Royal Navy post-World War 2

COMMANDER [F] D M A H HAMILTON RN, 1940-1969
David, known in the Navy as "Shorty"

1939 - Academic and Admiralty examinations for entrance into Royal Navy.

 

1940 - Joined Royal Naval College, Dartmouth for training. Represented the College at boxing.

 

 

ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE DARTMOUTH 1940-43

 

My love of boats - Some cadets owned DODs (below right) and when they left, another new boy, or at least his parents, would buy it so they were always in use.

FIRST SHIPS

1943 - At the age of 17 graduated and joined first ship, cruiser HMS Nigeria and later destroyer HMS Whelp (see account of two operations below). Took part in operations in the Channel, off Norway, and then went through the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. For some operations off the Malay Peninsular we were joined by the carrier USS Saratoga.

 

 

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HMS WHELP December 1944 - January 1945

 

 

On the 17th Dec 1944, we sailed on an operation against the Japs and it may be of interest to give some detail.

 

OPERATION ROLSTON

 

We sailed in company with Wager and the fleet oiler RFA Waveking. After receiving oil by the double trough method we joined up with the main body, Force 66, consisting of the carriers Indomitable and Victorious, and the cruisers Newcastle, Argonaut and Black Prince [ RNZN]. The anti-submarine screen, starting from the port wing, was Whirlwind, Wrangler, Wakeful, centre front Kempenfelt [O/ic screen] and starboard wing, Wessex, Whelp and Wager. All belonging to the 27th destroyer flotilla [DF]. Screening Diagram No 6 was ordered. The force steamed between Car Nicobar and Sabang and down the Malacca Straits. The carriers flew off strikes on airfields and oil depots. We picked up a downed aviator. On the way back another strike was carried out on Sabang and we were back in Trinco on the 22nd. We then went alongside the depot ship Tyne for a boiler clean.

 

We were looking forward to a quiet Xmas but were sailed on Xmas day to give aid to one of our submarines, HMS Shakespeare. She had attacked and sunk a Jap tanker but received 4 shell hits in the process which prevented her submerging, after which she was attacked by bombers several times but managed to avoid further damage. When carrying out temporary repairs she had pumped out some of the excess water in her compartments, which caused her prop shafts to seize—they had been lubricated by the oil floating on top of the water!! We arrived and passed a tow to her and while doing this our CO put our stern a bit too close to the subs bows and collected a nice 2 foot slice in our starboard quarter. He was never much good at ship handling. Back in harbour we had a late Xmas celebration while the damage was welded up.

 

OPERATION LENTIL

 

On 31 Dec Wessex and Wakeful escorted the RFA Waveking and RFA Empire Salvage to the rendezvous. Task Force 65 set off on the 1st Jan 1945 and consisted of the carriers Indomitable [Adml P.Vian, of Altmark fame], Indefatigable and Victorious, cruisers Suffolk, Argonaut and Black Prince escorted by the 27th and 25th DFs. Screen from port wing—Ursa, Urania, Undaunted, Grenville [o/ic], starboard wing Undine, Wager, Whelp, Kempenfelt. Screening Diagram no 7 and Cruising Disposition No 61 were ordered. Strikes were flown off from between the Similan Islands and Sumatra to put the airfield in the Medang area out of action and bomb/rocket the oil refinery.

 

Carrier	First Strike	Second Strike
Indomitable	16 Avengers 16 Hellcats	20 Avengers 28 Hellcats
Victorious	16 Avengers 11 Corsairs	18 Avengers 30 Corsairs
Indefatigable	12 Fireflys	12 Fireflys 24 Seafires 8 pr Hellcats

 

The raids were a success and although several a/c were damaged and ditched on the way back, all crews were saved [we picked up one] also, one aircraft went in on takeoff and that crew was saved. There were two rescue submarines in the area—Statesman and Thorough. One odd Jap aircraft flew over the fleet and the carriers opened up with their 4.5 inch guns. Most of the shell fragments fell back amongst the fleet.

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I came back to England by troopship in June 1945 and at the end of the war was on Sub Lieutenant's courses, mainly in the Portsmouth area. One might call them post graduate courses, the finer points of navigation, communications, gunnery, torpedo work, submarines and aviation.

 

On completion we had to specify which specialisation we wished to take up, I chose aviation, having wanted to fly since I was about ten. We celebrated VE day at the Town Hall Square, Portsmouth, packed with people and a huge bonfire.

