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The Seven Seas

Founded 1922

MAGAZINE

Volume 82, No. 4

EDITORIAL:

THE SEVEN SEAS MAGAZINE

The Official Organ of the Seven Seas Club

Volume 10, No 3

WINTER2006

-As my first full year as a member of the Seven Seas Club approaches, I should

-,like to thank the President (and his predecessor), the members, and guests, who

have made me feel so welcome. If the first year is anything to go by, I shall look

forward to the next hundred or so!

I hope that you will agree that our dinners continue to provide good value for

money. Two additional functions which my wife and I were able to attend, in the

last quarter - the Annual Service for Seafarers, in St Paul's Cathedral, and the

Service at the Tower of London, followed by lunch in the Yeoman Warders' Mess,

provided memories which will last for a long, long time.

The Committee have asked me to remind Members who are eligible to wear the

Club's I 0 year ties, to wear them at our functions.

Thank you to those who have contributed to this edition, and - in anticipation -

thank you to those who WILL contribute to the next!! Don't forget - it's YOUR

magazine, and if you don't contribute, I'll fill it with anecdotes about Malt

Whisky, Durham County Cricket Club, and Sunderland Football Club - and

THEN you'll be sorry!

C;A Very Merry Christmas to you and to those you love, and a Very Happy and

Peaceful New Year to us all.

BARRY HOLLAND

Honorary Editor

A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dates for your Diary

Dinners and Events 2007

25 January (Thu) Club Dinner Speaker: Mr Paul Satow

22 February (Thu) Club Dinner Speaker: Cdr Keith Evans -

HMS Hood

29 March (Thurs) Club Dinner Speaker: Mr John Wain RNRA

27 April (Fri) Ladies' night Speaker: Mr David Thomas -

) Crown Jeweller

24May (Thurs) AGM

9June (Sat) Visit The Tower of London

27 September (Thurs) Club Dinner

10 October (Weds) Annual Service for Seafarers St. Paul's

At this very special time of the year, I think that we all should, whilst making

merry, pause to remember the plight of those less fortunate than ourselves,

though we should also give thanks for all the goodness in life that we enjoy,

and the warmth and blessings which we share.

I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas, and an extremely Happy and

Prosperous New Year.

I look forward to welcoming you all during 2007, at whatever functions you

. are able to attend.

Keith Hanson

2

25 October (Thurs) Club Dinner

11 November (Sun) Club Wreath laid at the Merchant Navy

Memorial

22 November (Thurs) Club Dinner

20 December (Thurs) Christmas Party

b Dinners, Ladies' Night, and Christmas Party will all be held in the

National Liberal Club - at 1800 for 1900.

Times for other events will be notified in due course.

3

SECRETARY'S CORNER

Members who have joined since the publication of the Membership List

2006 are:-

Graham Anthony Johnson. Hawarden House, 63 Murray Road, RUGBY,

Warks CV2 I 3JW.

ir (H) 0 I 788 571834.

Major Christopher John Cherry. 30 West Woodside, BEXLEY, Kent DA5

3PQ

if (H) 01322 407391 (W) 020 8852 2283

John Callcut. Six Bells Bam, Village Street, NEWDIGATE, Surrey RH5 .

5DH

if (H) 0 I 306 63114

Stephen Jon Earp West View, HORSEBRlDGE, Devon PL19 8PJ

a (H) 01822 870494 (W) 07966 614207

PO Donald Ian Jones RN. 7 Winfield Grove, NEWDIGATE, Surrey RH5

5AZ

a OI306 631257 (W) 0777I 772434

Anthony Hawley. 17 Lesser Foxholes, SHOREHAM BY SEA, West Sussex

BN45NT

a o1213 453903 cw) o1213 44o22o

Alan Cash. 3A Peabody Estate, Herbrand Street, LONDON WC1 N I JP

if 020 7278 0820

Some amendments to Members' details as previously published:-

Ray Kay Ground Floor Flat, 10 The Crescent, BARNES, London SWi3 ONN

Brian Prew it (M) 07831 878806

Richard Woodman Delete "THS"

Graham Stevens e-mail: steve@highgate27.plus.com

a (H) /(F) 020 8348 3896 (W) 0845 2133517 (M) 07788 107867

David Sandiford W Name Pauline e-mail: dpsandiford@hotmail.com

a (M) 07967 810242

4

Summer Function The Committee are considering organising an outing to

Portsmouth, for couples, in July next year.

