HEALTH MATTERS by Peter Smith
One morning several years ago I collapsed out side of the ticket
barriers at Sydney Town Hall Station. The guards and one of the rail
officials came to my assistance, and one asked what he could do for
me, being totally disoriented I managed to agree to their suggestion
that they get an ambulance and get me to hospital. During the trip
to RPA they found out that I had an on going heart condition and the
ambulance attendants and then later the medical staff in
emergency/triage assumed that I had suffered a stroke.
With medical staff spending most of the morning and part of the
afternoon assuming I was a stroke victim I was subjected to a
variety of tests, including a CT scan of my brain. It was not until
much later they decided to look at the pain I was complaining about
in my lower stomach that they realised that my extremely low blood
pressure was due to appendicitis.
That day in RPA emergency is stuck firmly in my mind and when I was
sent the following email it reminded me of the examinations to
establish if I had a stroke, I decided that now that we are becoming
or/are senior citizens that strokes are a possibility and could
happen to ourselves, family and friends and this information can
help ourselves and others if the symptoms are caught early enough.
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a barbeque, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she
assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call
paramedics).....she said she had just tripped over a brick because
of her new shoes.
They got
her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a
bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the
afternoon.
Ingrid's
husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken
to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered
a stroke at the barbeque. Had they known how to identify the signs
of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't
die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this...
A
neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3
hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally.
He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and
then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which
is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Read and learn the '3' steps, S. T. R.
Sometimes
symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the
lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer
severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the
symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a
stroke by asking three simple questions:
-
S
* Ask the individual to SMILE.
-
T
* Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE
(Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today)
-
R
* Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
If he or
she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 000 (in
Australia) immediately and describe the symptoms to the
dispatcher.
New Sign
of a Stroke --- Stick out Your Tongue, NOTE: Ask the person
to 'stick' out their tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes
to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.
Knowing
how to interpret the symptoms can save a person's life knowing the
above lessons may save yourself or your loved ones.
Correspondence
Dear
Peter,
I was shocked to hear of Charlie Yandell's death in the Christmas
card June and I received from Irene (Charlie's wife). I either
missed it - it was on 31st October, 2007, or it is not generally
known. It is more likely that I missed it, I'm afraid, and that you
have known all along, but in case that is untrue, I would like to
say that Charlie was very important to the RAN submarine arm. He was
Scott's s/m manager in the early days, particularly Oxley
and was very involved in the build of the Collins. Patron Mac
Dougall would have a good acquaintanceship with Charlie, probably on
both counts, if an obit was required.
Thank you for the last “In Depth”. As usual an excellent production.
Was impressed with the prostate article(s)!
All the best from Barry Nobes (and June),
Clareville NSW 2107
Editorial
I received notice of Charlie's death just before I completed the
last newsletter; I struggled with his obituary because I could not
find his application form, which I base most of my obits on. I knew
how important Charlie was to Oberon submarines and the RAN, but I
feel I failed him by not researching him more. I did not want to go
to Irene in case she was not over her grieving. I spoke to Charlie
early in 2007 when I was passing through Coffs Harbour, although his
speech and thought process was hampered by the stroke, I found he
very much enjoyed contact with submariners through “In Depth”. If
any member wishes to write to me of their submarine experiences with
Charlie, I would greatly appreciate your input.
Thank you Barry for your comments on “In Depth” and my expose on
prostate cancer, I only hope that I have shaken enough of our
members to get a check up, and others to make changes to their diet
to help eliminate the chances of developing this insidious cancer.
(Ed).
Peter,
A very good article on "our" prostate problems as men. It does
seem to be increasing, I have had many friends be afflicted by this
problem and as many others do, I too worry about it. Despite
the saying that "prostate does not kill, it dies with you", I have
known of some who have not beaten it and have gone on the final
patrol too early. It is now getting some of the attention that
women's cancers got some years ago eg breast and cervical, well
certainly in publicity if not funding.
On a lighter touch. I was due my bi-annual checks about six months
ago and thought that I would raise the subject of the increasing
occurrence of prostate cancer with my doctor and my kidney
specialist. As a submariner I think of the prostate gland as a
two way device similar to a "tap" or, dare I say it, "cock" which if
not used regularly would deteriorate or in the case of SMs seize up
and cease to work. In the case of the prostate the
device normally works on usage.
