THE MMUNIGATOR

VOt 18.1lo. I SPRI NG 1 966

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THE COMMUNICATORThe Mogozine of the Communicotions Bronch, Royol Novy

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SPRING I965

Crprarr-- J. R. McKa.rc, n.N.Eorronrau ...Lrttrns ro rHE Eonon ...CaNaonE,lsrrn Cnosswono lNp Cnntstvl.s

Cnosswono SorurroN ...Houpavs 1966WHEnn ro Fry rr lNo Wrrv? ...Mv Hosnv-Wser's Youns?Austnar-r,q...AoveNcrrrlrNt NorrsQursrroNs lNp ANswEnsFonTncolrrNc Counsrs ar HMS Mnncuny

VOL. 18, No. I

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CouuuNrclrons BnrNcn NBws 15Tsa 1966 NATO CovprrrrroN ... 16CouurssroNrNc Fonrcnst 18LocAL FoREIGN Snrvrcr Brlr-Ers 19Snrr-Snonp Nrws 19NBws Eno*t rnr Rnsnnvrs 41GorNc rnr RouNps rN Mpncuny 43Roy.q.L N.avA.r- Aulrnun Rloro Socrrry 45Coupurrns... 47ColrrrauNrc.ltroNs G,qzErrE, 49DnnrrrNc... 53

Editor:Treasurer:Corrections:Publicity:Business, Production andAdvertisement Manager :

Sub Lieutenant C. H. SANocns (SD) (C), eNSub Lieutenant D. J. Fonsry (SD) (C), nxMrs. J. W. SrNoens, tvt.n.Sub Lieutenant W. J. BunrrNc (SD) (C), nN

Mr. Eocln Sencounn, 44 Abbots Ride, Farnham, Surrey

coNrR/8ur/oNsAll MSS, photographs and cartoons should be sent to the Editor at HMS Mercury as below.

These will be returned to the sender onl-'- ilasked for and responsibility for them cannot be acceptedby the Editor. Contributions for the Summer 1966 edition must be in the Editor's hands by lst July,bulk orders by 1()th July.

Subscription Rates are as follov's;For the whole year ... 7,6 post free For each issue ... ... 3/- post free

BULK ORDERS (2 copies or more) from commands, ships or establishments,216 per copy,post free.The Magazine is published at Spring, Summer and Winter. Orders are normally postedduring the 1st week of April, August and December.

Cheques and/or Postal Orders should be made payable and sent to:The Editor, Tsr CorralruNrcAToR, HMS "MERcuRy", East Meon, near Petersfield, Hampshire.

PUBLISHED AT HMS ..MERCURY''

CAPTAIN J. R. McKAIG, ROYAL NAVY

1946 QLralified in Signals.

1946 RNAS Ford.

1947 Signal Division.

1948 SCO to -lrd Training Flotilla (Londonderry)

1950 Flag Lieutenant to F.O. Air (Home).

1951 SOO and SCO to SNOPG.

1953 Promoted Cornmander.

1953 Staff of ACR.

1954 Mercur-,- asTC.

4

1956 FCO to C IN C HF.

1958 Ganges as Executive Officer.

1959 Promoted Captain.

1959 Presidenr as DDWRD.

1962 Imperial Defence College.

1962 Man,rman in Command.

1963 President for Duty withPolaris Executive.

1966 Mercurv in Command.

CPE as Deputy

EDITORIAL

The continued success of the nragazine is due inno small measure to our treasurer of the past twoyears, David Forsey who leaves shortly to take Llphis new appointment at BRNC Dartmouth.

Recently increased costs now mean that eachissue costs approximately f700 yet he has main-tained the price at 2i6 and has increased theBalance Creditor by almost f 140.

Many well known firms who support theCommur-rication Branch with services, equipment, oremployment upon leaving the Service, continue toshow their regard by advertising generously inTnr, CovuruNrcaron.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Captain (F).Dartmouth Training Squadron,

HMS Eastbourne.12th February 1966

Dear Editor,I was interested to read CY Harrison's article in

the Winter 1965 Couvrinrcrlon about themanoeuvres which took place in the Mediterraneanin May 1954 but I doubt very much if anyone couldwin the prize you offer unless in possession of oneof the signal logs ol the time. As the person whomade the signals, I could, with an effort make afist at reproducing them but I am not going to! Mycopy of the orders was given to the training staffat Mercury in case it should ever be of interest andit may still be somewhere in the archives.

There are some points of interest in collnectiot.twith these malloeuvres which are perhaps worthpassing on.

The fleet was well practised in the manoeuvresand thus the sequence of signals was well kncwn,the signals themselves beir-rg relatively unimportant.It was the executiot-t of the signals that reallymattered. I was probably accused of "beli andbraces" but all signals were made by flags andlepeated by voice. In the days when TBS sets wereworn out and Inglefield clips had a nasty habit olcarrying auay. such precaulions uere necessary.I lived in terror that some vital flaghoist wouldexecute itself and ruin the whole show.

Perfect timing was essential and this was theheadache of the Fleet Navigator. For instance, thelast gun of the salute had to coincide with thesignal executing the wheel of the columns in towardsthe Yacht. The wheel cor"rld not wait t'or the gunsand there is no margin for error at 25 knots with

In furure it is intended to discontinr.re the n-rethodof posting maga,zines in the rolled up forn-r; envelopeswill be used instead. ShipslEstablishments who donot wisl-t to be liable for collecting the money whena parcel of magazines arr.ives on board are requestedto include a detailed mailing list and CASH withtheir order. Copies rvill then be posted directly toindividuals at the bulk order price of 2i6. By reques!copies may be AIRMAILED at 5i6d. per copyincluding postage.

C. H. S,qNornsSub.-Lieutenant (SD) (C)

cruisers 2 cables apart and other ships 1i althoughEagle was allowed to keep her distance at 3 cables.Ships were ordered to pass Brirannia at a distanceof 100 yards.

Britannia led the fleet to Malta ancl the 3 Cruisersentered Grand Harbour, 2 cables apart, and turnedtogether at their buoys.

Safely back in my office at Lascaris, I was visitedby an excited Navigator from the Yacht who said:-"'C'est magnifique mais ce n'est pas la guerre'-and never do it again." The sight of the Fleet bearingdown on him had been bad enough but then as westeamed past he had had to use 25 degrees of wheelto keep the Yacht steady.

I imagine that CY Harrison has an originalcopy of the orders. In fact these had to be changedby a long and rather complicated signal as we sailedfrom Malta. Just before sailing, approval wasreceived for the nranoeuvres as a whole but with theinstruction that no ship was to be stationed, atany time, ahead of Britannia. This is worth remem-bering lor anyone who may be involved in fr.rtureescort duties"

After the manoeuvres were over l said to theFleet Navigator and well out of the C in C's, AdmiralMountbatten's, hearing "I reckon there is only onething we can do now which could be worse and thaiis a grid-iron ahead of the ship". A few molthslater we were sent for by the C in C who said:--"The Emperor of Ethiopia is going frcm Malta toEngla.nd in Gantbiu" I want to do some manoeuvresfor him and this tjme we shall do a grid-iron aheadof the ship " We did. [t was an l8 ship grid-iron,including 4 Pakistan destroyers. done a,t 24 knotswith ships 2 cables apart. As the ships passedeach other the nearest was 3 cables ahead of Gambia "It was lun but I was glad when it was over'

Yours sincerely,C, B. H. Ware Wnr-rsa, CaPtain

THE MAIN SIGNAL OFFICEH.M.S. Drake, Devonport

Dear Sir,I wonder if you would like to publish the following

print of the W/T Office of HM Submarine Perseustaken in 1931. They will give the present day"sparker" an idea of what the equipment lookedlike in those days. Middle right is the Note Magnifier"N.9" which comprised three valves operated by aThree Way switch to bring in 1, 2 or 3 Valves andthen was controlled by a volume control. Bottomright is the Unit called Heterodyne Unit K.5 usedfor tuning. Top left is the Model "E" Attachmenton which we used to read GBR on 16 Kc/s in theChina Seas submerged to 30 ft. Receiving was doneon a Loop Aerial connected from Bow to Stern.

Under the "E" Attachment is the Aerial TuningUnit A.11 and amplifler M.1l and under that theamplifier for Fessenden under water signalling.

Yours sincerely,A. E. Grass

H.M"S. oPerseus'

Stormbound in the old arm chair

29 Spillmans Road,R"osborough, Stroud, Glos.

Dear Sir,

During this inclement weather one cannot getout to wander at will about the hills when thedaylight fades, down goes the book and out comesthe pipe and to h-11 with the Chancellor.

6

It is during such times that thoughts often wander,I have been wondering whether, besides myself,there are any chaps still knocking about who canremember HMS Mars (Atlantic Fleet) carrying outthe experiment of using a jet ol water from the firehose as an aerial for transmission of W/T. I cannotremember any results that were achieved, but I doremember that several bare-footed matelots did abit of a war dance on the wet deck.

Yours sincerely,A" Musx

P.S. The year 1906.

CANADACOMMONWEALTHCO.OPERATION INCOMMLINICATIONS

by P2RM3 R. D. YerrellCommunications are the sinews which link all

countries of the Commorrweaith. Every year theyprovide for greater exchange of ideas and informa-tion, and this is particularly true of the Naval World-Wide organisation. Each year sees more technicaladvances in radio, enabling greater use to be madeof fixed services, ship-shore ar-rd all the otherfacilities provided by this example of internationalco-operation.

Almost all the traffic passed through this vastnetwork is handled by naval communicators of manynationalities who use common procedures andoperating techniques. However, how well do theyunderstand one another's communications pro-blems? Through ship visits many contacts are madewith other Communicators but these are mainly intheir off-duty hours or on a one hour visit to theirComcen. The value of these meetings is soon lostin our own day-to-day operating problems.

I believe that the time is right for a formal systemof exchange between personnel of RS CRS orequivalent rates. The officers exchange programmehas given much valuable insight into the ain-rs andproblems of otfuer Commonwealth Navies and Ibeijeve this exchange programme could prove asbeneficial for the Communications Branches ofthese same Navies.

The starting point for such a scheme could bebetween supervisory personnel at shore radiostations connected by fixed services. Later, operatorsmight also be exchanged between shore stations toman ship-shore and other circuits and shipboardexchanges to depend upon success of the abovestages. This programme might have the addedbenefit of stimulating interest among young menwho might be serving in a smallerNavy doing veryfew foreign cruises.

There may be some adrninistrative problems in-volved but if NATO "Mixed Manning" conceptcan be considered and even tried out, surely thiswould be comparatively simple.