HMS OFFA 1945-46

HMS Offa, destroyer

I joined her in the Firth of Forth Sept 1945 and after a boiler clean we proceeded to Londonderry; the approach up Loch Foyle is quite tricky, with a couple of S-bends. We then took part in Operation Deadlight, taking surrendered U-boats out to sea and sinking them - easier said than done. There were no German personnel present. The weather throughout the operation was lousy [as might be expected in winter off the nor-west of Ireland]. The original idea was to have some personnel in the submarine who would lay scuttling charges, light the blue touchpaper and be taken off by our motor cutter. The weather fixed that. So we towed each sub, with the conning tower hatch open, out to the desired area. As the towing speed was 2 knots we had little or no steerage way for most of each trip and a very uncomfortable ride. When the first boat was cast off we lay off its beam and opened fire with our 4.7 inch guns, each mounting firing in turn to give some competition to the gun crews. It was hit very early and sank. The gunnery officer was beside himself with glee! The second sub took 5 salvoes to hit and the third sub was never hit and sank itself - the gunnery officer hid below decks.

I cannot remember how many we towed out but the excitement wore off fairly soon. I have read that 221 U-boats were scuttled or destroyed by their crews and 156 surrendered. HMS Zambesi was another destroyer occupied in this task and her Sub Lieutenant was Dick Stock, subsequently on my flying course and then in 802 squadron with me.

 

We had Christmas alongside in Londonderry, and another officer and myself were detailed off to look after the ship while everyone else shot off to their families. We had quite a good time and an hilarious episode with a WRNS carol singing group. When the fun at Londonderry was over we steamed, south about, to the Firth of Forth to pick up some German destroyers. After the war the Allies had decided that the French did not qualify for reparations. However, the French kicked up such a fuss that the arrangement was rescinded and our part was to escort five destroyers to Cherbourg. These consisted of two "Narvik" class, two "Maass" class and one T-boat which were anchored east of the Forth Bridge. We anchored near the most easterly one and I was sent, in our motor cutter, to brief the captains of the routine they were to follow. I reached the first ship's gangway, port side aft and, when arriving on deck, found one German sailor who guided me to the wardroom where, it so happened, all the officers were assembled, sitting around three tables.

"Not asking, just wondering"

This episode aroused my interest in German destroyers and their war achievements and so I will pen some facts and opinions. At the battle in the Norwegian fiords, called Narvik afterwards, the Germans lost ten destroyers. Four could have probably escaped but for the timidity of their commander by the name of Bey [who was to make another error later in the war] For some reason [like Dunkirk and Gallipoli] the action was treated in Germany as heroic and the replacement ships were called the Zerstorer-Flotille "Narvik" They were much bigger than our ships - 2600 tons against 1900, 38 knots/31, 5.9 inch guns/4.7.

 

The two we took to the French were Z.25 and Z.31. The other destroyers were of the Leberecht Maass Class, 2200 tons, 5 inch guns, 30 knots. These ships were named after German naval officers who lost their lives in the first World War. The two we escorted were Z.5 - Paul Jacobi and Z.6 - Theodor Riedel. The Torpedoboote was a ship more on a par with some of our fleet destroyers and Hunt-class escorts, 1200 tons, 4.1 inch guns, 35 knots and 6 or 8 torpedo tubes. We took one down to Cherbourg and the records show that a total of three were handed over to the French - T.11, T.20 and T.23. All the ships were crewed by the Kreigsmarine and some had an RN guard of about half a dozen sailors on board - what they were supposed to do was a mystery. They were certainly unnecessary as, once they had surrendered, the vast majority of Germans did what they were told in a typically German fashion.

Interestingly, most of the destroyers were equipped to carry mines, 76 in some cases. They carried out major minelaying operations off the coast of the UK up to the end of 1940 which sank around 90 ships. British authorities did not find out until after the war and thought the casualties were being caused by submarine mining. Up to four destroyers were used in each operation and all laying was done at night which of course is very tricky [the first operation was OK because some of the UK navigation buoys were still lit!!]

 

Engines - The boiler pressure was very high. Even higher than USN ships. Higher pressure steam means higher speed but has its drawbacks. Firstly, the steam pipes and turbine blades have to be strong enough and, secondly heavy fuel consumption. These ships were plagued with engineering problems, called by ships staff "rickets", and were often sent back to base by the big ships due to emptying fuel tanks or engine problems, leaving the "heavies" without protection.