It would consist of the following:-

Forenoon travel to Portsmouth, and book into the Royal Sailors' Home

Club, which is about I 0 mins from Portsmouth Harbour Station.

Afternoon visit to HMS Warrior, HMS Victory or The Mary Rose, all of

which are close by.

The Home Club would provide a formal Dinner, possibly with

entertainment!

Overnight stay and breakfast.

Cost for the Dinner and B&B would be in the region of £60 per person.

Lunch would be available on both days, but is not included in the cost

We are floating this to see if you might be interested; if you are, please

contact me to help me establish if numbers are sufficient.

John Mankerty

Secretary

t,

5

Pictures from recent functions

September Dinner- Derek Golding, from 7Seas Australia,

exchanging his club burgee for cufflinks

with President Keith Hanson

October - Trafalgar Dinner - Cdr Mike McCartain RN

6

-- ., v • .. \s:" J... .O.>! ;;-: .....

November - Stan Goldsmith's Chip Leonard presentation

e.

November Dinner- James Cole

7

9

Dinner reports- September to November 2006

(see pictures on previous page)

At the September dinner we had a visitor from 7 Seas Australia, Derek

Golding, who exchanged his Club Burgee for cufflinks.

Commander Mike McCartain gave a talk at the October (Trafalgar) Dinner ­

which was attended by sixty members and guests.

At the November Dinner- which was attended by fifty-three - James Cole, a

pilot on the Thames, gave a talk. Stan Goldmith, our Immediate Past

President, received the Chip Leonard, and Piper Chic Mackie (pictured

below), gave a talk on the pipes.

Anagrams

Just a bit of fun

Below are some anagrams of the names of a few famous ships. The

letters "HMS", "SS", "MY" etc, are NOT included in the anagrams ­

though they are shown on the left to give you a helping hand. The

numbers in brackets, eg (2), indicate the number of words in the ship's

name.

o prizes - answers overleaf (page 11) - but I'm relying on you not to

eat!!

ss RMS

HMS

RMS&HMS

HMS

ss HMS

HMS

HMS

HMS

Rhine Mudwipers (2)

Aunti Marie (1)

Game on Man! (1)

The Lean Bee Quiz (2)

Ma - a panic (1)

Aunti Lisa (I)

Oh! Porn Belle (I)

As a Martian (2)

LeafY Worm (1)

A bleeding Fiat (I)

Tadger Hound (1)

Rusty Tack (2)

A Voter Ran (2) Van

de Roue (I) False

Wine Crop (3) Coy

Divers (I)

Mae Leicester (2)

Clues - not in any particular order - include: The Antarctic; Fiction;

Tea; Immigration; 1951 Festival; Columbus; Pilgrim Fathers; African

Country; Tireless; Fearless, etc

8

Mercy Ships

You may remember (article in the previous magazine) that the sum of

£745.38 had been donated to Mercy Ships. As a consequence of this,

the following letter, from the Executive Director Mercy Ships UK, and

Vice President National Offices Mercy Ships International, was

received by the Secretary in November:-

clinics, and provides the much needed VVF surgery for women

rendered incontinent through difficult childbirth.

We are so grateful for your support in helping us to bring hope, and

healing, to so many people where there is such need.

With kind regards

Yours sincerely

Dear Commander Mankerty udy Polkinhorn (Mrs)

The Seven Seas Club

I am writing to thank the Club very much indeed for the donation of

£745.38.