Al1 entries shouldwill be given for the

Across:-

EASTER CROSSWORD

be addressed to the Editor to arrive no later than lst July. A prizefirst correct solution found.

CLUES

8. Is it overneat to renew it? (8)9. No raid? But it is. (6)

10. Flee from lesser unions. (3)11. ,,I am the

-

of Earth and water,And the nursling of the Sky ;" (P. B. Shelley). (8)

12. Assemble a radioactive element in a confusedrage. (6)

13. Reserve patients for agents. (15)15. Affirms during trials. (7)18. A couple of coppers, the Sappers, and the

Saints make up a speech. (7)21. Would this give one's writing more point ? (6, 9)24. One proposal a minute to hide the sausage. (6)25. "A phantasime, a-, and one that makes

sport To the prince and his book-mates."(Love's Labours Lost). (8)

26. Pat leaves the potato as well. (3)27" No tricks with this one. (6)28. The outer part of 1. (8)

CHRISTMAS CROSSWORI)Winner--Lieutenant (SD) (C) D. C. Mitchell, nN, who receives a prize of ONE GUINEA.

6y ANN Jrwrr-r-

of ONE GUINEA

Down:-1. The boy attendant around the Spanish fur. (6)2. This cat has a cousin without offence, and a

backward scrap. (6)3. Is the latest real? (anag.) (5, 10)4. Does this fish show that she is engaged? (7)5. Henry I to VIII and their sons. (5, 3, 7)6. Can the trite rep be lovelier? (8)7. Sees about the young cow without a dial. (8)

14. The vessel used to distil 1419. (3)16,20. He arrived too early and wanted to go to

Norwich. (3, 3, 2,3, 4)17. Chemical bonds can form such enclosures. (8)19. See 14. (3)22. The ray is gross. (6)23. Teeth nicotine stains go yellow, and conceal a

heathen. (6)

Runner up-310 A, V. Bird, mNnSOLUTIONCff,C.Rfi, A".o*:-1 . Shepherds. 9. Carols. l0. Tradition. I l . Dahlia. l2. Slenderly. 13. Coas-tal.,l7. Ode. 19. Excited. 20. Kernels. 2l - Due.2t.i1!;;";.^ii.-Minci,piiii jS. Meat"i. ZS, forcfr race. 30. Oricnt.3l.Interrupt. Dowr:-2. Herald.3--Padang.4.-Esteem-. 5. Doodled.O. piiim"".i. Z. ffotty tree. t. fstaOtish. 14. Persimmon. 15. Schematic. 16. Attenuant. 17. Odd. 18. Eke. 22.Unicom.24.Icicle. 25. Sparer.26. Teacup.ti,{ARf T. l"rors:-1. Admission. 9. Bireme. 10. Partridge. ll. Fetish. 12. Relations. 13. Endear. 17. Ynd. 19' Immerse" 20. Extreme.ZJ.3pv. Z j. f"rt"y.27. Gentlemen.28. Epigon.2!). Feminires.30. Opener. 31. Streamcrs. Down;-2. Dealer. 3.Iatral.4'Spirit.5. Organorr.e. Hii,ii"it". f. Ferimeter.8. Sea-troii"t.i+1 trlirtteto". l5. Embroidir. 16. True loves. 17. Yes, lB. Dey.22.Present' 24. Strife.25. Mediurn26. Verreer.

FIOLIDAYS 1966SWANAGE-ISLE OF PURBECK

Frequently, owing rc changes in a ship's pro-gramme or for varit'lus other: unioreseen reasons, wefind ourselves having to arrange a holiday for thefamiiy at very shor:t notice. The result is that manyfeel it is all too diffi.cult and so stay at home with anextremely disappointed family I

Hotel booking during the season is difii-cult,particularly with a young familY.

Have you ever considered a holiday in a caravanwhere yr:u pay approximately {14 at the height ofthe season (less at other times) for a seven daybooking of a Jive berth caravan with no otherhidden expenses whatsoever. such as l0l{ fortips etc.

Swanage on the sortth coast has a MunicipalCaravan Park open from lst April to -llst October'Al1 caravans on the park are privately owned'a. number being let on behalf of the owners by theUrban District Ccun.cil. Owing to the large numberof caravans involved, irequently, even at the heightof the season, caravans are available to let at shortnotice. Enquiries can be tlealt with either at thePark Reception Oflice, Tel. Swanage 2130, or bys.a.e. stating the type of caravan required and thedesired dates"

The Park is approximately cne mile from thebeach and main shopping centre and covers some30 acres of natural undulating hillside to the southof the town, with commanding views of Swanage

Bay and the Isle of Wight. The caravans are eithersited individually or in srnall, well spaced groupsstepped up the hillside The roads are good; parkingadequate. All service buildings are virtually new,built of Porrland Stone and provide amenities of thehighest standard. convenient to all groupings ofcaravans. They consist of:--flush toilets, hot andcold showers, rvash hand basins, laundry and ironingrooms, electric shaving lacilities and main waterstandpipes. The main reception building cclntains arestaLlranl, general shop. quietiwriting room, mailrack and a booking enquiries desk.

Swanage, with its high sunshine record. offers aclean sandy beach with an extremely small tidalrange. resulting in sale bathing for chjldren. lt hasPunch and Judy. Paddle boats, sailing, rowing,inboard and outboard mctor boats are for hire.There is skin diving, golf, tennis, angling and anamusement arcade.

Children will enjoy a visit to the Lighthouse,Lifeboat station, Tilly Whim Caves or a day atBournemouth and the Isle of Wight by steamer.During August there are a Carnival and Regatta.

Within easy reach by foot are Peveril Point.Dancir.rg Ledge, St. Aldhelm's Head, Old HarryRock and by car, Lulworth Cove, WeymouthPurbeck Quarries, Corfe Castle and Bournemouth(via the ferry).

'l-he Beach at Swanage

Studland Bay

Studland Bay provides an easily reached alter-native shor-rld you wish an afternoon free from thedistractions of Punch and Judy, paddle boats etc.

Further details of Swanage can be obtained fromThe Publicity Manager, Infor.mation Bureau,Shore R-oad, Swanage, Dorset. Tel 2885.

Remember, it is NEVER too late to try for abooking. Your family will enjoy a seaside holiday . . .you too can sit back and see the ships passwithout you,

wt{ERE TO EIV ttWFIY?

by F. A. J. Lucas, Ex CCY

I am sure that every one in the CommunicationBranch who read the Chrishas edition 1965,adn-rired the wonderful 'Model Mast' which waspresented to Earl Mountbatten last year: truly arnagnificent present. Of the three DistinguishingFlags flying, the two on the Topsail Yardarm musthave caused everyo[e to look twice. Here we findon the Starboard side, the flag of the Chiel ofDefence Staff, and rrn the Port side, that ol anElder Brother of Trinity House; )'et another singleauthority. with however, three Distinguishing Flags.

What with these, and all the other DistinguishingFlags and Pendants in use. one must begin to thinkperhaps of-WHERE TO FLY IT?-surely this must be one ofthe problems confronting every CCY and CY onCommissioning any of the 'New Design' ships of

WHERE TO FLY ITUnionAdmiral's FlagAdmiral's FlagAdmiral's FlagCommodore's Broad Pt.Commodore's Broad Pt.Commodore's Broad Pt.Masthead Pendant

the Royal Navy, whose nrasts and superstrucluresdo not allow the hoisting of 'Distingr"rishing FlagsBroad and Masthead Pendants' at the customary orar"rthorised positior-rs.

The answer to their problems, can now be for-rndin Q.R. and A.L Chapter l2 (dated 30th June 1965)arlicle 1216, which also clarifies the positions withregard to'Standards, Ensigns. and Dressing Lines'in these ships.WHY?-- the authorised positions at which we flythese Distinguishing Flags and Pendants and eventhe design of same have changed many times inhistory, even as late as 1961, through necessity ortrad itior-r-

At the end of the last century, through necessity,the Admiralty authorjsed our present day systemwhen, due to the coming of the 'New Design' ships,such as the Mastless lronclads, Single and TwoMasted Men of War, the then used Distingr-rishingFlags and Pendants of the Three Masted shipsbecame inadequate.

These were the Union Flag, and Admiral's Flag(the St. George's Cross), a Commodore's BroadPendant, and the Masthead Pendant. Flown todenote the presence of the appropriate ar"rthority:

(See foot of page)At this time however, to distinguish the various

ranks, when the appropriate authorites were afloatin their boats. three other flags were used. TheAdmiral's Flag with a red ball in the upper cantonindicated the presence of a Vice Admiral, and with ared ball in both the upper and lower canton. a RearAdmiral. For a Commodore 2nd Class. a red ballwas placed in the upper canton of the Cornmodore'sBroad Pendant.

These three new flags and pendants were knownas the 'boat' form of Vice and Rear Admiral'sFlags, and Commodore 2nd Class Broad Pendant,and were adopted by these ranks lor use in the'New Design' ships instead of using the plainSt. George's Cross at the respective masthead. Whatand Where to Ily these Distinguishing Flags andPendants was finally raised by Adn-riralty in 1898when our present system was brought into force.This problem then being solved, with the Flags andPendants of the new design clearly distinguishing thevarious ranks, it was thought that finality hacl beenreached.

We know norv this was nol so, as in 1906, andlater in 1913, the Senior Officer's Pendant was firstreduced in size, and second was to be flown only

Admiral of the FleetAdmiralVice-AdmiralRear-AdmiralCommodore lst ClassCommodore 2nd ClassSenior Officer PresentCaptain. and below in cornmanil

MainnrastMainmastFr:remastMizzenmastMainmastForemastMizzenmastMainmast

from the Starboard Topsail Yard. Then in the 1950'sit was abolished and replaced by the use of theStarboard Pennant.

The latest change was in 1961 when the term 1stand 2nd Class was suspended from the rank ofCommodore. Their Lordships decided that theBroad Pendant of Commodore 2nd Class should beretained and used as that of a Commodore RN.

Thus in less than a century, 'New Design' shipshave necessitated a change in both design and thesystem of "WHERE to FLY" our DistinguishingFlags and Pendants.

What will the future bring? Flags and Pendantspainted on the Funnel, Bridges, Hulls, a 'ColourScheme' or what? I wonder.

MY HOBBY_WHAT'S YOURS?by LRO (G) Burnett

Times without number peopie have said to me"Birdsl What a strange hobby for someone in theNavy." I suppose they are right but it's a hobbywhich gives satisfaction to me and thousands morelike me. My hobby covers only British birds andcanaries.