 

Hull design - Germany is not a maritime power and that is borne out by a study of the warships hull design which had low flat fo'c'sles and no flare in the bows. This meant they were very "wet" in anything but a flat calm and pretty useless in northern and western seas. Some ships like the battleship Scharnhorst had to be modified with what was called an Atlantic bow, putting a flare on the hull forward and raising the deck. Destroyers were very prone to rolling and broaching to in a following sea. To assist in stability they were told not to empty their bunkers below 30%, which of course limited their range even further. For detailed information see "German Destroyers in WW2”by M J Whitley, published by Arms and Armour Press. An excellent read.

 

After we had escorted the ships to Cherbourg we met with a vessel from Argentina carrying the remnants of the crew of the pocket battleship Graf Spee, scuttled off Montevideo, after an action with three RN cruisers, in December 1939. They must have had a pleasant war!!!! We escorted the ship to Hamburg and then proceeded to Brunsbuttel, and the entrance to the Kiel Canal.

The reason I was in Offa was to gain my Watchkeeping Certificate, which means one is competent to be in control of a ship whilst at sea. The fact that I did not have one at the time did not really matter as I was "watch on, watch off” with another officer from the start. The only qualified officers were the Captain and the Navigator, neither of whom kept watches, and one other Lieutenant. A watch is four hours at a time except the dog watches of two hours each. I thoroughly enjoyed sea watchkeeping, especially the Morning Watch from 0400 to 0800. The best part of the day, watching the dawn break and the sun rise over the ocean.

 

We used to have some entertainment on the compass platform in the form of floating mines. These can break adrift in heavy seas of which there were plenty, mostly in the North Sea. These mines of the moored type had horns sticking up around the upper surface, if one was hit - Boom!!! We used to see them occasionally and so you stopped the ship, called the Captain and then grabbed a .303 service rifle kept handy and blazed away. Two or three of us firing, yet never had one blow up - disappointing! When the casing had enough holes in it the mine would sink. At night we just kept our fingers crossed.

KIEL, GERMANY - EARLY FEBRUARY TO APRIL 1946

Arriving at Brunsbuttel, the North Sea end of the Kiel canal, we picked up a German pilot and steamed up the canal. He must have thought his end was near when the Captain arrived on the compass platform with a large pistol and started taking pot shots at whatever he fancied. On arriving at the Kiel end we were in the Baltic Sea, where we anchored and settled down for a splendid few weeks.

 

An incident occurred in June 1945 that clarified the attitude of the Royal Navy to the defeated Germans. The Flag Officer Schleswig-Holstein, [or FOSH] Vice Admiral H.T.Baillie-Grohman took his barge, flying the White Ensign and a Vice Admirals flag, to have a look at the light cruiser "Leipzig" which had arrived from Norway and was on her way to Cuxhaven. He went round the cruiser twice. The only attention paid to his flag were rude gestures from some sailors. The Admiral moved on to conduct some other business and returned to the cruiser on the way back, with the same result. Extremely cross over the lack of respect he sent a Royal Marine officer, with a small escort, on board to deliver written orders to the "Leipzig's" Captain that at 1000 the next morning, the ships' company was to be fallen in on the upper deck in No 1 uniforms and officers in swords and medals. There was to be a Flag Officers guard on the quarterdeck. In addition he moved one of the RN guard destroyers to anchor abeam of the cruiser with guns and torpedo tubes trained on her. The Admiral returned in his barge and circled the ship several times while its crew stood to attention and saluted the Ensign each time he passed. If his orders had not been obeyed he had intended to send Royal Marine Commandos on board to arrest the Captain. There was never any more trouble from any German service personnel in the area. after that. I am indebted to Michael Nash, of Marine & Cannon Books for giving me the details. We had naturally heard of the event but not the full facts.

We were allocated an R-boat, a smaller version of the famous torpedo E-boats which used to tangle with our MTBs on a regular basis. R-boats were used for escort work, inshore mine laying and general duties. Ours was for our use solely. I went on board and had a look around, one could have eaten off the engine room deck, and the boat was truly "shipshape and Bristol fashion". Very interesting twin diesel engines - no clutch or reverse lever. They approached the jetty or whatever, and when the right moment came engines were stopped and then started in reverse to bring the boat to a halt. This was done by turning a wheel on the end of the camshafts. Later I was given a ride and demo and the crew took great delight in demonstrating their prowess. The approach was done at high speed and with a great churning of water and dipping of bows as the engines went astern, we came to a halt a foot off Offa's gangway.