1. Urinary tract, and occasionally (for the majority) of us,
2. Procreation or Recreation (note "self abuse"
could come under recreation!).
So I decided to ask my doctor and specialist if there was any
medical correlation between activity under 2
(Procreation/Recreation) and the incidence of prostate cancer (PC).
Both said no, the specialist adding it would be nice if there were!
Later my wife was discussing the problem and my daft idea with our
daughter, who lives in Italy. Our daughter raised my
hypothesis with a friend of hers who is a Genito/Urinary specialist,
and is a professor at the local hospital. This (female)
doctor said that in her opinion there was a direct link between PC
and a lack of sex (Procreation/Recreation). That in her
opinion, a healthy usage of the sexual organs was likely to reduce
the risk of PC i.e. work the gland through its full usage range.
Our Motto as over 60s should be "USE IT or LOOSE IT"
Maybe our National Pensions & Welfare might like to initiate a
study into who has and those who have not got Prostate Cancer (over
say 55 years) and the question of the quantity of, or lack of,
sexual relations (would have to include self abuse). I doubt
if we could blame any of it on service in submarines!!!
Tim Everard,
Cammeray NSW 2082
Greetings, Peter, and a Happy New Year,
The mention in the January 08 “In Depth” about the Dutch submarine
service reminded me of a story I heard when I was attached as spare
crew to the Allied submarine base at Dundee in early 1943.
When Holland was overrun by the Nazi onslaught of May 1940, two
Dutch boats, the O.19 and O.21, made an
epic voyage of escape from Java to Britain to join the Allied forces
against Hitler. The word is that when they arrived in the UK, the
boffins from Admiralty were disturbed to learn that the strange
objects protruding from the aft casing called snorkels permitted the
diesels to be run when the boat was dived.
Perhaps with the memory of the vulnerable holes in the pressure hull
for the retractable funnels of the ill-fated K-class, the boffins
decided that such an inlet for submerged diesel propulsion was too
risky: the snorkels were removed from both boats and the inlets
welded shut.
This appears to have an almost Luddite reaction, and I wonder if any
of your readers could throw more light on why the Royal Navy missed
out on such a significant opportunity for submarine development
With best wishes,
Stephen Dearnley,
Newport NSW 2106
Dear Peter,
With reference to “In Depth” vol 28 No1, and the yarn about
E35 and her exploits, I wonder who J.S. (the author) is or
was? Not a submariner surely!
However, apart from listing the boat “to fire torpedoes upwards”!! I
enclose an extract from “Customs and Traditions” of the RN
concerning Prize Money which maybe of interest to some of the
readers.
So Prize Money is still OK, but now includes the Air Force. Prize
Bounty, also known as Blood Money is no longer awarded.
At one time it was calculated on the numbers of enemy slain,
for example boarding a ship and wielding a cutlass! Consider now to
be inappropriate!! Just taking prisoners didn’t count.
So you see E35 would have got a gong, perhaps, for
sinking a submarine, but no Prize Money because she captured
nothing.
Yours aye,
George Hunt, Durack QLD 4077.
Editorial
The afore mentioned “Extract from Customs and Traditions of the
Royal Navy” is reprinted after State Branch reports. Ed.
The Editor – Submarines Association,
I would be grateful if you would publish in the next edition this
letter and exchange of emails re “Down Under Downunder Part 2” – The
photograph album of Dick Mason including Thorough’s
return from Sydney to UK via Panama.
From: Dick Mason
To: Stephen Jenner.
Dear Steve,
I’ve just received copies of Down Under Downunder Part 2 which took
four months to arrive. I must express my disappointment in
publication; firstly because I did not give you permission to
reprint the diary and report, and secondly, the end result is
decidedly second rate.
I sent you what material I had to assist you in compiling the
history of the Fourth Submarine Flotilla in Australia and assumed
you would extract portions which would contribute to it. I would
never have agreed to the reproduction in whole.
The book is badly assembled and reproductions poor in quality. It is
also over-priced. I intend to write to the two Associations in
Australia and disassociate myself from the book.
Sincerely, Dick Mason.