Have you ever stopped to think how importantbirds are to us? We all know something aboutbirds, whether we live in the City or the country orjust go to sea but most of us never really stop tothink about them. You are probably asking yourselfjust how birds are important; what they really haveio do with us. They are pretty, many of them havervonderful voices iike the Nightingale and Linnet,they can be interesting to watch and in some cases,like the Blue Tit, extremely funny--but why arethey important ?

Experts have judged that if all our birds suddcnlydied man himself would cease to exist within ayear. Strar-rge to think that the small Hor"lse Sparrowor the bearrtiful Goldfinch controls our very lives.For if all the birds did die, the insects and weedswould multiply so rapidly that there would benothing left for us. Rut what about chemical spraysand insecticides? Surely they would take cate of theweeds and insects you may say' Remember thatinsects and weeds have developed immunity to most

of them, so in spite of all that chemistry and sciencehave done for us we still need birds.

Many people advocate that it is cruel to breedBritish birds in captivity but this is not so; theexpected life of a bird bred in captivity is more thandouble that of his wild counterpart.

An Association was formed 30 years ago (knownas the British Bird Breeders' Association) and theobject of this Association is to learn all there is tolearn about the breeding of our native species.Anyone joining is asked to report his breedingresults, all of which are carefully registered by theBBBA secretary. In the event of any part,cularbreed being threatened by extinction the secretarycould then ask members who breed that particularspecies to concentrate on it and release the birds ifnecessary.

To me birds aren't just a hobby but a necessity, soremember the next time you hurl abuse and gash atthe gulls; they too have their uses.

AUSTRALIATHE WIND OF CHANGE

by S/LT. (SD) (O A. H. R. Brecht' RANDuring the latter months of 1963 a new concept it't

Junior Rates training was introduced into theRoyal Australian Navy. At the beginning of thefollowing year the whole shape of new entry andjunior recruit training had been altered to provider.vhat wasconsidered to be a better balanced and moremodernistic method of absorbing young men intothe ways of the Navy. As expected, the new schemehas been an unqualified sllccess, permrtting a muchwider aspect cf training in general seamanshipsubjects ar-rd stimulating the interest and keenness ofrecruits at a very early stage of thel Naval education.

Consequent upon this change in structure, theRAN Communication Branch undertook asearching examination of its own methods ofselection, instruction, and categorisation of com-munication ratings together with an investigation oftheir prospects of pron-rotion. Proposals for improve-nrent were duly put forward and this article brieflyoutlines the present structure of the branch togetherwith some information on the methods of trainingnow employed.

Four main sub-departments function under thegcneral heading of the Communications Branch,these being Radio (RO's), Visual (TO's), Data(DO's) and Electronic Warfare (RO (S). The intro-duction of computers into the Navy on what may bedescr ibed as a 'large scale', brought forward the needfor men specially trained in hanoling data. Thuswas formed the Data branch, which is proving amost interesting one and its members, virtually'foundation members', are demoustrating that theyare a valuable asset to the Service'Tawny Owl

Along with recruits for all branches, Communica-tion ratings join and receive basic training atHMAS Cerberus in Victoria (Adult entry only) orat the Junior Recruit Training Establishment,HMAS Leeuwin, situated in Perth, WesternAustralia. On completion of this phase of his newentry course, approximately three months. a recruitgoes to sea in a training ship where he spends ayear receiving his introduction in messdeck lifeand seamanship. While getting to know the Navyat sea he receives instruction from senior rates ofevery branch, his Communication Branch trainingcomprising an elementary outline of the day-to-daycommunications within a ship, and totalling eighty-four hours.

Selected ratings are categorised Ordinary Seaman(CO), and at the end of their time at sea proceed toHMA Signal School at Crib Point in Victoria,where formal instruction begins. A. six weeks courseis nndertaken in practical subjects with a view tofina1 categorisation within the Communicationsbranch. In addition to the course, candidates areexpected to acquire a thorough knowledge of flagsand meanings in their own time. Examinations areheld in all subjects including flags. After categorisa-tion, ratings commence the Able Rates course intheir respective categories, and this lasts approxi-mately twenty-eight weeks. A sea draft in a comple-ment billet fullows completion of this course.

Promotion beyond Able Rate is granted sub-seqnent upon passing a promotion board which isconvened to examine candidates for Leading Rate,Petty Officer and Chief Petty Officer in all branches.Section One of this board concerns itself primarily

with a candidate's ability to take charge and hispower of command, with his potential in the higherrate being assessed by the officers comprising theboard. For Petty Officer candidates, Section Two ofthe board (the prolessional section) consists of thecourse carried out by their own branch schools buta written paper is set by the board for prospectiveLeading Hands and Chief Petty Officers.

Communication Branch candidates have readyaccess to questionnaire pamphlets issued fromHMA Signal School and all questions in theprofessional papers are set from these. Candidatesfor Leading Rate may also take advantage ofrefresher courses which are run regularly prior toeach board,

The decision to abolish the system of advancingPetty Omcers to C.P.O. on a purely seniority basisprovided perhaps the nost radical change that theRoyal Australian Navy has seen for a long time.It is an undoubted fact however, that rosters tendto become choked and the Service has lost manyexcellent men who went outside because theirchances of reaching the top were slim. Examinationsfor Chief Petty Officer have to a large extent obviatedthis action because advancement now depends lessupon seniority and more upon ability.

Despite the teething troubles which have naturallyoccurred, the present system appears to be func-tioning most satisfactorily and great hopes are heldfor its future. One drawback to the inception of thismethod of training however, is the fact that duringthe change-over period there must come a time whenthe flow of trained communicators from SignalSchool to the Fleet dwindles to the point wheresevere shortages occur. Unfortunate as this may be,it is however necessary, and although a heavy workload is placed upon already busy men, results haveindicated that the efficiency of the branch is un-impaired. Fortunately. the transition period is nowalmost complete with things back to normal.

The arguments for and against changes in trainingmethods are many and varied. Only time can tellthe wisdom of such a move and it is useless tospeculate on what'might have been'until the methodsin use have been tried and tested. With this theoryin mind, Communicators of the Royal AustralianNavy are looking forward to richer and widerhorizons.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, etc"Apologies: The Editor regrets that articles fromthe following arrived too late for inclusion-HMS's Berwic k, Waruior, Malcolm, Blackpool,RNAS's Brawdy and Sembawang.Sky Diving The author of the article in thelast issue was LRO J. A. Atkinson of NeeSoon Camp, Singapore. Our resident cartoon-ist is ROI (T) Tanner-We also gratefullyacknowledge cartoons from other sources.

1l

-vd r-l[t;l€:tFEg

Mg woRDlr pr6r'drOF THAT CHAMPAGNEI'

ADVANCEMENT NOTESby Sub. Lieut. C. H. Sanders (SDXC)

Examination for Petty Officer (Provisional)Since the success of three candidates from Nalarl

last October there has been increased interest in thisexamination.

So far as Mercury is concerned this examinationcan be arranged to suit the requirements of shipslestablishments althor"rgh normally the most suitabletwo day period is one which coincides with a Fleet-board.

The examining effort involved is considerablewith the introductiorr of the revised examination.hence it shor"rld not be enterec{ into lightly. Failureat any Provisional examination in no way affectsthe original basic clate.

Fleetboards

ln Mercur.r,there has been a noticeable decrease inthe taih-rre rate of those ratings taking the FLEET-BOARD EXAMINATION only (not preceded by aPrep Course) from 72'i in 1964 to 38'l;, in 1965.Many ratings now appreciate the importance o1'concentrating an a.dequate proportion of their effortson the Sf,4R.RED sr.rbjecrs iiself str-rcly time prior tothe examinaticn is linrited. They can then spend thenext six months studying up to t\\'o of the lessdilhcult non-starred resit subjccts.

Several queritrs have been received as to when aman may be again recommended il he lails any olthe resit subjects in the two to six nronths bracketafter the original Fleetboard. He may be again recom-mended for LRO six nrcinths from the date of theoriginal Fleetboard, not six months lrom the ciate onwhich he faiied the resit subject.

The reasoning behind this is that the poorercandidate who completely tailed the original Fleet-board needs to wait only six months from the date ofthe Fleetboard before he is eligible to be recom-mended again, so there would be no justification inmakirrg the nrarr uho uas irr a posiliorr to resilcertain subjects wait for any longer than the poorerman.

Qualifying for RO2Wcll over' -500 ratings have clualified lol RO2.

Since the introCuction ol the revised RO2's examina-tion there has been a marked improvement in the ',i,pass rate. Junior Ratings now seem much moreaware that success at this examination nreans speedyselection for one permanent sub specialisation.

Advancement Roster

The Advancenlent Roster was revised cln lstMarch 1966 and wilt be published shortly. Manyratings on the rosters find it diffi:ult to believe thatit is not possible to give them the actual date onwhich they will be advanced. There are so manyvariablc factors that an acclrrale date could rarelv

t2

be given. However, it is believed that many wouldprefer to be givcn an estimate rather than nothing atall. The table shown covers a fifteen months' period.Estimated Wastage for the period lst September1965 to 3lst December 1966, A-DRaring A B C D RccY 24 t4 3 124cY19232749LRO(T) 12 43 l0 ll5cRS l8 l0 l 5 182RS 78 46 4 t0 54LRO(C) 127 76 - t7 169CRS(W) Nil -21RS(W)32--2DryLRO(W) -.1 2430A. Complete current engagement and have ntlt

yet re-engaged.B. From current re-cngaging statistics numbers of

above expected to re-engage.C. Those to be pronrotecl Sub LieLrt. 1SD.y.D. Casual wastage (Deaths, inralidings, Discharge

by purchase etc.).R. Numbers on Roster at lst October 1965.Accelerated Advancement to RO2

DCI 163r66 introduces new rules for accelerateclAdvancement to R.O2.

QTJESTIONS AND ANSWERSQ. The Fleetboard Qr"restion Pamphlet seemed an

extremely usefr"rl guide for an LRO qualifying.Why.' then has it been cancelled?This panrphlel was produced by Mercur.t, basedon current signal publications. Unless it wascorrected at the same time as the relevantpr-rblications it was bouncl to get out of date. Bythe time it was cancelled on the lst January. [966it was in fact seriously' or;t of date. Candidatesmay apply through their Divisional OIficers tothc Signal School or STC's for a sample ofrecent up to date Fleetboard Examinationpapers.Can a man be recommended for LRO befor"esr.rb specialising'lAn above average man nray be re:ommendeC forLRO any fime after being rated RO2. and may'sit the Fleetboard appropriate to the subspecialisation for which CND has chosen him.lf he passes he will be rated an ROI(T) (G) or(W) when additionally qualilied educationallyand by service. He rvill not be required toundergo a sr,rb specialisation course.Why cannot an RO2 whose practical results aregood be granted the same privileges as an LROand only read clne slrch exercise per month?LRO's are not automatically granted the privi'lege ol reading only one practical exercise permonth of the appropriate type. The CTM statesthat at the Communication Olli:er's discretionany man, regardless of rate, may be granted theprivilege of reading only one exercise permonth. In Mercur.v this discretion is exercisedfor anyone who achieves the following for TWO

a

a.

