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THE COMMUNICATORThe Magazine of the Communications Branch, Royal llavy

and the Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society

SUMMER 1969 VOL.19, No.5

CONTENTS

Drnrcron on N,qvlr StcNars

Lrrtns ro rur Eorron

Oun Mr.l tl rur MooRrcnr Our or JorNr

RroncaNrs,qrtou or 'O' SrcnoN

LrNxro CovpnrssoR nNo ExpeloonA Dav rN rnr Llrr op l Rloro

Suprnvrson

Bmcrwooo Fruo-GuN CouprrruoN 1969

THr Oslsr MEN

Suuvrn Cnosswono

SHrp-Ssonr Nrws

CouurssroNtNc FonrcasrGotNc rnr: RouNDs tN MrncunvPrx PoRtnarr-CRS LrwsRN CouuuxtclrroNs Cnrrrs' Assocr,rrtox

WRNS NrwsRNRHe pelrtc Hr raouR

Coul,ru..rtcrrtoNs Gazrrrr. . .

Dnrruxc

page

224

22s

228

229

229

231

231

232

/-i 5

234

poge

235

252

2s3

255

258

258

262

262

265

269

Editor:

Treasurer:

Assistanl Editor:

Sub-Editor:

Secretary and Typist:

Business, Product ion ancl

Adver t i se me nt Manager :

Lieutenant-Commander J. H. Err-rs

Lieutenant-Commander G. FxouoSub-Lieutenant R. K. Davrs

Second Officer D. SrrlrnLRO M. J. Aoa.us

Mr. EDcAR Srncounr, 44 Abbots Ride, Farnham, Surrey.

CONTRIBUTIONS

Al t MSS, photographs and cartoons should be sent to the Editor. These will be returned to the senderonly if asked for and responsibility for them cannot be accepted by the Editor. Contributions for theWinter 1969 edition must be in the Editor's hands by lst November and bulk orders by l0th November 1969,Subscription Rates are as follows'.For the whole year 116 post free For each issue .. 3l- post free

BULK ORDERS (2 copies or more) from commands, ships or establishments,216 per copy,post free.The magazine is published at Easter, Summer and Christmas. Orders are normally postedduring the lst week of April, August and December. The closing date for articles is the lstMarch, lst July and lst November.Cheques/Postal Orders should be made payable to and sent to:

The Treasurer, THr CouuuxrcAToR, HMS Mercury, East Meon, near Petersfield, Hants.This address should also be used for placing orders.

All other correspondence should be addressed to the Editor at the same address.

PUBLISHED AT HMS .,MERCURY''

223

THE COMMUNICATORThe Magazine of the Communications Branch, Royal ftlavy

and the Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society

SUMMER 1969 VOL.19, No, s

CONTENTS

Drnrcron or NnvlL SrcNlr-s

Lrrrgns to tHr Eot'ron

Oun MnN rN rne MooRrcnr Our op JorNr

RponcnNrslrroN or'O' SscrroN

LrNrlo Cor'.rpnlsson eNo ExpnNoon

A DaY rN rnr Lrru or l RrotoSuprnvtson

Bnrcrwooo Frrro-GuN CouprrrrloN 1969

THr OnEsr MrNSuuvpn Cnosswono

page

Snrp-SuonrNrws .. 235

CorutllrssroxrNc Fonrcesr 252

Gonc rnr RouNos rN Mrncunv 253

Prx Ponrurr-CRS Lrws 255

RN CoruvuNrc,rrroxs Csrrrs' AssocrauoN 258

WRNS NEws. 258

RNR . .. 262

HrpeurrcHuuoun .. 262

CovrrauNrcrrroNs Cnzrtrr 265

DurnNc 269

page114

225

228

229

229

231

231

232

l5 5

234

Editor:

Treqsurer:

Assistant Editor:

Sub-Editor:

Secretary and Typisl:

Business, Product ion and

Advert i se me nt M anager :

Lieutenant-Commander J. H. EnrsLieutenant-Commander G. FnouoSub-Lieutenant R. K. DAvIs

Second Officer D. SrnrnLRO M. J. Aortras

Mr. EDGAR Srncolrnr, 44 Abbots Ride, Farnham, Surrey.

CONTRIBUTIONS

All MSS, photographs and cartoons should be sent to the Editor. These will be returned to the senderonly if asked for and responsibility lor them cannot be accepted by the Editor. Contributions for theWinter 1969 edition must be in the Editor's hands by lst November and bulk orders by 10th November 1969,Subscription Rates are as fitllows:For the whole year 716 post free For each issue .. .. 3l- post free

BULK ORDERS (2 copies or more) from commands, ships or establishments, 2/6 per copy,post free.The magazine is published at Easter, Summer and Christmas. Orders are normally postedduring the lst week of April, August and December. The closing date for articles is the lstMarch, lst July and lst November.ChequesiPostal Orders should be made payable to and sent to:

The Treasurer, TUE CounuNICAToR, }{MS Mercury, East Meon, near Petersfield, Hants.This address should also be used for placing orders.

All other correspondence should be addressed to the Editor at the same address.

PUBLISHED AT HMS ..MERCURY''

223

MCAPTAIN D. A. POYNTER, CVO, MBE, ROYAL NAVY

DIRECTOR OF NAVAL SIGNALS194G1947 Qualified in Signals. 1957-1959 SCO to CINCEASTLANT.

1941-1948 Signal Officer, Hli{S London. 1960 JSSC.

1948-1950 Flag Lieutenant and SCA to FO2 ilc FES 1960-1962 Executive Ofiicer, HMS lerror.1950 Radio Adviser, RAE. 1962 Promoted Captain.

1950-1952 SCO to F6, HMS Lot:h lnsh. 1962-1963 Chief Signal Olicer to C-in-C FE.

1952-1954 SCO to FOMA. 1963-1966 Deput!' Director of Naval Signals.

1954-1955 O i/c coMCEN, Malta. 1966 SOWC.

1955 Promoted Commander. 1966--1969 -f)efence, Naval, Military and Air Attache

1955-1957 Commander (C), ASWE. Saniiagc'r (Chile) and Quito (Ecuador).

224

LETTERS TOCoucrN.

Gtsn.qL.ran.t)ear Sir.

The Communicators job these days like all otherbranches is becoming increasingll' more complex andalthough more automated still rcquires competent andskilled operators to cope n'ith the various aspects ofthe job. One would have thought that as the jobincreased in scope, training Iikewise would have beenbroadened and increased to keep pace with thechanges. and the operalors of today should be evenbetter trained and equipped to do the job than theold type of Communicator ever was. This. however.doesn't seem to be the case, and although I am forchange rvhen necessary, I thirrk we have reached thedangerous stage now where rve expect operators tobe self-taught practically up ro the RS rate. Thedepartmental results of the training policy over thelast few years is even now being felt by most staflsand what I leel is even worse is that eventually whenthe modern communicator becomes eligible forsenior rates course we will again have to lou,er thegeneral standard of knowledge because we haven't.through adequate training, prepared him for what is avery stiff course, Are we really being fair to thesepeople and indeed to ourselves who expect even morefrom them today?

The years betw'een JRO and LRO are ol course thevital ones fot training purposes and determine thetype of senior rares we will end up with eventually.br.rt all we offer the operator is a lO-week courseduring this period. After initial training onwards(except for specialisat.ion course) the operator has totrain himself and one is constarrtly reading in CTMsthat 'there is not enough time to cover a subjectproperly at the signal schools', and here I thinklies one of the basic laults with the svstem. We shouldunderstand that:

(a) instructing is an art and, like teaclring inschools. requires qualified people. We u'ronglyassume that all Petty Oticers can teach theirsubjects so the young operators knowledgesuffers as a result;

(b) self-study to the extent necessary today'is veryhard and coupled with (a) above, inrposesunnecessary restrictions on thc operatorschances ofadvancement, and ifdespite this he isadvanced. his standard of knowledge is notcompatible with his responsibilities;

(c) this is probably more important under thepresent policy:staffs don't have the time toadequately train these people;

we do alter all offer them a career in communicationsso they expeci the necessary courses. One solution isto hold fleet board type specialist examinalions, re-introduce the LRO course and lengthen the RS course.The answer to this may well be that is not enoughtime to fit the course in. But why not? Thcre are evenless ships-establishments these days and staff comple-ments on average get smaller all the time.

THE EDITORHaving said all that one cannot help noticing

today how even the basic operating skills are dis-appearing. Operators unable to operate a morsecircuit at workable speeds, unable to teletype again atrvorkable speeds, Wrens unablc to do straight forwardcrypto. These are the ver),'fundamental skills of a goodoperator but the standards are getting dangerouslyItlw.

Have a .look at the present passing percentagesrequired in these subjects and remember these areusually the maxinrum the operator can obtain andrhis only for a short duration to pass the examination.Put them on a circuit and watch speed/accuracy dropconsiderably. Watch the average typist's speed todaycompared s,ith the speed of hisiher examinationresults and you u,ill see what I mean. These basicskills are not obsolete yet as a very large staffed shipthis comcen worked recently found out, when shecould not put a good morse operator on the circuit, athing unheard oi a couple of years ago" (This modebeing her only means ol transmission at the time.)To overcome this we have to accept that regardless ofwhatever speed we teach to, in practice the operatorwill revert to his/her own 'comfortable level' whichwill always be less than the maximum they have beentaught to. At present the speed is 30 wpm typing butin practice it's probably nearer 15-20 wpm, so, if thetraining was to 50 wpm would not the operator's levelbe 30 wpm ? The same for morse, train them to 25wpm and the *orking level should increase and whatis more important today, they should retain the skills.These are just a few examples, ol course, but theprinciples appl5' to the many other subjects taught.

Crn the subject of Wrens training. anyone workingu.ith them lately will be aware of a definite lowering ofstandards of knowledge and abilities due to theprescnt policy. and in some cases subjects have beendropped completely from the course, but still they aredrafted to stafls where they are expected to work atthese subjects. They are increasingly replacing theirmale counterparts but are not being trained to do soand the whole system suffers. A Wren is equal at thejob ashore as a male if she is trained and my remarksabove are relevant to both sexes in their respectivefields. To sum up. I would suggest:

(s) give thc candidates for adrancement the benefitof courses.

(b) teach to a higher level of knowledge than atpresent! by qualified instructors"

(c) stop cramming subjects into too short a time,after all, we set the pace,

Yours faithfully,RS(G) P. Drv

'1.**

FoRr Blocrurousr.Dear Editor.

HMS Ambuslr has still, at the time of writing, a4-inch gun. The Flag Officer Submarines is, of course,Vice-Admiral M. P. Pollock, CB, IvtVO, DSC.

225

Certain Celestial Ratings were recently the victims ofPapal Reversion, having lailed to maintain com-munication continuously over the centuries; amongstthem St Barbara. The following signals resulted:From SMI to FOSM info Ambuslt ExcellentUnclas. l PAPAL DECREES ARE BROADCAST

WITH EASEIN THE DAYS OF WIRELESS AND

TELLYST BARBARA'S DEMISE WE VIEW

WITH UNEASEBUT AMBUSH HAS FIRE IN HER

BELLY2. STEADY THE GUARDFrom FOSM to SMI Ambush ExcellentUnclas. 1. ST BARBARA'S DEMISE

NOT A PLEASANT SURPRISENOW MAKES HER A GUNNERY.LOCAL'

SO AMBUSH'S BELLYNEED NOT TURN TO JELLYFOR BARBARA'S DEATH IS NOT

TOTAL2. PAPAL DEFINITION OF 'LOCAL': QUOTE

TO BE VENERATED ONLY IN SELECTEDAREAS UNQUOTE

From HMS Excellent to SM1 info FOSM AmbushUnclas. l. THERE ARE THOSE I KNOW

IN THE WORLD DOWN BELOWWFIO REGARD THE MARK 52 AS

QUAINTBUT MANY WILL WISHTHEY HAD MORE THAN JUST FISHWHEN YOUR GUNLAYERS FOLLOWOUR SAINT

2. THE WORSHIP OF SAINT I]ARBARA IS OFCOURSE ONLY OPTIONAL OUTSIDEWHALE ISLAND

Yours sincerely,R' L' CoPP

Flotilla Communication Officer

*****

GCHQ.Oerr-ev, Cselrrr.rtlau, Gloucrsrpn.

Dear Sir,COMMUNAL DEPARTMENT RATING

1. Having recently completed a commissionaboard Eaglc rvhere I was the CommunicationsDepartment Regulator, I am flrmly convinced thata need for a Communal Department Rating exists.The present system is unpopular amongst bothsenior and junior ratings for the following reasons:

a At present juniors are not allou'ed to docommunal duties, and the employment ofOrdinary rates is very much frowned upon.This leads to the situation whereby a ratinghaving been fully trained, and therefore ofuse to his particular department, has to go offand scrub or hump for a three month period.R.atings in the Communal Party can. and

226

often are spared 1o, read practical erercises.but from erperience I have gained. not with-out frequent chasing from the rating in chargeof the department. and sometimes a littlenausea. Very honest is the senior rating whosends everyone in the department in strictrotation. and how many ratings miss theirturn because they are 'my brightest rating'?Indeed. is it fair to send a first class ratewhen juniors do not go ? Unpleasantness canand sometimes does occur within departmentsthrough some ratings being held back whilstothers go round the buoy.

b It is possible under the present system, apartfrom the point raised in a above, for manyratings to complete their naval engagementwithout doing a communal party stint, whena permutation is made from age, advance-ment, draft to shore. foreign shore etc.

c Every department at present attempts to shirkits communal party responsibilities. Cries of'down on complement' are heard all too oftenfrom officers and senior ratings. Those whobelieve in such phrases as 'do him good' or'send so-and-so again' should remember thata rating's career is being played with.

d Reliefs are sometimes required for Com-munal Party ratings proceeding on leave. Thisnormally occurs when ship husbandry in adepartment is proceeding at a fast pace in aDED,

e How many man-hours are wasted at all levelsdeciding which department does what, where,and when during a ship's commission?

2. A11 the above points are relevant to every de-partment within a ship, and not just to the Com-munication Department alone. I propose that thefollowing would please most people:

a General(1) At present many ratings are being refused

entrance to the Royal Nalry because theydo not possess the necessary academicqualifications, and these are the people1rvilh others so desiring) who could berecruited as General Purpose ratings.Shouts from the iiberals of'slave labour'will have to be heard, so engagements ofsay three or five years could be offered.

(2) The Navy would lose little if they do notre-engage as they would require littletraining, Shorter engagements could beused in an argument about less pay dueto Iower standard etc.. if so desired byMOD.

b Advancement Structure(1) Basic training. NBCD, Ship Husbandry

(to include paint application, glifting andgleeming etc), First Aid (as these ratingscould be used as First Aid Parties atAction Stations), and basic maintenanceof domestic machinery used onboard.

Advancement to Able Rate would bepurely on a time in Ordinary Rate basis.

Leading Hands eramination apart froma higher standard in the subjects taken intraining. could consist of questions set bySupply Department, eg, storage of pro-visions, naval stores, etc.

Petty Oflicer and Chief Petty Officer inthe branch could be by further examina-tions, time basis. or recommendation, andthey would become CIPO of Messdecks/Dining Halls.

(5) Should a rating prove to be wortl.ry of(SD) opportunity, this rating on promo-tion apart from becoming I st Lt assistant(Messdecks). could also take over manyextraneous duties at present undertakenby Specialist Officers, eg. laundry officer,mail o{ficer, sports officer, SRE officer, etc.

(6) Opportunities should also be ollered forthese ratings to qualify as butchers.typists and nonsub rates open to otherbranches such as Shallow Water Diver.Also perhaps. there may be a recluire-ment to train men as professional laundryratings if Chinese laundry crews are with-

drawn in the future.3. To conclude. I realise that there may be flawsin mv proposals whicl-r are slightly far reaching,but resentment of the present system is felt invirtually every ship, and something should bedone to leave the trained rating free to do the jobhe is borne for and continue an uninterruptedcareer. Finally, I would have been been loathe todo communal duties if they had been in operationwhen I was a Telegraphist.

Yours faithfully,A. D. Bowex,

(cRS(W)

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22'7

--

OUR MAN IN THE MODby CRS(W) Lowthe

D.N.S. The initial letters which conjure up varyingpictures, depending on how Iong you've been in theService. I mr"rst admit that whenever I've heard that anofficer had been appointed olt the Staff of the DirectorNaval Signals, I used to think to myself, that B--'son a good loaL The 'Bowler'at' brigade. Mit brielcase and brolly. Somer.vhat similar to Macbeth'switches, all round a cauldron of bubbling com-municators.

Double double toil and trouble;Fire burn and cauldron bubble,Ears of a sparker ache,In the cauldron boil and bakc:Lights of a bunting, and semaphore flags,Hide ol Chief. and confidential bags,Sy'mbols of morse, and instructions for ode,We of DNS can double the load.For a charm of powerlul troubleLike a hell broth boil and bubble.

One doesn't mind being rudely awakened, but,when one's cherished dreams are completely shattered,that's the limit. The main building of the Ministry ofDefence is in Whitehall. It has trvo entrances, one inRichmond Terrace. the other in Horse GuardsAvenue. Giving no more than a casual glance at thetwo giant misshapen nude statues above the entrances,one is more likely to believe they are entering theMinistry of Pornography, as opposed to the hallowedhalls containing the Gnomes of Defence. C)nce inside,the whole place seems to be a maze of passages, therebeing no abundance of pubs and naval tailors fromr.r'hich to take my bearings, I still find it difficult tonavigate round Britain's answer to the Pentagon.The present director, Captain Pope (now' a RearAdmiral) has his staff and olices on the first floor.Seventeen officers in all, each one rvith a specialresponsibility, and they are backed b1'up a clericalstaff ol twelve. This seems a lot but. believe me. the1,are certainly kept busy.

In my first two weeks on the stalf, i began to seethat there is a lot more to running a Navy than I'dever reaiised. especially rrow that the Services areworking in close liaison with each other under thesame roof. For instance, if the Navy wish to makechanges to a particular RNi'WT station. the Army andRAF have to get in on the act. They can either makeit easy or difficult. The Headquarters Defence Com-munication Network have to be consulted then, insome cases, NATO. As most communication betweenolfices is done on paper. you can start to imagine thework entailed, or can you'l I couldn't at first. Next,the Director General of Dockyards and Maintenancehas to give his approval. The people who do the cost-ing, want in, then the man who holds the purse string.Meeting after meeting, more papcr work, dockets andfiles begin to mount up. It still haffies me how anyonecan tie a great mountain of paper together and saywith conviction that the project in question has beencarried through to a successful completion. Every-

228

body who is an,v.'body pr-rts their remarks and signatureon the circulating dockets and files. Although I'm stillrvaiting for the commissionaire to throw his tnppencehalfpenny' worth in, I'm keeping my tingers crossed.Because of this paper work, and penny-pinching civiiservants, ulrose fingers control the purse strings, is itany rvonder that from the rime an idea to purchaseneu'equipment goes on paper the time delay can beanything fronr tuo to five years') Hence, by the time1,.,ou have your lovely' rrew equipment fitted I t'sobsolete-Great !l I

When il'e hear the Navy estimates, we immediatelythink of a pay rise. These estinrates are of course themajor factor dictating yea or nal/ to naval require-ments. Depending on what priority a project has, willdetermine ',vhich particular year's estimate will ac-count for it. Signals lN is the cryplic title of my boss.Commander Jessop. (Depending on when this goesto print-Captain Jessop.) His particular responsi-bility is point-to-point communications. This probablydoesn't sound much, but, sit and think about it.Should this slation be n-rodernised, is it required post'71.72, 73, ad infinitum. Can rve close that station'lWhat happens when we withdraw from east of Suez'lWill Mauritius be able to cope, when Singaporecloses'l What shall ue do with the equipment inSingapore ? What is required wherr satellite communi-cations get into fuil swing') What permanent shorefacilities will be required for satellite working')

Run down Hongkong, what shall we do aboutMalta? Build up Hor-rgkong, modernise Malta? Whatis the government policy' abroacl'l

'Chief '.'Yes sir'.'Fetch my crystal ball fronr the safe, and would you

just sort out the telegraph landline schedule'.'Yes sir, can I leave the telegraph lines until to-

morrow. lt's half past five'.'What do you want, a make-n-mend l'Although my dreams have been shattered, I console

ml.sell with the thought that really nothing haschanged. Them B---.'s are still on a quiet number.I'm still doing all the rvork. The only difference is, Inick the boss's brolly', and practise swinging it roundand round. To date I'm still a novice. Briefcase, well.that's easy. The -Bowler 'at is the snag. Malbe it'sbecause I've worn ear phones for too long. Outside ofstretching my arkers, or devising a special gadget, Ijust can't seem to manage one. I always end up in thedark. Stilll a bowlegged cricket is worse off than me.I volunteered for the job.

BELT AND BRACESExtract irom a Reseulement Bulletin seeking staff

for the MOD Defence Communication Centre."Whilst this system is 1\lly automatic, it cannotoperate entirely' on its own , . .'

RIGHT OUT OF JOINTby 'Racoon'

The Major cleared his throat, stroked his luxuriantmoustache and spoke.

'Good morning, gentlemen. As Chairman it is mypleasure to welcome you two representatives from theRoyal Navy and the Royal Air Force to this jointplanning conference for Operation SOAK AWAY.My name is Major Largeboot and perhaps I may bepermitted to say at this point that, although a BrownJob, I did atter.rd the Royal Air Force Staff College, soI have a keen inter-Service outlook.'

'Well, that is rather strange, in fact,' said the Lieut-enant-Commander. 'My name is Anchorage, but Itoo have external connections, so to speak, since I didin fact attend the Staff College at Camberley.'

'Shiver my timbers !' exclaimed the SquadronLeader, shifting a quid of tobacco from one side ofhis mouth to the other. 'Strange indeed. My name isWingspan and though, ofcourse, you have no way ofguessing it, I attended the Staff Course at Greenwich.'

