大象传媒

The crew of HMS Volage after commissioning and having completed trials and evolutions in just under three weeks was now ready to join the Home Fleet based at Scapa Flow (Orkneys).

The ships company now had become an efficient team, each member responsible for a personal job to perform, first and foremost to the Captain Commander Durlacur and your ship and though you may call your ship many names while a member, truly your first duty is your ship, be it against the enemy or other R.N. ships company who give unsavoury remarks re your ship when berthed alongside or when meeting ashore.

Why is a ship called a 鈥淪he鈥�? A ship is like a girl and needs handling with tender loving care. While in harbour the ships company is engaged in extra training of crew, cleaning service, be it below in the engine machinery department, radio, radar, asdic equipment, gun, torpedoes ammunition, plus oil and vitals ready for sea journeys lasting a few days or perhaps many weeks if called on.

We left our mooring to go alongside HMS Iron Duke, an old battleship of 1912 era, which was sitting on the bottom of the flow having been beached after being bombed in September 1939, and was now used for accommodation. The Stokers were about to give us a boiler clean. Destroyers on average need boilers cleaned more than most R.N. ships, as to duration and speed ascertained at sea, considered Royal Navy at war there was never enough of them for the demands that they perform, hence maids of all work.

鈥淪pecial sea duty men to your stations鈥� piped through the ship, and soon became the norm for us on HMS Volage. As soon as the buoy jumper uncoupled the shackle connecting the ships cable to the buoy, foc鈥檚le party connecting cable to anchor and buoy jumper hauled aboard. The ship gathered speed passing through the defence boom; boom ship had open, piping the side ship company standing to attention, Captain saluting to boom vessel who first piping salute because of our seniority.

Destroyer out of the harbour of Scapa Flow, Flotilla entrance, a controlled asdic sweep for U boats before cruisers and aircraft carriers followed. Good, we thought; carriers meant we should have swordfish aircraft up to help locate any U boats, plus Seafires to give air cover on this voyage.

鈥淭his is the Captain speaking, we are a force to attack enemy airfield around Stravanger in Norway鈥� his voice came over the tannoy. We were told later it was a successful mission and back to Scapa within 3 days.

Within a few days having oiled and proceeded to sea, this time Battleship HMS Anson with cruisers and carriers, destroyers escorted fleet up to the North Cape, Norway, closing to the coast. Gun crews were at defence stations with half of gun crews closed up. The morning watch watched the sun popping up behind the mountains and the next moment rocketing up into the heavens.

We had to oil at sea, behind an oiler which had followed the fleet up from the UK accompanied by a frigate. A line is floated down to our ship attached to a small buoy, us on foc鈥檚le picking up buoy by a grappling hook. The ship plunging up and down six to ten feet, otherwise the sea was quite calm. Tanker seaman put a wire hawser on line plus oil pipe, foc鈥檚le party making fast hawser to winch. The object for the Officer of Watch to keep ship speed even and wire hawser with slight tension with the help of the winch, oil pipe connected for pumping oil to ships tanks.

If a wire hawser had been around a winch many times the wire hawser becomes stretched. As our two ships eased together, the hawser slackened causing the hawser to coil on our ships deck. Our ship lurched sideways as well as up and down. Ken Ives standing next to me lost his footing, putting one foot into the wire coil which tightened around his leg. For a moment we thought his leg would be severed, but the two ships eased and Ken took his leg out of the coil and fainted into my arms. Wire hawsers have been known to kill a seaman when severed.

Arriving back at Scapa, buzz going around mess deck, we were going to Rosyth dockyard for another boiler clean, we must be putting the sea miles in. Steaming down to the Firth of the forth on our own, I had to be on deck to see us go under the Forth Railway Bridge. Entering the Rosyth docks, it can house the entire Home Fleet.

Looking forward to go (up the new) to Edinburgh for a run ashore. Liberty men fell in at 13.00 hours, a group walked out of the dockyard gates, two mates were pulled into the customs house to be searched for rabbits (duty to pay on cigarettes, spirits etc.), both were in the clear. Others that passed through the gates were sweating having goods that should have been declared.

We caught a bus to Inverkeithing and then settling in the railway carriage we got our pennies out on approaching the famous Forth Bridge (going over this time instead of under). A first for me, throwing pennies as we crossed the bridge, if the pennies missed the structure it should bring good luck. If it is still done in 2005 there must be a fortune down there.

Arriving in Edinburgh station we climbed up Waverley station steps to Princess Street (notoriously windy up steps). We found a bar, but no beer and scotch, only gin, after four we were feeling happy. We were told there was a service canteen next to GPO where you could buy a meal for little money.

By the GPO, a balustrade part of North Bridge, I remember jumping up and walking along singing 鈥淛enny with the light brown hair鈥�, my mates pulled me down, if a naval patrol had come along we would all be in chochee (prison).

We got chatting to a couple of Jennies (Scotch) girls, great fun walked along Princess Street with them. Time passes, and it鈥檚 back down Waverley steps and back to Rosyth docks.