A,

consecutive weeks: RRX 90%, FRX, MMX/MKX, TTX 98)( acctracy (No allowance forhigh speeds, since accuracy at the laid downspeed is all in-rportant.) Anyone below thesestandards, including Leading Hands, revert toone exercise per week.

Q. The Basic Branch badge with two stars is wornby (a) anRO1. (b) an ActingLRO. (c) a confirmedLRO (d) an Acting Petty Officer. Are anychanges proposed to clarify this situation?

A. Attempts to change the badges of any branchinvolve much more than is often realised, notleast Treasury approval. The badges of manybranches in the Navy have changed over thepast 20 years. Bearing in mind that Stars aremore easily added than any other feature, theEditor invites Communicators to submit anyproposals they may have in the form of an orticle.A prize of ONE GUINEA will be awarded forany article subsequently published.

FORTFTCOMING CO{JRSES AT HMS MERCURYReaders ore reminded that for a variety of reasotts some of the coulses shown below may be cancelled or

others added and dates may well change. The forecast is correct at the time of going to press.-EDrloP..Course Commence ComPleteTCICY

No. 1No.2No.2JC

JCXNo. 3JC

JCXNo. 3JCNo. 3JCXNo.4JCJCX

JCJCXJC

JCX

No.4JCJCXJCNo. 4JCXJC

JCXNo. 6JCJCXNo. 5JCJCXJC

JCX

RS(W)JRO/RO3 RefresherFBPC (G) (r) (w)

2nd May2nd May2nd May2nd May9th May9th May9th May16th May16th May23rd May6th June7th Junel3th JuneI 3th June20th June20th June27th hne27th hne27th June4th JulyI 1th July18th July18th July25th Julyl st August2nd August8th August12th August5th September5th September5th September5th Septemberl2th September12th September13th September19th September19th September26th September3rd October1Oth October1Oth October17th October24th October24th October24th October7th Novemberl4th November21st November21st November28th November5th December6th December12th December16th December

12th August22nd July3Oth September6th May3rd June1Oth MaylTth June20th MayInto 196724th May1Oth June7th June8th July14th June18th Noven-rber24th June25th November28th June5th July8th July1 2th July12th August22nd July26th July5th August2nd August9th August3Oth August1l th November25th November14th October9th September7th Octoberl3th September13th September17th February, 6723rd September27th September7th October10th March, 6711th October21st OctoberI8th November25th October2nd December11th November15th November5th May, 6725th November29th November9th December6th December13th December3rd January, 67

RO2 ExamWRNS Advancement ...JRO/RO3 RefresherR.N. Long CourseRO2 ExamJRO/RO3 RefresherFleetboard (G) (T) (W)...FBPC (G) (r) (W)RO2 ExamRSJRO/RO3 Refresher

RO2 ExamWRNS AdvancementJRO/RO3 RefresherRO2 ExamFBPC (G) (D (W)JRO/RO3 RefresherRO2 ExamJRO/RO3 RefresherFleetboard (G) (T ) (W)RO2 Exam JCXSUMMER LEAVEEWICYWRNS Advancement ...JRO/RO3 RefresherFBPC (G) (T) (W)

No. 1No. 3No. 5JC

RO2 Examii".tuoir-ia fc) (r) (w) ".. ...RSJRO/RO3 RefresherRO2 ExamJRO/RO3 RefresherRS (W) ...RO2 ExamJRO/RO3 RefresherFBPC (G) (r) (w)RO2 ExamWRNS Advancement ...JRO/RO3 RefresherRO2 ExamRSJRO/RO3 RefresherRO2 ExamJRO/RO3 RefresherFleetboard (G) (T) (W)RO2 ExamCHRISTMAS LEAVE

I3

WRNS NEWSWren Radio Operators' Advancement

At the end of February, 1966 the AdvancementRosters stood as follows.

Leading Wren Radio Operator/Radio Operator(Morse) to Petty Officer Wren Radio Supervisor ... 8

Wren Radio Operator/Radio Operator (Morse)to Leading Wren

(Note.' These figures do not include provisionalnominations for Advancement Course No. 2/66which commenced on 28th February, 1966.)

During the last six months the average waitingtime on the roster from application for Advancementcourse to starting the course was one year for LeadingWren to Petty Officer Wren, and eleven months forWrens to Leading Wren. Four more AdvancementCourses are planned for 1966, giving a total of 48places. Advancement Course No. 3 will commenceon 9th May.

Advancements

During the past six months there were six advance-ments to Petty Officer Wren Radio Supervisor, andfourteen to Leading Wren Radio Operator/RadioOperator (Morse).

The Advancement Courses this term haveincluded: No. 1. Act P.O. 1. Brown, L. Wren (M)P. Sweeting, Wrens M. A. Denny, C. A. Holding,M. A. Kelsall, V. Ricketts, J. L S. Riley, M. A. Stone,J. M. Tennant, K. C. Till, A. Westwood and S. D.Wilson. No. 2 L.Wren L. I. Taylor, L.Wren (M)S. F. L. Perley, L.Wren P. F. Mayes, WrensH. M. Waterhouse, S. M. Martin, M. Y. Higgins,A. M. Gliddon, E. A. F. Thomson, D. Cummings,G. A. R. Blagdon (M), M. E. Turner and S. Hirst.

Congratulations toJudy Tomlinson WRO, of Whitehali Wireless,

upon achieving the Duke of Edinburgh's GoldAward. She received her Gold Award Certificatepersonally from the Duke of Edinburgh at areception at Buckingham Palace- Also to VinnetteMarson WRO who recently returned to theKingsway College of Further Education for thepresentation of a book to the College by theMinistry of Defence. These presentations are givento schools whose former pupils have done particu-larly well while under training. Vinnette was awardedthe Captain's ptize atHMS Mercury for outstandingresults on completion of her training in 1965.

PromotionsTo Proby, 3rd Officer, WRNS: S. C. Clark,

E. A. Hungerford Morgan, A. R. Prees, K. Taylor,S. M. Loader, K. M. Martin, J. S. Corp, R. J.Handford, K. A. King, P. J. Cundall, W. E. Rogers,S. L. Newman, R. N. Ball and P. J. Heanley.

New Year's Flonours List 1966Commandant E. M. Drummond, osE, Hon.

A. D. C. Director WRNS, who becomes a DameCommander of the Order of the British Empire.14

Superintendent B. S. Brown, WRNS, who becomesa Commander of the British Empire"

HMS Mercury WRNSThe Netball team have again done particularly

well and have reached the finals of The PortsmouthCommand Championships.

Wrens G. M. Evans and A. D. E. Lalor have beenawarded a Portsmouth Command Sports Associa-tion Badge for .22 Rifle shooting. They have alsobeen awarded Mercury Shooting Colours, havingshot for the WRNS Team and the Mercury 'B'Team in the Hampshire League.

Wren E. R. Drewett was awarded her Marksman-ship Badge for .303 Rifle Shooting with a score of 94.

Wren D. Horsfield is playing the part of "Clarissa"in the Mercury entry to the RN Drama Festival,"The Reluctant Debutante".

Engagements

Leading Wren E. Robinson to Ldg. Sea. Spiller,HMS Penelope. Wren Janice Muckle to CookKenneth Hooson, RNAS Lossiemouth.

Forthcoming ManiageWren M. E. Gaudion to J. Woodrutr, HMS

Fearless, on 11th April.

DraftsIn Chief Wren S. Londsdale from HMS ll'arrior

P.O. Wren G. Knight from HMS SeahawkLlWren J. P. Martin from RMD Deal.

Out Wren M. J. Markwellto President.Wren B. A. Stanford to President.

To PensionChief Wren K. I. Barker.

86

DISFOSITION OF BRITISH FORCES-I.St JANUAR.Y 1966(from the Defence White PaPer)

IABIEBEAH

R}l 5Army 1,430RA r .40Iolol i,475

fARTAST

R N {,250Army 39,500R A t 10,30(lTolal 54r50

1 9,840

t Mid. East 3,890\ Far [ast 9,550

E. Ausirnlia 17CW. indies 6705. Allanlic 210Canada _-l-{qToial 37,1 70

TTDERAI

6tRMA}I REP.& BfRl.IN

RN 7Army 56,110B A r 8,680.Ioral 64,191

t'{lsc,R}l 600Army '1,030

RAr 4700Iolal 6,330

COMMUNICATORS

Abolition of Semaphore DCI 65i66Experience has shown that at the present standard

of eight words per minute, semaphore is not apractical method of communication. The teachingof semaphore at this speed is therefore a waste oftraining effort and for this reason the AdmiraltyBoard have decided that training in semaphore is tocease in the Royal Navy from the date of thisInstruction.

Al1 reference to Semaphore will be removed fromthe Communication Training Manual by theproposed change 1.

Are you with it?A one week course dealing with Modern Com-

munications Techniques is available in HMSMercury for Qualified Communication Officers from4th July to 8th July and from 31st October to4th November, 1966. Application should be madedirect to the Captain of the Signal School.

Preparation for CoursesCandidates who arrive for courses or examination

with their practical skills below standard start withquite an unnecessary disadvantage which can over-shadow the whole course and eventua'lly lead tofailure.

BRANCH NEWS

A syllabus is designed to cover all that needs to beknown to pass the subsequent qualifying examina-tions but it is based on the assumption that thecandidates start the course with a standard ofknowledge at least equal to the rate they hold aslaid down in the C.T.M. This lack of adequate basicknowledge often results in the complaint that thesyllabus is badly conceived despite the fact it haslikely been proved with matty previous courscs.

It must be remembered that although success atcertain courses appears to offer only a smallimmediate reward it is of course an essentialstepping stone to the rate of Chief Petty Officer.

Divisional Officers and ratings must rememberthat a recommendation can and should be cancelled ifa man becomes unsuitable. This is the only fair wayto ensure that the most suitable men achieve earlyadvancement.

