Smudger Snippets
Created | Updated Nov 12, 2003
I suppose it's because I have so much time on my hands these days, that all these memories come flooding back to me.
The Docking
It was a routine docking like we always had when we came into a port. The RN have this routine of 'special sea duty men fall in and secure'. It sounds very technical, but it's not really. What happens is a group of us go down below to our designated part of ship and close all the watertight doors, making sure they stay shut and that No One opens them. We all have radio contact with the bridge - and area codes.
I had been on the upper deck having a smoke and my last gasp of fresh air before going down below where the air is rank to say the least.
It was hot, really hot - not surprising as we were coming into the port of Bahrain in their summer time! We had just finished a two month patrol of the Gulf, which had been extremely tiring as usual. What the patrol actually entailed was chasing Dows that wouldn't stop, boarding them and searching them for all types of contraband, including weapons, rocket launchers and even people. It was tiring in as much as it meant us being closed up to action stations for hours on end, then having to go across and board these Dows. It also meant doing without sleep, hot food and showers. So you can imagine why we were not so keen on these patrols.
Some of the new lads found it really exciting at first, but even before the end of their very first patrol you could see the change in them, let alone their enthusiasum. We were not popular with the crews of these Dows, as it meant them losing a lot of money if they were caught, so every now and then a skipper would take it upon himself to make a run for it, which of course made our job harder and prolonged.
So we were all very pleased to see the port of Bahrain and, indeed, the chance to go ashore and get away from it all. It had been a long two months; a very tiring time as well, owing to the ones that made the dash! I was looking forward to getting ashore just to see if that stray cat I had been feeding at the army swimming pool, was still there. It had sort of adopted me after I started feeding it, and would come there every day while I was there for my swim. Achmed, the local who ran the soft drinks bar at the pool was also awaiting my return, as he played a mean game of crib, and we had a grudge match waiting to be completed from before we left two months earlier!
Soon it was time to go down below. I took my last look at the dock some two miles away, and headed down. I saw a tug coming towards us as I went below, so I knew I would feel the usual nudge in the next few minutes. Upon arrival at my post I closed all the doors and radioed up to the bridge that my area was secure. Then I took out my book and sat down to read a while to pass the time. Not long after that I heard a tremendous bang, and the ship listed over making me slide across the deck! The radio traffic went from normal reports in the usual calm manner, to loud panic sticken questions, as everyone tried to talk at the same time. So I decided to go and check out my area first before contacting the bridge, in case I did have something to report.
I had opened a few watertight doors, carefully before arriving at the door to the senior rates heads1. Just as I opened it, my radio bleeped, it was the bridge asking if I had anything to report? I raised the radio to my mouth, which was gaping in disbelief at what I saw! The tug had hit us on the port side and actually holed us just above the water line and an Arab gentleman was staring down at me from the bow, which was firmly lodged from the deck to the deckhead2 of the senior rates heads!
I started my report to the bridge, very calmly with, 'you're not going to believe this sir but!' and gave them full details. The officer on the bridge seemed to be doubting my report so I held the radio up to this rather bemused Arab gentleman and asked the officer if he wanted to talk to him! This must have got his attention as the 'damage control party3' came bursting through the water tight doors arriving with all their tools and short of breath!
It all turned out rather well for us, as we got a longer spell of shore leave while the ship was being repaired. The way this repair work was carried out was quite unique in itself. We simply listed the ship over by moving all fuel and water to the starboard side while they welded in three new plates - which, of course, were painted battleship grey before we set off on yet another tour on patrol.
