1973 was significant
as having left the Royal Navy 2 years earlier, as a Submariner / Diver, which was the qualification
period of gaining a first promotion in my new found world of the
Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service
at
Portland Naval
Base
It was also a golden
opportunity to gain proper, ticketed
Merchant Navy
Qualifications as well with my sights already firmly fixed.
The qualification for
Boatswain at local level was no problem at all and
soon after receiving my
ticket I was asked to become part of a team to
undertake a diving
contract for the
Sultan of Oman.
The team comprised an
officer in charge, myself, 2 of the finest Able Seamen it had been my pleasure
to work with (Timmy Malcolm and Graham Wooldridge) plus 3 Divers and their Attendants from Portsmaouth.
A few days later the
collective mustered at RAF Brize Norton where we flew VC 10 to
Masirah Island
just off the south east coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea.
Stratigic as there was a Royal Airforce Base at the northern tip of the island which relied, to a great extent, on seagoing logistics. To this end there was a small port at the head of a buoyed channel with the repair and refurbishment of these few 'marks' being our task. By no means an ardious task for such a team and given that the heat would only allow for working hours of 06:00 to noon nobody was going to be worked to death. It was in fact on the first 'inspection' dive that this particular shell was found, but prior to this the RAF Flight had no way of collecting these delicious molluscs for themselves - we soon became very popular!
The scars are made by Slipper Limpets which burrow their way through the shells
to get to the suculent flesh within and do cause tremendous damage to such things!
It is said that the United States Navy in WWII transported these preditors into our waters
and do know from scallop diving myself on the Lulworth sand bars in Weymouth Bay how
some of the shellfish are still suffering damage.
Just over 9 inches in diameter it is singularly the biggest of the type I, or
anyone who has seen it, has witnessed. This included Ron Parry then the owner of the Dive Shop in Lennox Street, Weymouth who had the biggest up until then. It was with great delight that a visit was paid and asked him if he still had that tiny 'Queenie' in his glass showcase. With a bit of chuntering he took it out of the cabinet but had little to say after the comparrison - all good clean fun but we digress!
That was by no means the end of it as each Airman, regardless of rank, was on a 'one year to the day' engagement there. Additionally, and to pass the time, they were also pleased to invite us to their various departments and show us just how everything worked. It was on one such visit that a DUKW (colloquially known as Duck), a
six-wheel-drive amphibious craft, was spotted. The problem here was that no one had a certificate of competency to drive such a craft, but we knew someone who did, 3 of us in our party!
Let go Forw'd - Let go Aft
As mentioned in a previous post my interest in Bird Life was embionic haveing joined the
Portland Bird Observatory
prior to departure, with my first foreign bird being
CRESTED LARK
Some of the Young Locals
who seemed more intent on killing wildlife rather than protecting it with this
CHAMELEON
being saved from being stoned to death!
Wishbone Ash teeshirt, Them Wuz the Days
We will endeavour to tack together Part II for your delectation tomorrow.
ARAB DHOW