From Steve Jenner
To Richard Mason
Dear Richard
I‘m extremely sorry that I misinterpreted your intentions when you
sent me your diary, and that you wish to be disassociated with the
product – please accept my sincerest apologies
As ever Steve
From Steve Jenner
To Archives (RN Submarine Museum)
Cc Richard
Mason
Dear George,
I am forwarding to you the umbrage that Dick Mason has taken over
Downunder Part 2, of which you have, a copy.
The return of Thorough to the UK via Tahiti is a
significant part of the record of the 4th
Submarine Squadron and his photo album is, as far as I know, the
only source of that record.
Part 2 is, to the best of my knowledge, a true copy of his photo
album – the quality is a bit subjective!
The record needs to be in the Museum, and if Mason doesn’t like it –
bad luck! I have already apologised to him for any protocol I have
neglected.
As ever Steve
Through a telephone and snail mail correspondence Little Ned Kelly
has informed me, that those members living in northern NSW who
appreciate good rum, that “Cellarbrations”, corner of Bent
and Charles Streets, South Grafton now stock Pusser’s Rum. The
Manager, Renae Thompson, phone 02 66422836 or fax 02 66433944 has
the following products in stock, the prices exclude postage and
packaging and will cost more to ship, however if you are passing
through Grafton a call at this shop will net you the following:
200ml Nelson’s Blood Hip Flask $26.99 each; 1000ml Admiral Lord
Nelson’s Ship Decanter $134.99 each; 700ml Pusser’s Rum aged 15
years $89.99 each; 700ml Pusser’s British Navy Rum $47.99
each
Regards, Your Sea-daddy Ned
OBITUARY
It is with regret that I announce the passing away of John David
Laver on Friday, 11 January 2008, from the effects of the cancer,
mesothelioma, brought on by asbestosis.
John known to his peers as Rod first joined the Royal Navy in March
1959; having served in various ships Rod saw the light and
volunteered for submarines, his first boat being
HMS/m Opossum
in 1966, he stayed with this boat until 1969. During several months
of that year, Rod spent some time in
HMS/m Astute,
followed by a draft again in 1969 to
HMS/m
Oberon.
His time in
Oberon
was to last until early 1973 when was transferred for a short stint
in
HMS/m Cachalot.
Later again that year, Rod found himself transferred to Spare Crew
for
HMS/m Odin
at
HMAS Platypus
in Sydney, a position he kept until December of 1975.
On 19 December 1975 Rod left the Royal Navy in Sydney and on 11
March 1976 he joined the Royal Australian Navy, his first RAN boat
was
HMAS Otway,
which he served in until 1979. Later that year he served for a short
time in
HMAS Oxley,
before joining
HMAS Onslow,
this posting was to last until 1982.
From later 1982 until 1983 Rod was to spend a year in
HMAS Orion.
From that point Rod spent the following five years ashore away from
boats. His last call to sea was in 1988 when he joined
HMAS Otama
for one year.
After 1989 Rod’s time in the Navy is vague, however he eventually
retired from full time service as a Petty Officer MTP3SM.
Rod’s involvement with the navy did not end with his retirement, Rod
continued to impart with his valuable knowledge as the head of a
Navy Cadet unit in Sydney.
Rod had been a member several times in the Association, the last
time he rejoined was in June 1995.
ACT & SR BRANCH
Secretary Geoff BURNS JP 02 48494330 0427 435 314
gcburns@clearmail.com.au
All the arrangements for SUBCON 2008 are
progressing well, however registration have been a bit slow.
Registration for SUBCON 08 closes on 31 March 2008 –
DON’T MISS OUT,
REGISTER NOW.
The closing date for SUBCON 08 payments is 31 April 2008.
SUBCON
2008
To be held in Canberra on the Queen's Birthday long
weekend, commencing
Friday 6th June 2008
The Branch would like to invite you to the Australian
Capital Territory and surrounding area to partake of our
hospitality and to visit the many interesting and varied
places contained within our region.
Visit the
SUBCON 2008
website for details and complete your Registration of
Interest. |
 |
NEW SOUTH WALES
BRANCH
Secretary Ken WILLIAMS H 02-80042304 M 0400500604 email
kenbwilliams@hotmail.com
We have not had
a very busy last half of 2007. The Christmas party had a small
turn out in comparison to past years and was held at the 18 footers.
You will all be happy to know that the service has not improved.
