Shipmate
Spring/ Summer 2017
B40 Superhet Receiver
Cover photo is of a B40 Superhetrodyne Receiver. This was the radio receiver that used to be used for training and will hopefully be remembered by the electrical branch members of the association.
I had a great job servicing them in Singapore in the mid 60's whilst serving on the Triumph in the FMG section. After that it was Radar for the next 20 years!!
I had a great job servicing them in Singapore in the mid 60's whilst serving on the Triumph in the FMG section. After that it was Radar for the next 20 years!!
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Crossed the Bar
Shipmates who 'Crossed the Bar'
Frank Brame Thetford August 2016
John W Lancaster Middlesborough 23rd January 2017
Clifford John Leonard Tooting 19th July 2016
Ray Greaves 12th January 2016
Arthur Atter November 2016
Robin Wood 2016
David 'Nobby'Norman - not a member but advised by email.
William Grovenor - not a member but seen in a newspaper.
We will remember them
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Frank Brame Thetford August 2016
John W Lancaster Middlesborough 23rd January 2017
Clifford John Leonard Tooting 19th July 2016
Ray Greaves 12th January 2016
Arthur Atter November 2016
Robin Wood 2016
David 'Nobby'Norman - not a member but advised by email.
William Grovenor - not a member but seen in a newspaper.
We will remember them
============================================================
Editors Scribblings
Hello Again.
Time for me to put finger to keyboard and try to insert some articles in the magazine. It would be easy if anybody had sent anything for publication!
As usual, nothing has arrived and so I'ii attempt to try to inform or/and amuse.
Although I know that many of our members aren't electrical ratings I was, and so can only tell stories from my side. Please - send anything you like on ships, visits, oppo's and runs ashore, I can withhold your name if required.
Collingwood now is home to Dryad, Mercury and, according to Navy News, HMS Sultan by 2026. This must make it the 'premier' training establishment for the RN. Watch this space.
Our next AGM is at Tillington Hall Hotel in Stafford with a planned visit to the National Arboretum. If you have not been before it is worth a visit, and if you have - the trees have grown!!
I look forward to seeing you there.
Yours Aye,
Roger
~ Why I Mow My Own Yard ~
(A true story; you just gotta love Lee!)
One day, shortly after joining the PGA tour in 1965, Lee Trevino, a top professional golfer and married man, was at his home in Dallas, Texas , mowing his front lawn, as he always did.
A rather attractive lady driving by in a shiny Cadillac stopped in front of his house, lowered the window and asked, “Excuse me, do you speak English?"
Lee responded, “Yes Ma'am, I do."
The lady then asked, “What do you charge to do yard work?"
Lee said, "Well, the woman in this house lets me sleep with her."
The lady hurriedly put the car into gear and sped off!....
Transmitter Hall
This is a picture of the transmitter building in HMS Inskip.
Inskip is a radio station about 5 miles from Blackpool. It started life as a Naval Air Station in WW2 called HMS Nightjar, and indeed, there are a couple of graves in the local churchyard to indicate to that fact. It became Inskip W/T afterwards and was responsible for submarine broadcast amongst others. It was the UK draft I always asked for but never got until returning from the South Atlantic in 1982. I was born 40 or so miles from here and now live about 2 miles away. Like a lot of establishments the uniformed staff have left and it is now run by DCSA although still 'owned' by the Navy. The accommodation was the airfield control tower with the dining hall attached but is now a Sea Cadet hall. It's security was also not being known it was military. This ended in 1983 at an open days when a Harrier landed and took off scattering a couple of herds of cows. Today there is just the building and aerials to show what it is. Roger. Four books by Mike Lunnon-Wood
You may like to read these books by an author who is,unfortunatly, no longer with us. They cover the sort of operation that the modern navy has to deal with – from evacuating British Nationals from rebel attack ( Kings Shilling), via invasion stopping (Long Reach) to hostage rescue ( Congo Blue) and sea rescue (Let not the sea). All are a good read and I recommend them. |
One of the aerial 'fields' around Inskip.