'Bang on!'said Largeboot. 'I'm sure it will make theworld of difference to our joint work here today. Nowto business. Operation SOAK AWAY.'

'l think it might save a lot of time, in fact,' saidAnchorage, briskly, 'if I tell you chaps now that Ihave in fact already worked out the problem. It'squite simple, actually. Two up, bags of smoke, regula-tion pause oftwo three and hit them for six right in theFDLs. Then neutralise, harass and destroy themwith the 105s and finish up by dominating no man'sland.'

'Belay there!' said Squadron Leader Wingspan.'Don't you feel that is perhaps a bit excessive? Irather favoured a landing party from HMS Docft-l|orl/r/. Nothing quite like twenty pairs of bell-bottoms to quieten the place down. Pick-helves, ofcourse, and then if that doesn't work, a platoon ofRoyals with a string band, followed by a footballmatch against the locals in the afternoon.'

'Wizard, old chap!' said Major Largeboot. 'Butboth of you have forgotten the ground support. NowI was thinking in terms of a squadron of HuntersMark 6, 12U.E., with Decant Nav-Attack Head-UpDisplays to do the trick. With a bit of top cover andflak suppression thrown in, I reckon that, usingSNEB from 1,200 feet, there's a 17i4 probabilityof causing 50 ){ casualties to a platoon of infantry dugin with 0il overhead cover.'

Wingspan looked interested. 'Really?' he said.'Never knew that.'

'Let's cut out the frills and get down to detail,' saidAnchorage impatiently. 'First of all, morale must behigh and admin. good. There's no point in our dis-cussing high-flown mathematics if Private Snooks onhis flat feet hasn't got his blankets and overcoats. Howare they going to be brought up?'

'LPD, of course,' said Squadron Leader Wings-pan. 'It so happens that I've got the charts here withme-we can get to within 5 miles of the coast whenthe monsoon is from the Nor-Nor-West and chopperthem in.'

'Just not cost-effective enough, old boy,' exclaimedMajor Largeboot. 'You can get 931,123 greatcoats io aC5A. Land on a football field. Twenty-eight landingwheels, you know.'

'Look,' said Lieutenant-Commander Anchoragesharply. 'I'm not interested in your technicalities whenmy soldiers are cold and hungry. You Blue Jobs areall the same. No doubt the first thing you'll want to dowhen you land is crawl into your bunks and rest for19 hours.'

'You're adopting a very single-Service viewpointon this, old boy,' said Major Largeboot. 'Typicalof the Army. All gummed up with tradition andgaiters. I suppose you'll be wanting the Mess Silverflown in next. You're a disgrace to the colour of youruniform.'

Lieutenant-Commander Anchorage fl ushed, pickedup his papers and moved towards the door.

'I shall deem it my duty to report your non-co-operative attitude to my General-Rear-AdmiralGannett,' he said, and walked out of the room.

There was a moment's silence. 'Well, there's athing!' said the Squadron Leader. 'Terrible howblinkered some chaps can get. Suppose we'd betteradjourn, Largeboot. How about a rum below decks?'

REORGANISATION OF.O' SECTION

Years ago radio-organisation/GCl and crypto weretaught as separate subjects in two sections, headed byofficers known as Wl and C1. C1 was swallowed up inthe rush to move into Dreadnought Block some fouryears ago, and an enormous 'O' section emerged.Since then the processes of evolution, especially withthe advances in automatic message routeing, and on-line cryptography, have proved that 'O' section is thebetter for deflning more clearly its responsibilities forRadio Organisation, AT (meaning all forms of AT,whether by covered or uncovered radio or landlinecircuits) and Crypto.

From June 30, 01 will be responsible for theteaching of all RN, NATO and Joint Communica-tion Radio Organisation, and their practical applica-tion (eg, Joint Communication Exercises), whilst 02assumes the title of ATl with responsibility for theteaching of all RN, NATO and joint procedures,whether on-line or off-line, and for on-line keyingsystems and offJine cryptosystems. (The technicalinstruction of on-line equipments remains the respon-sibility of T section.)

In summary this reorganisation places into aseparate section subjects which are required to beknown by all three sub specialisations. The two halvesof 'O' Section are as follows, with the o1d titles shownin brackets:

Ol I RN,NATO and Joint02 (O5) | Communications Radio03 (06) .J Organisations.ATI (o2.) I RN, NATO and Joint ATAT2 (O4) | Procedures, On-line keyingAT3 (O3) J systems and oflJine cryptosystems.

a)o

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230

LINKED COMPRESSOR ANDEXPANDOR (LTNCOMPEX)

by CRS Fuller

Commercial HF radio telephone is used extensivelyby merchant ships, but not, on the whole, by HMships. An exception to this is the Royal Yacht, whichis often called upon to provide instant telephoneconnection from anywhere to anywhere, but mostfrequently from sea to the United Kingdom. Inplanning the recent royal tour to South Americaconsiderable care was devoted to this subject forseveral reasons. Firstly, there is no local radio tele-phone service in Brazil; secondly, the internal tele-phone system of Brazil leaves much to be desired.and calls outside Brazil (i.e. to UK) are often unsatis-factory. Thirdly, the east coast of South America iswell known as a difficult area for radio communica-tions.

It was decided, in the event correctly, that the mostreliable method of achieving telephone calls to theUK would be by the normal HF SSB service directftom Britannia to the GPO HF Radio TelephoneTerminal at Baldock, in Hertfordshire, using theCable and Wireless station at Barbados as an alter-native. However, it was considered doubtful that thiswould, under varying propagation conditions, alwaysprovide the quality and reliability required, and so theGPO loaned Britannia a device they have developedcalled LINCOMPEX.

Recent developments in long distance communica-tion such as satellites, have overshadowed therequirement for HF. However, the GPO regard HFcompetitive with cable and satellite services. Verybroadly, the requirement is to improve the qualityof the HF circuit by reducing the effects ol noise andfading to the point where the subscriber does notknow if he is connected by lirre or radio. LIN-COMPEX goes far towards achieving this objective.

LINCOMPEX operates as follows. The speech iscompressed to a sensibly-constant amplitude, thecompressors acting at almost the syllabic rate ofspeech. The compressor control current modulates aseparate control signal, which is conrbined with thecompressed speech and transmitted over a nominal 3

kHz bandwidth channel. At the receiver, the controlsignal is separated from the speech signal and bothare amplified to a constant level. The control signalis then used to set the expander gain, thus restoringthe original variations of speech signal amplitude.Because the speech output level at the receiver dependssolely on the frequency of the control signal, which isdirectly related to the input level at the transmitter,the overall system loss or gain can be maintained at aconstant value. The effect to the subscriber is of a cir-cuit almost unnaturally free ofinterference and fading,and at worst a slight artificiality of the speech, thoughnot enough to prevent voices being easily recognised.

As long as the control signal is free of interferenceLINCOMPEX will make a 'commercial' circuit outof what would, without it, be a very poor and noisy

circuit with considerable fading. The GPO have foundthat rather than the improved circuit conditions withLINCOMPEX enabling business to be concludedmore quickly, the subscribers have found speech soeasy and have become so relaxed that the averagelength of calls has increased. In Britannia, it is true tosay that several successful calls were made usingLINCOMPEX over circuits which otherwise wouldhave made coherent conversation impossible.

The LINCOMPEX, which is all transistorised andrequires virtually no adjustment after initial settingup, was used with a Marconi NT 201 transmitter,the commercial forerunner of the Type 640, whichwas eminently satisfactory. The snags come on thereceive side, where a very high degree of frequencyaccuracy and stability is required, since only twocycles off tune causes a signal reduction of 1 dB.Britannia used a CJK with a RA 121 sidebandadaptor in lieu of the RA 218 adaptor, since the RAl2I incorporates an automatic frequency control.However, the stability of the CJK was insufficient tomaintain a rveak variable signal within the limits ofthe A.F.C. and some difficulty was experienced.

LINCOMPEX is already used on several point topoint GPO circuits, and has been fitted in severalmerchant ships, includine the QE2 and it is reportedthat the South African Navy may be fitting it in theirships. It is unlikely to be fitted in the RN as it isincompatible with the speech secrecy equipment,and is too expensive to install for commercial tele-phone calls only, but try it on your next trip in theQE2 t!

A DAY IN THE LIFB OF ARADIO SUPERVISOR

Reproduced by kind permission of the Editor of HMSEagle's underground journal 'Weigh Out'

What a beautiful day-the sun is dancing on thewavelets, cascading into a million diamond droplets;the sea so blue it could also be Mediterranean. Is thatLossie yonder nestling under snow capped mountains ?

Ah, the freshness, the quiet simple beauty of it all.'Git out the bleedin' way-we want to wash down'.So much for my post-breakfast drop of ireshers. Butanother day au,aits and there is work to do.

Down to the office below-dramatic entrance.Ditch the watchkeeper's copy of Tnr Tlmr.s, touch upa few Receivers that may or may not have been offtune. Make a switch or two on the control desk thatexperience has taught me will not disrupt com-munications. Pick the office up for a scrub out,organise a mini Operation Thimblehunt to find thegreenie whose screwdriver I nicked last week.(Transpires that he hasn't missed it yet, so hide itaway again.) Give him stick for being a greenie andgo down the mess to pull a packet of fags prior togoing up top. Salute Chiefy baby, give him half adozen fags, give the RSOW stick then see ifI can con.the Chief Yeoman out of his tot. Having wastedfifteen minutes thus, and having picked up the

231

buntings for being thick, remember that I haveforgotten to knuckle the OD. Sparkers who wouldthink that something was seriously arniss if over-looked. Remedred. Go up to see Sir, whimpering andsnivelling appropriately. When asked why such andsuch is not speaking, issue forthwith a very longsentence including as many expressions like; Freqsep,Radhaz, double knock, offset, propagation, inconl-patibility, push-pull, filter curve, greenies fault, etc..and ending with 'Well Sir, what can you expect withARMY/RAF/WAAFOOS/RFAs/ANOTHER SHIPat the other endll'

Extinguish the flames that I have been shot downin, and go out onto the funnel deck. Make sure thatthe Morning watchmen have washed down thoroughly,thus ensuring a good earth. Feed the goofers rice forgetting sterile under or next to the aerials. (It's notthat I really r-nind them sterilising themselves at ourexpense, but I do take exception when the transmittedpower from the aerial dissipates into their idle bodiesinstead of into the Ionosphere.) Give the Golly shopa miss as it's coming up for longweekenders and theyjust might lose my ticket if I sharpen them up.Standeasy already ? Down to the mess: No cups leftagain. Kick the greenies to death for put(ing the snatchon the cups and for still being greenies. Drip all overthe Fairies because there is no mail again today. Ignoretheir plaintive pleas for clemency because they belongto a fixed wing squadron. Shake the Yeoman, tell theseaman that there is a RAS scheduled for 0100tomorrow morning, tell everyone else that the shipwill now return to Cuzz and not Pompey as planned.Wait till the bubbly comes up, then lash the messmenup to the Pres's tot. See it off Wings. Ask Florriewhat the GL on his badge stands for, then dash downto the dining hall to see ifyou can get an early lunch.As the doorway is jammed solid with gash daymenand NAAFI staff, forget it. Ask them tough if I cansee their cruise tickets and enquire whether they havethe afternoon watch or not. This is guaranteed toproduce an instant reaction. Lunchtime eventually, Iremove the cotton wool from my ears-making surethat I sit next to a GI so that I can enjoy a stimulatingdiscussion on surrealist art forms whilst I eat.

If the author survives this will be continued . . .

BRICKWOODFIELD.GUN COMPETITION 1969

This year is the 70th anniversary of the siege ofLadysmith. What on earth has this to do with theBrickwood Field-gun competition, held annually at}Jl|rdS Excellent, Whale Island? It is a long andinteresting story, that you may like to hear.

During the South African war in the latter part ofthe l9th century, the British fell back on the townswhilst the Boer Commandos ruled the countryside,invested the towns, and brought some big guns tobear to the discomfort of the besieged. The Captainof HMS Powerful in Simonstown conceived the idea

232

of getting his secondary armament of 4.7 inch gunsashore. The dockyard lurned ollt gun carriages to hisdesign in a fortnight, shipped them to Durban. un-Ioaded two 4.7 inch guns and a batch ol quick-firingmedium range 12 pounders and boarded the trainwhich reached Ladysmith at noon. A 4.7 inch gun wasunloaded and brought to bear with effect in one hour,the third round knocked out the long range Boer gunmenacing the town. The siege lasted I 19 days and byskillully conserving ammunition, enough remainedfor a fusillade of shots to pepper the departing Boersas they withdrew before General Buller's relievingforce.

After the relief, and two telegrams to GeneralsWhite and Buller, Queen Victoria singled out theNaval Brigade for a special congratulatory telegram.The naval brigade of 750 ratings and Royal Marinesfought with distinction in several parts of the countrywith 4.7 inch guns lrom HM Ships PowerJul, Terribleand others. On return the crew of Powerful ran a 4.'7inch gun through the arena at the Agricultural Hallat Islington in the 1900 Royal Tournament and wasgreeted with wild enthusiasm by the public. They ranthe gun through the streets of London to WaterlooStation on their vvay back to Portsmouth. In 1907the Captain of HMS Excellent instituted the Brick-woods Field Gun Competition and the BrickwoodBrewery donated the splendid trophy.

The 1969 competition found the Mercury teams ina very good position and they trained with highspirits. On Monday June 30, the rrvo teams, formedfrom nerv entry and ships' company volunteers, ablytrained by RS Sleight and CPO(GI) Broadhurst, andaccompanied by some 120 supporters arrived at HMSExcellent. The new entry team, or 'B' crew as it hadbecome known, ran first. Although they didn't wintheir heat, they returned a satisfacrory time of oneminute forty-six seconds, third to HMS Collingwood'sone minute thirty-nine seconds. Mercury 'A' teamwere drau,n to run in the third heat, and they ransecond to Collingttood's first team, *,ith a time of oneminute forty point two seconds. This was a commend-able time and fast enough to qualify them for thefinal as one of the five fastest times returned in theheats. The opposition was formidable. Both Colling-wood '1.' and 'B' teams had qualified, as also hadDaedalus 2nd team. The lourth team was Dryad whowith Mercury were the outsiders. The final was startedby the Royal Marine bugler sounding the advanceand the liring of a thunderflash. All five teams racedaway, and slowly but surely the Mercury team pulledaway from the others. The team were well ahead in thefinal action, and only flfty yards from home, whenonce again, for the second year running, misfortuneovertook them. A cartridge was mishandled causinga delay of some seconds, and allowing Collingvtood'snumber one team to romp home in the fastest time ofthe evening.

Once again Mercury has let the elusive BrickwoodTrophy slip through their fingers. It wasn't the faultof bad training. A big vote of thanks must be given

to RS Sleight for all the effort and spare tlme that heso freely gave to the training of the teams, and toCPO Broadhurst for his valuable assistance to boththe teams, and so our thoughts must turn to theperfection of each crewman's actions. However, ifthe enthusiasm of the members of HMS Mercurycontinues to produce such staunch teams, then it canonly be a matter of time before we can expect to see

that magnificent trophy being carried into theestablishment on the shoulders of a successful team.

THE OBESE MENby Sub-Lieut J, T. Hudson

Not since the grand days of the Roman orgies hasthere been so much food eaten by the privileged few.lf we could exchange all our excess lbs for currencypounds then we would certainly have no balance ofpayments crisis. It is estimated (by the writer) thatover 60 percent of the Royal Navy is overweight.(This decision was arrived at by taking a good lookat a cross section of the people around him, and thena quick estimate of their weight against what theircorrect weight should be.) It is agreed that thismethod is not foolproof, but then what methods are ?

A quick look at your own figure and weight againstheight should be evidence that I do not speak with a

forked tongue. Once it was fashionable to be fat, incertain parts of the world fatness is a sign of beauty,but our witch-doctors now inform us that we shortenour lives if we carry too much surplus. This if coursemust be true, a man would be a fool if he carried asack of bricks around with him day and night, but is

this not the case of the overweight person?How can we justify this carrying of all these surplus

lbs, what answer can we give the poor old heart whenit asks 'How much longer are you going to make mework like this ?' The answer is simple-'As from thetime I read this article I intend to reduce your workload'. The heart will then reply, 'Good I will allowyou to live another ten years'. Having decided thatfatness is not fitness, what is the best way of losingthose extra lbs? There is only one sure method oflosing weight and that is to cut down on the amountof high calorie food which you eat. Exercise is nohelp, The high calorie foods are beer, potatoes, nutty,biscuits, bread, etc. It's easy, all you have to do is tostop eating and drinking these items, that's not diffi-cult is it?

Aim to lose about two lbs per week, and onlyweigh yourself once a week. I am certain if youendeavour to lose weight and succeed you will notonly feel fitter, but will almost certainly look better,and furthermore think of all that extra pension youwill collect by living that extra ten years.

APOLOGYTo Lieut J. M. Gawley for once again hoiding his

article on 'Hockey Umpiring' over because olpressure on space.

His savings are piling up-are yours?

Provident Life progressive savings scheme and Life Assuranceoffers you, at age of 18, a cash payment of {969 when youlerve the Navy ifter 22 years'service, plus life cover Ior thefamily. For onfy {3 per month-or a pension ol tl95ll2l' ayear at 65-saving and security.

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ASSOCIATION OF LONDONLIMITED ' Founded lSTT

SUMMERAll entries should be addressedNovember l. A prize of ONEcorrect solution found.

CROSSWORDto The Editor, to arrive not later thanGUINEA will be awarded for the first

Down:

1. Flight to swop 200 for 90 in 20 dn. (6)2. Sheep show no such elan at being shorn! (6)3. Ern, traipsing along, loses 20 dn. and makes full

speed. (6)

4, I'm apt to lose a letter at all the best places. (6)

5. Love with half repeated to unravel a clue. (6)

6. Tastes cow there. (4, 5)7. Re-adjust towards the east lor the elder. (5,4)

13. Saved at ten from 18 ac. only to leave a failureto react. (5)

14, A samovar, and tea in it, shows a creature inhidine. (5)

15. The little slate must be the smallest. (5)16. 22 dn. - o! me! o! my! what a muddle at this

stage. (9)

1'l . To nurse us back to health may be 21 dn. (9)20. Regain working order. (2,4)21. The cave it lives in makes it 17 dn. (6)

22. Presumably you did. (6)23. It sounds as if you select it, and receive a stake.

(6)

24. Suitable inscription for a foot? (6)

234

by ANN JEWEL

Across:

l. 'Or sad beside lakes where - are reflectedMaking fires of leaves, your high hopes fallen:'

(C. D. Lewis) (4-6)

8. The foreign king will point out an example tous. (5)

9. Note 20 dn. is twisted for the production. (10)

10. Try as I may I get lost when I 12 ac. (5)

I l. Play baccarat and poker a'l: school and get thecane ! (5)

12. 'Alas, what danger will it be to us,Maids as we are, to - - so lar!'

(As You Like It). (6, 5)

18. Steer it round the dog and 14 dn. (7, 8)

19. Re-repeating l2 ac.? (ll)25. Melt this for 16 dn. (5)

26. Fat is the best outer covering. (5)

?7. The fairy we linli with the creeping plant. (10)

28. But then, nuisance value disguises boredom. (5)

29. Go east at Edinburgh and get into position. (10)

I

I

lo

I

I rl t

I

z

:'

r

SHIP.SHORE NEWS

HMS ANDROMEDAby RO2(T) M. K. Williams

Once more the Gods have decreed it is time for meto write an article for Tur CoulruNrcnron, so here Iam putting pen to paper with my brain ticking overat a steady old plod. Since our last article we havehad some changes to the staff, JRO Connor and JROTaylor leaving ts for Glamorgan and gaining JROSandford. Work-up started at the beginning of Aprilwith a harbour week. The first highJight of this souldestroying six week period was RO2 Ferry Mason'sstag run which took in most ol Weymouth. This runtended to sort out the men from the animals. I wouldlike to take this opportunity in congratulating Mrs.Mason on gaining a new pet. It took most of the staffthe rest of the harbour week to recover. The harbourweek completed, it was time for the work-up to getinto full swing with most of the department in twowatches. There was a sigh of relief from all onreaching our second harbour week for an A.M.P.Runs ashore (what are they) and all-nights-in. Onenight during this period, when setting up a shoresignal station, RO2 Fowler, who was in the seaboat,experienced great dimculty in establishing com-munications with the ship on his 635. It should benoted by those of you who have your glorious restperiod at Portland still to come, that portables workmuch better if, before using them, you ensure thatthey are fitted with batteries.

Heard on the bridge between serials: Signalmanexchange identities with Resource. It was a greatsurprise to the signalman concerned when he receivedthe reply-de Resource-(we must keep the men ontheir toes). One of our juniors gained everlasting famebeing mentioned in FOSTs post-inspection speech.During the inspection it was necessary for the bridgeto receive a direct hit and all bridge personnel to bekilled (brief respite for bridge personnel). When theserial was completed, the Portland staff brought themback to life, all that is except JRO Kinnear who to allintents and purposes was still dead. lt was thenrealised that dead men don't snore, and time towitness a real Portland miracle. Re-incarnation with asize 10 boot.

The work-up completed it was now time to returnto Pompey to give extended weekends to each watchand to give CCY Clayton chance to show appreciationof a switched on, tip top, VS department by treatingthem to a run ashore. That about brings us up to thepresent time. We are at the moment on our way to afortnight in the Baltic, calling first at Gothenburgand then Copenhagen, returning to UK via the KielCanal. On our return we are due to lose yet anotherof our staff, RO2(W) Melvin who is being sent to thegreener pastures of Mercury. We sail for the Far Eastin August calling at Gibraltar for l0 days, where CRS

Grass will be taking the department for a run ashore.From Gibraltar we go to Simonstown to celebrateLRO Tomlinson's birthday on September 23 (absentfriends please note) before starting our Beira Patrol.Once this is completed . . who knows?

