HMS Hermes Bay of Biscay 1979
Discussion
phumy said:
DBSV8
What an amazing set of pictures you have put on there, excellent. The shot of the Jubilee is great i was on the Hermes at that time, i think she is the one on the left of the picture in the foreground, so to speak. The pictures of HMS Arethusa are just as amazing but in a different and sad way, to see one of our own Navy frigates getting blown away is not a nice sight to see but is something that needs to be seen.
Great stuff, do you have any more......
I was in the RN for nearly 8 years, in the 70's and wondered what i did with my life whilst visiting far flung places and going on all kinds of obscure exercises with different Navies, did i take any decent photos? did i bugger, i can sit and kick myself now. Its people like yourself who have these photos and put them on here, that now i can sit and say ive been there and done that. Thanks.
Like yourself, I visited a load of places, and every time a place comes up on telly, I always tell the OH I have been there, pisses her off a bit.What an amazing set of pictures you have put on there, excellent. The shot of the Jubilee is great i was on the Hermes at that time, i think she is the one on the left of the picture in the foreground, so to speak. The pictures of HMS Arethusa are just as amazing but in a different and sad way, to see one of our own Navy frigates getting blown away is not a nice sight to see but is something that needs to be seen.
Great stuff, do you have any more......
I was in the RN for nearly 8 years, in the 70's and wondered what i did with my life whilst visiting far flung places and going on all kinds of obscure exercises with different Navies, did i take any decent photos? did i bugger, i can sit and kick myself now. Its people like yourself who have these photos and put them on here, that now i can sit and say ive been there and done that. Thanks.
Watching a documentary some years ago shot on the USS Handcock, I had the pleasure of telling my OH not only had I been to the place where it was filmed, (Hong Kong), but I had been on the Handcock.
I have two close friends who were in the RN from 1975, started on Ark Royal, then Intrepid (one left at this point, other went on to) Hermes and finally Fearless.
When they were on the Ark in 1976 (I think they filmed the documentary "Sailor" that year) they did a goodwill visit to Norfolk VA and were a bit embarrassed when the septics 'parked' them alongside one of their carriers....
As they were preparing for their run ashore, the Ark's PA fired-up giving very formal instructions about where the members of the ships company who were 'on jankers' were to report for duty. After a fairly lengthy address by the Quartermaster, the Nimitz PA responded with the succinct, "Bad guys, dry your eyes - good guys, glamorize".
When they were on the Ark in 1976 (I think they filmed the documentary "Sailor" that year) they did a goodwill visit to Norfolk VA and were a bit embarrassed when the septics 'parked' them alongside one of their carriers....
As they were preparing for their run ashore, the Ark's PA fired-up giving very formal instructions about where the members of the ships company who were 'on jankers' were to report for duty. After a fairly lengthy address by the Quartermaster, the Nimitz PA responded with the succinct, "Bad guys, dry your eyes - good guys, glamorize".
Extremely Interesting, thanks for posting.
My (late) dad served on HMS Formidable in WW2 as a young fitter working on Fairy Swordfish etc. had his finger severed by shrapnel in a Kamikaze attack in May 1945,. Several of his mates were killed.
HMS Formidable
1) 4 May 1945: Struck by a Zero carrying one 250 kg bomb which caused a 2 foot square hole and a 24 x 20 foot depression in the armored flight deck. Some structural damage was inflicted and three fragments penetrated the hanger deck with one going through a center boiler and into the double bottom. Speed was reduced to 18 knots and she was out of action for five hours. This attack killed eight men, wounded 51 and destroyed eleven aircraft.*
2) 9 May 1945: Kamikaze strike into the after deck park killed one and wounded eight. Deck depressed 4.5 inches with a supporting beam distorted by 3 inches. Six Corsairs and one Avenger were destroyed on deck, and a blown out rivet allowed burning fuel to penetrate into the hanger, which together with the sprinkler system damaged a further eight Corsairs and three Avengers. Out of action for 25 minutes.*
My (late) dad served on HMS Formidable in WW2 as a young fitter working on Fairy Swordfish etc. had his finger severed by shrapnel in a Kamikaze attack in May 1945,. Several of his mates were killed.