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An Extract from the S.A.P
I joined the Apollo in 1979 and left her in November 1982 after returning from the South Atlantic. I was in charge of the radar section and as such my Action Station was below the Ops room and during Defence Watches in it.
The ship was one of the first to do the Armilla patrol and also was the escort for the Royal Yacht when she visited North Africa.
All this was notable but the Apollo would always be known for an incident at Christmas 1981 in Devonport during leave that left us with the title of the ''Gay A'.
The incident was between the Navigator and a junior stoker. Don't forget this was when homosexuality was an offence and not compulsory as it seems to be now.
This was sorted but led us to the realization that we had 'run through'4 navigators in two years for one reason or another.
This now brings us to the summer of 82 and the reason for the title.
The British public had collected magazines and periodicals for our forces and these were distributed to the ships of the task force.
On the way south we had all transmitters, both radar and radio, in standby and 'listened'with our EW equipment. The 'Gollies' used to produce the South Atlantic Paper or SAP of the title. Here is the article ;-
'Heard in the Ops Room' . Navigator , looking over AB Hoare's shoulder at the Page three girl - 'She's lovely'-
AB Hoare "She's not bad',
The navvie 'I wouldn't climb over her to get to you in bed'
AB Hoare - 'The last one would !!'
So that finishes this dit and the article. Except I later learned that the navvie got done for something dodgy.
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Article supplied by Ken Waugh from the Telegraph.
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And finally
Didn’t realize just how little I knew .......
Something Educational
In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb.
Hence we have 'the rule of thumb'
------------
Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden'.. .
and thus, the word GOLF entered into the English language.
------------
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone
------------
Coca-Cola was originally green.
------------
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
------------
The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven:
£ 10,120.00
------------
The first novel ever written on a typewriter, Tom Sawyer.
------------
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
------------
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987, 654,321
------------
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.
If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died because of wounds received in battle.
If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes
------------
Q.. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'?
A. One thousand
------------
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
------------
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
------------
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened,
making the bed firmer to sleep on.
Hence the phrase...'Goodnight, sleep tight'
------------
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month
after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the
mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar
was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know
today as the honeymoon.
------------
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts....
So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell
at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down. It's where we get
the phrase: 'mind your P's and Q's'
------------
Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into
the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they
used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice.
------------
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
------------
Don't delete this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.
The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in
a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the first and last ltteer
be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still
raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos
not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
------------
YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2017 when...
1. You accidentally enter your PIN in the microwave
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family
of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is
that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your mobile phone
to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries...
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom
of the screen
8. Leaving the house without your mobile phone, which you didn't
even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a
cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting
your coffee
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12 You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to
forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no 9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't
a 9 on this list
==========================================================================================================
. That's it for this time. Send items for the next edition.
And finally
Didn’t realize just how little I knew .......
Something Educational
In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb.
Hence we have 'the rule of thumb'
------------
Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden'.. .
and thus, the word GOLF entered into the English language.
------------
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone
------------
Coca-Cola was originally green.
------------
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
------------
The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven:
£ 10,120.00
------------
The first novel ever written on a typewriter, Tom Sawyer.
------------
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
------------
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987, 654,321
------------
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.
If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died because of wounds received in battle.
If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes
------------
Q.. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'?
A. One thousand
------------
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
------------
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
------------
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened,
making the bed firmer to sleep on.
Hence the phrase...'Goodnight, sleep tight'
------------
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month
after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the
mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar
was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know
today as the honeymoon.
------------
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts....
So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell
at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down. It's where we get
the phrase: 'mind your P's and Q's'
------------
Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into
the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they
used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice.
------------
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
------------
Don't delete this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.
The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in
a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the first and last ltteer
be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still
raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos
not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
------------
YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2017 when...
1. You accidentally enter your PIN in the microwave
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family
of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is
that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your mobile phone
to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries...
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom
of the screen
8. Leaving the house without your mobile phone, which you didn't
even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a
cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting
your coffee
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12 You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to
forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no 9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't
a 9 on this list
==========================================================================================================
. That's it for this time. Send items for the next edition.