Communication Training Manual (Revised 1965)The Revised CTM has now been distributed and

was made effective upon receipt by a DCI.It was appreciated when it became effective that

certain articles were already in need of revision.This of course is inevitable with the long intervalbetween despatch of copy from the Signal Schooland the distributjon to ships and authorities.

l5

The Manual completely incorporates the NewStructLrre and includes an illustration of a typicalRating's career.

Theproposed Change 1 is already in preparation.It is intended in future that the Manual be correctedwhenever the need arises in order that the confidenceof the Branch in the Manual as an up to datesource of information on Communication Trainingbe maintained.

THE 1966 NATO NAVAI-COMMUNICATOR

COMPETITIONby Lieutenant (SD) (C) J. R. Edwards

As forecast in the Summer Edition of TqrCorulruNrclron the annual NATO Naval Communi-cation Competition will be held this year at theFederal German Naval Communications School,Flensburg-Murwik from 26th June to lst July.

A11 NATO Nations have been invited to partici-pate and the Royal Navy, as current joint holdersof the NATO Communications Challenge Cup, willrequire volunteers to form a strong team to bringthe Cup back to Mercur1,.

The team will consist of four male operators, whomust be under the age of 24 or have less than sixyears experience in the communications branch, oneto compete in each of the practical skills making upthe competiticn. All team members will be awardeda certificate for representing their Navy and thewinners of each of the four events a further certificatedesignating them "NATO Naval CommunicationChampion 1966". NATO Champions of previousyears are not eligible to compete again.

Since the names of competitors have to bereported to Flensburg not later than 1Oth June it isintended to select the RN team, at Mercury,commencing 30th May and follow this with a twoweek practice period prior to the sea-rail journey toGermany on 24thl25th June.

As in earlier years the competition comprises fottrpractical skills conducted as follows:-

16

(a) Flashing Light Reception at a fixed 12 wpm.Contestants will receive groups of five mixedcharacters for 10 minutes and record on a taperecorder. Marking will be based on accuracy only.

(b) Radiotelegraph Reception at 25 wpm mini-mum. Contestants will receive groups of flve mixedcharacters for 20 minutes and copy on a typewriteror by hand as desired. Competitors may increasetheir own reception speed at their own discretionup to a maximum of 34 wPm.

(c) Radiotelegraph Transmission at 20 wpmminimum. Contestants will transmit groups of fivemixed characters followed by groups of five lettersfor 20 minutes. Transmissions will be copied by theevaluation group and recorded on a morse un-dulator.

(d) Teletypewriter Transmission at 40 wpmminimum. Contestants will transmit groups of fivemixed characters followeci by groups of five lettersfor 20 minutes. The marking for (b) (c) and (d) willbe based on a combination of speed and accuracywith additional marks being awarded for style in thecase of Radiotelegraph Transmission. Each com-petitor will carry out his type of exercise five times,bnce each forenoon, with the total of his best threeresults to count.

Men, of any rate, who are within the age/servicelimits as above and who will be in the UK or HomeWaters in June are encouraged to train for thisworth while competition. To assist operators toprepare themselves, morse exercises are beingtransmitted on Broadcast NL at 09002 and 16152daily; exercises should be marked with name andship and be forwarded to "O" Section (NATOComp) Mercurr".

Initially exercises will be transmitted at 25 wpm,the speed being progressively increased dependentupon the results achieved in the exercises received.Copies of typical NATO exercises can be suppliedto guide operators who wish to prepare lor one ofthe other events; application should be made tomyself at "O" Section, MercurY.

In conclusion, prospective competitors shouldknow that apart from the satisfaction of taking partin this competition the week in Germany will by nomeans be all work and no play. Since the competitionis confined to the forenoons on1y, the afternoons andof course evenings are free time, with tours toGlucksburg and Schleswig arranged for twoafternoons. So, if you are capable of high practicalaverages and are prepared to work to improve furtheryour standard, volunteer as early as possible to haveyour name forwarded.

IN THEIR HANDSby L.L.G"

Opposite the main gate in Merctrry are threeinterconnected huts housing X Section. Thoseworking there are tasked by the Director of NavalSignals in London to plan detailed ship and shore

rhl

) i

layouts and draw up long term user requirements fornaval communicatioirs.

Work is divided into four groups under LieutenantCommander Hammond (communication systems)(XC), Lieutenant Commander Daubney (Shipinstallations and inspections) (XM), LieutenantCommander Graham-Clarke (EW) (XE) andInstructor Lieutenant Commander Butler (statistics)(XX).

The communications you will use one day will, toan extent, be in their hands. It may therefore be ofinterest to you to make a tour of the section and wewill start with XC.

Work in this office is mainly concerned withfuture requirements as it takes many years for anidea to reach the stage where it has been designed byASWE, built by a firm, evaluated and finally fitted.Money is hard to come by these days for all of us,and this is one of tl-re many factors which decidewhen XC's "idea" gets "there". Needless to say thedifficult part of the business is done by ASWE whowill have converted the idea into reality.

When the equipments comprising the systeminitiated by XC have been manufactured, they haveto be fitted into the ships or shore stations concerned.While fulfilment of the staff requirement is often hardenough for ASWE, fitting it into the confines of aship is invariably even harder as it involves power,environment and ventilation problems. These lastpoints determine how up to date a ship will be whenshe leaves the yard. Detailed installation instructionsneed to be provided to DG (Ships) some 18 monthsbefore the ship is taken in hand. Those of you whoare afloat now have only to iook at bulkhead wiringto appreciate the detailed work which begins on thedraughtsman's board and finishes with installation.We are giving increasing attention to ships' layoutsto ensure that the facilities you get are the best thatcan be provided. To do this we need your helpfulideas when you meet someone from X Section onboard or ashore, or by letter.

Next, a word about ship-shore RATT improve-ments. We want to provide a world-wide service toenable ships to come up at any time and clear theirtralfic in the minimum time. This has involved firstly'a complete revision of the ship shore RATT proce-dure and secondly, the use of improved equipmentashore; attention is aiso being given to the qualityof transmissions from ships. Our first trial wassuccessful and will be followed up shortly by anoperational trial.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that XSection exists to represent the communicationusers' interests. In this respect we can never receivetoo much help from those of yoLl on "active duty".

MORSE TRAININGby Sub.-Lieut. J. M. Gawley (SD) (C)

At the end of February delivery is expected in-IIMS Mercury of new Morse Transmitters AP 0555/

106639 GNT 115, made by the Great NorthernTelegraph Company of Denmark. The transmittersare conventional in that they transmit morse fromordinary perforated tape, but what makes them sosuitable for the training role is that they auto-matically grade the tape. By grading is meant theinsertion of spaces of predetermined length betweenletters of words, to allow "thinking" time. The useof the machines wiil therefore allow an immediateand considerable saving in the amount of morse taperequiring perforation, since any tape will sufficefor any degree of grading, instead of having to cutspecial tapes for each step of grading. What is mostimportant, however, is that the machine enablesthe trainee to make the step from a one-spacegrading to no-space grading in an easy barely-detectable manner, instead of having to attempt tojump from one space to no space morse in one step,This step has always proved to be a big stumbiingblock and normally occurs at about 12 words per

minute. The symbol transmission speed of the GNT1 15 can be varied from 5 to 35 wpm, and tho vari-able spacing can be injected at speeds up to 1 6 wpm,so that, at 16 wpm, the final transmission speed canbe reduced to 7 wpm. It seems evident that somegraded tapes will need to be provided initially, butonce classes are Llp to 7 wpm, the machine canrake over the task of grading.

Consonant with the introduction of the GNT 1 15,and in fact slightly in anticipation of its arrival, thefirst classes are now starting to learn morse at anINITIAL speed of 16 wpm. This is a fairly revolu-ionary step, but already the first results are appearing,and they are most encouraging. lt is hoped, by usingthis higher speed, to reduce the time taken bytraine€s to reach the passing-out speed of 22 wpmand so to ailow a longer and more reasonableconsolidation time at 22 wpm. It will be seen thatthe speed of 16 wpm is geared directly to the"break" speed of the GNT 115, above which it isnot possible to grade morse, but below which it ispossible to introduce grading in the coarsest or thefinest degree. It is of interest that the French navaloperators start learning morse at 22 wpm, andappear to have no undue trouble.

With the delivery of GNT 115's is expected adelivery of GNT 1532 Morse Inkers. Some of youmay remember the old undulator which printed acontinuous undulating line of morse on a tape. Themorse inker presents the printed morse as straightforward dots and dashes, so making it much moreeasily read by the uninitiated, but it has the additionaladvantages of being very small and light (hence,portable), of being keyed direct by anyone wishingto practise his morse transmission skill, and ofbeing plugged in to classroom circuits without theneed for adapting relays such as were required bythe undulators. It should now be possible for allclasses at all times to have available a visual pre-sentation of anyone's morse, with the length of dotsand dashes on the tape set by the variable tape speedcontroller.

I7

)

COMMISSIONING FORECASTThe following details are forecasts only, changes may well take place at short notice.Details are given in the order: Ship, Type, Exact date if known, Commitment, (1) UK Base Port, (2) Place

of Commissioning, (a) Type of Service, (b) Previous type of Service.Yarmouth A/S Frigate. April. Special Refit (DY Control) (1) (2) Portsmouth. (a) PS (b) HSS.Naiad A/S Frigate. April. F. 20 (vice Yarmouth) (1) (2) Portsmouth (a) (b) HSS.IVhitby A/S Frigate. May. Recommission 20th FS (1) (2) Portsmouth. (a) HSS (b) FS Far East.Nubian GP Frigate. 12th May. Recommission (Phased) 9th FS (1.) (2) Portsmouth. (a) (b) GSC

Home Middle EastTHome W. fndies.Fife GM Destroyer. May Commission. (1) Portsmouth (2) Glasgow. (a) GSC Home/Far East/

Home. (b) PS (Blde).Decoy...HartlandCorunna

RothesayLincolnProtectorDaringBarrosa

UndauntedKedlestonSirius . ..

YarntonChichester

Loch FadaEskimo

PlymouthGlamorgan

Daring

Canbrian

UndauntedEuryalus

Gurkha

PenelopeGalatea

,4lbion...

Carysfort

Troubridge

Intrepid

DunconChawtonUrsa

Destroyer. May. Trials Crew to reserve on completion. (1) (2) Portsmouth. (a) (b) PS.Point EM Ship. 19th May. Trials Crew to reserve on completion. (1) (2) Rosyth. (a) (b) PS.