The Anastasis is currently in Tema, Ghana. The work there includes

Editor's Note:-

***************

surgeries, dental procedures, and training local health care workers.

Community development projects include: the construction of a new

maternity unit; youth health centre and classrooms; well-drilling;

equipping church and community leaders; and providing agricultural

training. ·

In the meantime, our new ship, Africa Mercy, nears completion. She

will join the Anastasis early next year, in order to prepare for her first

outreach in Monrovia, Liberia. She will continue the work begun

there, over the past two years, by the Anastasis. She will be able to

remain in the field for ten months at a time. It is planned for her to go

to Freetown, Sierra Leone, early in 2008.

If members would like to draw attention to recent books that they have

enjoyed, I should be pleased to find space for that purpose. One which

I have recently bought is "Cats and Cathedrals" (A history of the Type

41 and Type 61 Frigates) by Patrick Boniface. It costs £14.99 from

Periscope Publishing Ltd, 33 Barwis Terrace, Penzance, Cornwall

TR18 2A W - although WH Smith ordered mine for me. Whilst there

are many typos, omissions, and inaccuracies, I found it a very

interesting read.

***************

Anagram answers (from quiz on page 9) -

We have two land basesn Sierra Leone. New Steps continues to

supply prosthetics and physiotherapy, as well as agricultural and skills

training. The Aberdeen Clinic and Fistula Centre runs paediatric

Empire Windrush, Mauretania, Agamemnon, Queen Elizabeth, Campania,

Lusitania, Bellerophon, Santa Maria, Mayflower, Indefatigable,

Dreadnought, Cutty Sark, Terra Nova, Endeavour, Prince of Wales,

Discove1y, and Marie Celeste - they were all pretty easy - and I'm sure you all got full marks. ....!

10 11

15 14

Further dredgings from the fast-failing memory of an Electrical

Superintendent (Thank you once more - Mr Eddie Hunter)

THE RICE BAR

Mr Michael Rice, Chief Officer of the MV St Nicolas, was a jolly, )

rotund man - like "Friar Tuck rotund", I mean. He was about six foot

two in any one direction, and solid with it.

The main ARPA radar set, on the port side of the wheelhouse

suddenly began to play up, in a seemingly inexplicable manner. The

ship's officers could not understand the problem . .. the ship's Radio

Officer could not understand the problem . . . and I knew little or

nothing about radar. The Raytheon service engineer and his wingman

went over the set with the proverbial fine toothcomb, and could find

nothing amiss.

Presently, it was noticed that the ARPA went haywire when Mr Rice

had the watch. I wish I could claim credit for the diagnosis, but I

can't. Nor, indeed, do I know who finally cracked the problem. But,

when the problem was solved, we all (rather metaphorically) kicked

ourselves - Mr Rice had a habit of leaning against the radar set, while

he studied the positions of other vessels through the wheelhouse

window, and, yes, you have now probably solved the problem for

yourselves - Mr Rice's rotund figure pressed against the row of push

buttons along the lower edge of the radar display, punching in random

uncoordinated instructions.

.!71'11113

One of the Masters - I know not which one - solved the problem

permanently, by instructing the Chippy to provide a two foot six

length of inch and a half timber, grooved on the underside, to fit over

the push buttons. And so, the Rice Bar was invented. I do hope the )

Master patented the design, and sold it on to Raytheon ...

) Editor's Note - Thank you Louis Roskell for the great cartoon

ROYAL NAVAL PIDLATELIC SOCIETY Robert Fosterjohn

Royal Naval Philatelic Officer

Formed in 1972, the Royal Naval Philatelic Society meets the needs of

philatelic enthusiasts around the world who enjoy an interest in naval

history.

The Royal Naval Philatelic Society, (RNPS), is the officially

accredited philatelic society for the Royal Navy. It has an Admiral

President and is based in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, of which it is

part. The Chairman is a serving member of the RN/RM.