While in Kiel the ship was painted from stem to stern by a team of German sailors brought out every day. Jolly Jack took to leaning against a stanchion and supervising while the Germans did the work. Our sailors were horrified to discover that the Germans reported every time they finished a job, so they could get another. Not in the great British tradition! They were happy because they got a good midday meal every day, in contrast to those ashore who were half starved. The only locals I felt sorry for were the children and some lucky children of "our" Germans got most of the ships "nutty" ration {chocolate] Wherever one went Germans still in uniform clicked heels and saluted, including four ring captains. The adage "Germans are either at your feet or at your throat" appeared to apply.

 

In conversation with English speaking Germans, three items were always brought up. [1] Nobody had been a Nazi. [2] The war had been started by British and American big business. [3] Concentration camps did not exist, it was Western propaganda. When I was based in Germany in 1950, at RAF Wunstorf, the message was exactly the same.

 

The tradition in the RN of Sunday night cinema in the wardroom was very popular because small ships only had one projector. We regularly entertained officers from the occupation army and there would a few duty free drinks and then dinner with a bit of port passing followed by the film. At the end of each reel the lights went up for the reel change. This was an ideal moment for recharging glasses, the "pongos" were most impressed with this procedure. As the word got around we had to introduce mid-week shows. This period in my Navy life was the only time when we had no wine bills. All the grog had been looted from the French by the Germans and we confiscated it from them. We used to have a couple of glasses of champagne every breakfast, to start the day. There were many return favours from the soldiery, including driving a tank round the streets, with scant regard for obstacles, and using German cavalry horses to gallop round the racecourse.

 

We also had two motor cars with drivers, and a BMW motorcycle with sidecar [fitted with reverse gear]. A trip to Hamburg was instructive - acres and acres of rubble. Our attitude was that the Germans deserved what they got, we remembered Coventry, London, Warsaw and hundreds of other cities in Europe devastated by their war machine. Hamburg had 50,000 casualties, more than all the civilians killed in Britain throughout the war. Hitler refused to go to the city and even refused to see a party of local firefighters. Do not listen to the "do gooders" who say the bombing of Dresden was a crime. There were many factories and a big railway marshalling yard. 24 troop trains a day were passing through on the way to the Russian front, at that late stage of the war.

 

The main currency during our stay was cigarettes. Apart from standard brands one could purchase from the mess or canteen, we were issued with Navy Blue Line cigarettes which cost sixpence for twenty. Ashore one could get several pounds sterling in German marks, for a packet of twenty. They were also used for barter. It seemed strange that people who were living a pretty basic existence should be desperate for a smoke rather than something to eat. However, in a lot of cases cigarettes were exactly that - currency - and passed from person to person. It reminds me that, many years later, I paid for something in Hong Kong with an English cheque which never came back through my bank. I found out that some cheques were circulated as currency [I did not complain!!!]

 

The Royal Kiel Yacht Club had been commandeered as an officers club and we used to, of an evening, have a five course meal, with wine, and excellent cabaret and figured it had cost us a fag end each. Many of the occupying forces dealt in the black market in a big way, the Americans led the way in this. I was told that the Americans had driven tanks over all the stock at the Leica factory to avoid Kodak being ruined. I ended up with a nice Rolleicord reflex camera, in a thick leather case [twenty cigarettes] and a German naval officers dirk and sailors heavy leather, high collar, lined, grey jacket which I used for many years when wildfowling. It was said that a few Mercedes cars travelled to England on the iron decks of destroyers. Two or three German navy yachts were confiscated, taken to England, and handed over to the Royal Naval Sailing Association, they lasted some years. I did a bit of single handed sailing in our 27 foot whaler, but gave it up when the spray started freezing when it hit the gunwhales. The photographs of the Admiral Hipper were taken from the whaler.

All good things come to an end and one night in April 1946 we weighed anchor and entered the Kiel canal in a snowstorm. The canal had "street" lights down both sides and during the time I was on watch they all went out. Astern both engines, stop the ship, wake the Captain and turn the hands out to secure alongside until daylight.