A/D Conversion.26thMay. Commission. (l) (2) Rosyth. (a) cSC Home/Far East/Home/SAand SA. (b) PS Trials.A/S Frigate. June. Special refit (DY Control). (1) (2) Rosyth. (a) PS (b) GSC Home/W. IndiesA/D Frigate. June. LRP Complement. (l) (2) Devonport. (a) PS (b) FS Far East.Ice Patrol Ship. June. Recommission. (1) (2) Portsmouth. (a) (b) cSC Home/SA and SA.Destroyer. June. Trials Crew. (2) Devonport. (a) (b) PS.A/D Conversion. June. Recommission (Phased) 24th ES. (1) (2) Devonport. (a) GSC HomeiFar East/Home. (b) FS E of Suez.A1S Frigate. June. Trials Crew. (1) (2) Chatham. (a) (b) PS.CMS. June. Towing Crew to UK. (2) Aden.A/S Frigate. 14th Jr.rne. Commission 24th ES. (2) Portsmouth. (a) HSSIFS (date of sailing)Far East. (b) PS (Trials).CMS. lst July. Commission 9th MCM Sq. (2) Chatham. (a) FS Middle East, (b) PS.A/D Frigate. 9th July. Recommission (Phased) 24th ES. (2) Singapore. (a) FS Far East,(b) GSC E of Suez/Home 29th ES.Frigate. l6th July. Recommission (Phased) 26th ES. (2) Singapore. (a) (b) FS Far East.GP Frigate. 28th July. Recommission (Phased) 9th FS. (1.1 (2) Chatham. (a) (b) GSC Home/Middle Easti Home/W. Indies.A/SFrigate. August.Specialrefit(DYControl). (1) (2) Chatham. (a) PS(b) GSCEofSuez/HomeGiM Destroyer. End August. Commission. (1) Portsmouth (2) Newcastle. (a) GSC Home/Far East/Home. (b) PS (Bldg.).Destroyer. August. Commission 29th ES. (l ) (2) Devonport. (a) GSC Home/Far East/Home/W. Indies. (b) PS (Trials).Destroyer. 25th August. Recommission (Phased) 29th ES. (1) (2) Portsmouth. (a) GSCHome/Far East/Home/Med. (b) GSC Home/E of Suez.A/S Frigate. August. Commission 2nd FS. (1) (2) Chathan.r. (a) HSS (b) PS (Trials).A/S Frigate. September. Recommission (Phased) Capt. D. (l) (2) Devonport. (a) Home/FarEast/Home/Med. (b) FS E of Suez.GP Frigate. 1st September. Recommission (Phased) gth FS. (1) (2) Rosyth. (a) (b) GSCHome/Middle East/Home.A/S Frigate. September. Trials Crew. (1) (2) Devonport. (a) (b) PS. Commission date uncertain.A/S Frigate. 29th September. Recommission (Phased) Capt. D. 27thF,S. (1) (2) Portsmouth.(a) GSC Home/Far East/Home/SA and SA. (b) Home/Med.Commando Ship. October. Recommission. (l) (2) Portsmouth. (a) HSS/FS Far East (date ofsailing). (b) FS Far East.Destroyer.6th October. Recommission (Phased) 27th ES. (l) (2) Devonport. (a) GSCHome/Far East/Home/W. Indies. (b) GSC Home/Med.A/S Frigate. 6th October. Recommission (Phased) 27th ES. (1) (2) Chatham. (a) GSC HomeiMed/Home/Far East. (b) GSC Homei Med.

Agincourt Destroyer. 6th October. Recommission (Phased) 27th ES. (l) (2) Portsmouth. (a) GSCHome/Far East/Home/Med. (b) GSC Home/Med.

Beachantpton ... CMS. October. Recommission 9th MCM Sq. (2) Bahrain (a) (b) FS Middle East.Burnaston CMS. October. Recommission 9th MCM Sq. (2) Bahrain (a) (b) FS Middle East.Devonshire GM Destroyer. 6th October. Recommission (Phased). (1) (2) Portsmouth. (a) GSC Home/Far

East/Home. (b) GSC Home/E of Suez/Home.Assault Ship. 20th October. Commission. (2) Clydebank. (a) HSS/FS (date of sailing)E of Suez. (b) PS (Bldg.).A/S Frigate. 27th October. Trials Crew. (To Reserve on completion.) (1) (2) Rosyth. (a) (b) PS.CMS. November. Recommission 9th MCM Sq. (2) Bahrain. (a) (b) FS Middle East.A/S Frigate. 24th November. Recommission (Phased) 8th FS. (1) (2) Devonport. (a) GSCHome/Far East/Home/Med. (b) GSC Home/W Indies.

Dampier Surveying Ship. 1st November. Recommission. (2) Singapore. (a) (b) FS Far East.1967

Ajax A/S Frigate. Jan. Recommission (Phased) Capt. (D) 24th ES (2) Singapore. (a) (b) FS E ofSuez.Tartar... A/S Frigate.5th January. Recommission (Phased) 8th FS (1) (2) Devonport. (a) (b) GSC

Home/Middle East/Homei W Indies.Puma ... A/A Frigate. l2th January. Recommission (Phased) 7th FS (l) (2) Devonport. (a) GSC

Home/Far East/Home SA and SA. (b) Home/S Atlantic.

l8

LOCAL FOREIGN SERVICE BILLETSNumerous requests have been made for details of the LFS billets available to Communication Ratings.The billets in\ATO Commands in France, Denmark and Germany are regarded as Home Sea Service,

Out rati"gs -iybe accompanied by their families and are entitled to family passages. No guarantee can begiven thai HM"Ships will r-emain inthe vicinity of the base for a given period.Station Ship'Establishment RatesMediterranean Laiburn Ro(G)

Ttli Minesweeping Squadron LRO(T), RO(T), LR-O-(G)'-R-O(G) -Far East iriumph All ratings except CCY, CRS and RS(W)Forth- A11 ratingsManxman A1l ratings except CCY, RS and RO(W)

South AfricaM7uritiusBermuda

MaltaGibraltarBahrainAdenHong KongSingaporeSingaporeWest IndiesWest IndiesGhanaKenyaEast AfricaSouth Australia

France (Fontainebleau)Norway (Kolsaas)Denmark (Karup)Germany (Holtenau)Malta

6th Minesweeping Squadron8th Minesweeping SquadronI 1th Minesweeping SquadronAfrikanderMauritiusMalabar

St. AngeloRookeJufairShebaTamarTerrorSimbangStaff ol SNOStaff of RNO NassauBritish Joint Service Training TeamStaff of RN TTStaff of NLO, MombasaMaralings(Unaccompanied Service)Naval Deputy AFCENTCINCNORTHHQ BALTAPCOMNAVBALTAPCINCAFMED

LRO(T), RO(T), LRO(G), RO(G)RO(r), RO(G)LRO(r), RO(r), LRO(G), RO(G)Tactical ratings onlycY, RO(T), CRS, RS, LRO(G), RO(G)CY, LRo(r), (G) or (w), Ro(T), (G) or(w)cY, RO(T)ccY, Ro(T), cRs, RS, LRO(G), RO(G)cY, RO(r), CRS, LRO(G), RO(G)All ratings except Radio (W)All ratingsAll ratings incl. RS(W), RO(W)LRO(G), RO(G)LRO(G)LRO(G)CRS, RScY, RS, LRO(r), RO(T)LRO(T), RS, LRO(G)RS, LRO(G)

CCY/CRS/CRS(W), LRO(G), (T) or (w)ccY, cY, cRS, LRO(G)ccY, RS, LRO(G), RO(G)cY, RO(G)CY, LRO(TXG) or (w), CRS, LRO (G),RO(G), RS(W)

SHIP.SHORE NEWSHMS ARETHUSAby LRO(G) G. E. Dixon

The 8th Arethusa under the command of CaptainR. S. Butt, R.N. (who Devonians will remember as arecent Executive Officer of HMS Drake) com'missioned on the 24th November, 1965.

Arethusa was built by J. S. White at Cowes and isthe last of a long line of warships to leave that yard,as the Directors decided that shipbuilding wasbecoming unprofitable.

J. S. White bought the Cowes yard of Nyes (afirm who already had a great reputation for varioustypes of warships and smuggling craft). At firstJoseph White excelled at turning out fast yachts,and for years was the unofficial designer andconstructor for the Royal Yacht Squadron. Highspeed without sacrificing sea worthiness was anessential quality of Whites craft.

In 1832 White built a brig for Lord Belfast namedWater Witch which beat naval 72 gun brigs againand again in all types of weather. The Admiraltywere forced to buy Water Witch a\d give J. S. White

orders for naval brigs. From this they progressed toclippers and subsequently many famous warships ofrecent years.

In 1867 Whites offered to build a naval 36 footsteam lifeboat guaranteed faster than all otherexisting steamboats in service. Out of these steam-boats grew the torpedo boat (J. S. White wereinvited to build the first of these boats for thefleet). Many such boats were built, and these ledin turn to torpedo boat destroyers and to thedestroyers and frigates of the present day.

White-built destroyers greatly distinguished them-selves in the Dover Patrois, in the Dardenelles and atJutland. In 1916 the firm built their first and verysuccessful submarine, the E.32. Another famousvessel from this yard was HMS Grey Goose who,under the command of Commander Peter Scott,ran the gauntlet of the German blockade to coll-ect ball bearings from Sweden.

Today Arethusa is the l,ast of 252 ships to be builtthere for the Admiralty. The first was the firstVanguard built in 1748. As shipbuilders, J. S. Whitegreatly deserved their position of oldest firm on theAdmiralty Lists.

19

Arethusa has not been in commission long, sothere is not much departmental news, but progress issteady, and the tuning and testing programme shouldbe complete by the time this is in print.

ARK ROYALby RS Deane

At last we have made it and the lrk is now wellinto the latter half of her l2 month "Foreign Leg".At the time of going to press we shall all be gettingour blue suits out of moth balls and wrapping uptropical gear in polythene bags, all ready for ourbelated return to U.K. by mid Junc.

The rumours about the Ark being oire of CSSingapore departments were quashed when weeventually moved away from the dockyard wall on7th December. Unfortunately this wasn't for long,owing to a spot of bother with our boilers, (Cdr (E)didn't quite put it like that) so we had to return toSingapore. This delay meant that we had to dropout of exercise "Warrior", and also meant thecancellation, alas, of our visit to Sydney. Wemanaged to sail by l6th December and arrived atFremantle on the 23rd. The hospitality during our5 day stay was terrific and there were more thanenough invitations to go round. The fact that"sparkers" man the telephone exchange via whichcome incoming calls offering hospitality was for-tuitous to say the least. Our return trip to Singaporedidn't serve as a recuperation period owing to theNew Year festivities taking place.