The RNPS issue limited edition official naval commemorative and/or

first day covers, through which it seeks to foster a wider awareness of

our naval history and tradition.

Each numbered Limited Edition cover consists of an envelope

displaying a specially commissioned full colour picture of the event

Newsletters are issued regularly to all RNPS members. New

subscribers receive an attractive certificate signed by the Admiral

President of the Society.

For further information about the Society and its forthcoming

programme of commemorative covers with the Nelson Touch please

write to the

Royal Naval Philatelic Society (RNPS), 19 College Road,

HM Naval Base,

Portsmouth,

P013LJ.

Should you have access to a computer you may like to pay a visit to

our website at www.rnps.org which gives details on how to join, and

covers produced to date.

Covers Prices Non Members Members Price

being commemorated, together with a commemorative stamp, (or

stamps), from an appropriate country. Each issue also contains a

unique selection of historic photographs, plus, where appropriate,

relevant diagram, drawings, details of honours and awards, and

extracts of reports of proceedings. People involved in the event, or

having a strong relevant connection with it, sign some of the covers.

Various editions of commemorative covers feature ship or squadron

Plain Unsigned

Special

Extra Special

Double Signed

Quad Signed

Multi Signed

£9.75

£15.75

£ 18.75

£ 16.75

£ 20.75

£ 30.75

£ 4.70

£ 7.00

£ 9.75

£ 6.70

£20.00

£ 25.00

badges, relevant military emblems, and decorations that reflect many

aspects of the Surface Fleet, Royal Marines, Submarine Service and

Fleet Air Arm. The detailed research involved creates an exclusive

philatelic item.

Official covers have the lettering 'RNSC', (Royal Naval Souvenir

Cover), at the top of the envelope, and should not be confused with

covers issued elsewhere. All covers are franked by a one-day special

postmark, or the daily operational cancellation approved by the Royal

Mail, British Forces Post Office or foreign equivalents.

16

Monies after cover expenses go towards the upkeep of the Heritage

Area via The Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust.

*********************** Editor's Note:- This article was submitted by Bob Fosterjohn at my request - if any members have contacts within the Crown Agents

Stamp Bureau (or elsewhere), who would be willing to submit a

similar article on Merchant Ships/Sailing Vessels/ Coastguard/

RNLI/etc, please let me know.

17

19 18

Ships on Stamps (Part 2)

As promised/threatened in the last edition, I am listing a few more

examples of postage stamps with a nautical theme. Most Channel

Islands' stamps are available at very reasonable prices (Iam not a

dealer, by the way!!). Here goes:-

Guernsey

1969 First definitives - inc Sark, Alderney and Guernsey harbours

views

1970 Anniv Liberation - inc HMS L103, Bulldog and Beagle

1970 Decimal definitives - inc Sark, Alderney and Guernsey

harbours views

1971 Mail Packet Boats (1) - Alberta, Ibex, Dasher, Earl of

Chesterfield

1972 Mail Packet Boats (2) - Sarnia, St Patrick, Isle of Guernsey, St

Julien

1973 RNLI anniv - 4 Lifeboats

1976 Lighthouses- Point Robert, Quesnard, Les Casquets and Les

Hanois

1977 Christmas - inc Marine Ambulance Flying Christine II

1980 Christmas - inc Boats at Sea

1981 Folk1ore - inc - Sailors paying respect to Le Petit Bonhomme

Andriou

1982 Inter-island Transport- Launch, Hydrofoil, Catamaran etc

1982 La Societe Guernesiase- inc HMS Crescent (1793)

1982 Postage Due Stamps - inc Quayside and Old Harbour

1982 Boy Scouts Anniv - inc Sea Scouts rowing

1983 Development of St Peter Port Harbour - 4 scenes

1984 Guernsey Shipping (1)- Star ofthe West (brigantine)

1984 Christmas - inc liner Little Russel (sic) and various boats

1988

1988

1988

1989

1989

"'mP'1990

1991

1991

1992

1992

1993

1994

1995

1997

1997

1998

1998

1998

2003

2003

2003

2004

•C\2004 J.u,.W''2004

2005

Guernsey Shipping (2)- Golden Spur (fully-rigged ship)