 

After leaving the canal we headed for home and HMS Offa was put into reserve at Devonport having served the Country since October 1941, mainly on Russian and Atlantic convoys. She was sold to Pakistan in 1949 and renamed the "Tariq". She returned to the UK in 1959 and was broken up.

I had a change in my life style by learning to fly in the Fleet Air Arm.

 

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FLEET AIR ARM and NAVAL AVIATION

1947 - January. Started flying training at No 6 Elementary Flying Training School RAF Yatesbury, Wiltshire, in De Havilland 86A Tiger Moths. Soloed after 6 hours, 25 minutes dual. Then Service Flying Training School, RAF Ouston, Northumberland in North American Harvards. Awarded Wings 12 November. Then Operational Flying School (OFS), RNAS Lossiemouth and RNAS Milltown, Inverness, Scotland in Supermarine Seafire XV and XVII's.

 

1948 - After Aerodrome Dummy Deck Landings [ADDLS] at Milltown carried out first deck landings on board HMS Implacable in the English Channel on 22 June. After leaving OFS became member of the first pilot cross qualification [F] course and graduated as Observer [Navigator]. The Admiralty had decided that future CO’s should have dual qualifications.

 

1949 - Joined first operational squadron NO.802 flying Hawker Sea Furies in HMS Vengeance.

 

1950-53 - In October joined 767 squadron RNAS Yeovilton and RNAS Henstridge, later also 768 squadron RNAS Eglinton as "Clockwork Mouse" training DLCO's Qualified as Deck Landing Control Officer ["Batsman"]. Served as such in HMS Vengeance, HMS Theseus and HMS Indomitable (see account of fire and explosion on 3 February 1953 below).

Also at RNAS's Yeovilton and Henstridge with 767 Squadron was Jim Summerlee, where (in Jim's words) "he did nothing but take-off and land on a dummy flight-deck at Henstridge while 'batsmen' learnt their trade. Known as 'clockwork mice', once the course was completed, they had to do the same thing for real - on any aircraft carrier that was available." The following photographs, from Jim's story and with his captions, were taken on HMS Vengeance around 1952.

1953 - Joined No 3 Front Line Jet Conversion Course, RNAS Culdrose in July, flying Supermarine Attackers and Gloster Meteor Ts. First jet deck landings in Supermarine Attacker, on HMS Illustrious, 24th July 1953. Then to No.703 Service Trials Squadron, RNAS Ford. Deck landed Hawker Sea Fury, Hawker Sea Hawk F1, De Havilland Sea Vampire 20 and 21, Grumman TBM Avenger and Fairey Gannet during that time. Also flew Fairey Firefly 6, Bolton Paul Sea Balliol, Sea Fury Trainer, North American Harvard 2b and Vampire 5.

 

Demonstrated Deck Landing Mirror Sight, when it arrived on the scene, to Senior Officers and other "visiting firemen" in De Havilland Vampire T22s.. Also carried out trial deck landings on first angled deck carrier HMS Centaur, May 1954 and trial deck landings using the first very basic Deck Landing Mirror Sight, January 1955. It looked if it had been taken from the front of an old fashioned wardrobe. "Batted" several trial aircraft including Supermarine 508 a precursor to the RN Scimitar fighter and the Hawker 1050, a swept wing Sea Hawk.

 

Sent on loan to Royal Netherlands Navy at their airbase at Falkenburg to give their aircrew dummy deck landing training.

 

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Explosion on board HMS INDOMITABLE. 3rd February 1953

The ship was carrying out exercises off Malta. I was Deck Landing Control Officer at the time, and on the flight deck this day, when I heard a rumbling thump and the ship shook. Immediately thick black smoke started pouring out of the starboard side. Cause - an Avgas [aviation petrol] leak had developed in an area below decks. The Damage Control Head Quarters [DCHQ] personnel had shut off that part of the system but not as quickly as possible because, it was discovered later, the builders drawings of the fuel system had an error in them.

