Nice photo of IOM ship

[James Curry]

Great photo this of the Isle of Man steam packets companies Ben My Chree.
I think that is HMS Maidstone.

nice photo from a few years ago.jpg

[Doug Hardie]

James is that the same HMS Maidstone which was moored alongside Helensburgh pier in the late fifties . I think she was a Submarine support vessel?
Doug

[Tony Taylor]

James is that the same HMS Maidstone which was moored alongside Helensburgh pier in the late fifties . I think she was a Submarine support vessel?
Doug

Thats correct Doug, I went on board her and the sub Olympus which was along side st the time in early 60's .My uncle was serving on her and lived ashore in Helensburgh where we had our summer hols several times.

[James Curry]

I think she finished her days as a prison ship in Belfast during the troubles. A load of IRA prisioners escaped from her by swimming ashore and high jacking a bus. Must have been freezing as it was January.

[Ivan Cloherty]

'Maidstone' was with us on Operation Muskateer Suez 1956, went alongside her on an RN visit to a Coniston Class minesweeper but never aboard her because of security at the time.

[Tony Taylor]

Thats correct Doug, I went on board her and the sub Olympus which was along side st the time in early 60's .My uncle was serving on her and lived ashore in Helensburgh where we had our summer hols several times.

I need to correct that Doug, Maidstone was was further up somewhere in the vicinity of where Faslane is now. The vessel that was tied up alongside Helensburgh pier was an old LST and run by the army. I used o knock around that pier a lot with some of the local lads I was friendly with.

[Doc Vernon]

Nice Picture indeed !
The other Ship in the Pic is the Argus A135.
cHEERS

RFA Argus off the coast of Devonport - RFA Argus (A135) - Wikipedia

[James Curry]

Sorry Doc , It is not the Argus , it is HMS Maidstone

HMS Maidstone.jpg

A185

[Doc Vernon]

Thats the A185 James not the same one as shown in the Pic which is the A135, as far as i can make out!
Cheers

[James Curry]

Doc it is the way the light reflection is hitting the stern. In my #1 look at the stern again and my #8 you can clearly see the the port holes on the stern in both photos .
The Argus built in 1980, Maidstone commissioned 1938.