Transport and Communication - inc 2 rowing boats

World Offshore Powerboat Championships

Guernsey Airport anniv - inc 2 Flying Boats

GWR Steamer Service anniv- Ibex, Gt Western, StJulien,

Roebuck, Antelope

Anson's Circumnavigation anniv- inc HMS Tryal, Centurion

Europe in Space- inc maiden voyage of Sarnia

Guernsey Yacht Club Centenary - 5 Yachts

Columbus Anniversary - inc Santa Maria

Operation Asterix - 5 nautica; scenes

Castle Cornet Siege anniv - inc Parliamentary Ships

Postal Admin anniv- inc 2 Ferries

Liberation anniv - inc RN Ships, Red Cross and Supply Ships

Tales and Legends- inc 2 nautical scenes

World Philatelic Exhibition - Costa Rica Packet (Barque)

Guernsey Scenes (2) - inc Grand Havre

Maritime Heritage - 19 nautical scenes

RNLI anniv - 6 Lifeboats

Memories of WWII - inc HMS Charybdis and Limbourne

Guernsey Poster Art - 6 nautical scenes

HMS Guernsey decommissioning - 1 miniature sheet

Memories of WWII - inc 4 nautical scenes

Holidays - inc Lighthouse and Yachts

Allegiance to England anniv - inc 3 ships

"Sea Guernsey 2005" - 5 nautical scenes

1985 Anniv death Lt Gen Sir John Doyle - inc "Mail for Alderney"

1985 Paintings by Paul Jacob Naftel - inc Little Russel

1986 Admiral Lord de Saumarez anniv - inc Battles of: Nile; St Vincent; the Saints

Barry Holland- Honorary Editor

20

-- :

THE OCEAN NESTORIAN ASSOCIATION

FRIENDSHIP THROUGH SERVICE

ULYSSES - Workman, Clark & Co Ltd, Belfast; 1913,

14,499gt, 563 feet

Ulysses was taken up as an Australian Expeditionary Force Transport

between 12 November 1914 and 5 August 1917, later carrying US

servicemen across the Atlantic. In the early 1930s, Blue Funnel, in common

with other lines, were forced to offer low-cost cruises, in an attempt to fill

their ships, and, on 1932, a round trip to Australia in Ulysses cost just £135,

including visits to the Great Barrier Reef. She did other trips, and, rather

inauspiciously, was on a cruise to the Baltic and Poland in mid-1939, just as

Germany prepared its invasion plans. During the Second World War,

Ulysses was one of the last ships to leave Hong Kong. She escaped to

Australia, where she loaded a cargo for Liverpool, but, having crossed the

Pacific, her luck ran out in the North Atlantic. On 8 April 1942 she collided

with the American tanker Gold Heels (4946/1921) five miles off the coast of

Florida. Severe damage was sustained, reducing her speed. Three days later

Ulysses was torpedoed twice by Ul60, and sank off Onslow Bay, North

Carolina, although, fortunately, without loss of life.

Editor's Note: This was provided by Captain Bill Richards, from the Ocean

Nestorian Association's September 2005 Newsletter - "Thank you Bill"

TWO CAUTIONARY NOTES FOR ALL MEMBERS, FAMILIES,

AND FRIENDS

Editor's Note:- The first message was sent by a member to the Secretary,

who kindly passed it to me, early in December:-

Please circulate this, especially as Xmas is fast approaching - it has been

confirmed by Royal Mail.

The Trading Standards Office is making people aware of the following scam:

card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel

Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and

that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a premium rate number).

DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize. lf

you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already

have been billed £15 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail

Fraud on 02072396655 or ICSTIS (the premium rate service regulator) at

www.icstis.org.uk

Editor's Note:- The second message concerns an "offer" made to Captain

Bill Richards:

Bill recently received an unsolicited "Confirmation Note" from GS Equity

Group, advising him that I 0,000 (tenthousand) Sensitron (UK) pic shares had

been purchased in his name. "All" he had to do was send a cheque for £3,040

and the shares would be his. He didn't send the cheque. For those of you

who are Internet- (rather than wind-) surfers, a look at

www:thisismonev.co.uk/news, may prove useful, if you should receive similar

items through the post. GS Equity Group features fairly prominently in this

website.

I'm all for people GIVING money away, if/when they want to - but

THROWING it away is a different matter!!

21

23 22

Still more dredgings from the fast-failing memory of an Electrical

Superintendent (Thank you yet again - Mr Eddie Hunter)

THE ARPA INCIDENT

(In which this modest little man intervened to avoid a collision between two

ships)

Some of the following is derogatory in divers ways - so, according to the

promise I made in my introductory article - no names, no pack drill.

Some time in the mid-1970s, the coastguard authorities of a certain very large

foreign country (one which has a so-called special relationship with a small,

once all-powerful, maritime nation) .. oh, to hell with it - George Bush can

take offence if he want to - the American Coastguard decreed that all ships

using US ports had to be fitted with ARPA radar sets. For the benefit of any

Brown Jobs and Royal Marines in the Club, ARPA stands for "Automatic

Radar Plotting Aid" - sophisticated, complicated, and expensive marine radar

sets. An who manufactured ARPA radar sets? The Raytheon Corporation Inc.

And where does Raytheon live, breathe, and coin in the money? No

cigar ......

Maybe I am just too cynical - but I think only maybe.

Of course, the American Coastguard had nothing to do with Sealink, whose

entire trade was between Great Britain, France, Belgium, Holland, Ireland,

the Channel Islands and the Isle of Wight. Until the Falklands War, that is ­

when HM Government of the day commandeered the MY St Edmund. To

replace her on the Harwich/Hoek service, Seal ink chartered a much larger ro­

ro ferry - the Swedish MY Princessen Bergheta", which was designed

primarily for service in the Baltic. As her owners had worldwide shipping

interests, all of their newer vessels were fitted with ARPA radars. Naturally,

because men who conduct their businesses upon great waters are all boys at

heart, the Sealink officers and superintendents were all delighted with these

new toys, and the Swedish 'officers, also from much the same mould, were

more than happy to teach us how to use these rather special radar sets.

As it was linked to the automatic pilot, and the Doppler gubbins which fed a

speed signal up to the wheelhouse, and the master gyro compass, the ARPA

set knew, from moment to moment, the ship's course and speed, and could work

out the course and speed of all other ships that it detected, relative to the course

and speed of its own ship. In short, the ARPA did, automatically, what every

watchkeeping deck officer did in his head, and did it much more quickly and much

more accurately.

But, even better than that, the watchkeeper could tell the ARPA to pay particular

attention to any one target, and the ARPA would work out for him the closest point

of approach, and the time to the closest point of approach - and, even better than that

again - it could keep the vital information updated constantly, and sound an alarm at

a preset point.

nd there is more! The watchkeeper could set a "protection ring" around his own

ship at any distance that he decided - 1 mile, 2 miles, 3, 5, 7 - and the friendly local

ARPA would automatically "croak out" an audible warning when any other vessel,

object, or coastline encroached upon the preset protection ring. Good, isn't it? I'll

bet Bill Richards and David Wright would have loved it. Actually, I'm convinced

that the ARPA could have been used to set, and fire, torpedoes at anything that

entered its protection ring, if not actually zap it with some powerful electronic

death and disintegration ray. Perhaps that is the next stage of development

(I am reliably informed that modem radar sets have satellite navigation inputs, and

that electronic versions of Admiralty charts can be superimposed on the displays,

even changing chart scale, and quantity of detail displayed, to match the range

setting of the radar sweep. Still no electronic death and destruction ray, though - at

least not on merchant ships.)