Our planeguard destroyer came up abeam and offered assistance but our crew managed to control and extinguish the flames, after what seemed like ages. The situation was not helped by the fact that DCHQ itself was near the seat of the explosion and filled with smoke. The subsequent enquiry determined that the cause was as follows. When the leak was discovered Emergency Damage Control State 1 was broadcast throughout the ship. This meant that every watertight door and hatch in the ship was shut and fully clipped. This was followed by DCHQ shutting down all electrical ventilation fans, to stop vapour being spread. Avgas had flowed though some areas but petrol vapour had drifted down to the deck below the leak. When fans are shut down arcing can occur in the electric motor and this caused the vapour to explode, which then ignited the liquid. On examining the area afterwards I was amazed at the power of the explosion. The site was in a passage with the hangar on one side and armour plate of the ships side on the other. Three fully clipped heavy water tight doors had been blown completely out, one after the other. Royal Navy carriers have sealed aircraft hangars, with double door air locks for access; the nearest withstood the explosion but only just. The outer door went but the inner one held, although damaged. One person was killed in the airlock. If the air lock had failed we could have lost the ship.

Later, we flew off all serviceable aircraft to RNAS Hal Far and we entered Grand Harbour for repairs and nine funerals. Two George Medals and six other awards for bravery were gazetted later. About a year later I found a Readers Digest which listed a series of violent incidents caused by 'world saboteurs' and Indomitable was included. Never bought a copy after that.

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1955 - Appointed Flight Deck Officer (FDO) HMS Albion as a Lieutenant in July. Promoted during the two year tenancy. Was FDO during the Suez operations and flew 9 operational sorties, courtesy of 800 and 802 Sea Hawk squadrons.

 

894 Squadron, 1957-58

 

1957 - No 1 All Weather Fighter Course in 766 squadron, RNAS Merryfield flying De Havilland Sea Venom 21s. After finishing course went to Lossiemouth for Air Weapons Training with 764 squadron. Served in No 891 [short time] and as Senior Pilot of 894 Sea Venom squadron (above), in HMS Eagle.

 

HM the Queen's Visit to HMS Eagle, 29 April 1959

This was a private visit by HM so there was no press or any publicity. I was one of the lucky ones presented to HM in the wardroom [I had served with the Duke in HMS Whelp in 1944] Prince Charles was looked after in the anteroom while this was going on. He was asked if he would like a drink and he said "yes please, a gin and tonic"!!!!! (above left - HM and Prince Charles with Monty Mellor, Charles Evans, Captain Frewin)

 

The formation fly past photograph was taken a little past the overhead position so the "two" part looks a bit off centre, but it wasn't.

 

Our CO, "Blackie" led the formation at the head of the E and I formated on him from the head of the R using a Venom with an extra good AI Mk21 and a tip top Observer who monitored the distance between us.

 

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1959 - Joined 700Y De Havilland Sea Vixen Mk 1 trials squadron and then, as Commanding Officer 892 squadron took the first Sea Vixens to sea in HMS Ark Royal and, later HMS Victorious. Carried out day launch and deck landing while the carrier was taking on stores from a replenishment ship [RFA Fort Duquesne]. Also a night launch and deck landing while the carrier was fuelling from an RFA oil tanker. These two sorties could be "firsts" in the RN.

1961-62 - Graduated from No 32 Royal Naval Staff Course, at RN College Greenwich.

 

1962 - Commanding Officer 899 Sea Vixen Headquarters and Trials Squadron. Conducted many trials including Flight Refuelling using the probe and drogue method. Obtained 20 and 30 degree bomb dropping clearances. Conducted early Firestreak air-to-air missile trials. Carried out arrestor wire pulling on various carriers. Demonstrated solo aerobatics at air shows around southern England.

 

During flying career carried out 557 day deck landings and 117 at night.

 

1964 - After promotion to Commander served as Aviation specialist at the Royal Naval Tactical School for two years. Students from all NATO navies were trained in the battle simulator and lectures given to senior officers and civilians of equivalent rank. Included lectures to the Mediterranean Fleet at Gibraltar on "The Threat" and some days in USS Independence, CVA 62, fleet carrier during RN/USN exercises off Norway. That is another story!

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY

1966 - Exchange service with Royal Australian Navy as Executive Officer of the RAN Apprentice Training Establishment, HMAS Nirimba, Sydney. New South Wales.

Yacht Nirimba built by apprentices at HMAS Nirimba, sailing in the Harbour, c 1966, steel hull, design by Alan Payne

 

1968 - Returned to the UK and resigned from the Royal Navy in 1969 in order to emigrate to Australia.

 

 

AUSTRALIA

A LOVE OF "BOATS" - following on from Dartmouth days

Motor Boat Vagabond II (below), built 1939 in the Hawkesbury River, north of Sydney