HMS AR.K ROYALby LRO(T) Davidson and ROI(T) Pierre

Yes friends the buzz is-the dockies have startedto make things hum around here, and 10 Dock hasnever been such a hive of activity (or since it wasemptied last year and the dockies had a 'FISH-IN').At the moment the MSO is situated in the OperationsOffice, having failed to make a takeover bid for theCommander's Office and Map Store. You see wehave a space problem owing to completion of com-partments and security requirements. But when moreshare holders arrive, no doubt we will move to thosemystic places high above called Flagdeck, Bridge,MCO etc, etc.

Although a good commission is lined vp for the Arkno one is missing anything by not being onboard atthe moment, except perhaps for some of you who,like us, have never had a carrier before and didn'tknow so many windy hammers, drills and bufferscould be operated in unison around one. At presentthe comms staff consists of only us two, LRO(T)George Davidson (SBHMC and MP) (Daily ExpressCrossy January 14, 1969) and ROI(T) Louis Pierre(Daily Mirror Crossy) (FAILED)-(THE UN-CRACKABLES), but we would like to extend awarm welcome to Lt-Cdr Timpson, Lt Clinton, CCYKennedy, CRS Clark and every one whom CND (inits vast wisdom) has decided to draft to the Ark.

If any of you who are joining have ever been on theArk before, then the coming commission should beeven better than all the ones before, as all the accom-modation has been improved and of course we canboast of having Phantoms and Sea King choppers,the like of which has never been beheld before. We'resure in the next 'ISH' we'll have something moreinteresting to write about, so we'll try to 'Keep aGrip' and see you then.

HMS BACCHANTEBy RS J. Rogers

Staff: CY Egan, RS(G) Rogers, LRO(G) Crowe,ROI(W) Burman, RO2(T) MacDiarmid, and RO2(G)McCready (with the buzz that Sub-Lieut Snow willjoin as the SCO).

In an effort to save Their Lordships the trouble ofhaving to rename the ship the HMS WHO ? ? (for thepurpose of telephone conversations at least) wethought an appearanc€ in Tsr Couuurlrcrron mightgo a long way towards enlightening those with whom

235

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we desire to conrmunicate in the near tuture" First.the name-correct pronunciation--BACK ANTI.Absolutely incorrect -BAC SHANTY (plus vari-ants ! ).

HMS Bac<hafile is the 22nd Leander class frigateand is at present building at vickers, Newcastle. Shc.was launched on February 29. 1968 by Lady Tr.viss.wife of the 2nd Sea Lord. For those not conversantwith Greek mythology, the Bacchantes were 'viciouswhen roused', lemale lollowers of Bacchus, god olwine and lertility. With this in mind ive intend to liveup to the reputation gained by otrr illustrious name-sakes. The rame Bucchcmtc first graced the annals ofthe Royal Navy in 1803 wl-ren a l8-gun French lrigateso named u'as captnred and thereafter used as aBritish ship, as \\as the custom of the day. (So r/rar'.rwhy we didn't get into the Conrnron Marketll).Since then the name has been used a further live times:two frigates, a corvette and a cruiser have borne itivith dignity. The nrost recent Bac(hanrc was in factthe Station Hotel in Aberdeen which uas requisitionedin 1939 and kept in commission as a local n.aval HQfor the duration of World War ll.

Exhar"rslive rescarch has been carried out into allavailable records and documents relating to previousBacchantes but no trace can be lor"rnd clf a ship'smotto. We would welcome information and ideaslrom any wor.rld-be historians on this subject. (See

editorial note at the end of this article.) At the time ofwriting we are enjoy'ing a brief sojourn in dr1.' dock 1oeffect some minor repairs. This has p'rloved fortuitousto the ship's company because our dry dock affords afirst class view of the ESSO Northtnthria. the first250,000-ton ship to be built in the UK, and whichwill be launched uhilst we are still in dry dock. C)rr

successful completion of contractors'sea trials we willspend about four nronths having the finat touchesput to the ship and then, after a fond fareu'ell to theflesh-pots of Whitley Bay and Ne*castle, \,,'e steamsouth to Pompey lor testirlg and luning to aboutmid-October.

The ship is due to commission in November lbr aHomeiWest Indies GSC. There is a buzz that we areearmarked to uphold the traditions of the RN as theBritish representa(ive in STANAVFORLANT priorto our stint anrongst the waving palnr trees of theCaribbean. Those of a fainl-hearted disposition onthe staff at Portland are hereby warnetl that we expectto be dorvn there early in the Nov Year, so you haveplenty of time to organise your getawa),. The stalu,artsr,vho remain will have the dubious pleasure of puttingF69 through her paces, a prospect ri'e view withemotions approaching controlled parricll The depart-ment extend a Bocchonte greeting to our SCO Sub-Lieut Snow and assure him that all is rvell and looklorward to hinr joining in August.

(Editor's Note: The BacA Anti hd.t lot .t:et got oship's trtotto but it is utderstood that her Captaitr islooking ittto this rrmtler. T'here ara still o .few, ship.t*'itlrcut ntottos. Attt sure readcr.s will bc interc.rted tokrllt t,hot is linolly* decided for t'lil'tS 'Bucchante'.'.1

HMS BEAGLEb1,LRO(G) M. J. Mellon

I of'ten sit in the office wondering that the hell I'mdoing here. But then I realise that God put me on thisearth to do a job ol some description. In His notebook in His back pocket He had me earmarked to1c'tin Beaglc and run the communications. Mind you,our communicatiolls are al$'ays Reduced SOPs orrbroadcast or CCNs so who can grumble. Beagle is asort of go betrvecn a luxurious 1'acht, with everymodcon inclr.rdirrg a lully automatic launderette . . .

and a uarship. A WARSHIPIIl:who ever heard of an'arship being white and with no armament unlessyou class Sterlings. pistols, and a line-throwing rifle,as armament l I al*'ay's dreanred crl a dashing greyghost firing ear shattering rounds frorn a .15-inch gundirected at a far distant enemy. But here ] am and hereI stay, I hope. to help in my o\vn little way (TideReadings). 10 survey areas in the North Sea.

Once out at sea the cry arises 'Standby for liningup "HIFlX". 'HIFtx"l Am I dreanring'l Whose is it ?,

rnine'1, Chief's'1, the Chief'sl, no, it belongs to thesllrve!'ors. But *hat is it? Onl1, a survcying sparkercan tell. But if I own-ed it I would make a mint by sell-ing it to MECCA tbr a Fandangled Bingo MachinelThat is all it is. A nrachine that reels off figures afterfigures after figures. But aI least T can steer the ship.But rvhat's that I hear?'Set to automatic 294'. Oh, no,is there nothing I can do here? Wait! there is, where'smv morse key, signat pad and transmitter'l Ahlseclusion,'Hague this is Beagle, have 1ou go( a HIFIXor Automatic Pilot?' . So come all ye buddingsurveying sparkers get yoLlr request fornrs in, remem-ber there are lour ol us, Beagle, Bulldog, Fox andFantt. lt CND's crystal ball is your way you may belucky if not . . . there is always the Bi-s 'E'.

HMS BLAKE _THE UGLY DUCKLING

By RS WarnerBelated greetings, fellow Comnrunicators, from

HMS B/aAe. Which, we are delighted to tell you, is atlast free ol dockyard personnel and rarin' to go. Altera quiet commissioning ceremony we pllt to sea in ournew guise', for our tinal trials. and are at present atPortland undergoing our 'shakedou'n'. We areindeed most gratefill to the FOST communications

237

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238

stail, who have kept us thirly busy with a variety ofexercises; thereby giving us a premonition of what toexpect later this year, when we return for our'Work-up'. Blake has been in the news quite a lot inthe past few weeks and most of you will have becomeused to her being called a variety of names. But,appearances are very deceptive and we can assureyou that although she is the Jirst of her kind, andalthough we have a variety of communicationsequipment on board (some of which is nondescript),everything is progressing smoolhly and no majorsnags communications-wise have as yet occurred.

Sometime in summer we hope to continue trials inthe Medilerranearl, this will give our juniors (all l6of them) their first look of what's to follow in futureyears. Being somewhat presunrptuous, we are inclinedto think that many such jollies will be coming ourrvay during this commission. These, we are sure willhelp to minimise and nullily the exercises, etc., inwhich we shall be taking part. We are looking forwardto the Far Eastern leg of the commission, not onlybecause it is a marvellous run ashore; but, by then,we should be fully on-line in and out, completelyworked up in communications and at last fullyintegrated within the Fleet: with a set programme,which u,e are sure we will be able to comply withwithout undue lvorry. Our Staff seems quite adept atgames, cricket being the 'in' game at the moment, soif any ship cares lor a game of anything, kindly let usknow. This, our first communication, may be quiteboring to some ol 1,ou. We hope to liven our articlesas the commission progresses, thereby appealing tothe variety of readers which THr CovuuNrcnron has.So. from Blake, to all Communicalors, smoothsailing.

HMS ENDURANCEReturning to Portsmouth on April 24 after her first,

and very successful Antarctic patrol, HMS Endurancestayed only long enough to give 10 days'leave to eachwatch before sailing on May 20 for the Arctic-hermission to penetrate the Polar ice and recover theBritish Trans-Arctic Expedition (BTAE). At a rendez-vous olT Bergen with FPB Laks, Commander Jesper-sen our Norwegian Liaison officer was embarked. Hebrought with him a Swan 350 SSB Transceiver andspent many hours on the air spreading the name ofEntlurance and news of the erpedition to all cornersof the rvorld, using callsign LA5IDiG MaritimeMobile while onboard.

Endurance penetrated the hostile Arctic ice to 80degrees north, possibly the farthert north any HMsurface ship has been in recent memory, but wasfinally halted by thick pressure ice and forced to waitfor the expedition. The BTAE, four British explorersattempting to make Ihe first ever surface crossing ofthe Arctic Ocean, had set out from Point Barrow,Alaska, on February 21,1968. The four men: W. W.(Wally) Herbert-Leader, Radio operator, Photo-grapher and Navigator, Dr. R. M. (Fritz) Koerner-Glaciologist and Meteorologist, Allan Gill--Geo-

physicist and Cameraman, and Major Ken Hedges-Doctor (Physiology and Psychology), took with them40 huskies and four loaded sledges when they set ou1on their 3,500 mile walk across the top of the world.Pinning their faith in 2 Redifon GR345 battery'operated portables with a rated output of 15 wattsPEP, plus hand generator, they kept daily skeds withSquadron Leader F. W. (F'reddie) Church who wasstationed on the drifting American ice base T3.Reaching the North Pole on April 5, 1969, the partycontinued their long polar trek making their landfallon the island ol Vesle Tavleoya, one ol the Sevenlslands ofl the north coast of Spitzbergen ar 1900GMT on May 29,1969. The historic message of thislandfall after 464 days' travelling was relayed viaEndurance who had taken over a communication linkship for the expedition" Having achieved their aim,they started on possibly the most frustrating part oftheir journey: to close the 100 mile gap between themand the ship. The going was tough, ice conditionsdifficult, and time slowly running out. They pushedon, and with helicopter recces helping them find away, marched for 12 hours a day until on the l3thday,177 days and 3,720 route miles out from PointBarrow, they sighted the brick red, stout heartedcockleshell called. Endurance, a sighting that meant ahot shower, good food, a rvarm bed, and transporta-tion back home to a heroes'reception in Po:tsmouth.

Finally, aller handling Lord Chalfont, his partyand press; the Twr'n C)tter rescue; the BTAE, pressand BBC; and being afforded the status of highcapacity ship by the GPO radiotelephone service, we-CRS, LRO and 2 RO2(G)-wonder if maybe someships are a little over complemented!! We welcomeRS Bramle,v, LRO Waterhouse and RO2 Pounds andleave you with the comforting thought that RO2Graham knows all the answers.

HMS FEARLESSby the SCO

Mr. Wilson. Gibraltar. Mr. Wilson. Lagos. Com-munications. Headlines in the Drny TEr-rcupH: 'Themessage to Colonel Ojukwu was passed through thecommunications facilities of the commando carrier

239

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240

*it.i

Our nen Chief Yeoman takes a message.

(extreme right, Lieut. Comdr. Gallagher, now SORT,HMS NTERCLIRY)

Fearless, bounced off an unidentified satellite, jokedthe Prime Minister'. So now we both know how wedid it. No mentiorl. however. in the DArLy TELL-cr.,lpn of our other important circuits, suctr asBiafran Secondary, Jungle Drum Primary (which canbe jammed), or Cleft Stick Secondary (which cannotbe jammed, although sometinles the carrier may getsuppressed en route.) Slight diflrculty was experiencedin tuning the drunrs for .lungle Drum Primary,particularly when used rvith the Triple Drive technique.Perhaps ASWE can advise on this'l

In between visits from the Prime Minister (we nowknorv why our pennants are No. l0) we acted as theRoyal Navy's increased contribution to NATO in theMedilerranean. With trained killers liom 45 Com-mando, helicopters from 845 Squadron, and scoutcars manned by Lifeguards we entered the Mediter-ranean in January. (Much to our surprise, the Rus-sians did not immediately evacuate Czechoslovakia.)'Flanring Matelot', said one of our embarked forcebeibre sailing, 'l give him ten bob for this tobaccocoupon, and when I hand it in at the canteen, theNAAFI man hands it back saying it's a 5d stamp!'Wait till I catch the ------.'

La(er in the month, the padre left us by chopper.'Where's he going?' one sailor asked another as thehelicopter rose. 'Off to see his D.O.', came the reply.Meanwhile, the Royal Marines were busy assaultingSardinia. Towards the end of the exercise, the follow-ing conversation was recorded:

Royal Marine Officer: 'Colour Sergeant. Give themen some tea'.

Colour Sergeant: 'Yessir. But we have no water sir'.Royal Marine Officer: 'Oh very well. Then give

them some limers.'

Back onboard again, the Royal Marines were practi-sing for guard duties:

Colour Sergeant: 'Royal Marines. Royal Marines.Number.'

Guard: 'One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven,Eight.'

Colour Sergeant: 'Buck up Number Eight. Youwere last.'

From the Mediterranean rve sailed for Lagos, andfrom Lagos we sailed home. Contary to popularbelief, we did not scatter signed photographs of thePrime Minister overboard 'to see if he can walk onwater'.(By the Editor-The pluttograph shows Mr. Wilsonsigning a copy of s song sung ot'er the SRE.

THE SONG!

Well I'm sad to sayFearless is sailing awayand won't be back for many a da.Instead ol Northwood boundwe are roaming aroundand going to meet Harold Wils -.p in the Lagos town.

Chorus

Singing-Oggier oggie, oggie we'll never get homeOggie. oggie, oggie on the seas we will roamThe Government says we should never dripbut please Haslemere get me off this ship.

Oh Harold Wilson has been heard to sayis putting in for separation payBeen 22 days on a ship of the Lineso now he's shouting roll on my time.

Chorus:

Oh Splicers for G. members, Limers for UAsThat's all rve get for the Wilson staysThey are using this ship like a Wilson denand even on the side is painted Number 10

Chorus:

From the dghaisa man where we learnt lhe buzzthat he knew we weren't sailing back to GuzzConfirmed by the BBC Radio manthat we are being used for the Conference again.

Chorus:

HMS F'OREST MOORby LRO(G) C. Lister

StaffComplement.-RS Linskill, ROI(G) Plau, RO2(G)SLandells, Clarkson, Easthope, Gorman, Cooper,

Midwood, Peters, Cartledge, Butters,Supernumerary.-LRO(G) Lister, LRO(T) Wood-

wark, RO2(G) Cooling, RO2(T) GleadowIf you ever want a foreign (less odd currencies,

241

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lingos, etc.), then RN W/T Station Forest Moor isthe place for you, although your chances would bepretty slim with only 10 sparkers borne. Blue Nosecertificates were definitely the order of the day duringFebruary and March due to the mile trudge to theCommcen from the accommodation site for the watch-keepers (Barracks stanchions take note), throughForce 10s, blizzards, ice, you mention it we had it,leaving us 15 aerials or so down and in a sorry state.

The Commcen is run on a five-watch system, witha sprinkling of daymen. Each watch consists of a CRE,LREM plus REM and 2 RO2(G)s, the ROs being em-ployed thus: one manning the engineering liaison TPsto out-stations and dealing with all signal traffic, theother monitors the UK RATT ship-shore checkingall transmissions for distortion, Baud speed and anyother discrepancies, and drafting the odd controlreport. All other services are manned by the radioelectrical branch.

Our main job on RATT ship-shore is to get tramcthrough to Whitehall. We do our best using CHGreceivers remoted to whitehall. Incidentally, White-hall have remote control of the aerials for thesereceivers. We make sure they are on the right fre-quency and the TTVFs are on the right shift. Couldships please try to make sure they have their TTVFsand transmitters on the correct frequency and shift?We also monitor all frequencies in use on RACALsplus the FAB on all frequencies.

Plenty of social activities are at hand. Junior ratesrun their own bar, with such things as cheese and wineparties and other socials, our great (departed) orga-niser being Lofty Oldham (ex RO2(G)) and on draftto Excellent in his new capacity as Patrolman (Be-ware), must be mentioned in despatches. Rig runs toBlackpool and other hot spots of the North are now inthe making, so if you see any matelots wanderingaimlessly around the Golden Mile you must knowwhere they belong.

If ever you are up in our part of the world why notdrop in and we rvill show you around, especially ifyouare going to a similar draft. Don't forget we are areceiving station only and have only one T/P fortraffic and that goes through Pitreavie.

HMS GALATEAMainstays of the stafl:

CRS Buchanan, CCY BarUett and RS(W) Rose

Surprisel Surprise! A letter from Galatea. Notsurprising really as we have only been in commissionsince the end of January. We took over from the oldcommission as Capt(D) LDS, and once the Iads hadsettled in we started out one day trials off Pompey.Suddenly'KAPOWEE' (unfortunately w it h warning)PORTLAND. First we shifted the load of Capt(D)lo Phoebe (laughing like a Chief Stoker, her work-upwas nearly over). Then we were in the hands of FOSTand his Disciples (Bets were 7-2 against us). The ladssettled down well and soon got used to the differentexercise and setting up shore HQs in the middle of thenight. Everyone learnt something, one RO who forgotto identify his boat during Operation Awkward had

thunder flashes lobbed in to his boat from the flagdeck (a mistake they cried), another lesson learned.

At the half-way stage of the work-up each watchwas given a week's leave, good from our point ofview, but it tends to lose continuity from the Dis-ciples. Slightly refreshed from our Pompey visit(GUZZ natives unrestful), back to the arena for oneweek of harbour exercises, the Captain being verylucky in getting a personal bodyguard in the shape ofthe CCY. Then after a hectic sea week we were offon a three day exercise off the Lizard (Guzz nativesagain restless) with HMNLS Friesland, Andromeda,Black Ranger and Resource and joined later by theItalian training ships Andrea Dorea and Alpino.

Back for fun and games, namely our final inspection,the CRS keeping all the required circuits GO, GO, theCCY was just GO, GO, and all the lads like Mercurywith a new set of wings, we got throughltl lt's overnow, a lot was learnt (THANKS to the Disciples, aworth while work-up). Well this guinea pig ship isback at Pompey again (Gtzz natives are now savage)starting a DAMP before we sail for our home port(SINGAPORE) to take over duties as Capt(D) lstDiv. So we will be around for a while yet. We maybreak and do a follow up of this letter next term.

PS All Old FR/ENDS drop in some time? ? ? ? ? ?

HMS GANGESby Lieut D. Jackson

Summer Term. The hectic days rvhen the 'Juniors'outside display teams are busy appearing at countyand local shows all over East Anglia, 'Mast Manning'day and 'Parents' day, the gteat Ganges occasions ofthe yeal creep closer and closer. The signal school staffare kept busy constructing static displays, providingpublic address facilities, training the ceremonial sunsetparty etc. LRO(T)'Smudge' Smith has become adeptin the construction of plastic models for the displaywhich demonstrates the circuits kept by a Task Forceat sea, and LRO(T) Donaghue is awaiting his awardof the 'Draughtsman's Silver Bongo' for his excellentaerial drawing of HMS Ganges lor the SHoTLEYMAGAzr.rE. The SCO's office appears more like a citydesk and is the meeting place of the Editor, AssistantEditor, Sub-Editor and a host of other sub officialsconnected with the magazine. However, despite allthese distractions we do manage to fulfil our primaryjob and occasionally send off a batch of buddingcommunicators lo Mercury.

Recently LRO's (T) Stanbury and Lemar took atrip into the past with the Army at the Aldershot T at-too. They were disguised as early 19th centurygunners and LRO Lemar had the distinction of beingthe only 'hairy faced soldier' on parade. HMSFlintham and HMS Dittisham our inshore mine-sweepers have not been much in evidence here of late.What with a trip up the Rhine to Switzerland and'Round Britain' cruises certain members of the staffhave been heard to mutter 'It's alright for somel'There has been a reorganisation of the sipal school

u3

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sraff and the posts of regulating chief and chief instruc-tor have been merged into one. with the grand sound-ing title Chief of the Signal School, a post now filledby CCY Howard. Two CYs (Howe and Carson) andsix LROs make up the remainder of the staff. Variouspositions of greal power outside the signal school areheld by Communicators. The chair in the trainingoffice is polished by CCY 'Jan' Pearcel the schooloffice is being taken over by CCY Highton, and theNew Entry Annexe is in the process of being renamedMercury 111. At last Sunday's new entry divisions theduty instructors were CCY O'Brien. CRS(G) Loveand CRS(W) Tuffs. These three can olten be seen

stonrping round the NE parade gror,rnd giving excel-lent impressions of Gls. In addition there are 6 C)'s(Barry, Bruce, Ivol, Sangan, Williams and Wells) and8 RSs (Adams. Gair, Greensides, Craig, Hodgson,McConnochie, Goodman and Sanderson) as domesticinstructors, so the Communication Branch is wellrepresented.