But I digress - here comes the real dirt - there I was, minding my own business in

the wheelhouse, on a homeward-bound voyage, just after midnight, when the sea

watches had been set, and the Old Man had turned in - leaving me, deck officer,

and one lookout, to point the ship in the direction of home, across, what is robably,

the busiest shipping channel in the world.

Naturally, like any other well -behaved visitor to the bridge, I had my hands in my

pockets, and was watching the ARPA as it went through its conceited paces. I

looked at each target in tum, then stared through the darkness, to see if I could

locate the target. The watchkeeper came from time to time, and did the same -

which, of course, was his job.

25 24

After a while, I noticed one particular target, which appeared to be

approaching down the heading marker. To my surprise, the watchkeeper did

not seem to be the slightest bit interested in the approaching vessel. Well - I

am no radar expert, and certainly no navigator, but I certainly am something

of a mathematician, and I became alarmed at the approach. I think I may

have commented before that a superintendent has no authority whatsoever at

sea, which placed me in something of a dilemma. Surely the deck officer had

seen the approaching vessel. Surely, any moment now, he would order a

change of course. But he simply did not. Nor did the other vessel change

course- indeed, under the rules that applied, it was not the place of the other

vessel to alter course - it was our duty to do so.

Nor had the watchkeeper bothered, I noticed, to set the protection ring, which

I thought was a bit unusual. While I pondered these things in my mind, the

approaching vessel came nearer and nearer. I could actually see her through

the wheelhouse window.

"Mr Mate," I said, when I could stand it no longer, "what about that ship

there?"

He looked down at the screen, and watched for a few sweeps - "Which one?"

"That one, coming towards us", I said.

"Oh, that's no problem. The ARPA will change course shortly, when it thinks

fit. It does that, you know."

"No it doesn't", I pointed out.

"Yes it bloody well does. I've read the manual. It's automatic", he insisted.

"It bloody well doesn't, I tell you." I struggled to refrain from some more

personal comment. "It is an automatic plotting aid - it does NOT steer the

bloody ship!"

Belfast leckie know, anyway?" I have seen the expression which

accompanies that thought several times in my career. . . ....

"Look", I hissed, "it's not often I'm wrong, but, believe me, I'm right again.

Change the bloody course!" To my intense relief, he capitulated without

further argument, and gave the necessary order. I'm sure the watchkeepers of

the approaching vessel heaved a sigh of relief too, in those close waters- if

there was a watchkeeper, that is - you never know these days..... .

({'he following letter, from one of our members (Frank Huddy) was published

n The Times, two or three years ago:

Names of Ships From Dr F Huddy

Sir, The problems of naming warships (letters, October 8 and 12) extend to

shore establishments.

Approximately 50 years ago, a unit of the WRNS in Portsmouth was in need

·of accommodation, and there was a building entirely suited for the purpose,

except that it was called HMS Impregnable, and this appeared to rule it out.

However, the name was changed to the Duchess of Kent Barracks and the

WRNS moved in.

Editor's note:-

When Frank forwarded a copy of this letter to me, he added:-

"As a result of the publication of this letter, I received a letter from a Vice­

Admiral. If his navigation was as bad as his handwriting he would have wrecked a few ships!"

"Mr Mate - what about that one coming towards us?", the lookout asked. Single Malt Whisky Question:- Which distillery's label depicts a sailor

"Westerin' Home"? Answer overleaf (page 27)- no prize!! The Mate's face - orange in the glow from the radar screen - looked puzzled and uncertain. He was also probably thinking, "What does this bloody upstart