Guiding on HMS ALLIANCE today and the visitors were out in force - and that can't be bad for the Museum. It's always fun taking the full trips (25 people) through the boat, talking about the technology, having fun with the visitors and talking to the kids. Halfway through the boat having seen the accommodation and after running the depth charge recording, one lady said I don't understand why men want to be come submariners. I had to respond that some didn't want to but 'Drafty' thought they might.
The other (older) guides are always worth listening to. One was on HMS TIPTOE, which was used in the film Murphy's War starring Peter O'Toole. The boat came in to HMS DOLPHIN to pay off, only for the crew to see a load of paint on the jetty with which they had to paint ship throughout. Only then did they find out what they were to do and moved across to the dockyard. Boats and ships alongside got their meals via 'muck in a truck' and when the director saw the quality of the food, he told the boat to cancel their order, and arranged for food to be delivered from a restaurant.
On another occasion (and another boat), they undertook firings of the Mk23 torpedo off Norway. Having fired many practice shots it came to firing a live shot and it was this one that decided to turn back on the boat. They did manage to get it to cut away from the boat and headed off to the bottom of the fjord.
George Burgess was another guide today. He was a Chief Petty Officer at HMS St George when it was sited at Eastney, home of Fraser Gunnery Range. HMS St George was where Senior Rates who had been selected for promotion went for the officer 'training' for 9 months. These were known as SD (Special Duties List) officers Judging by the beastings, survival training, escape and evasion it seemed more like a halfway house to special forces training.... HMS St George later moved to BRNC Dartmouth to become St George Division, before being totally subsumed into the college proper and SDs joined the junior trainee divisions but undertaking separate training - the so-called transition.
The other (older) guides are always worth listening to. One was on HMS TIPTOE, which was used in the film Murphy's War starring Peter O'Toole. The boat came in to HMS DOLPHIN to pay off, only for the crew to see a load of paint on the jetty with which they had to paint ship throughout. Only then did they find out what they were to do and moved across to the dockyard. Boats and ships alongside got their meals via 'muck in a truck' and when the director saw the quality of the food, he told the boat to cancel their order, and arranged for food to be delivered from a restaurant.
On another occasion (and another boat), they undertook firings of the Mk23 torpedo off Norway. Having fired many practice shots it came to firing a live shot and it was this one that decided to turn back on the boat. They did manage to get it to cut away from the boat and headed off to the bottom of the fjord.
George Burgess was another guide today. He was a Chief Petty Officer at HMS St George when it was sited at Eastney, home of Fraser Gunnery Range. HMS St George was where Senior Rates who had been selected for promotion went for the officer 'training' for 9 months. These were known as SD (Special Duties List) officers Judging by the beastings, survival training, escape and evasion it seemed more like a halfway house to special forces training.... HMS St George later moved to BRNC Dartmouth to become St George Division, before being totally subsumed into the college proper and SDs joined the junior trainee divisions but undertaking separate training - the so-called transition.
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