Anyone who receives a drai't to this tip of Suffolku,ill be warmly welcomed by the staff, if not by theweather, and a billet found somewhere. Don't forgetto bring your football boots, cricket bat. boating hat,etc, and with luck you will leave fitter than when yor,r

arrived-physically if not mentally.

HMS HAMPSHIREby ROI(G) Horlick

Many months have passed since we last managedto break out of two watches and find time to make a

contribution to this magazine, but everything comesto he who waits, as at last the flag has departed forthree whole weeks, consequently signal traffic reducedgiving us a gentle cruise back to UK after a very ex-pensive but very enlightening 'showing the flag' triparound South America. Enlightening in both runsashore and communications.

Grippo's (obviously) were the 'in thing', which verysoon led to an encounter with Pisco Sour (a locallyhome-made sort of something), the nalional drink ofthe west coast of South America, which, naturallyenough, led to other sorts of encoltnters, but, as a

token of respecl for the Spar-rish-speaking maidens,rhe details shall remain unsaid to protect the not-so-innocent. Perhaps the greatest achievement was thatof RO2(T) 'Sn'riley' Wiley in 'escortirg' MISS CHILE1968 around the ship and ashore. Not so much anachievement, but more of a coincidence was thearrival in Buenos Aires of a posh looking taxi at theofficers gangway, where the admiral u,as waiting towelcome C-in-C Argentine Navy. Our very alert'Bootsie' leapt to attention, chopped one off, andswung back the door to reveal one nameless, dishevel-led, flaked-out Communicator sprau'led across theback seat. No more need be said.

For the benefit of the boffins at HMS Cambridgeour 10 days SMP at Buenos Aires proved conclusivelythat tl-re average Communicator can survive on 12hours' sleep per man per week, providing the rightrefreshment is available at all times. With regard to

.An unusual picture of FIag Officer Flotillas WesternFleet, Vice Admiral A. M. Lewis, CB, taken when hewas requested to raise the Union Flag at a wreathIaying ceremony which he attended in Rio de Janeiro

on April 8, 1969.

Communicatiorls, the 'T' world struck one or twosnags during exercises with the South AmericanNavies on the voice ccts, eg, a test lransmissionconsisting of One, Two, Three, Quarto. Cinqo, etc.,follou'ed very shortly by 'Standback, Standback,Execute. Over'. The 'G' world read (or rather tried toread) HNR for the whole trip. but the RS after arveek ol'Morning Pots, orrly 150 down', opted forsteam broadcast whilst transitting Cape Horn. [nci-dentally, do they still teach morse at Mercury? Judgingfrom the very limited capabilities of our own ODs,scepticism is creeping in. Nevertheless. our gratefulrhanks to Foresr Moor, Whitehall and Inskip fortheir efforts on our behalL

Outgoing. once again steanl came into its own, over1,000 messages in 2 months is pretty good, even forthose of us who can remember the pre-RATT ship-shore era. Halifax took the pounding this time, and atone stage 12,528 virtually became a C.W. fixed-servicefor 48 hours. Accordingly, all of you who have themisfortune to be ship-borne, are advised that if youever get QRY2 and we are No. 1, try elsewhere. Weonly call with batches of 20. All in all for a DLGwith a con-rplement of 3 leading rates and 3 (even thelatest TMS says we should have 4;8 qualified Gs)we have not done too badly, though our DO ondiscovering there was to be a Fleet Board, immediately

24s

booked two places for 2 RO2(G)s, ouly to discover onthe fateful day he only had one onboard. At one stagewe were so short staffed we had to call on the Admirallor colour party, and I think he appreciated the factwe didn't give him our favourite ensign. (See thephotograph above.)

We are still managing to work our way through anever increasing amount of leaders. Lt-Cdr Watson(J. J. to his friends) is our present and 3rd SCOsince commissioning, CRS Sandy Sanders the 2ndCRS(W), CRS Danny Boon the 2nd CRS(G), the2nd CCY being Pete Royal who has already concededdefeat and leaves us in May. Once again our commis-sion has been extended, and for a 6-year-old ship thathas never had a major refit we are beginning to thinkwe will never get one. If we do we'll probably nevercome out anyway, so we'll just plod on until the wholelot cracks up.Extract from CCN log:

GHFX de MTN ZBO KGHFX de MTN ZBt K

MTN de GHFX KLHOW-Why didn't you ansrver him the first time'lOD on cct-Because I didn't hear him.LHOW-Well, how do you kno'uv he called you twice ?

OD-Because I heard him the second time-

HMS HECLA

Sraf. RS 'Randy' Sanderson. LRO(G) 'Dumpy'Cannings, LRO(T)'Scotty' Fergusson, ROi(G)'Rosy'Penrose, ROZ(G) 'Binky' Langstaff and RO2 'Paddy'

Croft.Although we have steamed something like 50,000

miles since our last report, we are still in the sameplace give or take a few miles. However, there havebeen some impressive additions to our list of runsand the saga starts in Stavanger, Norway, inSeptember, 1968. Being a Guzz ship u,e were in noway put out by the incessant rain which plagued ourweek's visit and the local 'ornithology' was to beclearly seen in between showers and thunderstorms.It was also the first time we had been let off the leadthis commish, in a foreign port that is, so nobodydecided to go native, even though they were friendly.

After Stavanger, it was back in the groove andweekends in Stornoway punctuated the survey timespent to the north of the Butt of Lewis (of Harristweed fame), and there was also a final fling inGreenock before settling on to the chocks in Guzz forthe winter lie up. This year we have been rvorkingout for 'the best run West of Suez'-Derry, and sofar haven't been sorted out by water cannon or batoncharges. The highlight to date has been Rockall, andwe found the beer in the Fleet Canteen a bit flat andflshy, otherwise it was good news. (Hmmm). Oursummer visit is to be Bordeaux, which gives everysign of knocking Rockall for six, and talking of six,more than six people will be able to go ashore atonce which is more than can be said for Rockall.246

{1:'t -:i:l' ;;-^r .: ll..-.-.

The staff have been hard at it and have even beenactively employed in sur-veys. Last summer RSSanderson spent a 'quiet fortnight' in Port Ellen,Islay tide watching (amongst other things) and thisyear LRO Fergusson hopes to spend a month tidewatching (amongst other things) on Tiree in theWestern Isles. RO Croft has also streamed a

bathythermograph completely unsupervised, andunattached, but that's another story. So don't looknow, there is toom for YOU in the Survey Navy.What a switched on team. what??!! The draft chitshave not started to appear yet but the happy teamfinally disperses by the end of the year, and theLRO(G) 'Dumpy' Cannings will step out ol his saltencrusted eights in March, 1970, and climb into hisnew pin striped suit . . . and the best of British. Bestwishes to THE CoMMUNICAToR and all Communicators.

HMS JUFAIRby One Mess

Jufair Chief t Bahrain I No. not me, must have got thewrong bloke. Can't send me out there, I've just gottied up and fancy a martied accompanied with theMrs. Ohl only senior rates. Alas a few monthslater, you will take a long last look at Brize Nortonbelore taking a seat in the VCl0, and so to paradise.On arrival in Jufair a smiling face will greet you andproclaim 'You are my relief' and so the Ace of Clubsis the next stop. A few wets and handshakes later hewill announce'Must go, I've got a Vickyten to catch,see you in 395 days' time.' Six to a mess, tot great forinducing sleep-if you are UA you will sleep wellanyway. We are all watchkeepers of course, thebuntings do a normal 48 hours about in the JointMessage Centre with a great bunch of lads known as

the Royal Signals. They do a l4-hour night shift butit's worth it to them, they can then have three nightsto recover. The sparkers they are different, theykeep a 48 hours about system which only the RAFcould have invented in Commcen Bahrain, Forenoonand First, then Afternoon and all night on. Sttll itkeeps them out of the Ace for two nights out of four.Of course they say it's a joint Comrncen but the RAFclaim otherwise, we let them get on with it.

Social lifel you must be joking, apart from theNAAFI canteens and three hotels this is a dryisland. Trappingl no chance Jack, course there is

MTtYlJir,w.)

=

always chiefie's daughter. What do we do then!Well there's the Ace of Clubs (Jufair and gtestsonly) and the fleet canteen across the road for aftertot time and at nights for non-club members. Thenthere is sunbathing, swimming and nearly all theusual sports. We've got a great clubswinger, you mayknow him from Mercury, the only thing he can't do isproduce grass pitches. Everything is played on sandexcept fot hockey and volleyball which is on tarmac.What else! we play all the usual mess deck gamesand have got a'Tele'in the mess. Afraid we haven'tgot BBC 2, only Dahran Saudi Arabia, two moviehouses in the garrison, Is 9d a night so we have gotno drips. Tombola on Thursdays and Fridays.Leavel Oh yes you'll ger that don't worry. Threeweeks in UK with a free flight home and back be-tween your third and tenth months out here. We allgo, no messing about, it's eagerly awaited. Did youbring a Drrly Mrnnon or Prayeoy, oh well nevermind, gotta get me head down forenoon in the morn-ing.

PS. Heard in the Commcen 'Standby for a timecheck'. For Army personnel it is 08.00 hours, forNavy personnel it is eight bells and for the RAFpersonnel the big hand is on I2 and the little hand on8.

PPS. ln case you haven't guessed, we in the shapeof RO 2's Dave Dubell, Pete Mock, Tiger Rushman,Dave Swinford and last but not least RO 2 (T) MickArnold are all due for repat later this year (DaveSwinford a bit later than the rest) and we are allhoping that you are our relief,s. . . days to go.

HMS LONDON - 3rd Commissionby RO2(G) J. D. Hamnett

StaffGs.-CRS Ashcroft, RS Moonlight, LROs Timming-ton, Smee, Higson, Gilbert; RO2s Hamnett, Parkin-son, Brown, Strike; RO3s Ashby, Wicks. Fowler,

Lyseight. Featherstone, Piesse.Ts.-CCY Standing, LROs Clarke, Smith, Axton:ROls James, Simmons; RO2s Anthony, Bremner,Nourse, Botten, Gadsdon, Hatchard; RO3s Coffin,

Walker.Ws.-CRS Robinson, LRO Ford, RO2s Anderson,Beach, Hammond, Power, Castle; RO2U Faulkner;

RO3s Newman, Lloyd, Loveday, Shepherd.

We left Portsn-routh for Gibraltar on April 14 andwere privileged to have Admiral of the Fleet SirVaryl Begg and Lady Begg who were on their way toGibraltar for Sir Varyl to take up his new and arduoustask of Governor of the Rock. After a couple ol daysat Gibraltar we sailed for Freetown (Sierra Leone),By now we had some nice weather and BuntingsSmith, Anthony and Co. were putting in their longeststint on the flag deck this commission.

We arrived at Freetown but had only sport leave inwhich I am pleased to say the Comms. team thrashedthe senior rates by a convincing 3-0 win. Sailing in theevening for Simonstown we reached our destinationon Thursday, May 1. From what we had heard of

Simonstown it promised to be a good run, with plentl'of'grippos' all round. ln fact, for the lads anyway,they were very few and far between, but the majorityseemed to enjoy themselves. Quite a few went up toCapetown and visited places such as the 'Navigator'sDen', 'Spr.rrs' and the 'Mini Club'. These clubs, if youcould class them as such, were open until Jack hadeither no money or no drink left, whichever camefirst. Despite the attraction of these 'places' in theevening, a few of us managed to get up Table Moun-tain, and obtain the wondrous view it displayed.

Just to sum up our run ashore in Simonstown, I

must confess it wasn't too bad at all and seeing Jackreturning onboard the next morning caused quite alaugh to the chaps who were not ashore the previousevening, re, coming back minus a cap, and in remotecases a suit. Even our ex-RA members (some

anyway) cracked up and went. We are due to arriveon the Far East Station on May 24, u'here we will bestaying until the end of the year, and we hope to getsome visits in such as Australia, New Zealand, Japanand even a run in the Philippines is on the cards.

Until the next issue of your favourite magazine.you chaps at Mercury and all the other cushy shorebillets keep the seats warr.n for us, for it's our turnnext and then we can all laugh at you when you writeup. (Our first phase will want reliefs soon .?)Finally for you Sparkers, Bunting Tossers and eventhe Gollies, if you've lost one of your best pals overthe years have a glance at our staff and see if he'samong the list.

COMMCEN MAURITIUSMuch has been already mentioned about Mauritius

in previous editions of Tnr Couuuxrcaron, butdespite being just a drop ir-r the Indian Ocean, theIsland of Rainbows still provides a variety of subjectson which one could write if one possessed the neces-sary literary ability. The Commcen continues to tunon a steady average of 7,000 signals per day, majoritlof which are relayed through TARE to their des-tinations, thus boredom is predominant at varioustimes of the day, according to the number of 'contact'services running schedules at the time. Also mid-July'should see Mauritius coveted Ratt Ship Shore inoperation.

With the withdrawal of Australia from the AreaScheme on October 1 an increased Commercial loadis anticipated. To this end the CW broadcast bay hasbeen redesigned to allow for smoother change overof schedules and off the air monitor of transmissions.Changes are not only confined to new equipment,each Monday's flight from London brings new faces.To name a future few, Lieut D. Sayce is to relieveLieut Burling in August, thus allowing our ActingDOlC/Movements Officer, Lieut Pike, to book hisown flight home. In September, Lieut-Cdr Copparrives to relieve Lieut-Cdr Boys-Stones as SCOand CRS Julian to relieve CRS Cokes.

Recent visitors to Mauritius include the CardiffCity football team, who, though staying in the south of

a/1

the lsland at Le Morne, rnanaged to find their wayup to HMS nearly every night, much to everyone'sdelight. The high-light of the q'eek came when thelplayed a practlce match with the HMS team. DuringIheir stay goalkeeper Fred Davies'wife presented hinrwith a child--this event was celebrated in the navalfashion. The second visit of the year by an RN shipwas made by HMS Diantond. This proved to berather an eventful three-day visit, and is still dis-cussed with fervour.

We now look forward to the visit of HMS Albion,at the beginning of July. Doubts exist as to whetherMauritius is large enough to hold the expectednumber coming ashore each night. Forty-eight olTactivities continue a-pace, and a trip to climb one ofthe mountains is now being carefully planned, andshould go ahead despite the risk of the heavy shorversthat are usual at this time of the year. Mauritiuscontains many interesting sights in its 727 squarenriles. many of which are still to be discovered, so thesearch continues for the rare shell, or the rare birdthat might just make one of us famous.

HMS RAPIDby LRO(G) Davies and LRO(T) Hunt

StaffLRO(T) Hunt, RO2(T)s Meldrum and Thornhill

LRO(G) Davies, RO2(G)s Holland and BoothYes we are still in commission!! Having noticed

that there hasn't been an article from Rosyth's SeaGoing stone frigate for the last few editions (possiblysince we were built in AD 1942) we think now is thetime to remedy thrs. Rapid is an. ERA Apprentice'straining ship where they can play to their heart'scontent, eg, Flash up. Flash dorvn. Flash back, beforebeing turned loose on the fleet. The draft is 'Port

Service' (rvhich to quote the Nlvv Nrrvs is: (ail UKshore billets plus the Rapid and Manxrnan') so thisway one can have one's sea time classed as shoretime.This is literally true as we spend our time day-run-ning in and out of Rosyth, slipping at 0830 and return-ing at 1630 daily. It's an ideal draft for RAs as thefurthest we travel is the occasional trip to suchromantic sounding places as Scapa Florv or Inver-gordon-orr Monday to Thursday per term-and wehave one jolly per term, our next one being to New-castle in July as this is less than 300 miles fromRosyth (our limit), and doesn't take us out of sightof land (such au,ful rulesl!!). Consequently allforeign runs are out: Personally, we always thoughtthat Scotland was an LFS draft anyway; especiallythe Pompey and Guzz ratings amongst us.

We are claiming the records for exercising the mostMan Overboards and Steering Cear breakdowns inthe Western Fleet. Our signal traffic averages about3 in and t olrt per day. not including weekends, NGMsWZs or NAVEAMs. Basically Rapid is a quiet num-ber for ratings who have 12 months or less to com-plete their time, ours being LRO(T) Hunt andRO2(G) Holland. It's not a very good draft for ratingsrvith a lot of time remaining as lraining facilities aremostly self-study, unless we can get the time to goover to MHQ Pitreavie. So we leave you here tillnext time??:), in the middle of leave and AMP andhope you think of us shoretime ratings at sea.

RN COMMUNICATIONSCENTRE, SINGAPORE

by ROI R. B. Mick

There have been few changes in this neck of theu'oods except, perhaps. in the way of personalities.With a staffof over 140 they are, of course, continually

$i:

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248

charrging. Young nrcn and uorren, easili, recognisableas being fresh from thc Ur-ritccl Kingdom by the colourof their skin, arrive almost daily to replace thebronzed and healthy specimens

"vho are due to returr.t

to mums, dads, girlfriends and boylriends at home.Departures this sunrmer hal'e been a little morenotable than usr.ial. Lieut Collins. the Traffic Oflrcer.has left us unerpectedly. We rr ish him a speedyleco..'ery to frill health. The Corrmcen CCY, 'Taif'Davies, and our wcll-knoirn Reguiating CRS, Dar,idFoote, have also returned l-ror-ne: Ihe former to chaseMidshipmei-r up and dou'n the hills of Dartmouth, theIatter to seek a new career on ctn-rpleting his pension-able service. Success to them both. Having lost our'key' men, we are on the poiut of losir-rg our 'key'women, -third Ollicer Roddis, the Radio Oliicer, andNorah Spencer. the Chiel Wren RS. tt is hoped thatSignal Olicers ar-rd CRS's f ronr tl.re fleet will be justas keen Io come and discuss their radio problems uithMiss Roddis's male relief. lVe promise that thecoffee will taste the same. The last change to mentionis thal of our cloorman. Comurissions of Ccnrmur-ri-cators \\,ill be scrry to learn that FIuss::in bin Dolmatdied very sudder,ly in N,iay. Hi: pleasant personalitywill be sadly missed.

On the scrcial front balyans and c'rpeds do notseenl to have lost their 1,.opularii1, irr spite of therecent troublcs. Perhal-,5 tile nrosl popuiar exped. orshouid it be calleC Ser-ped, trccurreC uhei-r F-O'2FEF'sconrrnunications stafi disappeareri in an MFV flrfour rvhcle days r,r,ith alt equal nurnber of OURWrens, 'We just crllised around th: island.' they said.We look fonvard to l-iearing from you oir R.att Ship-Shore. Please use us. Ai)d wlren 1t-ru get alon5side, docomc and see us.

HMS SIRIUSSTAR OF TI{E FLEET

bv ROI(G) Hardcastle and LRO(T) Hunt

We joined the ship irr Pompey on January 9, this!'ear. A right old shower ol shorebase stalwarts anclbarrack stanchiolls, plus the select few, who survivedthe last commission. We are a ship very' y'or.rng in thecommunication uorld led by our 'boss' Sub-Lieut l.Jarrold, the SCO. Head of the 'G' department is RSJim Cook (my Iags don't like the light). Fol thebuntings, they have ail the delights ol CY 'lvlack'(alright) McKay. Up in the'Golly Shop'. RS TonyCooper (you never see my fags) looks after the lads. asrvell as his dr.rties of divisional PO. There is also abuzz that he has made a takeover bid for thc duties ofMAA. The remainder of the Branch consists of:LRO(G) Barney'. ROI Hardcastle, RCll's Mzrck.Matthews, RO3's Baker, Bulmer, Evans and \\/ood-all. LRO(T) Hur.rt. ROI Richford, RO2 Berkelev andRO3 White. LRO(W)'s Hill and Legg, ROI Nicolle.ILO2's Fisher, Milne. Watson, King, Stepheus,Withyrlian, R03's Rideout and Barrorv.

Having joined, and scttled in at Pomney, wc \\crclaced rvith lhc heartrvariring prospect of six glorioLrsrieeks by the Dorset cozrst. Portland to be eract. Ncrone seenred overkeen alroLrt tlre visit to the seaside.but we took all six u,eeks in our strid,-. a Llreak inLetween for a short leave. Ti-rc comn-is ii-r particularl:ad a very successful time both at sea and in theVictoria bars. Even dtrring and since workup, r.r,e havestill managed to do a great nunrber of successful R.NR.exercises, with the Brighton arrd Southamptondivisions. Having cornpleted Portland. we pa.id ourrespects to Avonmouth and Bristol" uliere r.,e ['ererrarmly received, and dicl clur best to n-raintain all the

. . ;,;ililr , ' ':-.'.1:', :. ' ', I ''i lilr. .,+ ",

: ..

HMS 'Sirius' Comms Staff" 19691/tr

'Andreq,s' best custonrs. A r.isit to a Cortrage Brewerywas organiscd (well it sas rvhen ue left the ship), andonce again the departntent had a first, showing theirinterests in wild life (take that whichever way youwant to) and paid a visit to Brisiol Zoo. Here one ofour mess members had a miuor disagreement with acamel, about a hat, which he later retrieved himsellfrom the middle of the camel compound. Later, onthe same day, he was apprehended ashor:e by theMAA, and asked why he was wearing a crabby hat.Upon telling the truth. he was promptly requested toreport to the MAA the nert day for 'trying to belunny'.

At the moment thar this article is being processed,we have jusr left Reykjavik, after the first twoweeksofa six weeks' tour of the fishing ports of Iceland. Moslof the department is ol the opinion that a f'eqelementary lessons on voice procedure wor-rld not beout of place amongst the trawler nren. particularlythe portion which refers to 'indecenl or profanelanguage'. Except for a couple of games of iate night(early morning) soccer and water polo, the run ashoreis virtually non-existent. Only the ship's group (ofu'hich ROI Hardcastle is a member) has tastedsuccess, nraking a great big hit at the American Naltrbase, where in one night. they made almost as muchas an SCO ivould in a week. On completion ol thisIuxurious, 'all in' package tour. all on board will beready lor the short visit planned for Southend-on-Sea. Alter rhe Roy:al Flect Review. and a visit toBournenroulh, the ship rvill have her llrst retit inPortsmouth, then lle go foreign. The West Indies andIhe United States of America being our: main targetsfor destruction.