At the time of writing we are at sea again, havingrelieved the Eagle of her Middle East commitmentoff Gan. After two days cf diversion flying we arenow en route to Mombasa for a 14 day S.M.P. anda spot of leave up country (for the lucky ferv).Some of the staff have already fixed 5 days leave atranches near Nairobi and at Silver Sands RestCamp.

CCY Cull and LRO(G) Mccirr have left forrelease and our hard working CRS "Jimmy" Edgewill also be leaving us for ciwy street shortly; wewish them all good fortune and job hunting incivilian life. The two new heads of department willbe CCY Sayers and RS (CRS de:ignate) Combes.

All beir-rg well the next contribution from lr&will come from the peace and serenity of "GUZZ"Dockyard; until then our best wishes to everyone.

THE NAVY IN BORNEOby Sub.Lieut. (SD) (C) A. H. Brooks

East Malaysia consists of the states of Sarawakand Sabah (previously British North Borneo).Wedged betlveen these two states is the small Stateoi Brunei, which although not part of Malaysia isclosely allied to it. These three States make upabout one third of the huge island of Borneo. Therest of it belongs to [ndonesia. The border betweenEast Malaysia and Indonesia is 971 miles long andthe East Malaysian coastline is over 1,300 miles.The country is rough, mountainous jungle where noroads exist, except in and around the few townstllat are scattered mainly along its coaslline.

What of the Navy ashore ? Among the assortmentof sailors ashore there are [5 Communicators whowork for the Joint Communication Unit (Borneo)and are divided Lretween the Joint CommunicationCentres at Labuan and Kr"rching. Three more workfor the detachment of 848 Naval Air Con-rmandoSquadron from HMS Albion whose helicoptersre-suppl_"* the troops scattcred along certain sectorsof the border.

A new UHF relay station has been opened on amountain top (3,00C feet up) a ferv nriles outsideKr.rching and CMS's have been rvorked at ranges ofover 70 miles. At the moment two RO's sperrd aweek at a time up there doing the relay lvork. We

20

UlEq$XffiFE ri ri tSG ; S:SSSi$*SpV!K :i * #WNffi,WmrHMS's Ark Royal and Blackpool-Away Sea Boat

hope one dal'to get some autonratic re-broadcastequiprr,ent. Meantirne the two sailors. along rvithsome Gurkha signallers. keep their lonell,r'igil.For those ol 1ou *ho rcnrember the idillic dals ofTanjong Po. they are ['m aflaid, rro nrore.

At Labuan, four RO's. together with RS 'Sharkel'Ward, rvho keeps a fatherly eye on thein. againr.rork in a conrpletely Joint Comcen.

HMS AURORA

This is the first time an article from Aurortt hasbeen presented for publication. We tender ourapologies and promise to keep you better inlormedin future.

The original staff, who conrmissioned the sliip inApril, 1964, have now been replaced. The new regimeof Senior Rates are well and truly established andlike all new brooms had themselves a ball.

For the benefit of all Communicators who havenever heard of us (and I lrad not until I joined)Aurora is an I.C.S. fitted, Leander Class Frigate.Leader of the Secorrd Frigate Squadron, we have aSquadron of ten ships (shades of the old days), halfof which we rarely see. Most of our time is takenup doing flying training at Portland and needless tosay it keeps us on the go. It would appear that the"Casex's" har,e almost disappeared from theWeekly Practice Programme.

The occasional 'jol11' to the Contillent comes ourua1'and ue are o1T to Bergen shortl1.

Most people find an I.C.S. firted ship less tf aproblem thar-r thel inragine at first. and thc orldbodies ri'e have had fronr tinre tLr tinre for traininghave left in a much reliered frame of mind. gerreralllextolling its virtr.res. We hare been singled out forseveral more trials all ol which in the past have beenmost successful.

In conclusion, if you fancy a ship that is as big asa Daring, or you just want a married quarter inPortland, Pompey or Chatham, slap in my friend.We will fix you up with a "SWOP" draft.

HM YACHT BRITANNIAby RS Reynoltls

We are now well into Her Majesty's visit to theWest Indies. Accompanied by her husband, TheDuke of Edinburgh, she has been afforded welcomesamounting to nothing less than hysteria by thepeople of these Calypso Islands. The infectious,crer popular. steel bands, beat out their tunes of

welcome from everyquarter. Thelimbodancersshakeexotically in dances. The children sing new calypsosongs composed for the Queen. The sincerity andwarmth extended to the royal couple by the Westlndian people during this, the first visit of HerMajesty since her accession to the throne, is a joyto see.

So far, the Royal Tour has embraced Barbados,British Guiana, Trinidad and Tobago. Grenada andSt. Vincent. These are but the first half dozen of ouractual l6 different visits, as we wind our waythror-rgh the maze of islands that curve northwardrorvards the Atlantic coast of the United States.For the most part, especially at the very smallislands. our stay will be of no more than a few hoursduration. This imposes, as one can weli imagine, agreat brirden upon the V/'S Staff, for it entails dressingand undressing ship no fewer than 36 times. (Whosaid the market lor bunting had disappeared?)

Our R.N. Escorts for the present Royal TourinclLrde Rothesay, Daintv and Ursa. Vidal was,unfortunatell'', delayed by adverse weather crossingthe Atlantic. and was unable to fulfil her stlnt asescort. She later joined company in Trinidad. Inaddition we \!ere escorted by the TrinidaJ andTobago coastguard vessels HMTS Trinily andHMTS Corland Bay for the visit 1

Communications staff of HMS Blackwood. with one of their Wards plus SlLt. Holland in his younger days'

Purpose: First patrol in November (after com-missioning); three weeks around Iceland to get thefeel of cold weather, acquire a taste for fresh fishand generally meet our wards, the fishing fleets;four days in Reykjavik, where all hopes of aChristmas 'rabbit' run were dashed when we foundout the l'antastic prices of everything ashore (theone thing you still get for a penny in UK costs 8d. inIceland I)

At the time of writing (second patrol) the ArclicCircle has been left way behind to the south. Ourfirst stop this trip rvas Oslo; too cold to ventureashore. Second stop was Bodo, where conditionswere identical. Tromso provided consolation, in theonly beer bar in Norway, and this closes at 5 p.m.(what a nightmare, with libertymen at 4.30 p.m.).Skiing seems the only social activity during ourharbour visits.

Hospitality so far has consisted ol two brewerytrips. a trip around a fish factory in Troms6, wherew€ were greeted with the plaintive cry of a 'Scouse'prawn peeler "ANYONE 'ERE FROM POOL?";she was later well entertained onboard.

Working among the fishing fleets has its lightermoments, as when the following conversation wasoverheard, "That sounds like the flippin' Blackwoodagain, Charlie; know her any flippin' where; talksall flippin'posh and doesn't flippin' swear."

Just for the record our staff consists of thefolloiving: S/Lt. Holland, CCY Hogan ex Malta22

STC, RS Saunders ex Gibraltar Comcen, LRO (T)Lonsdale ex Cochrane, LRO (T) Hall ex Lanton,LRO (G) Clark ex HafmedrMalta Comcen, ROl (G)Grimwood ex Tarttctr, ROI (T) Beacon ex MSCSingapore, ROI (G) Long, RO2 Burgess ex KranjiW/T, plus RO3's Cropley, Fleming and Mowatt.

HMS DEFENDER"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of

many things," or somethirtg sirnilar I believe. But tobore you all with details of the many things thisparticular ship has done in the way of Exercises,Long Course Gunnery Firings, Smashex's, DutyShip (we are the only one big enough to be called aship on the Mediterranean station anyway), andsimilar hardships, would be to take your patience totask.

The list of achievements in sport is comparativelyshor t and so I will not bore you with that either.

At present we have gales, choppy water and onodd occasions rain, all these belying the MaltaTourist Board advertisement in the SuNDAy TIMES,The beaches are deserted and we cannot persuadeeven the hardy inmates of Whitehall Mansions to goon a day beach party, let alone an evening barbeque.

To give the advert. its due it has lured the biggestfleet in the world into port on a semi-permanentbasis. They (the U.S. for those who don't know), have

rnoved in with a repair ship and a couple of escortsas liberty boats, and insist on charging aroundsoaking everyone with their wash, much to thedelight of some of the aforesaid inmates of theMansions. (Gnashing of teeth from those onboardwho can't stand a little competition.l

Wireless-wise we have had some lr"rck raising tl-reother side of the world with the new Comist eqr"rip-rnent on board, but getting hold of Tug net fromor.rtside the breakwater is difficult at times. Still, it.gives one the old sense of power to hold up all theshipping movements because the 618 refuses tofur.rction.

Our (T) staff uphold the good traditions byrefusing to even look when one of the U.S, gentlemenstarts waving handflags about and ffashing like theNeedles lighthouse.

Recently, while watching from close alongsideLayburn, PTA launching and the resulting gesticula-tions from their aircraft controller to ours, thecomment was heard on the bridge, "The last time Isaw something as gooC as this I had to pay the earthfor it in a Mombasa nightclubl" We have not yethad the pleasure of going to a Mombasa night clubbut entertain hopes of being able to go to a Chathamone by the time this is printed.

If anyone is interested enotrgh to want to knorvour staff, and where we are being drafted in theclistant future kindly contact CND and let us knou'the answer. Alternatively call in on the next NavyDays in Rosyth. Lucky old us, we have dipped inagain.

Be good and be warned -we do oul Home stationleg from March to August.

STC DEVONPORTby Sub.-Lieutenant D. Wenn

The cycle is at last complete and the Communi-cators are once more back in Drake in a welldesigned. well equipped building *'here the oldGunnery School East Battery used !o be. The pathhas been Boscawen Block. the site *'here the Chiefand PO's Block now stands, Glenholt, VicarageRoad, St. Budeaux and back honre. Two membersof the present staff have travelled the full circle,Lieutenant Tonkin and CCY Bill Smith who haveserved a term in a1l the stopping places.

We are very pleased with our new aboce an- thewell lit classrooms, good training aids and wellplanned technical rooms speak highly of thethoroughness of Lieutenant "Jan" Headon's carefulplanning. Nor should the hard work put in byCRS Cory, CRE Wright and LRO (G) Walker beforgotten. Teething troubles we still have in plenty -CRE Wright, ably assisted by the lads from the FM Uis coping well and the future is full of promise. Wesaid goodbye to our charming "hostesses", theWrens of St. Budeaux, with real regret. No onecould have been more co-operative or helpful thanthey, but it cannot be denied that we are better off inevery respect in our new home,

"That's not part of the gear to be moved!"

