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Soupdragon

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Newbie here just popping my head round the crewroom door and wondering if theres anyone in here i might know... i guess there must be at least 1 person....

Ex Service nowadays, but in my time was a 'Brat' at Locking (222 entry) then remustered to Marine Craft at Mount Batten, also did a tour in Gib 1102 MCU

Did a search on here for any mention of Marine Craft.... seems you lot have forgotten about us already- The RAF's Sailors
 
I used to get a lift to Plymouth from Halton from some of you blokes when you were doing your conversion training circa 1986...All anchor tatoos on the forearms and what not...

Welcome shippers!
 
hello mate and welcome to the goat,


Must be said "hells bo**ocks" marine unit, did you do the see off on the ark
 
Hu Jardon said:
Then I guess you must have joined around May 1971 then
Click to expand...


thats right, 5th May 1971.... it was a Wednesday.... it chucked it down all day as i remember... on the Saturday it was the FA Cup Final, Arsenal v Liverpool and we wernt allowed to watch it... bulling the billet floor was the order of the day

Cheers for the welcome everyone... I might not know a great deal about the flying side of things but i guess i can impart a salty tang to things with the odd sea tale

Pull up a bollard.....................
 
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I made a fleeting visit to Mount Batten in the early 80s to do my Sea Survival course, and only just recently found my certificate I received for being flung off the back of one of your "tug boats" off Plymouth Ho in leaking orange growbags so we could all bob around for a few hours in a 15 man rubber dingy taking it in turns to poke our heads out to watch the single jet jockeys being "dunked" by the rescue helicopter when recovered. can remember we were part of a multi force training cadre so we were fortunate to have two marines with us who we volunteered to be first in the briny to upturn the lifeboat. The chopper got called away for some reason so we had to endure further hours in the dingy until its return then one at a time being winched off back onto the tug. A nice hot toddy on the way back to harbour was about the best bit of the whole experience. All this was in mid February and did not thaw out till April.
 
ahhh the good old WDD... lost count of the number of aircrew etc i'd taken out and thrown over the back end of the boat. I know what you mean about the cold tho... enough to make a brass monkey cry on occaision.

on the other hand, the weather could be kind to you sometimes... one particulary 'long' course sticks in my mind... they had spent the morning gently bobbing about in a multi-seat off Rame Head... back into 'Batten for lunch and then repeat the dose in the afternoon, only this time in single seat dinghys..

The weather was flawless, sun shining from a cloudless sky, barely a ripple on the water.. one of those days when it was a pleasure to be out.... A quick tour around checking all the dinghys revealed that 2 of them had managed to paddle together, tied themselves together and were now sat there, canopies down, immersion suits unzipped and down to the waist, enjoying a can of lager each and a ciggy...

our comments that they wernt taking it seriously only resulted in the cans being raised to toast us........ so..........

it became neccessary for the boat to move at high speed past them, i dont know if you ever noticed how much of a wash those boats created at high speed. oh dear... they were swamped... much intemperate language, unable to relight ciggy etc

Of course, in those days you could get away with that sort of thing... nowadays H&S would be biting the rug and frothing at the mouth
 
Welcome Soupdragon,

I remember visiting Mountbatten as a space cadet in about 67.
When I was in Plymouth a few months ago I went to take a look & it seemed to be all new houses there. The long cescent shaped building facing the sea looked ex mob any idea what it was?.
 
Flight_idle said:
Welcome Soupdragon,

I remember visiting Mountbatten as a space cadet in about 67.
When I was in Plymouth a few months ago I went to take a look & it seemed to be all new houses there. The long cescent shaped building facing the sea looked ex mob any idea what it was?.
Click to expand...

Yep it is now a Hotel.It has been built where the Officers Mess was.
All the blocks have been flattened too.The Sgts mess is now a visitor centre with pics of the old marine craft etc on the walls.
 
Welcome SoupDragon,

My old man was on the MCU up at Alness. That's about as much as I know about salty sea dawgs.
 
hello there
No offence but not been in long enough to know you however welcome to the goat. May god be with you! He needs to be with all the abuse you will be getting on this channel!!
 
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