The departnrent has. during the comntission, beenpresented *ith its own'lrained killer' in the person ofMarine Slgnalman Corbitige. However, the 'booties'got their ou,n back and trapped two of the commsdepartmerrt for detachment sparkers. for theirlandings; an invaluable experience in all respects,especially the art of karate on the cockies on thedining hall bulkheads. Sports wise rhe departmenionly represents the ship at soccer and uckers. Thefirst eleven. beaten for the first time in ten games inReykjavik, are well represented in the person of ROINicolle. ROI Hardcastle. LRO Hunt and RO2Milne (knou'n :rffectionally' as Hands Harry to allreferees). Here due to lack of ideas, we must sign off.but our synrpathies and u,ishes of'Bon Chance' forall comnrunicators rvho have Portland to conre. Seeyor.r in Miami.

HMS WAKEFUL -LAST COMMISSIONby A. R. Jones

Wl-rat can be determined as the last colnmission, u'ecan't be too sure of, is about the last l5 to l8 months,as most of the ship's company have been onboard forapproximateiy l8 months and have seen t!\'o commis-sions. the last one having begun in June Iast year.

250

We have seen quite a fcr,r trips around Europc ivithsatellite and differer-rt communication equipment trialsand have had somc good runs including places likeRotterdam, Gothenburg, Brussels, Malmo, Caen,Madeira, Gibraltar. Copenhagen, Bergen and a feu,other places that weren't so good.

During the last l2 to l5 months ol tl-re commissionwe have seen a feu' changes in lhe communicationsdivision itself, the stali ending up as it is now, whowill all remain onboard r.rntil the ship finally pays off,the staff being (hard working and keen as they are):RS M. Puttick (now CRS), A/LRO(G) P. Wilkinson(now confirmed), RO2(G) A. R. Jones, RO2(G) A.Girvan, LRO(T) J. Casemore, RO2(T) C. Rossi,RO2(U) D. Gilmore and RO2(U) D. Lavery, all ofwhom have survived the 'hardships of mostly dayrunning'.

As our last important role in the Ro1'al Navy we goup to the Clyde areas for exercises with the 'dorvnunders'(suhs). returning for scrap on 14 July.

COMMCEN WHITEHALLMESSAGE FILE AND

RETRIEVAL SYSTEM _ MFRSby Lieut(SDXC) J. M. Ganley

The MFRS is a small-sized, random-access compu-ter which is connected to all the outgoing lines ofTARE 1o record all outgoing messages. It is built bythe Standard Telephones and Cable Company. andhas recently been accepted ir.rto service by the RoyalNavy at Commcen Whitehall, where it has been onproving trials for several months. Messages in theMFRS are stored on ivide magnetic tape at the normalTARE operating speed of 50 kilobaLrds; four tapesare operated at any one time on the computer, andsuflicient tape is kept tor approximately 48 hours'use. Stations requiring reruns of traflic from Comnr-cen Whiteha'll are lherefore warned against askingfor reruns more than 48 hours old. lt is significanlthat MFRS recording is absolutely faithful; if amessage is garbled on entry into TARE, but is cleanenough to be routed correctly. the TARE will rourethe garbled version, and this will be recorded by theMFRS. This is an important point, and underlines thepoint made in RNSO 536167 para. 3d, that requestslor mutilaled or incomplete messages must be directedto the calling station; the MFRS can only provide forZFX action. Operation of the MFRS is fairly simple,and is achieved in Whitehall by petty officer wrenswho form part of the TARE team. The computer is setup and programmed from its own special teleprintermounled alongside, but all normal signal transactionstake place on teleprinter equipmenr of the normaltype sited at the TARE console. The actions requiredof an opetator are feri': starting the computer, settingup tapes as others are filled, allocating tapes, loggjngthe contents of tapes, requesting repetitions ol mes-sages from the MFRS and finally'arranging for trans-mission of the tape produced from the request.

The computer is maintained by the same civiliantechnicians who maintain the TARE; its start pro-gramme, however, is carried out by the operator.Starting involves the operator setting up a specialtape, and then, by means ol digital control keys,selecting the infornratiolr contained on the tape tocondition the ferrite cores which form the permanent'memory' of the computer and allow the operatorto check the settings. Once the computer is correctlyprogrammed, its lape decks are loaded with for.rrtapes, and the first one to be trsed is allocaled by theoperator liom lhe Iocal teleprinter; all lurther tapeallocations are made liom the machine in TARE.When a tape is nearly full, the MFRS wilt request alurther allocation and at this point, the operator thenallocates a new tape. When it is full, MFRS uill printout a report showing the contents of the tape bymessage serial numbers. When the MFRS is set up,the operator tells the computer which rrumbered dayof the week it is, since the instrument is designed towork over a 7-day period. The day number is printedin parentheses alongside the message serial numberswhich appear in the tape report 1o dill'erentiatebetween similar numbers of difl'erent days. To recovera message of which a rerun has been requested, theoperator literally asks the computer for it, by typingthe message serial number (and day number) fbl-lowed by a question mark. lf the message is not onone of the tapes actually set on, the computer willindicate that it is 'not within range' and the operatorthen puts on the right tape, having consulted her logto find out on which tape the message is recorded.She then asks again, in the same form, for the message.When the message is conlained in a tape which is onthe computer, the instrument looks for the messageposition on the tape which it finds in an index at theend of the tape; having found the position, the com-puter tells the operator "OK', positions the tape, andextracts, the message at 75 bauds directly on to a re-

perforator and page copy. The nraximum waitingtime for a message is 90 seconds, unless the operalorhas to change tapes, when it may extend to about fiveminutes. It is worth reiteration that the MFRS can.only print what is led into it tiom TARE, be it agarbled message or an incomplete one which has beenterminated in TARE for some reason, eg, a delay of40 or more seconds occurring during transmission of a

message into TARE, or the TARE itself having ter-minated a message to allow transmission of a Flashmessage on the oulgoing linc.

After some teething troubles, the MFRS hasbecome a very reliable instrument. It does halt fromtime to time, however, usually due to faulty tapes or tothe operator's having missed a request for a tapechange. Restarling takes only a matter of minutes, butthe computer is unable to record whilst it is off, ofcourse. The photograph shows PO Wren PaulineRummery using the programme keys to re-start thecomputer after one such halt.

A WORD IN YOUR EAR, PLEASB

Portishead Radio is very well known to the Navy(in fact, the station should be more properly knownas Burnham Radio for that is where the receiversand staff are. whilst the transmitters are at Portishead,some 20 miles away). It has a total staff of 119 andhandles about 44,000 messages per month, rising to77.000 in December.

Recently, it has come to notice that some NavyCommunicators have been expressing dissatisfactionwith the service they have been getting. Complaintsof 'cloth ears' for HM ships but 'loud and clear' ifyou have commercial traffic. However, despite RNSignal Order S2i69, such complaints only reach thehead offlce by word of mouth. Perhaps the followingpoints will assist you to realise that difficulties doexist (what rs perf'ect in this world) but the operatorsat Burnham are as keen as ever to maintain theirtraditionally excellent service-whoever calls them :

(a) The RN calling band is always at the end of theband.

(b) There is only one working frequency in eachband, as against two or three for cach mer-chant ship. This will cause delays if there isah:eady a ship working on that particularband.

(c) Delays are often caused by ships tuning to thewrong frequency band. This should be over-come if proper use of 57 is made, or by copyingthe Optimum Frequency Guide which is world-wide. (See details below).

(d) A frequent source of non-contact after a shiphas called and has been given a QRY number,is that the ship waits until it is ready to beworked before changing to the workingfrequency. Once an operator at Burnham hasbeen given a ship to work he expects the ship tocome up on the working frequency, and ifnothing is heard, he will immediately revertback to his normal duty. It is felt that if only

251

ships r.r,ill pay' regarcl to this point, much delayu,ill be saved.

(e) Do not be pr:t off by thc QRY number youreceive. There ma1, be six or more operatorsat thc shcre cncl br-rsy lvhittling clowrr that list.

An interestir-rg srdelight on all this is that since thcreduction cf naval operators at Burnharr fronr 26 to 5,and despite the increasing use of RATT ship-shorethc naval tralllc so far irandled in 1969 is twice thathandled in 1068.

And finally, to dispel a big bogey. Therc is no extrapay awarcled to the operators fc.r the amount of com-nrcrcial traffic handled. They ge,- standard pay what-ever the type of nressage received. they are there togive service to all.

Tailpiece:For those lvishing to takc aclvantage of rhe optimLrnl

frequency reports, here are the details:Iherv arc bloaelcast each SunCay prior to thc 0100,

1500 and 0900 Gl\4T traflic-lists. and a typicalcxample is as follou's:

Follou'ing OT F gtiide for N'!arch fbr ships rvorkingFortishead-Radio direct stop OTF is given irr Mcs for0000 0100 0800 1200 16C0 2000 GMT stop Ships arereminded possihility ol next highcr band being suit-able parti<ularly 22 for l6 in period 080011000

1200i1400 and l6C0il800 stop Lettcr X inclicatesOTF r-Lot available.

Montreal New York 6 6 612 12 12 BT Bermuda6 6 6 16 16 12 BT Accra Dakar South and EastAfrica 8 816 22. 16 12 BT Barbados Panarra 8 6 8

16 16 12 BT VAL RIO BA 8 B l2 16 l6 12 BT AdenBahrein Suez B 8 16 16 16 8 BT Bombay ColomboSingapore B 8 16 16 12 8 BT Manila Hong Kong8 X 16 16 B 6 B1' Japan X X 16 12 8 X BT PerthX X 16 16 12I BT Sydney X 616 12 12 6 AR..

Legend:OTF Optin-run-r trallc frequencyVAL ValparaisoRIO Rio de JaneiroBA Buenos Aires

SPRING CROSSWORDThe winner of the Spring crossword competition

was Lieut D. C. Mitchell RN. The correct solutionwas:Across: T. Srveetwort, 8. Cheap, 10. Trembled, l l.'frends, 12. Idle, 13. Crystals. 15. Alcohol, 17.

Chanter, 20. Dru-dgery, 22. Lean, 25. Shiner, 26.Lammiger, 27. tslurt, 28. Annotated.Do*n: l. Aware, 2. Teemccl, 3. Twelvemo, 4. Prerl.ict,5. Threaten, 6. Bandoleer, 9. Stay, 14. Gloryhole,16. Ordinary. 18. Haltn.ioon, 19. Hyaline, 21. Earn,23. Animal, 24. Fever.

CO},IMISSHONIIdG F'OR.trCASTEditor's Note: The following details are forecast only. changes may well take place at short r-rotice. Details aregiven ir.r the order: Shi;r, tyoe, date if knou,n, commitment. (l)UK Base Port, (2) Place of cornn-rissioning, Typeol'service.Hydrs .. .. Survey, August 26, rccomrnission, (l) (2) Chatham, FS Malacca Strait.li/istort .. CMS, Augr-rst 30. recommission 9 N,ICM, (2) Bahrein, F (ME).Purtcltcston .. CNIS, Septenrber I0, rccontmission 9 MCM, (2), Bahrein, FS (ME).Scylla GP Frigate. September ll, Trials Crew (Commission Decembcr), Port Service.Dido GP Frigate, September 15, recommission, (l) (2) Chatham, GSC Home/FE,iHome.Salisbury .. AD Frigate. Seplember 18, trials creu,, November 5, commission, (l) (2) Devonport, Port ServiceLondonderr-,- AS Frigate. Scptember 25, trials crew at Rosyth, Port Servicc.Ptti'chottrc .. GP Frigate, September 27, trials crew. January 1970, commission, (l) (2) Portsmouth, Port

Servicc.,,tr:;ltunti .. .. (-lP Frigate. October 7. (1) (2) Portsmouth, GSC HomelFE,'Home.Ecaclnniptctr CMS. October lB, recommission, 9 MCM, (2) Bahrein, FS (ME).Yarntlr CMS, Octobrr 18, recommission, 9 MCM. (2) Bahrein, FS (ME).i''orfilk .. GlvlD. October 9. trials crerv, July 1970, commission. (l) (2) Portsmouth, Port Service.Bt:lvark .. Comnrando ship, No',,entber 5, recommission, (l) (2) Devonport, HSS/FS (FE)Aurora .. GP Frigate, Novemb.-r 18, recornmission, (l) (2) Chathanr, GSC HomerFEiHome.Junt; GP Frigate. January 8. rccommission, (l) (2) Chatham, GSC Homei FE/Home.Het'lu lir-;rvey, January 13, recomn-rission, (l) (2) Devonport, GSC North AtlanticlWest Indies.Zrrlu CP Frigate. Jan'rary 21, recommission, (l) (2) Rosyth, GSC Home,.FE/Home.Hecare .. .. Survcy, Januarl'2?, recommission, (l) (2) Devonport, GSC HomeiNorth Atlantic.Arg!)nout .. GP Frigate. January 22. recornmission, (l) (2) Devonport, GSC Home/FEiHome.Britiorr .. .. M,'HLrnter, January 28, reconrnrissior-r 9 MCNl, (2) Bahrein, FS (ME).Jugutu .. .. A,t Frigatc, February 5, recommission, (l) (2) Chatham, GSC Home.Lore.stt:./i .. AS Frigate, February 26. trials creu,. April, commission. (1) Chatham, Port Service.LlondalJ .. AD Frigate. FebruarS, 12, recommission, (l)(2) Devonport. GSC Home/FE/Home.Fuv'n SL:rvey, February 12, recommission, (1) (2) Devonport, GSC W.l.i HomeFo.t Survel', Februarl, 12. reconrmission, (l) (2) Devonport, GSC W.l.iHome.Dancc .. .. CP Frigate, Nllarch 5, recomn-rission, (l) (2) Devonport, GSC Home/FEiHome.Achillc.s .. ajP Frigate, March 12, trials crerv. (l) (2) Devonport, Port Senice.Govington . . h4,.Hunter, Vlarch 18, recommission, (2) Bahrein, FS (ME).Brerelan .. l/rHun1er, April 22, reconrmission. (2) Bahrein, FS (ME).Nuiod . . . . GP Frigate, April. recommission, (l) (2) Portsmouth, GSC Home/FE/Home.Diontetle .. GP Frigate. April, trials crew, (1) Devonport, Port Service, (2) Glasgow (Building)Gurkha .. GP Frigate. April 22. lrials crerv (at Rosyth),.lune, commission, Port Service.

252

GOING THE ROUNDS IN MERCURYTHE CHIEF PETTY OFFICER.S' MESS

by CRS D. L. Alderson

The President: D. L. Alderson. CRSVicc-Presiclent: J. V. M. Sn-rart, CCY

Mess Cornmittee:J. E. Eilbeck, CRS, R. G. Smith, CRS(W)

Ett ter / ai nntent s Co mntit t e e :D. L. Palmer, CRS(W), R. P. Robinson, CH C EL

We(are Rcpresentotite: R. F. Yeo, CRS

By the time this edition of Tus Covl,tuNtcrron ispublished, rve shall once again be at top victr"ralledstrength with the comirlgs and goings of NATOclasses and RNR refresher courses. We shall haveseen the departure of the seven-week Royal Nether-lands Navy EW course, the arrival and departure ofthe NATO B (EW) course comprising French,Federal German Navy, ltalian, Belgian and Greekmembers, plus the Sea Cadet Corps Chiels andnumerous PCT and managementclasses:it has provideda most varied membership throughout the rerm. Italso provides a most unique spectacle to see thevictualled members teaching ltalian and Dutchmembers how to play killer snookeri

As an experiment, we decided to hold a dinnerdance in Mercurl, and to invite an outside cateringcompany to come in lo decorate the iables, prepareand serve the dinner. Together with the valiantefforts of the Secretary (table plans) and the Buffer(table pushing!), CRS(W) Collins who arranged a

seating plan for the Mercury Club and a few othermess members who were pressed into service, theevent was a huge success, marred or-rly by the poorresults of the photographs that were taken. However,with the lessons learnt in one way or another, I anrsure that rve can improve on April 1 1 and producean cven bel1er one next time.

The sn-rall arms shooting competition on March 3land April I and 2 ir Mercury ano at Longmoor.produced a fine result for the Chiels team, headecl

by Chief Shipwright Eccles. The team: Chief Ship-wright Eccles, CRS Jordon, CRS Rar.rdall. CCYBowden and CCY Izzard, won the Mercury guntrophy, the pistoI competition and the SLR tileshooting competition. The Chief Shipwright v"'as alsothe small arms winner and the individual SLR wir-rner.-lhe Mercury gun lrophy logether with the team. the'Sea Dads Trophy' also together wrth the team, r'e]'eduly presented to the mess, both vcs-sels \\'ere toppedup with a celebration drink ancl passeC round thevictors !

The month of May sarv us busy again, but thistime with the NATO fleet review. We were hostestablishnrent to HMS D1do, USS Vesole, ThcNetherlands ships lzan Ne,r and Evertsort, the FCNship BraLrnscltu'e ig and the Portuguese ship AlntirantePereira Da SiLv'a: all of whom comprised the StandingNaval Force Atlantic. On May 8 the mess enteriainedabout 30 Chiefs from the ships, plus a number ofprivate lunctions at horne. Or-r May l3, 25 Chief andPetty Officers and their wives fiom Mercury werernvited to a cocktail party onboard the ships inPortsmouth clockyard. The success ol thls venturecan be measured from lhe fact that 'plan Bravo' hadto be brought into force to ge1 us home, also that ondeparting, some menrbers \\ere seen u'ith their wiveswho had lost handbags, r,,"'hilst others \\,ere seen carr)-ing handbags through thc dockl'ard, without theirwives! -ll'e third party night occurred on May 15

when the Chief and Petty Officers messes combinedto give a NATO dance for about 60 Chiel and Pett-vOfficers. Almost 300 people atteneled this dance andboth messes were well packed. ln addition, theMercr.rry Club had their NATC clance at the same tinte

We Give. . . TheyGive... Lease l,end I I

25.1

NATO NIGHT

and the resultant cacophony of sound produced ahigh ratio of decibels lar too high for the normalperson to cope with!

We have had two very interesting meetings in thelounge, at which the Captain has covered a widevariety of subjects from the role of the Royal Navyto the missile gap, and from recruiting problems tonaval charities. These have taken the lorm ol afhctual address from the Captain, followed by generaldiscussion. These have proved very popular andalthough they are not designed to provide all theanswers, they do promote a gieat deal of interestand enlarge ones thoughts on the many problemsinvolved.

The Mercury sports day and garden fete, althoughnot prodLlcing the required number of athleticmembers, did produce a number of sideshows tohelp raise funds for the King George's Fund forSailors. The valiant efforts of members and theirrvives was most appreciated and it was a most usefulexercise which showed up various items which can beimproved upon next time. The sane fund was alsoused as a basis for a comic cricket match, whichalthough starting out to be a friendly knock about.developed into a major fund raising evenl. TheMercury Marauders played and beat the OIdeClanfield Yokels by 85 runs to 79.

As to the more serious sporting activities, ,,ve haveup to now only played one knock out cricket match,at which we beat Kempenfelt by 5 wickets. Ouretl'orts at lolleyball were unfortunately dashed intoa first game defeat. However, tvith a swimming gala

254

and more cricket matches to come, we are hopingfor better things. Our next major social event is theBar-B-Q on July 18. iollowed by the Chief Com-municators Reunion on Saturday, September 13.The return match in the 'Sea Dads Trophy' event willbe on October 8, at rvhich rve hope to retain thecup.

Regarding the reunion and for ihose rnembers andex-nrembers rvho atterrded the last one: considerableprogress has been macle in the lornrulation of theAssociation and an article will be ibund in this sectionof the magazine, urilten bl Mr Bill Bugg. who. asHon Secretarl'. has done a tremendous amoun( ofwork in co-ordinating the nrany' aspects invohed informing the Association. Also in this section can beseen the latest irr our series of'Pen Portraits' for theterm. The next term's portrait will be by CREACeorge Whittaker, an ex-Conrrnunicattrr.

Finally' our congratulations go to CRS Bignell onhis arvard of the B.E.M.

