could cast a light .
Doug

[j.sabourn]

#6 That sounds like the pier I fell off in 1979. We used to tie up on the opposite side of the river at Customs House Quay whilst divers were coming out of saturation . Took the ships launch across the river with a couple of wren passengers . It was low water coming back to the launch so had to climb down the wooden structure of the quay to board the launch. The wooden beams and uprights were of course slippery seaweed and covered in barnacles and I did a nose dive into the drink. Climbing back out of the waters my stomach and chest got a bit torn up by the sharp shellfish and was in agony for a few days .
The 2 wrens was bringing them back also and couldn’t stop giggling. Cheers JS