We also open the STC from 1700-1800 Mondaysto Fridays when 2 LRO's are available to transmitBackward Practicals. Ships are welcome to use thisfacility and marked exercises will be sent to shipsconcerned, Please, however, remember that we arenot complemented to take several different classes.each consisting of one or two pupils, at the sametime.

Now we are here, what can we do for you chaps inthe Devonport ships ? Apart from the cfrcially statedcourses we are prepared to give communicationsinstruction on literally any subject up to andincluding "Comist". We have a RS (W) on the staffso don't think that we have nothing to offer thaisub-specialisation. Shortly, a DSL will appear onthe top of the huge CunninghamiFraser block andwe shall be transmitting FRX's at routine times forthe benefit of ourselves and ships in harbour.

In the world of sport our soccer team has thefollowing impressive record :

Played 7: Won 'l : Drawn l: Lost 5.but what we lack in skill u'e make up for in en-thusiasm. Devonport AC frequently use the talentsof RS Hampton. rvho can be seen most eveningstrotting round the highways and byeways ofPlymouth.

Finalll, the lollowing was overheard during anRO2's oral examination:Q. Give one occasion of Dress Ship.A. Navy Days.Q. What is a Spot Number?A. l. 2, 3!Q. What is shown by a ship with a man overboard

at night ?A. Two pulsating black balls.

HMS EAGLEby CRS P. Fleming

The half way mark in our Far East leg has nowbeen reached, and to say that things have beenuneventful would be the understatement of the year,the nrain event of course being Eagle's participationin the "Zambia Operation". The operation causedmany communication problems. However thesewere soon overcome and useful lessons learned forthe future.

23

H.M.S. Eaglefor the new commission!

Although urost of Eaglr,'.s tinre in the Far Easthas been spent wearing a ftroove in the IndianC)cean, we have had our periods in harbour. Weare bcginning to think that the drafting forecastwas wroug as we seem to be part of the Mombasasquadron with Ras Kilindini olir base port. Wecould do worse, as the "Copper Kettle" steaks areexcellent to say nothing of the floor show in the"Florida".

At the time of writing we are having a brief SMPin Singapore, the first tinre alongside a real live wallsince sailing from the fair shores of Plymouth inAugust 1965. We do not claim this as a record.

During the past ferv weeks an ITV team fromRediffusion London has been on board filmingvarious activities, so for past and fllture EagletsMay 24Ih is a date to mark up, as the frlm shouldbe well worth watching.

On reading the last edition of THr CourauNrcaronwe note rhat Albion reports on the use of the longdi;tance ladio telephone circuit with LondonTerminal. We in Eagle have also made good use ofthis service with excellent results, and it is worththe effort just to hear the surprise in the recipients'voices.

On the field of sport Eegle has been active and the"China Shield" is safely tucked away in the trophycabinet.

The staff is now under the management ofLieut. Commander Gilchrist, Lieut. CommanderPenny having left to face the winter snow of theMeon Valley.

With regard to ICS and its inherent problems ofl0l,l we now intend to feed our computer with the24

basic knowledge and let it do the work for us, solile in the CCR should be easier.

A recent signal.Fm Eagle to COMFEF-Request whereabouts of

LiStwd Smith due tojoin on arrival SNB.

FM COMFEF ro Ettgle.-Your. . . L,Stwd Smithawaiting Eagle inTERROR.

HMS ESKIMOSince we commissioned in October. 1964 our life

has been varied though not always interesting. Ourwork-up al Portland went off well with everythingcrammed into 5 weeks instead of the usual 8. Onpassing out, we were detailed to find all armylaunch that had sailed from Poole lrarbour lor LeHar.re but had supposedly failed to arrive. All com-munications with it had been lost for about 7 hours.

We sped across channel with our pre-sailingleave looking very shaky. When we were somc 3miles away fron-r Le Havre harbour entrance wereceived a signal on broadcast saying that thearmy boat had beer-r safely alongside the harbourwall in Le Havre for the previous 24 hours (mr"rchmuttering).

We returned to Pompey and l6 days GSC leave.much needed and thoror"rghly enjoyed by all. Finallyon the 6th ol September we sailed for the MiddleEast, with the usual stops at Gib, Port Said andAden; a fine time to arrive at the latter place withriots in Crater City and strikes etc. We wele therefor I 5 days with jetty and r:pper deck sentriesrnounted during the night as a precautiorr.

After the New Year we sailed for Massawa(Ethiopia) via Aden, for the Ethiopian Navy officers'passing out parade. For this we were joined by theUSS ,y. C. Lawe,FS Commandante Riviere, USSRSPlamewnuj and HIMS Ethiopia. Also present wasKing Olaf of Norway and His Imperial MajestyEmperor Haile Selassie. The Russians brought alongthe Biarritz Fleet dancers and singers, but asretaliation we took the Prince of Wales Own Band,who executed ceremonial sunset and Beating theRetreat, ably assisted by the ship's Marine detach-ment,

To our surprise the next day, with a scratch team,we won the pulling race in a borroweC boat (wehaven't seen the CY since).

Once in Mombasa we were off on leave toSilversands rest camp, Nairobi and also a couple ofsafaris, leaving half the staff in two watches for aweek guarding for NLO Mombasa and otherservices. They were made more busy by the pendingvisit of Ark Royal and escorts. We had a good timeand saildd feeling more in need of a "Rest andrecreation period" than anything else. Now we aregetting tuned up for FOME's Sea and Harbourinspections before returning to the UK at the endof June.

Our staff consists of: Lt. Taylor, NO DO,S/Lt. Stratton, SCO, RS Champney, RS Beirne,CY Underwood, LRO(T) Hart, LRO(G) Living-stone, ROI(G) Middleditch, ROI(G) Wadev,Mne. Steels, RO2(T) Grant, RO2(T) Doughtv,RO3(U) Heaume, RO2(U) Hill T.C., RO2(U) Hill,G. J., RO3(U) Broad, RO3(U) Strange, RO3(U)Atkinson, RO3(U) Jack. *JRO (U) Guilfovle,JRO(U) Stevens.

"Charge that pad and take it to Navi."By *JRO . . . How much shall I charge him???

HMS EXMOUTHNORWEGIAN PATROLby RO (G) A. S. Fawcett

The early morning mist softened the rigid steeloutline of the Forth Bridge as it passed from viewastern of the frigate H]|4S Exmouth.

To a civilian'lgye. the trpperdeck wottld havcsecmed a profusi6n of neatly secured covers. Linescriss-crossed a1l movable objects, once gleamingbrightwork was dulled with a covering of thickgrease to combat the harshness of ice and snowanticipated in the Arctic seas. Even now, a thousandmiles south of their first destination, the Norwegianport of Tromso, men were in heavy winter clothing,no doubt contemplaiing the long weeks ahead ir'the cold Norse-land. The younger, inexperiencedsailors had perhaps formed their own picture, basedon tales from old hands, of a country enveloped invirgiir whiteness, with rugged mountains and longdeep fiords.

The first storm of the patrol was weathered out.The gale expendeC itself late in the day, leaving inits wake the first taste of sea sickness, wet clothing,muttered curses, and that ever present tinge of fearalwaysfelt during thehammering of Mother Nature'sunpredictable giant, "the sea".

Two days out the ship passed the unseer ArcticLine, leaving all offilially classed as true "Bluenoses"of Neptune's northern domain, a humorous "nick-name" in the Royal Navy, affired to Arctic visitors.The two remaining clays passed uneventfully.

Early on the for-rrth day the island of Hekkingenwas passed to starboard, Straums Fiord was even-tually reached and there commenced the three hourrun into Tromso. On either side ol the ship slopedthe mountains, and dotted near the shoreline weretiny houses in every colour of the spectrum, toylikecompared with the massive blanket of snow as abackground. So this was Norway, the historic homeof the Viking. But, it was not the long boats, andpagan followers of Valhalla who were met as theship manoeuvred alongside the quay in Tromsoharbour, but a long, slender, modern constructionof concrete and steel spanning the fiord, con-necting Tromso with the mainland. An odd diamondshaped church faced the ship from across the water,hidden lighting adding to its artistic design. Peoplewalking in the visible part of the town were used toseeing strange warships living alongside, and paidlittle heed to the shouted commands from thebridge, directing the secllring lines.

So much for the story of our voyage to Tromso'Down to earth once more Mail lifeblood of thesailor away from home, was distributed, telling usall of the milder climates in the south, enquiringalter our health, the journey, and "How cold is itreally?" Well cold!!-No one onboard would usethat simple adjective. 'It was freezing" The spray,gathered over the supelstructure during the previousday, had solidified inches thick, rigging had gatheredice, doubling its normai size, making blocks and

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tackles immovable. Hours of monotonous hackingand shovelling finally cleared the unwelcome tons oftopweight. To erase the grime collected on paintworkfrom the funnel, boiling water was used only to see itvisibly freeze almost immediately on contact withthe steel. Somehow we managed to get the ship intosome semblance of the cleanliness expected of theRoyal Navy.

Ski-ing provided a welcome change from thecLlstomary recreational activities, football and rugby.Some, disregarding the words of caution (in anattempt to copy the ease with which the youngNorwegian children careered downhill), found thatonce the descent had started, applying the brakeswas a little difficult. No matter, tensions werereleased, anC our bodies exercised. To our surprise,the effort required to trek uphill on planks of woodwarmed us considerably. In all, an enjoyable fewhours, terminating in a visit to the local swimmingpool, an experience to be remembered, with hotrooms, and a meticulous regard for cleanliness.

Time passed all too rapidly during our three dayvisit. Early in the morning, fuelled and provisionedwith fresh food supplies, we slipped and proceededto the open sea, to the task we had come for, theassistance of the British deep sea trawlers fishingoff the coastline of a foreign land.

HMS FIFEby CRS D. L. Alderson

What, Where, Whither, When? Wnat are we? -We are HMS Flb; Where are we? -We are buildingin Glasgow; Where do we go?-We are a GeneralService Commission ship, based on Portsmouth;When do we go? -The ship's company are due tofall in on the after blast platform on June 3rd readyfor immediate'all systems go' commissioning.

The I'ife, known as ship No. 817 to Messrs.Fairfield (Glasgow) Ltd, as DLC 06 to draughtsmen,shipwrights, electricians and overseers and asCKBU/D2O to Communicators, is in fact the

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Royal Navy's li1'th County class guided missiledestroyer and the first ship in the history of theRoyal Navy to bbar lhe name 'Fife'.

The ship, costing approximately f,7 million tobuild will realise a final bill of ab