The Nervcomers The Exodus

CCY Stevens CRS Bignall-AntrimCRS Kesteven CCY Spencer-GlarnorganCRS(W) Lill CRS(W) Perkins--GlamorganCRS(W) Parker CCY Bell-CharybdisCCY Whitlock CRS Simpson-CharybdisCCY Duncan CCY lzzard-ReleaseCCY Dennis CCY Whitlock--ScyllaCCY Fotrracre CRE Tucker-RcleaseCRS Harder CERA Calder-'HermesCPO Wtr

Hcmmings CPO WTR Bradsha,'r,- -Blakc

CRE PearsonCCY EvansCRS CollinsonCRS HoustonCRS CoombesCRS SmullenCCY MacLeodCRS(W) Turlel'CRS BavingtonCRS ShukerCCY Howell

CCY Brickell-ReleaseCRS(W) Adams-ReleaseCRS Edwards-Brawdy'CRS(W) Jackson-CharybdisCCY Ellis- -ReleaseCCY Rust-ReleaseCRS Melton-St AngeloCRS Matthews-FO2FESCCY Tyrer-FO2FESCRS Saunders-WhitehallCCY Smalt-HampshireCRS Maddran--Terror

CRS Turner CRS(W) Wise-HermesCH MECH Robinson CCY Gilbert-HermesCRS(W)Blackwell CCYTillett-Caroline

his first real contact with naval wireless equipnrent,when. with a Type 53 on his back, he conrpered in alorm of obstacle whaler race which was oliciallyknown as the W/T efficiency competirion. I n the springof 1939, as a Boy Telegraphist, hejoined rhe gunnerytraining ship HMS lron Duke at Portsnlouth for aspell of sea training and fo; rvhat someone lbndlyclescribed as'C untire Acclimatisarion

The troopship Dilyuru provicled passage to theChina Station in June ol that year, rvhcre he joinedthe aircraft carrier HMS EagL,. She was fitted uithtransmitter T1,pe 36 (with spark attachmenl) andtransmitter Type 37. Her principal receirer oulfirsCIiCJ obtained both FIT and LT supplies frorr lead-acid batteries. Apan flom nine single 6-inch guns, hermain armament consisted ol the Swordfish aircrafr of8 I 3 and 824 squadrons. The early days ol rhe war werespent in operations in the Indian Ocean and SouthAtlantic, but prior to the entry into the war of Iralyin 1940, Eaglehadj<.rined the Eastern MedirerraneanFleet at Alexandria" She rvas at that tinre. the onlycarrier available to lhe Commander-in-Chief (AdmiralCunningham in l|'arspitc\. During the actions \rhichlollowed in the Metliterranean she received theconstant attention of the ltalian air fcrrces. A shorrrefit in the UK in l94l resulted in such significantchanges as the fitting of Transmitter Types 88, 52 ERTand 4T. Her first superhet receiver, the B50 which rvaspart of the Outfit CAB. $,ent into the 2nd ollice. Thenewly fitted aircraft radio beacon Type 72X becamethe particular responsibilit!' of Leading Telegraphist

PEN PORTRAIT

cRS (RCl) G. LAWSFROM SPARK TO SATCON{S

IN 3I YEARLY LE,SSONS

On February T. 1938, Boy 2nd class Gordon Lawsslung his first hamn-rock onboard the ex-Germanliner hloje.stic. which was then functioning as theboys' training ship HMS Caledonia at Rosyth. Hisweekly rate of pay was 513d of u,hich J/- was drawnas pocket money. while the remainder was creditedon the ledger against the purchase ol slops and toprovide a saving to be obtained in cash on reachingage 18. It uas q'hile serving in Cqlcdotria that he made

As it rras in the beginning . . . . rs now

*

m

t

25--s

Laws. and Eogie was now. at last, to operate fightersand so it \\'as that the Swordfish gave \.\ay to theHurricane. Eagle u'ns soon. back in the 'middle sea'.this time operating with Force H fiorn Gibraltar.Operations in earll' 1942 included 'club runs'whereshe launched lancl-based RAF spitlires with one waytickets to beleaguered Malta. In August 1942. Eagit,

-ioinc'd Forcc F lor operation 'Pedestal' ivhich, hadit lailed, would have meant the capitulation of Maltaand a great victory' for Ronrmel. 'Pedestal' was infact the most important Malta convoy ever mountedand the name of one ship, \he Ohio. is significant in thesalvation ol Malta. Force F consisted of fourteenmerchartt ships in convoy, two battleships, three aii-craft carriers (providing about seventy fighter aircraft).seven cruisers, tlvent!'-five destroy'ers and eight sub-marines. A fourth aircraft carrier, the Ilo'ioas, carriedor"rt a 'club rr.rn' u'ith Spitfires to coincide with 'Ped-estal'. On Ar.rgust 14, 1942, the German U73 loundher nrark u'ith a salvo of four torpedoes and in aboutseven minLrtes the Eagle had sunk with the loss ofsome two hundrecl and sixty nren. Leading Telegra-phist Laws was picked up by HMS Lookout, trans-lerred at sea to HMS Venontous, then eventually atGibraltar to the old carrier HMS Argus lor return tothe UI(.

This brought about his lirst risit to Mcrcrlr,r, whichhad taken over from the old signal school in theRoyal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth. He recalls a duty'"i,atch job known as 'Jim Croi,r'' uhich involr'ed manya cold night on ihe roof o[ the nrain house keeping aIookout for parachutists. Later that year he foundhinrself aboard the liner Queetr Elrzabeth which wasat that itme operating as a trans-atlantic 'Monster'(a high speed zig-zag unescorted troopship). Hearrived at Baltinrore b1' ua1' of Canada and Neu,Jersey to commission as the Leading Telegraphist,the US built HMLST 406. Transmitter Type TCE 2and Wal'e-monitor LM 11 were the delights in thisstrange t) pe of rvar vessel. With one trial beaching inScotland under her belt LST 406 embarked Canadian-manned tanks and sailed for the Mediterranean. Herborv doors opened on a Sicily beach on the first DDay in Europe on Jtrlir 10, 1943. When operations inSicily u'ere conclr.rded, LST 406 was sailed to NorthAfrica where she embarked desert veterans of the5lst Highiand Division. For thern, D Day dawned ona Septenrber day in 1943 on a beach at Salerno. Thelanding and follow up was a bitter slog and its com-pletion gave u,a)' to the thirtl D Day *hen LST 406beachecl at Anzio in Januarl', 1944. This bitterlycontested beach head was continuouslv supportedfrorn the sea until the armies finally linked up inMay, 19,14. By the tirne LST 406 relurrred to UK, asecontl 'Hook' had been acquired and PO Tel Lawswas drafted ashore lor a brief spell before retumingto the Mediterranean. this time with the liaison partyat the French radio station in Algiers. In June, 1945,he took over as lhe PO Tel on the l5-ir-rch gun monitorHMS Abercroarbie, u'hich was being made ready tojoin the Far East Fleet. Having 'flashed up' the maintransmitter Type 49 and completcd the wiring of the

2-56

Ciaptain's sea cabrn 1br its neu, role as the RCO(Remote Control Oftrce), the wi f department wasreported as 'read;-' for sea'. The surrender of Japanmeant the retunl to UK u'herc Altarcroruhic reducedto reserve.

After about a year ir-r UK, Malta beckoned again.and 19,17 to 1949 r\as spent on the staff of the Com-mander^in-Cl-tieL Me'diterranean (FCO-CommanderStannard, FCO 2 - Lieut-Comdr Richardson) wherehis main task was nursing F.ixed Sen,ice 34 on inter-rupted carrier keying RATT, reverting at inlervals tohigh speed morse undulator u'orkir-rg. There follo*'eda further year in the Mediterranean on the staff ofCaptain(D) 3. (Captain Durlacher in Command andthe SCO was Lieutenani (now Captain) A. S. Morton)irr HIVIS Trortbridga (Type TBI-) and HMS Sar'rrr<,s(Type 89Q). Visits to ltaly *ere, by then, a much moreagreeable allair I On retr-rrning to UK in I 950 he became:the sole AT Instructor in MercLrry under a SWS officer(Mr. Brou'n; until he took the qualilying course lorWireless Instructor in 1952, togerher with Lieut-Conrdr(SD) (C) Thorpe and CRS Jackie Fisher'. He sub-sequently joir-red 'T' Sectiorr and initially taughttransmitters Type 57 DMR,59D,60D and theassociated CWS (Centralised Wireless Sysrem ).

Rated CPO Tel in January, 1953, he contiuued in 'T'Sectiorr (dLrring uhich time Tl lvas Conrrrodore S. F.Berthon) until he joined rhe Sta[ of Captain (D)Portsmouth in HMS Bo,rer (Radar and Radio trialsship) in January, 1954. Her main armanrent consistedof four Type 89Ps and sc'condary *ere four TCSs.She $as a chief Ieoman's niglrtmare as regards 'dressship', due to the r'xistence of five masts which werel<nown as Fore, Main, Mizzerr, Jigger and Pole. Forthe price ol a RADHAZ however. his probler:ts couldalways be reducetl to 'mast-heatl flags only'l

In Februari,, 1955, CPO Tel Lai.vs joined the cruiser'HMS Newfoundlard (all up-dated with 601 series) fora commission on the Far East Station. RS Sterne, nowin 'T' Section, was a Boy Tel in ;\'errlorrrdland duringthat commission uhich ended in mid 1956. 'T'Sectionin Mercury (Tls q'ere Commander Stanfbrd andComnrander Laing) and as Technical and AT instruc-tor at the Signal Training Centre Malta clain]ed rherlext f'e\, years until he joined HMS r(ezl (SCO uasLieut-Comdr Appleyard-List) in January, 1963. (RSRooney of 'E' Section was a JRO it'r Kenrl, She was'wired for'-but 'not with' ICS and so it u'as back to601 series again. t(t'rrr conducted trials in the Arcticthen joined the Far East Fleet during the Malaysianconfrontation. On the occasion of the FO2FESinspection (Admiral Sir P. J. Hill-Norton). the Admi-ral read an e-v-e-catching notice in the MCO whichread:

'Of u'hat avail the Aircraft,The Missile or the Shell .'

lf communications lail,The Fleet rvill go to hell.'

The Admiral sun'eyed the Chief for rvhat seemed avery long time and then said,'How right you are'.Relations lvith the Flag Lielrlenalrt continr.red to beexcellent I

Kent returrled to UK in 1965 and CRS Laws thenserved as President of the Chief Petty Officers mess inMercury until 1966. ln July, 1967, he had one day onPension (it was a Sunday) and then commenced hispresent NCS engagement as the Integrated Commu-nications System lnstructor. He is at present readingabout SATCOMS and has discovered that 'EarlyBird' is not descriptive of a barmaid who 'warms thebell'l His aim is to write a 'down to earth' paper onSKYNET for the benefit of those radio operators thatgo down to the sea in ships.Editor's note :

SHIPS INVOLVED IN OPERATION.PEDESTAL'

Battleslrips -Nelson

and RodneyAircraft Carriers

-Eagle, Victorious, Indomitable

Furious.

narrowly' pipped last year by HMS Co1ft'rgx,oozl whenwe got a shell stuck in the breech. This year, lromwhat we hear, we stand a good chance of winning withthe times we have recently been setting up on ourown track. By the time this goes to print Mr. TomWorden (ex LRO/CY) will be putting his lorriesback together again and I'm sure I speak for every-one when I wish him all the verv best in 'Civvv St'.

.22 RIFLE CLUB

The year 1969 has been a very successful year forHMS Mercury's .22 rifle club. Membership hasremained stable and attendance both on club nightsand during the lunch hour has been high. Followingthe winning of the Chevron Shield for 1968 the clubwas honoured by a visit lrom the Secretary of theNSRA. Mr Palmer took part in a small presentationceremony and later dined with Captain Sir PeterAnson, Bt.

In September, 1968, for the first time the rifle clubentered the Southampton and District, Division 4postal Leagr.re. Inlormation was received in earlyMay this year that the club had not only won the leaguebut had the honour ol having the top aggregatescorer for the year. PO GI Byne and myself attendedthe ACM of the Association and were more thanpleased to accept on behalf of the club the Division 4league Cup and individual spoons. It was also apleasure to accept lor CPO (Gl) 'Barny' Luff thetankard and spoon for the highest aggregate of theseason. Our congratulations go to him for thisachievement.

Norv that the fine weather is with us. we havenot been slow to take advantage of it. The clubentered a team in the Chilconrbe Down Open RangeCompetition on Sunday, June 8, and although theydid not come away with the major prizes, certainlymade their presence felt. On July 5 and 6 two teams

Captain Sir Peter Anson, Bt, admiring the CHEVRONSHIELD with LRO(G) Williams, Chief Shiprvright

Eccles and Petty Officer (GI) Byne

Cruisers

Destroyers

-Phoebe, Sir i us, C har ybdi s,

Niger ia, Ke nya, Manc he sterand Cairo

-Some 20 destroyers under two

Captain (D)s in Ashanti andLaJbrey.

SIGNAL SCHOOL MESS

President: LRO(T) M. A. Richardson

'The most successful so far.' That was the generalverdict on the end ol term dance belore main Easterleave. The varying selection of music was supplied byThe Alan Brown Set, The Sky and the TeddySaunders Jazz Band and all in all what with latetransport and a bar extension it uas a ver) enter-taining and enjoyable evening. The Mercury Clubdances have continued on a weekly basis, fourshillings on pay week and a two shilling bargain on'blank week'. These have been popular but the generalimpression as ever is that the shortage of females is

noticeable. LRO (now RS) Grimsey has been theorganiser and for any misdeeds he may have com-mitted is now being punished by becoming a NewEntry instructor.

Sports Day in conjunction with a fete was held onJune 11 and we were lucky enough to have a perfectday with the temperature nearing the eighties. Finefor the spectators but a bit hot I think for theparticipants. The New Entry Division who wereodds-on favourites won overall with SommervilleSquadron (ship's company block) coming in a closesecond. This occasion was very well attended andLady Anson was gracious enough to present theprizes. A total of over L222 was raised fuom the stallsfor King George's Fund for Sailors. One wouldimagine though that more was made by the numerousice-cream salesmen present as wherever one lookedthe children were making full use of their amenities.To add to all other attractions we were fortunateenough to be entertained by the Royal Marine Bandol the Flag Officer Naval Air Command.

This year Mercury has once again entered a crewin the Brickwoods Field Gun Competition, We were

257

have been entered for the Barton Stacey Open RangeCompetition. Chief Shipwright Eccles leads a strongteam consisting of CY Wombell, LRO James andLRO Rawson. whilst the ladies of the club haveformed a team consisting of 'Ginge' Pearson, SueWelton. 'Chatty' Chatterton and Driver JackieEdwards. The two teams will be under the non-firing captaincy of RS Dewhurst. We wish them allthe success.

The Junior membership has slackened slightly,probably due to the draw of the great outdoors.But it is strong enough to provide a team to travel toHMS Raleish on July 26-27 to represent the estab-lishment in the Olympiad.

The club is well on the way in their attempt toretain the Chevron shield this year, and are alsoattempting to win the Newark shield, which is pre-sented to the Service club qualif,ving the highestnumber of pistol marksmen in the year.

RN COMMUNICATIONCHIEFS' ASSOCIATION

by W. C. H. Bugg

Ir is now well known that an annual re-union ofpast and present Chief Communicators takes place inthe mess on the second Saturday in September. Thisyear will be the fifth re-union and they have all beenvery enjoyable and very well attended. [t was sugges-ted last year that an Association of CommunicationChief Petty Officers be formed, similar in effect to theGIs and RPIs Associations. In the early part of thisyear a committee was formed and they have beengoing into all the details. This committee consists ofthe President of the mess (CRS Dennis Alderson), theHon Secretary-Treasurer (CRS Hilder) and f,ve ex-serving nrembers. Ted Pallrey (elected Chairman) andJohn Maye, both past mess Presidents, Charlie Tink-ler, now serving on the staff of ACR (elected HonTreasurer), Bill Bugg (elected Hon Secretary) andKen Taylor, all ex members of the mess. This com-mittee has held three meetings and the formation ofthe Associatior-r is well under way. Vice-Admiral SirJohn Parker (FO Medway) has accepted their invita-tion to become President and the Captain HMSMercury has kindly agreed to become Vice President.The aim of the Association is to make possible anopportunity for all those with a common interest tomeet annually for a re-union and enable them to keepin touch with one another via a twice yearly news-letter giving news of the Association and its members.It is hoped, at some fLrture date, to arrange a moreformal function in addition to the annual re-union,maybe a dinner or something of that nature.

Full Menbershrp: This is open to all serving Com-munication Chief Petty Officers- Those who left theService on final discharge as Communication ChiefPetty Officers and Offrcers who were promoted fromthis late.

Associqte Membership: This is open to all serving

258

or retired Communication Officers. Any rating whohas served in the capacity of a Communication ChiefPetty Officer, including RNR ratings and who are noteligible for full membership. Application for AssociateMembership must be forwarded, IN WRITING.These will be considered by the committee and rvill besubject to the full rules of the Association.

Joining Fee: The fee will be il with an annualsubscription of 10/- payable on September l. Mem-bership cards will be issued as soon as they becomeavailable.

Further information of the Association will beforwarded, on request, by the Hon Secretary, RNCommunication Chiefs' Association, TrainingRecords Office, HMS Mercury. Applications forAssociate Membership and any item of interest forthe news-letter should be lorwarded to this address.It is hoped that all serving Communication ChiefPetty Officers will become members of the Associa-tion. If the whereabouts of any ex-serving member ofthe mess is known please foru,ard his address so thatan invitation to the next re-union Saturday Septem-ber 13 may be sent to him, as well as the aboveinformation.

A TR.AINEE'S VIEW OFCOMMUNICATIONS

by S. M. Welton

WRO(M)l has completed six weeks of a twenty-six week course at }{MS Mercury and the hithertounknown world of communications is slowly be-ing revealed. Perhaps the subject about which weknow most is morse receiving. Sitting in a class-room wearing a pair of earphones, more thanlikely scrawled by a former trainee with such use-less information as 'phones, ears for the use of',must, however be far removed from the atmo-sphere of a wireless officer. Perfect morse, pro-duced from a tape factory and received loudly

WRNS

and clearly with no interference, must also bevery different from manually transmitted morsewhich may be faint, have interference or be heardat the same time as another message.

Such basic components of communications asbroadcasts. ship-shore communications or a

coastal common net were undreamt of, by us,six weeks ago. Yet now, we like to believe wecould talk reasonably intelligently about them. Itis true that we shall answer questions on thesesubjects in examination papers, but that is adifferent matter from actually manning a receiv-ing bay on a broadcast or passing messages toships at sea.

Other aspects of communications are still almostas strange to us as they ever were. It is difficult,for example, to visualise a RATT or voice circuitwhen one has never set eyes on a teleprinter orspoken into a microphone. In fact, a communica-tions centre is still, to our minds, no more than a

series of boxes on a piece of paper, denoting suchpeople as routers, encrypters and filers.

In nine weeks, WRO(M)I, should be display-ing to the world the wings that are the badge ofa Communicator. It is my opinion. however, thatwe shall be Communicators only in theory. Weshall not fully understand communications untilwe leave HMS Mercury and enter the lofty posi-tion of a control tower or the smoky atmosphereof a communications centre.

FUN AND GAMES FOR THE MORSECOURSE

by Wrens O. Pearson (WRO M 1) andC.Zala (WRO M 2)

As most sparkers discover to their cost, the amountof recreational time ararlable is in proportion to thecourse, small nevertheless! Come the rare Tuesdayafternoon when the magic word 'Games' appears onthe timetable, a mass exodus of Burberry-clad WRNSoccurs within the precincts of Mercury.

Exactly what happens during this time is debatable.One would suppose that 'Divacs'are to be utilised bythe WRNS for their pleasure, but, once conlronted bythe numerous PTIs one discovers that instead of pro-ceeding to the sport ,rf their choice, they are per-suaded(?) in numerous ways to perform various'unusual'activities. Perhaps this explains the increasein numbers attending Sickbay on Monday morning(ignoring the fact that divs. coincide with attendancetimes). The point remains that if one's idea of enjoy-ment is to leap around a cross-country course at 'X'mph, then it is all well and good, and those who prefermore relaxing sport should be left to it. We haverapidly come to the conclusion that all PTIs have aninbuilt hatred of rifle shooting, squash and tennis andwould prefer to see WRNS participating in rugbyand cricket.

The conclusion being that if rve are to have sports

at all, then give us WRNS a sporting chance to dosomething of our preference (cross-country walk ?)and earn our undying gratitude.

ISLAND IN THE SUN

bY S.T,A.C.

Having read the article from the Wrens at Gibin the last edition of TsB ColrauuNtcAroR, we, theWrens in Mauritius decided to get together and in-form the world about life in Mauritius from our pointof view. Whilst most of you in UK are having or havehad sumrner leave, we are hoarding our station leavefor as long as possible, waiting patiently for oursummer between September and April. Although it isnow winter out here, it is still warm enough to carry onwith our normal activities such as snorkelling, waterskiing, expeding (where the lads excel themselveswith 'pot mess') and mountain climbing. The nightlife here is somewhat restricted but this is counteredby the frequent dances held in the mess and invitesup-homers to the RA's parties. Visiting ships arealways made welcome in the mess and we are atpresent awaiting the arrival ol HMS Albion at thebeginning ofJuly.

During the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, wecan usually be found at the Royal Naval Beach

Club-our very own Blackpool by the sea-sunworshipping or cooling off in the crystal clear watersof an Indian Ocean lagoon. The next few montlrs wilisee a big change in the Wrens complement here as

many of us are due to return to the UK. We lookforward to welcoming the chosen few due to relieveus and hope they will enjoy their stay in Mauritius.

BASIC

To tha torte c;f 'Music, Music, Music'By Morse 6

We'll do anything for you,Anything you want us to,AT, Org and GCIIt's Basic. Ba.ic, Basic.

Cive me Voice and MTX,BKX or MMX,Beats the old routine of sex,It's Basic, Basic, Basic.

Crypto, we all love CrYPtoPlus TTX and WT,They're the only things for me.

Couple of Codeine everYdaY,Keeps you going to sick bay,With Tonsillitis all the waYIt's Basic, Basic. Basic.

Problems, are never problems,When you've got Sister waiting a .he door,With her green pills by the score.

259

Jenny Wrens at N(ercury.Spend all day on Matelot's Knee,They don't go for POC,That's Ilasic, Basic, tsasic.

Monday. oh fruity Monday.When you've got Jennys walking out of lunchWith bananas by the bunch.

Then they go back to the'Towers',Where they're cleaning all the floors.That won't take them many hours,It's Basic. Basic, Basic.

Pinkie. the dear old Pinkie.When we are feeling down in the dumpsGo down there for pints of scrumps.

We spend all day on AT,It just don't agree with me,It's so simple as you'11 see,It's Basic. Basr'c, Basic.

Oh We'll do anything for you,Anything you want us to,Thrill you through and through and through,lt's so Basic. Basic, Basic.