Forty hours later approx arrival, boiler clean completed plus much painting of the ship. We moved the ship out in the Firth close to Grantham, a small fishing village. For me a second run ashore, transferred by motor boat about twenty liberty men, in Grantham we could get a beer. I could phone home reversing charges, and could tell my parents what we had been up to (letters are censored).

Reporting back to the jetty and jumping onto a motor boat, noticing the wind had got up considerably, the boat tossing up and down. The helmsman pointed to a small harbour entrance and we tried to proceed through, the boat low down in the water with sailors nearly turned over, we had to turn back. We spent the night in a naval depot close by, in the canteen on the floor with a blanket. We reached the ship the next morning when the wind had dropped.

Sailing back to Scapa with thick fog up east coast of Scotland, up at the bull ring on the bows the watch keeping duty looking out for ships through the fog. Eric Gates relieved me and as I stepped back he shouted out 鈥淪HIP DEAD AHEAD鈥�. Bridge party heard him being an open bridge, just missed a five thousand ton merchant ship. I have written a separate article on fog at sea, also fog in harbour Scapa Flow.

Back in Scapa Flow, visits from oil barge, the drifters busy as usual carrying stores to us. We had a shore leave to Stromness naval shore base. The picture showing was Jane Russell in The Outlaw. I had a beer in the fleet canteen with my mates, the place was full of matloes, a run down place, we were not impressed and never went ashore again.

Lieutenant Scott, our gunnery officer, on many evenings would play his bagpipes on B gun deck. Which meant that pipe 鈥淐over guns鈥� at sunset the gun crews would toss a coin for the unfortunate one to endure the ordeal of executing that duty.

A shipmate would come running into the mess deck stating that Scotty鈥檚 bagpipes were going ashore by boat, a sign that we would be going to sea again.

As before on leaving harbour we go out of Flow first, followed by a battleship, carriers and cruisers. Once again North Norway, off Hammerfoot. This time to the land of the midnight sun, which could be seen in the sky for 24 hours. At midnight and midday the sun would be higher than at 6.00am and 21.00 hours (9.00pm) just above the horizon, 15 Degrees to 30 degrees at its highest. Going on watch, then off duty going below, then up again on watch with the sun still up in the sky. Our comment was 鈥淒on鈥檛 the sun ever go to bed鈥�.

Volage had orders to proceed to the Fair Isles (a group of Isles) close to the Faeroes. On entering Fjord we went alongside an oiler, after oiling, request for shore leave was granted. About a dozen of us boarded a motor boat and taken to a fishing village of Danish origin, with wooden buildings underneath high cliffs.

Interesting ships chandlers there, my interest was to purchase an untreated woollen jumper, which I had heard could be obtained in Nordic climes. I paid 拢1.00, almost a week鈥檚 wages, and I wore the jumper all the time I was in the Arctic. (2005 I still have it).

We rejoined the Fleet, more air strikes against shipping off coastal waters. On entering the Flow once more, early morning scurrying to our buoy, ships company dismissed who soon got back into their hammocks and was allowed a later call of pipe 鈥淲akey, wakey, lash up and stow鈥� for breakfast, next pipe 鈥淔all in for cleaning ship鈥�. Myself had 1陆 hours on gangway as quartermaster before being relieved. Down below I missed extra kip and had to help clear up mess deck from our time at sea, to make mess shipshape again.

Once again oil barge alongside, drifters coming and going with various stores coming aboard and Scotty鈥檚 bag pipes go ashore. All hands on deck, up motor boat is the pipe. Davits are wound out; the falls are made fast on boat (fore and aft). Ships company on deck, a double line facing each other, two ropes already lined out on deck.

Chief Bos鈥檜n mate orders crew to pick up rope, first haul away singly to tighten ropes attached to boat. Order to marry ropes. Hands of seamen gather both ropes together, order to pull away roundly, crew run up the deck away from davits. Some 80 seamen pulling each, on reaching stern each doubles back to join up near davits again, until order vast heaving.

Ships company dismissed, midshipmen make motor boat secure. As before, noticing as we leave harbour, carriers, cruisers and other destroyers make our fleet and again Norway. The weather on all operations has been mixed; even though summer it鈥檚 still cold up in the Arctic, some snow showers and seas bearable.

Swordfish aircraft up helping us keep U boats away from the Fleet鈥� occasionally we drop depth charges on suspected contact. Fireflies, Avenger aircraft carry out their mission, dropping sea mines in coastal waters off Norway. Volage enters Fjord to oil in Faeroes this time. Permission granted to land ashore to stretch our legs. Four of us walking along the road over moors, some children playing between two houses, one each side of the road. Mothers see us and rush out to hustle the children indoors; not knowing Jack Tar loves children and always has a bar of chocolate in their pockets for them.

Rejoin Fleet and proceed to Scapa once more.

Lofty John Mills
For the next chapter go to: A8890473

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