HMS Formidable
1) 4 May 1945: Struck by a Zero carrying one 250 kg bomb which caused a 2 foot square hole and a 24 x 20 foot depression in the armored flight deck. Some structural damage was inflicted and three fragments penetrated the hanger deck with one going through a center boiler and into the double bottom. Speed was reduced to 18 knots and she was out of action for five hours. This attack killed eight men, wounded 51 and destroyed eleven aircraft.*
2) 9 May 1945: Kamikaze strike into the after deck park killed one and wounded eight. Deck depressed 4.5 inches with a supporting beam distorted by 3 inches. Six Corsairs and one Avenger were destroyed on deck, and a blown out rivet allowed burning fuel to penetrate into the hanger, which together with the sprinkler system damaged a further eight Corsairs and three Avengers. Out of action for 25 minutes.*
Out of action for 25 minutes.
This is the amazing thing about wartime exploits, the bread and butter stuff that doesn't occur to us now.
Twenty five minutes after all that horror a great fighting ship is back on line.
Again!
Thanks for the pictures and more, for the reminiscing.
cheers guys
This is the amazing thing about wartime exploits, the bread and butter stuff that doesn't occur to us now.
Twenty five minutes after all that horror a great fighting ship is back on line.
Again!
Thanks for the pictures and more, for the reminiscing.
cheers guys
Matt Harper said:
I have two close friends who were in the RN from 1975, started on Ark Royal, then Intrepid (one left at this point, other went on to) Hermes and finally Fearless.
When they were on the Ark in 1976 (I think they filmed the documentary "Sailor" that year) they did a goodwill visit to Norfolk VA and were a bit embarrassed when the septics 'parked' them alongside one of their carriers....
As they were preparing for their run ashore, the Ark's PA fired-up giving very formal instructions about where the members of the ships company who were 'on jankers' were to report for duty. After a fairly lengthy address by the Quartermaster, the Nimitz PA responded with the succinct, "Bad guys, dry your eyes - good guys, glamorize".
OMG, thats a Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig carrier. And I bet the guys on the Ark thought theirs was big.When they were on the Ark in 1976 (I think they filmed the documentary "Sailor" that year) they did a goodwill visit to Norfolk VA and were a bit embarrassed when the septics 'parked' them alongside one of their carriers....
As they were preparing for their run ashore, the Ark's PA fired-up giving very formal instructions about where the members of the ships company who were 'on jankers' were to report for duty. After a fairly lengthy address by the Quartermaster, the Nimitz PA responded with the succinct, "Bad guys, dry your eyes - good guys, glamorize".
When i was on the Hermes we were doing our States visit and ended it with a visit to Norfolk, Virginia, which is the home of the US Carrier Fleet and were tied up alongside the USS Nimitz, which i think was their largest Carrier at that time, when we stood on our flight deck we had to crane our necks upward to look at their flight deck, it was awesome in size, in all directions. What made us smile about the Yanks at that time was that they had 4 sets of escalators on the ship (too lazy to walk up and down ladders), ice cream and coke (the drink) machine mechanics to take care of all the vending machines on board, this was an actual position and rank in the US Navy at the time.
One funny story i can recall from that visit was that a couple of young American ladies had come up the gangway on the Hermes to meet a young matelot who they had met in a bar the evening before and the story goes......They came on board and asked the Quarter Master to see if they could talk to Junior Marine Engineer Mechanic (the lowest form of life in the RN, i know because i was one
) Smith, the QM asked which one as there were two or three JMEM Smiths on board at that time and did they know his initials. Apparently they didn't but they did know that he was a Phantom pilot....So the QM who obviously thought to himself, theres a story in this one, then piped over the ships Tannoy system, "Would JMEM Smith who also pilots Phantoms report to the forward gangway as you have female visitors". You can imagine there was a rush of about 500 crew up to the forward gangway to see who this new Phantom pilot was and especially as he was only 17 years old at maximum...however they all waited in vain as the young guy failed to turn up, cant think why though. You can just see this young JMEM out in the bars in Virginia the night before trying to impress the local girls. Not that they need to be impressed.
One funny story i can recall from that visit was that a couple of young American ladies had come up the gangway on the Hermes to meet a young matelot who they had met in a bar the evening before and the story goes......They came on board and asked the Quarter Master to see if they could talk to Junior Marine Engineer Mechanic (the lowest form of life in the RN, i know because i was one
) Smith, the QM asked which one as there were two or three JMEM Smiths on board at that time and did they know his initials. Apparently they didn't but they did know that he was a Phantom pilot....So the QM who obviously thought to himself, theres a story in this one, then piped over the ships Tannoy system, "Would JMEM Smith who also pilots Phantoms report to the forward gangway as you have female visitors". You can imagine there was a rush of about 500 crew up to the forward gangway to see who this new Phantom pilot was and especially as he was only 17 years old at maximum...however they all waited in vain as the young guy failed to turn up, cant think why though. You can just see this young JMEM out in the bars in Virginia the night before trying to impress the local girls. Not that they need to be impressed.