THE UNION JACK CLUBby lYren Carro!!, RE WROI

A few rveeks ago, I and three friends fromSoberton Towers decided that a weekend in Lon-don would make a pleasant return to the civilianworld. We thought we would stay at one of theService clubs in the city as this seemed the mosteconomical and convenient way of arrangingaccommodation. I wrote to the Union Jack Clubthat evening and received a reply several dayslater confirming our reservation. The fees werevery reasonable, bed, breakfast and a hot bathcost only 1216 each per night.

At six o'clock on Friday evening we arrived atWaterloo. and made our way to Exlon Street*tich, fortunately, was very close to the station,as only Sue had any knowledge of London, otherthan a tourist's guide book and map. The build-ing itself was impressive from the outside andstood elegantly at right angles to the main street,but our feelings were tinged with apprehension aswe pushed open the doors, wondering if those un-complimentary rumours rve had heard would beproved true by experience. Once inside our fearswere dispelled. everywhere was 'ship shape' andan air of friendliness prevailed. One of the staffhanded us the keys to our rooms and showed usto the first floor. Laurie and I shared one cabin,bearing a plaque 'HMS Repulse, 1941' and Sueand Rhonda the one next door; apparently eachroom was dedicated to someone, or some aspectof Service life. Inside were two single beds, withmatching counterpanes and curtains, a large ward-

260

robe and cupboard, bedside cabinets, a wash basin,radiator and adequate mirrors and electric light-r'ng for a room twice the size. The window over-looked a small park, which, snow-covered thefollowing morning, looked enchanting.

After unpacking we went down to supper, thismeal was served in the dining room between 6 and9 pm and cost about 5s for a three course mealor individual items could be chosen ir 1a carte,making it possible to have a quick snack beforegoing out for the evening. Lunch consisted ofa similar arrangement and breakfast, ready at anytime up to 9.45, was 'Mess Deck style'. The foodwas undoubtedly good, olTered a varied choice,and was always hot. Afternoon tea was served inthe spacious lounge every day for those stayingin and coffee, cigarettes and chocolate machines(much coveted by those at Soberton) were avail-able at all times.

This part of the Service Club catered only forthe WRNS, WRAC and WRAF, and providedmarried quarters for Service and ex-Service fami-lies. (Someone with much foresight had accom-modated single Service men two streets away.)Apart from the lounge, there was a televisionroom, both with armchairs, a separate lounge forchildren to play in and make as much noise asthey wished under supervision, and a shop, onsimilar lines to the NAAFI, selling amongst otherthings trinkets. souvenirs of the capital. andnewspapers.

The staff proved most helpful over travelarrangements and found out the telephone num-ber and address of the Nuffield Centre as curiosityimpelled us to go there one evening. The centrelies close to Trafalgar Square, and is certainly anattractive place, furnished with lounges, bars anda dance hall, but due to the somewhat undesirablecompany found within its walls, we would notrecommend it to our friends unless accompaniedby a devoted 6 ft matelot. However with theunderground so close, a fivepenny ticket took usto many of the sights of London, and we foundno lack of entertainment. In 48 hours we wanderedround several shops in Oxford and Regent Streets,bought a combined ticket for Madame Tussauds,at present featuring a realistic scene of the Battleof Trafalgar. and the Planetarium. the latter beinga good grounding for an evening at the cinemawatching '2001 : A Space Odyssey'. We attendedmorning service at St Paul's, took a leisurely lookat the National Art Gallery and battled our waythrough an episode of intrigue starring Steve Mc-Queen as 'Bullitt' not to mention the fact that wespent two weeks pay before we knew it had gone.

I feel I must conclude by pointing out the dis-advantages of the Club, few as they were; if in-tending to stay out after midnight a late book hadto be signed in advance, and on the morning ofdeparture rooms were to be vacated by 10 am, butthe last ruling was modified by the club's baggageroom being available throughout the day, along

with the lounge and restaurant.Al[ considered, the advantages heavily outweigh

the faults, we are unanimous in proclaiming ithighly satisfactory and shall no doubt return inthe near future.

HELLO FM YEOby Wren M. Ward assisted by Wren C. Rayment

Many will conjure Lrp the image of the MSO Yeovil-ton as the impregnable walled citadel. No longer isour view restricted to brick walls. Our tolerance ofpneumatic drill irritation to 'that Monday morningfeeling'has paid off: many changes have occurred totransform a 'run of the mill' and occasionally depres-sing comcen into a'home from home'. We have a newrestroom with red walls-enough to make anyonesleep to avoid the glare; we have the warmest placeon the station in the winter-the only problem beingthat they tend to forget to switch it off-even whenthe temperature is in the 70'sl!! Under the capablesupervision of Lieut Lennon, CRS Mathews and POWren Gray who are making an all out effort to keepthree unruly watches under control and consideringthe odds they do very well in ensuring that bothFONFT (& Stafl) and the staff of the Naval AirStation itself get their signals promptly? andaccurately ?

Free Tinrc? Well, that depends entirely on you.With our divisional officer, Third Officer Jolly, youwill be encouraged and can go far with any sportinginterest you may have, the swimming gala being thenext sporting event on Yeovilton's calendar. We havea large gymnasium which houses a badminton court,trampoline and also has facilities for circuit training.There are also tennis courts, squash courts, rifleshooting amenities, and a heated swimming pool,needless to say, the usual football and hockey pitchesare many. As you know we house the transatlanticair race winner-the Phantom-the success of whichhas caused much excitement in and around Yeovilton,and we must mention a much visited museum whichgives details of the history of the Fleet Air Arm.

hr our club-the Heron Club-we have a cabaretand discotheque once a week and of course there isthe old standby, the Thursday night dance, There aremany lovely walks in our area as Yeovilton is right inthe heart of 'Zummerzet't and if walking is not yourpleasure you could always ride-or learn to ride at thestables which are attached to the camp-rounding offthe evening at one of the four public houses withineasy walking distance of the camp-need I say more ! ! !

BRAWDY-'GATEWAY TO THE WEST'by 'Les Girls'

Most people who have ever been stationed here atBrawdy will, we hope, agree with us that there is nevera dull moment, especially as we are an Air Stationtaking a very active part in the training of pilots.Noisy! No, it is all in the mind, the fact thar the run-

way is on.ly a matter of yards away from the WrensQuarters is only a minor detail! Now that the summer(Welsh only) is upon us, we Comms ratings take fulladvantage ofsome of the beaches that peribrokeshireprovides. Many of us can be found recovering from a'shattering all night on' down at Newgale. But, alas,we suppose one has to work for a living! During thelast few months, the arrivals and departure, oi or.communications staff has been almbst as busy asFlight Planning. It is therefore impossible to gilr.

"mention to everybody, but we shall trv. SincJ Feb_ruary, we have said goodbye to pO Wren JudvNorman, who we hope is enjoying herself in Oslo.PO Wren Di Mizen, having just returned fromSingapore, is now pO Wren of the MSO, L/WrenJane Rees, it seems, preferred the altar to the MSOand has been relieved by L/Wren Sue Crompton, whohas just come back from Mauritius. The other newpersonnel here include Dot Lathwood also ex-Mauritius and Wrens Kelly, King and Mulhollandfrom Mercury. We have also been graced with WrenSue Barry who has just arrived from Lossiemouth.Handling the Wrens (and the lads) with an iron fist(in a velvet glove of course) is rhe SCO Lieut D. D.Davies.

RS Dave Allport still runs the coffee boat in theTower; profits must be good as he has just acquired acar!! Chief Jerry Marden still produces kittens everyday, while the lads are, as aluays, gerring paid fordoing nothing. Joking aside, the male ratings do havetheir uses, especially when Captain,s rounds areimminent! CND seem to have some use for our ladshowever-LRO(G) Lewis (Taff) is off to the Easr-bourne, AILRO(G) Erwin to the Malcoltn andRO2(W) Lambert (our Ted) to the Charybrlrs. Oursympathy is senr to Singapore who are shorrly to beblessed with L/Wren Jody Rogers and Wrsn SueMcGovern; to Gibraltar goes Wren Babs Shute;Fort Southwick gets Wren Vera Owen and yeoviltonwill be graced by Wren Andy Dyer. As a final gesture,we would like to state that any rumours concerningthe exodus of Whitehall WiT to Brawdy when itceases to be an Air Station, are completely unfounded.By SCO

Heard in Brawdy during a Communicationsexercise:Wren A. 'Does anyone know who SUNRAy is?,LRO 'Isn't it the SCO or somelhing?'PO Wren 'But I thought his name was KEOGH,'

NEWS FROM HOME

Wren Radio Operators' Advancement

As at the beginning of July, the Advancement rosterstood as follows:

To Leading Wren Radio Operator(awaiting course) 100

To Petty Officer Wren Radio Supervisor(awaiting course) 10

261

Advancement courses this term included:

ADVANCEMENT 3/69Ldg Wrens Standish, Hadley and Forbes, WrensBilney, Brown, Cox, Cobley, Dickens, Walker andOwen.

ADVANCEMENT 4/69Ldg Wrens Gorst and Russell, and Wrens Ledwidge,Brown, Ryan, Roberts, Simpson, Howlett, Bancroft,Holloway, Ostridge and Snowdon.

HMS'MERCURY' WRNS OFFICERSFront row I to r: Second Officer D. C. Seller (CE),WRNS Gl, First Officer V. Reynolds, WRNS UnitOfficer, Third Officer J, Havers, CABack row I to r: Second Officer H, Scriven, QuartersOfficer, Third Officer J. Cooper, Admin and SportsOfficer, Third Officer H. M. Kirby, Asst Secretary

FROM FIRESHIP TORNR HEADQUARTERS

By Grade III (Cryptographer) Brian Baker

The first l4tildfire was a 64-ton fireship in 1766-shewas never used by the Navy and was eventuallysold (perhaps the Government was short of moneythen). Orher vessels had the same name until 1828when RN Barracks, Sheerness, took it. After succes-sive closings and openings the buildings known as}{MS Wildfre achieved fame during the 1939-45 war.This establishment finally closed down in 1959. InSeptember, 1964, the tunnels which had originallybeen C-in-C Nore's MHQ at Chatham during the warwere recommissioned as HMS Wildfire-a unit inthe Headquarters RNR.

By taking the entrance from Medway Road,Gillingham (those of you who haunted the Wrennerywill know it), you will find us a short distance awayfrom the new married quarters being built on what wasonce the garden of the C-in-C's residence. EveryThursday evening Service visitors are welcome, inparticular, at the bar where frenzied activities con-tinue until closing time. Our Service activities, no lessfrenzied, involve manning FO Medway's LCHQ for

262

NATO and other exercises and for training theReserve fersonnel who would help to operate it intime of war. Outside of the training of the unit,interest is kept alive by a fairly active social club. Thisclub organises several dances and visits during theyear, all of which attract a large number of the unit'smembers. Interest in the Navy is kept alive by visitsto HM warships in the local Royal Dockyard andvisits in some of these ships to various Europeanports. As can be imagined, these trips are warmlyrec€ived by members of what is normally a stonefrigate. We have also had some successes in com-petitive sailing, boat pulling and rifle shooting events.

Why not come and see us when you are in our area ?

Join us when you come outside. Many famous feethave passed our way-Sir Winston Churchill, KingGeorge VI, and many others. You might even meetRichard Hicks, who works for the GPO down here,where he has been since 1939 (rumour has it he can'tfind the way out).

PS-AI one time RN Gunnery School, Sheerness,was known as HMS Wildfire. Official recognition ofthe Gls training perhapsl

HEPATITIC HUMOURBy Lieut W. J. Burling

As a past treasurer and galley-proof editor ofTsr, CoulruNrcAToR magazine I was often, to-gether with many other like-minded people, anadvocate of articie diversiflcation in maintainingthe highly readable contents of the magazine. Hav-ing just received the Winter 1968 edition andavidly read the magazine from cover to cover injust I hour and 43 minutes, I was struck by theincreasing professionalism both in presentation andsubject matter, and by the sheer humour createdby the matelot and the wren even under themost uncomfortable and provocatively trying con-ditions. It occurred to me that perhaps with alittie ellort and because I now have at least 24hours a day of virtual free time, an article en-lightening the uninitiated to the fun and games ofa hepatitic's existence might, despite a stightodour of infective indigestibility, add something tothe magazine subject coverage.

It all started when it was discovered that I hadsomehow contracted infective hepatitis which is aliver disease, so into hospital I was duly despatchedto enjoy the required rest and drink cure pre-scribed for this complaint. Hepatitis is endemic totropical and sub-tropical climates and it's justhard luck if the infection marches in your direc-tion. As OIC of the Comcen, Movements Officer,etc, there was the usual very orderly panic strickenhand-over of the immediate problems to my col-league, Lieut Wenn, a constant ringing of thetelephone from all those who had found out andwanted to remind me not to forget a bill (ha-ha),

to wish me well for the last time, to sympathisewith the loss of my RA, or to tell me it rvas abouttime I recovered from the Christmas Lark.

The whole procedure was completed in 1] hours,including a mad scramble around my large woodencoloniaI style married quarter wondering where thehell my pyjamas had disappeared to (did I everhave any')), and whether hexachlorophene tooth-paste would cause complications to my terribledisease. Finatly with a grip weighing close on100 lbs, most of it cordial bottles and WinstonChurchill's HrsroRy oF THE ENGLTSH spEAKrNcpEopLES, Vol III, I tottered over to Hospital Re-ception. With smiles, and wishes by me that Iwas anywhere but in the clutches of the medicalworld, I was quickly escorted to Zymotics, allowedmy last bath for weeks and placed in a privateroom with the luxury of a telephone. The in-structions were that I was not to move from mybed and that I must drink at least one glassful ofliquid (non-alcoholic - I'll be flung out of thegin club), every half hour together with, of course,the obvious results which were to be noted on aform prescribed for that purpose. This seemedfine until the call of nature arrived and I beganto experience the new entrant patient's panic atbeing caught by the N{atron whilst solemnly en-throned on a stainless steel bedpan. The feat re-quires precise timing to avoid such embarrass-ments, an asset I very quickly acquired. Let mehastily add that the nursing staff appeared not 1onotice these things (lovely girls, all of them). Iwas the only person during such incidents alTectedrn any way.

A hospital routine is of course vitally necessary,especially visits by the medical staff hierarchy.Just before Matron arrives all sheets are finallyadjusted to the flnest one thousandth of an inch,legs crossed, hair combed and a general expressionof bright-eyed, 'it's nice to be here', added to thesituation. (Negat bed-pan sit, of course.) Matron'slegendary powers and authority really are as evi-dent as films portray, and in this particular in-stance a pleasant interlude in the otherwise bor-ing morning's proceedings. I enjoyed thesemoments of attention and the general cossetingthat the illness requires, but not some of the lesspleasant side effects. Unfortunately my stay wasmarred by some mouth ulcers which in generaldistorted my speech

- rather like speaking witha mouth full of marbles, one nightingale cheerfullytold me. At least this period taught me to answerquestions with absolute minimum of words, ratherlike a Hemingway nove1, and left my unfortunatewife with a full hour in which to talk when visitingme, with little or no chance of anything resemblingmore than an incoherent mumble in reply.

The principal occupation of the hepatitic isreading, reading and reading, in that order, theonly forbidden words being Yellow or Blood Test.I now know all there is to know about the Taj

Mahal, the American Presidential elections, raceriots, Mike Hammer and the New York cops(Mickey Spillane for the uninitiated), what exactliquids are required to fortify a good wine, andthe best underclothes lor persons anticipating spacetravel. The secondary occupation is drinking. Twoflasks are kept constantly filled by the medicalstaff who use boiled water contained in an un-believable variety of bottles. I have seen waterpoured from a Sunset orange squash bottle, aYugoslav Riesling bottle, what looked like a largetomato sauce bottle, all of it beautifully cooland destined for a speedy journey. To keep onefrom becoming too flaccid, or is it placid, and toprevent bed irritations over any area of the bodyin constant contact with the bed, ie, back, bottom,elbows, heels etc, a twice daily clean with soapand water, methylated spirits and powder is car-ried out by firm massage in these areas. The en-tire operation takes about four to five minutes,but the patient enjoys that incredible feeling ofrvell-being one observes from a cat being gentlytickled behind the ears. We hepatitics, a fairly ex-clusive group, look forward to such therapeutictreatment with great eagerness and delight.

But perhaps the most important single happen-ing in a hepatitic's life occurs every Monday fore-noon. On that day a laboratory technician arrives,smiles blandly, says good morning, jabs a thunder-ing great needle into the patient's arm, withdrawsa couple of gallons of blood, murmurs 'sorry sir',and departs just as smoothly complete with yourblood and his gruesome tool kit. The prelude tothis early morning vampirism creates enormoustension despite the painlessness of the operation.but principally because that jugful of blood andthe subsequent analysis of its content very largelydecides whether or not a patient is fit to leave hos-pitat for the long peiiod of necessary con-valescence. Great is the joy of the post-hepatiticas he takes leave of his infected friends, and pre-pares plans for his return Io the party throwingfold. (Dress optional - negat anything approach-ing yellow.)

To me hospitalisation is a completely new ex-perience and therefore from a primary outlookintereslingly difierent, but now becoming unmis-takably boring, and requiring a more profoundresearch into that quality called 'a sense ofhumour'. I know chaps like my immediate col-league Derek Wenn have it, must have it to copewith his additional tasks and still enjoy 1ife, likeCRS Cokes the Comcen regulating CRS, so veryefficient and hardworking it scares one, yet he in-variably produces some witticism as TARE locks infor the third time, and of course the medical staffwhose understanding and kindness, carefullyblended with an iron discipline, do their utmostto make life inside tolerable and very often funny.After all, that"s what humour is all about. isn't it?

263

H.M. COASTGUARDAN INIERESLN6 AND yAR'ED IOB W0RKIN6 WITH AND SERyING rHOSE

SIITL AI SEA

There are vacancies i n the Coastg uards man G rade fo r ex-RN, RAF (Mari ne)and Merchant Navy men aged between 27 and 50. (Seaman or Communi-cations Branch experience only normally considered.)

Commencing salary {949 then rising by five annual increments to {1,109with good prospects of promotion.

Housing is provided at {llOpa which is deducted from salary.

For full details apply to: H. M. Coastguard (Dept C)Room 725Board of TradeSanctuary BuildingsGreat Smith StreetLondon SWI.

HarveysBristol Cream,the best sherrlrin the world.

ORIGINAL SUPERIOR QLIALIIYx?W9 tadw *.

.IDIIN TIARVEY E SOIE UMITO*J::-*-

BY APPO N'MINT TONER MAJTSIY Q!TEN IL 2A3I1H II

JOHN HARVgY & SONS LIMITIO8i sToL

CHOICE'SI OI-D F1-TLL

SHERF-Y

ERISTOL

tt;{

i{,):lI.

COMMUNICATIONS GAZE'TTE

APPOINTMENTS

Eotron's Norr,: Although every endeavour is made to ensure that the infornation in thisseclion i.t corr?ct, y'e ask reatlers not to lreot it as authoritative in the strict sense.

Name

Aoeus, B.J.Aoavs, N. J.BunrruR, S. F.BrusoN, J. .

Boorn, Miss P. M.Bowrn, G. A.Bnrccs, A. E.BuNuNc, R. H.Crvr. R. F.Clanrn, P. A.Cunra, R. T.CuNroN, T. E.CneutrN, D. H.Cnozrrn, T. F.DrnwrNr, Miss R.Dooswonru, P. ..Dnerr-Wrlxrs, S.Dnryrn, J. C.Dyrss, J.Eownnos. P. T.EruNs, J. M.Envrrr, F. M.Fnstunxrlr, D. ..FULFoRD-DoBSoN. M.Grrlacnsn. J. B.GrwrEv, J. M. .

Gun-N. D.Haurtrn, G. D. .

HrLL-NoRroN, N. J.HolllNo, R.Hooprn, G. E.H'uNrrn, C. W. .

Jacrson, D.JrnuaN, J. R.Jrssop, J. M.Ke,{rr, H. R.LoruprrR, A. H. .

O'BnlrN. C. A.Ponrrn. A. H.Popr, J.PoYNrun, D. A. .

PRrcrcr:rr, W. J.Pnovosr, A. G. .

Plroorcx. Miss N. D.RrcHenosox, A. B.RrcHARDs, M. A.Rrccs, J. J. .

Russy. C.Srtlon, Miss D.SuorroN, J^

Suecrer-r, J.Svrrs, C. C.SNow, K. G.THoMAs, Miss O. V.Tsolrpsox. Miss M.THoRPE, F. R.THunsroN, Miss D. M.

RankLieutenantSub Lieut. (SD)CaptainLieutenant3/OCaptainLieutenant (SD)Lieutenant (SD)I ieutenantLieutenantLieut. CommanderLieutenant (SD)CommanderLieut. Commander2ioSub Lieut. (S)DLieutenantLieut. CommanderLieut. CommanderLieut. CommanderCommanderLieutenant (SD)Lieut. Con-rmanderCommanderLieut. CommanderLieutenant (SD)Lieut. CommanderLieutenant RANLieutenantLieutenant (SD)Sub Lieut. (SD)LieutenantLieutenant (SD)Lieutenant (SD)CommanderCaptainLieut. CommanderLieutenant (SD)Lieutenant (SD)Rear-AdmiralCaptainLieutenant (SD)Lieutenant3/OLieutenantLieut. Commander (SD)Lieut. Commander (SD)Captain2loSub Lieut. (SD)Lieutenant (SD)Sub Lieut. (SD)Sub Lieut. (SD)llo3ioLieut. Commander (SD)2O

Whence

Long CourseSD(C) CourseVictoryFO2FEFVictoryVictoryGangesDNSLong CourseVictoryC in C PlymouthDrakeMOD DCW(N)FifePresidentExmouthLong CourseEastbourne (1st Lieut.)HMY BritanniaMODKeppel in CommandFOSTDanaeFOSTFearlessPresidentHermesLong CourseRAN ExchangeLochinvarMercuryLong CourseMercuryMercuryPresidentDryadMercuryMercuryWarriorDNSDrake (FSL)FearlessEastbourneCochraneLong CourseDolphinWarriorTartarMercuryHermes

AuroraMercuryCondorSt AngeloMercuryWarrior

WhitherEastbourneHermioneMod (DDP(C))MercurySt AngeloAshantiSTC DevonpoltMercuryRAN ExchangeWarriorDGW (DWES(N))Ark RoyalMOD DNSDolphinDNSMercurl'RAN ExchangeMercuryAss. N. A. MoscowCOMNAVBALTAPMOD (DDPS)whitehall w/TWarriorCOMEDNOREASlMercuryMercuryCOMFEFUndauntedMercuryCochraneFOSNIFO2FEFGangesFO MaltaMINDEF MalaysiaAjax in commandFO2FEFMercury Adv (SD)President (ACR)FOFWFDNSMercuryDartmouthWarriorDanaeHQ AF SOUTHC in C PlymouthC in C SouthTerror (COMFEF)whitehall W/lMercuryMercuryBacchanteCOMFEFPresidentWarriorDryad

265

ROYAL FLEET AUXTLIARY SERVICE

Many communications ratings leaving the Royal Navy are not aware

9f tle opportunities that exist for SIGNALMEN in the Royal FleetAuxiliary Service.