phumy said:
When i was on the Hermes we were doing our States visit and ended it with a visit to Norfolk, Virginia, which is the home of the US Carrier Fleet and were tied up alongside the USS Nimitz, which i think was their largest Carrier at that time, when we stood on our flight deck we had to crane our necks upward to look at their flight deck, it was awesome in size, in all directions. What made us smile about the Yanks at that time was that they had 4 sets of escalators on the ship (too lazy to walk up and down ladders), ice cream and coke (the drink) machine mechanics to take care of all the vending machines on board, this was an actual position and rank in the US Navy at the time.
One funny story i can recall from that visit was that a couple of young American ladies had come up the gangway on the Hermes to meet a young matelot who they had met in a bar the evening before and the story goes......They came on board and asked the Quarter Master to see if they could talk to Junior Marine Engineer Mechanic (the lowest form of life in the RN, i know because i was one ) Smith, the QM asked which one as there were two or three JMEM Smiths on board at that time and did they know his initials. Apparently they didn't but they did know that he was a Phantom pilot....So the QM who obviously thought to himself, theres a story in this one, then piped over the ships Tannoy system, "Would JMEM Smith who also pilots Phantoms report to the forward gangway as you have female visitors". You can imagine there was a rush of about 500 crew up to the forward gangway to see who this new Phantom pilot was and especially as he was only 17 years old at maximum...however they all waited in vain as the young guy failed to turn up, cant think why though. You can just see this young JMEM out in the bars in Virginia the night before trying to impress the local girls. Not that they need to be impressed.
One funny story i can recall from that visit was that a couple of young American ladies had come up the gangway on the Hermes to meet a young matelot who they had met in a bar the evening before and the story goes......They came on board and asked the Quarter Master to see if they could talk to Junior Marine Engineer Mechanic (the lowest form of life in the RN, i know because i was one
) Smith, the QM asked which one as there were two or three JMEM Smiths on board at that time and did they know his initials. Apparently they didn't but they did know that he was a Phantom pilot....So the QM who obviously thought to himself, theres a story in this one, then piped over the ships Tannoy system, "Would JMEM Smith who also pilots Phantoms report to the forward gangway as you have female visitors". You can imagine there was a rush of about 500 crew up to the forward gangway to see who this new Phantom pilot was and especially as he was only 17 years old at maximum...however they all waited in vain as the young guy failed to turn up, cant think why though. You can just see this young JMEM out in the bars in Virginia the night before trying to impress the local girls. Not that they need to be impressed.
Shar2 said:
williamp said:
I thought all ships went into Port on the...er...port side, rather then the starboard side. Any reason why they are different, or does this not apply anymore??
I think it's something to do with the island, the Captain and harbour pilot need to be able to see the side.
Well after decades of service to the Royal Navy and then Indian Navy HMS Hermes, as it was previously known, is now going for a rest.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/m.timesofindia.com/in...
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/m.timesofindia.com/in...
Edited by BlackLabel on Sunday 23 October 15:51
Slight hijack
Dad was on HMS Dido in WW2 as a Stoker. Have his records and medals.Found a couple of books written by matelots who were on board her at the time. I know he told me a lot of stuff but after reading these, there was a lot he didnt let on about. got a few pics of him when he was on MP duty in Alex.
And if anybody knows the link to a thread that a chap who served in the 80's on his exploits in the Navy. It was on one of the service forums and if i remember correctly his avatar was a black marine pulling a face. I would love to read it again
Dad was on HMS Dido in WW2 as a Stoker. Have his records and medals.Found a couple of books written by matelots who were on board her at the time. I know he told me a lot of stuff but after reading these, there was a lot he didnt let on about. got a few pics of him when he was on MP duty in Alex.
And if anybody knows the link to a thread that a chap who served in the 80's on his exploits in the Navy. It was on one of the service forums and if i remember correctly his avatar was a black marine pulling a face. I would love to read it again
silverfoxcc said:
.
And if anybody knows the link to a thread that a chap who served in the 80's on his exploits in the Navy. It was on one of the service forums and if i remember correctly his avatar was a black marine pulling a face. I would love to read it again
Here you go, I hope And if anybody knows the link to a thread that a chap who served in the 80's on his exploits in the Navy. It was on one of the service forums and if i remember correctly his avatar was a black marine pulling a face. I would love to read it again
https://www.arrse.co.uk/community/threads/pull-up-...
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