Qualifications are approximately the same as for RO2(T) in the RoyalNavy.

Pay, at present, begins at {6215s. per month with food found;suitableratings may obtain Company Service Conrracts which atrract additionalpay and other benefits.

lf yourvould like to know more apply to:-The Director of Fuel, Movements and Transport,Ministry of Defence (Navy),Section 74A,Empress State Buildings,LONDON S.W.6.

or to the R.F.A. Agent in one of H.M. Dockyards.

CONTRACTORS TO THE MINISTRYOF DEFENCE AND OVERSEASGOVERNMENTS

The Company specialises in the Operationand Servicing of Military Aircraft, radarand weapons systems and in the provisionof Technical and Training Services forMilitary Forces.

It is a leading Organisation for the trainingof all categories of aircrew and groundstaff in civil aviation.

Airwork Services LtdBournemouth (Hurn) Airport

Nr. Christchurch, Hants

266

NsDe Rank Whence WhitherTrMpsoN, G. M. Lieut. Commander Jufair Ark RoyalTuuts, G. M. Lieut. Commander Mercury SNOWIWrssen. P. C. Lieutenant (SD) Dartmouth FearlessWHITEHEAD, D. . . Lieut. Commander Wakeful in command Grenville in commandWrron, A. W. AiSub Lieut. (SD) Mercury STC DevonportWtutrtrrsoN, J. K. Lieutenant Long Course CharybdisWrsr, T. B. Lieutenant RAN Ajax (Exchange)Woon, A. R. Commander MOD (CDCN) MOD (NMUU)

PROMOTIONSTo Rerar-AdmiralJ. E. Popr

To Lieut.-Commander (SD)F. R. TsonprK. Wolr-lN

To Lieutenant (SD)M. T. Hur'apsntrsJ. M. GawlrvJ. TarrD. C. SnvcsS. G. Sor-nvJ. R. T. JanuaNF. M. Erur'rrrP. C. WrssrR

Yrerrs, D. A.HousroN, J.CooMtsEs, B. G. FSM(,LLEN. D. J.

To Commander (Effective Dec.)I. FencrE-WooosN. L C. KETTLEwELLR. W. KrocHA. A. Wruon

To Sub.-Lieutenant (SD)R. C. Wsrrnv-Sutrs

RETIREMENTSCommander M. Sr Q. War-r-Lieut.-Commander R. .1. GnrrN

RN Long Course. 1969J. T. SauornsP. R. SurrruarrsrrnW. M. CeswrllC. J. Cltupsrrr-G. A. WrsoND. M. HowenoB. BunxsM. A. RosrNsor.iP. J. KrNcD. T. Fnosr

TO CRSBrlron-PtnxrNs, J. 890290

Lieutenant (SD) P. ArzuNsox2/O Miss L. F. Lrwsorv

TO CCYTvnun, E. A.Ev.qNs, D. J. W.DrrNrs, D. H.ScnrvrNs, W. C.LEVENE, L. F.

TO CRS(W)McKay, R.Trvlon, A. R.

COURSESAdvanced (SD) (C) CourseLieutenant C. A. O'BnrNLieutenant F. M. ElrurrrrLieutenant D. C. SeycrSub.-Lieut. K. G. SNowSub.-Lieut. J. SsorroNSub.-Lieut. A. W. WnroN

BIRTHDAY HONOURS LIST, 1969BEM

Chief Radio Supervisor D. J. BtoNlr-L P/JX 885107. I1MS Antrint

ADVANCEMENTS

RossoN. L.Jur-uN, H. G.Purrrcx, M.CoLLTNSoN. P.C.qnFrNcroN, J. A. 924'13'7

9355'/39t9'72588301 39 1 8845

911954936451898249889 l 39

883409901 67391 I 871908945836440

978159980822

267

CYPHER VACANCIESGOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS HEADQUARTERS

INCHELTENHAM AND LONDON

Vacancies exist for Men and Women (particularly ex-service personnel) forCommunications centre work. Recenr experience in Cypher or Teleprintingdesi rable.Appointments in London are paid on a scale rising to tl ,225, whilst those inCheltenham rise to { l, 100.

Those appointed must accept liability for shift duties covering nighrs, week-endsand public holidays for which additional allowances are payible. Opportunitiesexist for Overseas Service.All first appointments are temporary but with excellent prospects of becomingestablished (i.e. permanent and pensionable without Superannuation deductions)-.There are also prospects for promotion.Civil Service leave, hours and sickness benefits apply.Candidates and both parents musr have been British Subiects since birth.Applications, with full details of experience and qualifications to:

The Recruitmenr Omcer, (CY OP/4)Government Communications Headquarters,Priors Road, Oakley, Cheltenham.

PmansOF PORTSMOUTH 63311

FOR

LAUNDRY AND DRYCLEANING

AT ALL SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS

268

DRAFTING

Only names that have been included in articles ships ships and not printed elservhere in the magazine are shos-n here. Please forwardany drafts you wish shcn'n in our next edition with your article fo! the Christmas elition. InCividuals may rvrite to the Editor direct ifthey so desire.

Although every effort is made to ensure that the information in this section is correct, rve ask readers not to treat it as authoritativein the strict sense.

Name

AD.{MS, W. H.ADKrNs, C. C.AITKEN, P. M.AKERS, B. K,ALEXANDFR, R, L.ALDRTDGE, S. L. ..ALLEY, J. H.ALLrsoN, S. J.ANDERSoN, R. K.ANDRE$,, D.ANDRE$,S, C). 'i(. . .

ANSELL, B. rff/.APPLEBY. i. C. ..ARMSTRoNC, G. D.ASTBURY. M. R. . ,

AUSTIN, R. K.AYLorr, R. l. ..BArN. T. K.Bavacr. C. V. . .

Baxrru. S. C.BAGNALL, K. A. ..RARLos,. P. I-. . .

BALL, C. C.BALL, R. J.BECKHAM, R. M.BERTRAM, P. M. . .

BELCHER, P. A. ..BENNETT, R, P' ..BIRD,P. .. ..BrssELL. I. l. ..Brlcxsirnx, D, A.RoLroN, A. M. .

BoLToN. P.BoYALL, F-. J. ..RRAMLEY. N.tsrrurrnb, T. E.BRoADtsENT, H. ..BRomi, D. \X'. ..BUNN. R. V.Burcirn, B. K. . '

BuRwooD, D. L.CAHILL, B. L'CAMERoN. S. ..CASEY, T. A,CLARK, A. G.CLARK, D. C.CLARK. P. H.Cnusiqrs, P. A.CoBB. G. NCoxobos.11. l.CooKE. D. 1'.Corpv. V.CoLLIER, B. T. . '

CoLr.IS, R. C.CocKER. T. D. .

Cosr*io. D. J. .

CorroN, G.CowMAN, D. FCouprm, R.CousrNs, R. J.Courrs. G. E.Cna^-Hiu, T. T. .

CRoPr. B. M.Cnoucien, R. t.CUDDY, P. ACULIERWELL, P. , .

CURRIE, M. O. ..Currs, M.DAvrEs, G.DAvrEs, G. A.DAvrEs, M. l. . .

Drvrrs. M. R.Davrs. A. K.DENNiT, S. G. ..DIBNAH, R. F.DICKIE, A.DoooY, J.DRUM^{oND, J. ..Dnrw, D. J. . .

Whence

MercuryTorquayMercuryMercuryVictoryMercuryDiamondMercuryGlamorganl'[ercuryMercuryMercury\ilhirby-NlercuryFearlessPlymouthMercuryMercuryHermesMercuryMercuryDefenderMercuryMercuryMercuryi\{ercuryMercuryMercuryJllercuryMercuryMercurylVIercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryVictoryDianaNlercuryMercuryMercuryVictoryVictoryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercur-vMercuryDanaeMercuryVictoryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryVictoryl\4.ercuryVictoryOspreyMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryDecoyMercuryHermesMalcolmAuroraMercuryPellewDrakeMercury

lVhither

JunoMercuryDrakeVictoryMercuryHighburtonMercuryFIeronMercuryAlbionHermesJunoMercuryJunoMercuryMercuryExcellentTerrorMercuryAuroraWarriorMercuryPumaPembrokeKeppelMauritiusDryad$(arriorOspreyCharybdisTamarVicroryAuroraHermesLndurancel{ermes-N{ercuryMercuryLIandalTFlermesFulmarMercuryMercuryHampshire\ff/arriorNeptuneArgonautVictoryMauritiusDrakeHermesFulmarMercurYReclaimMercuryWhitehallMinervaCochraneBulldogGangesFulmarWarriorMercuryCharybdisMercuryMercury!trarriorHermioneTerrorDolphinMercuryCarpentariaMercuryMercuryMercuryNaiadMercuryMercuryHermione

Rate

. CRS

. RO2

. RO2

.RS

. RO2

. LRo

. RO2

. RO2

. RO2

. JRO. RO2

. CRS

. RO2

. JRO. RO2

. RO2

. t,Ro

. RO2

. RO2

. RO2

.RS

. RO2

. RO2

. RO2

. RO2

. RO2,RS. RO2. RO2. RO2.RS.cY' JRO. RO2.RS. RO2. ROI. RO2

RO2. RO2. RO2. r-Ro. LRO. RO2. RO2. RO2.CY. RO2. RO2. RO2. RO2. RO2. RO2. LRO. LRO. RO2.RS. RO2. LRO,CY. RO2. RO2. RO2. ROl. LRO,RS. RO2. IRO. RO2. RO2. RO2,RS. RO2. RO2. RO2. RO2.RS. RO2, LRO

269

RADIO TECHNICIANSA number of suitably qualified candidates are required for unestablished posts,

leading to permanent and pensionable employment (in Cheltenham and other partsof the UK, including London). There are also opportunities for service abroad.

Applicants must be l9 or over and be familiar with the use of Test Gear, and havehad practical Radio/Electronic workshop experience. Preference will be given tosuch candidates who can also offer "O" Level GCE passes in English Language, Mathsand/or Physics, or hold the City and Guilds Telecommunications Technician lnter-mediate Certificate or equivalent technical qualifications. A knowledge of electro-mechanical equipment will be an advantage.

Pay according to age, e.g. at l9-{915, at 25-{1,189 (highest pa/ on entry),rising by four annual increments to Ll ,377.

Prospects of promotion to grades in salary range {1,181-L7,145. There are a fewposts carrying higher salaries.

These scales are being further increased at l-l-70.Annual Leave allowance of 3 weeks 3 days rising to 4 weeks 2 days. Normal Civil

Service sick leave regulations apply.

Application forms available from:Recruitment Officer (RT/C),Government Communications Headquarters,Oakley, Priors Road,CHELTENHAM, Glos. GL52 5AJ"

GAMESMANSHIPbegi nsNAAFI shopwhere you can buythe best sportsclothing and equipment

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Ask to see them today.

yourself when you see the t:N aaf i S p orts C ata log ues

?i0

NameDUNFoRD, J. ..EDWARDS, N. D,EDWARDS, R. A. J.EccLBsroN, K. ..ELLrorr, L. E. ..EMERY, I. G.EMsoN, G.EvANs, I" C.EvANs, D. J. W. ..EVANS, D. R.E!Es,P. .. ..FALLows, G.Fawcrrr, J. I-. ..FBEK, N. R.FrrrrNcna,n, N.FERNIE, C. G.FrrzcERALD, L. A,FLYNN, A.FRTNCH. D. K. . .

FRENG; T. F.FnurxreNo, M. P.FnrruaN, D. K. ..FowsroN, B. A.

GArsFoRD, R. F. ..Gerucurn, G. J.GrrRrrrr, A. I. ..Ga.nnlrv, A. J. . .

GARRrrr, l. . .

GEE, J. E.GIDLow, P. G. . .

GTLBERT, E, H. ..GILLESPIE, M.Grerruacx, J. C.GLEN'DBN'NrNG, E. \0.GooDBoDY, P. I.GoRDoN, A. I.GREGoRY, D. T. ..GREBNAWAY, K. C.GREEN, J. M.GTATBATCH, M. J.GRAY, R. G.Goornrv, B.GUILDING, A. M.

HAMILToN, G.HARTLBY, S.Hffir, A. I. . .

Henorxrn, R, P. . .

HAYsuM, S, M. ..HAYroN, R.HAYES, D. C.HEAD, R. I" . .

HEMMTNGS, \f. H.HEATH, R. W.HrcKs, R. F"HrcRs, B. R.HrLL,R... .,HrLL, B. I.Hor.DEN, M. R. . .

Howrrl, C. J,HowELL, R. J.HowBs, R. lJf.HonxrNs, G. C. ..HoDGKrNsoN,'f. G.HucHEs, J. W. . .

HULLEY, A. R. ..HuNrBR, J. H.HursoN, T. G.HUBBARD, !1. D.HYDEr P. H.

INGHAM, C. R. ..ILLrNc, D. J. . .

TAcKSoN, D.JAcxsoN, K. G. . .

JAcRsoN, T. D. . .

JAMES, D. H.JBNNTNGS, D. J. . .

JoHNsroN, D. R.JonNsox, G. R. ..JoNBs. M. C.IoNEs, S. G.JoRDAN, M. P.

KBRR, H. M.KENNEDY, D. P. ..KENYoN, R. A. ..KBNT, &t. J. ..KILLoRAN, G.KrRxwooD, S. B.KTRBY, F. G.

LAcBY, D. I. . -

LANG. G. P.LsrHBnIDr;r, I. A.LrMMrNo." D. B. ..

WhenceMercuryPenelopeMercuryMercuryl\4.urrayMercuryVictofyMercuryFOFWFMercuryDido

MercuryMcrcuryMercuryMercuryMercuryMohawkTroubridgeMercuryVictoryGlamorganMercuryMercury

DolphinMercuryKentZtlwArethusaVicto!yMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryMurrayTorquayVictoryKentMercuryMercuryMercuryDolphinGlamorgan

MERCURYMercuryMercuryMinervaCleopatraVictoryCleopatraMerrur)ZrltResolutionGlamorganMercuryDartmouthMercuryMercuryUlsterTenbyMercuryMercuryFifeMercuryMercuryManxmanMercuryTartarMercury

VictoryMercury

TriumphMercuryMercur-vMercuryMercuryMercuryLeanderLlandaffMercuryMercury

MercuryGrenvilleMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercury

PlymouthMercuryMercuryGlamorgan

WhitherOspreyMercuryDrakeOspreyMercuryNeptuneMercuryDuncanMercuryDolphinMercury

SalisburyKeppelAshantiCharvtrdisScylllNlercuryMercuryWhitehallMercuryMercuryHermesCND

MercuryHermesMercuryMercu!yMercuryMercuryScyllaHermesCochranePumaVictoryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryIntrepidTangmereEastbourneMercuryMercury

NEPTUNEWhitehallIlermesMercuryMercuryMercuryMercurySalisburyMercuryMercuryMercuryDrakeRookeDolphinPresidentMercuryMercurvVlctorvri7arri<lrMercuryCarpeniariaVerulamMercurylWarriorMercury\X'arrio r

tr-lercuryvlctorY

Uaa"r.tCharybdisNeptuneOspreyVictoryHermioneMercuryMercuryPenelopeCNDCochraneMercuryDolphinCharybdisVictoryVictoryCharybdis

MercuryVicrorySt. AngeloMercury

Rate. RO2. RO2. RO2. RO2.RS. RO2. LRO. RO2. CCY. ROl. RO2

. RO2

.RS

.CY

. JRO. RO2

. RO2

. RO2

. ROz

. RO2

.RS

. RO2

.CY,. LRO.. RO2.. RO2.. RO2.. RO2.. RO2.. RO2., CCY.. RO2.. RO2.. LRO.. RO2.. RO2.. RO2., CRS.. RO2.. ROl.. RO2.. RS.. RO2

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. CY

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. RS

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. CRS

.. RO1

.. RO2

.. RO1

.. CCY

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. RS

.. RS

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. LRO.. CRS.. RO2.. RO2.. RO2.. RO3.. RO2.. ROz.. RO2,. LRO

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. RO1

.. RO3

.. RS

.. RO2

.. RO3

.. RO2

.. RO2

.. RS

.. RO2

NameLrNESs, A.

Loocr, R.LoRD, J. N.

-\lecalrN, G. S" . .

Macrroo, L. A. . .

MACWILLIAM, M, J.MACreNzrE, J. A.NIADDRAN, K. J. ..MArHEws, M. J.MCCONKEY, J. ..McCABr, C. C. . .

MCWALTERS, F. G.MELroN, K. A. . .

.\lELvrN, G. D. ..,\'LDDLEToN, P. . .

MroorsroN. K. 11.MrrNs, $(/.MoRcAN, B.MoRRrssoN, T. M.MooRE, A. I. . .

N'l.oRroN, J. C. . .

NANGLE, E. D. ..NEARY, R. V.NEwroN, T. N. . .

NoxoN, P.

OLrvER, K,ORME, D. J. . .

OWEN, T. P.

PAhrE, R. S.

PransoN. I. S.Prn,A.']. .. .. .Prrri,t<... .. .

Pourios, R. . '

PnrcE,i... .. .. .

Rrcu, E. J.RosrNsoNi. T. s.RooNEy, l. .. .. .

Rou'rer.Jos, G. N. . . .

SAUNDERS. I. S. ..Sauroorns, J. N. . . .

Saunsos, T. A.Scorr,J.-.. ., .. .<urrUil"'

Surrs,R.J. .. .. :'SPRUDD, R. J. ..STEER, J. V.SrneNcr, T. C. .. .. :

Sr. QurilroN, A. G. .. :. .. ..SYMoNS, C. P.

fAYLoR, L. C. ..THousoN, R. J. .. .. .

fHomAs, P. R. . .

TrMsoN, M. J. . .

ToMLrNsoN, M, . .TourtNsoN, C.1. .. :. .. ::TYR-ER, E. A.

UTLEY, J. S.

VAUGHAN, A. R. ..VRooN, C.

V/ARD, K. E.WATBRHoUSE, B. E.riTEBB, D. R.\gHrrlocK, N.\trrLLrAMs, K. T.WrLLrAMs, W. R.N(/rIHYMAN,

^,1. C.

WrsE, J. C.\WooDLAND, D, . .

Yeo, R. F.

WhenceMercur),MercuryGlamorganIlermes

MercuryVictoryMercuryResolutionMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryNtercuryMercuryAndromedaTriumphMercur-vFulmarLlandaffKentMercuryMercury

SiriusDolphinVerulamIartar

Glamorgan-N{ercuryJuno

Mercury,&lercuryMercurl'MercuryKentMercuryMercuryMercurvCleopatia

MercuryTroubridgeMercuryMercury

KentMercuryTangmereKentMercuryMalcolmDidoMercuryMercury-il,lercuryDiamondN{ercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryMercuryTroubridge

Grenville!fermesMercuryIntrepidMercuryN,lercuryDefenderScarboroughrvtercury

Mercury

MercurvMcrcur!'

MercuryMercuryMercuryMercury.,r'4ercurvDolphiriDiamondMercurl'Britannia

Mercury

WhitherKeppelNeptuneMercurvMercury

Fulmar.NiercurvFulmar"Mercury'I errorFO2WFHermesRapidGangesSt. AngeloNlercuryNtercuryDolphin-NiercuryNlercuryMelcuryDolpbin.Ntalcolm

Mercurytr{ercuryMercuryMercury

MercuryDundasMercur-v

'I amarHermes\VarriorReclaimMercuryHermesEnduranceVidalMercury

VidalMercurvWhiteh;11Charybdis

,\lercur1'WhitehallMetcurv,\lercuri;Dra[e'MercuryMercuryOspreyHampshireHampshireMercurv0sprey'LincolnManxmanDrakeVictorvvlctorvMercury

il{ercurvMercuri.Dolphiri,\lercurvCaroliniEskimoMercurvMercuri,FO2FEF

Charybdis

Puma\{rhitehall

AshantiLnduranceHermesScyllaWhirehalll\tercurv.\1 ercuriHermeiNiercur-v

Seaharvk

RatelRoRO2RSLRO

RO2CCYRO2LROCRSCRSLRORO2CYCRSRO2LRORO2LRORO2RO2RO2RO2

RO2RSRSLRO

RO2RO2RO2

RO2RO2RO2RO2RO3RO2RO2RO2RO2

RO2CCYRSLRO

RO2CRSLRORO2RO2RO2CRSRO2RO2RO2RO2RO2RO2RO2RO2LRORO2RO2

LRORSRO2RO2CCYRSRO2RO2CCY

JRO

IRORO2

RO2LROR02CCYRO2LRORO2CRSRS

CRS

PrintedbyHolhrooh&SonLtd.,Portsnlouth'itconjunctiottM

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