In 2007 we have seen the passing of too many members from the NSW
Branch; we lost two former members of the executive in Gordon Selby
and Bob Marsland who did so much for the Association as a whole and
the state branch. They will be missed.
The following
is a timetable for next year’s NSW Branch events, please update your
calendars.
-
Spectacle Island was
selected for our Sunday, 30 March
2008 BBQ (The
Secretary asks that you all pass the word that the Spectacle
Island BBQ has moved due to the boat driver availability). For
all those who want to see the collection. Numbers to Ken ASAP.
); a boat
will be leaving at 1000 and 1045 from the wharf near the western
end of the Iron Cove Bridge. The submarine collection will
be open for inspection. A fee will be charged for the BBQ, (to
be decided at the February meeting) and BYO thirst quenchers and
sun block.
-
-
Meeting
1130 25 May 2008 City of Sydney RSL 565 George Street
SYDNEY
-
SUBCON
2007 June long weekend Friday
6 June – Monday 9 June 2008 Canberra, ACT.
www.subcon2008.org
-
(NSW
AGM)
-
Meeting
1130 13 July 2008 City of Sydney RSL, 565 George Street,
SYDNEY
-
Meeting
1130 14 September 2008 City of Sydney RSL, 565 George
Street, SYDNEY
-
Meeting
1130 2 November 2008 City of Sydney RSL, 565 George
Street, SYDNEY
-
Christmas party TO BE DECIDED
Sunday 1230
for 1300 30 November or Saturday 29 November 2008
1700 for 1730 at Where Ever
The March BBQ
at Spectacle Island is one to note and for all those that do not get
my emails, please remember this date and contact me three weeks
before so we can organise numbers.
NORTH QUEENSLAND
BRANCH
Secretary Garth SCHMIDT email
susanschmidt@optusnet.com.au
The date for our next meeting had to be altered because of the
Cannonvale Reef Gateway motel being booked out for the scheduled
weekend. There fore the next meeting will be held over the following
weekend 15 and 16 March 2008 (weather permitting).
For those interested, there will be a meet and greet at the Reef
Gateway Hotel/Motel on the Friday night. Col Deller is organising a
bussed picnic lunch on Saturday at one of the picturesque parks
overlooking the Airlie seascape and a barbeque dinner Saturday night
at the Reef Gateway.
We will hold the meeting after dinner and conclude with some social
time following the meeting.
Mal and Kay Bridge survived the floods OK, with only the loss of a
couple of goldfish.
I trust this finds all well, safe and dry. If you know of anyone who
has suffered through the floods, let me know.
QUEENSLAND BRANCH
Secretary Rob H. WOOLRYCH MBE H 07-54421991 email
robjanw@launch.net.au
As usual the important item first
NEXT MEETING Where: Coorparoo RSL, Holdsworth Street,
COORPAROO When 1100 on Sunday, 13 April 2008 Venue Galaxy
Room
On Line Voting Trial
Very many thanks to all those who participated and most especially,
to those who detailed their comments. What was very pleasing to see
was that members are enthusiastic about the Association, but the
majority of those who participated and commented would like to see
some aspects change. The general feeling was:-
What we did find interesting was that non-attendance at the annual
gatherings was not an indication of disinterest in the Association
Our thanks to Paul Mansell for his early advice on the subject of
on-line voting and special thanks to “The Webmaster” for his hands
on advice and for his expertise in getting the “Vote” off the
ground.We did this on-line poll to gather information for proposals
stood over from last year, to be put to the AGM in June this year.
The SAA Qld Inc Committee will meet in the near future to discuss
the proposals and to decide whether it is worthwhile pursuing the
matters.
Social Weekend: The
General Meeting scheduled for Sunday,
11 October 2008 will be held in Stanthorpe and it is planned
to hold it in conjunction with a Wine Tour and Dinner on the
Saturday night at the Stanthorpe RSL, with the Meeting to be held on
the Sunday morning starting at 1000.
This gathering will be further discussed at the upcoming Committee
Meeting and further details will
be published ALL ex-submariners from all over are most
welcome to join us
Tug Wilson’s Walk for Cancer:
In
excess of $6000 has been raised so far in the form of banked funds
and pledges. At this time “Tug” is heading south to get the legs
sorted out and to let the walkers know when he will be in their
area. You could be one of those walkers!!!!!!!!!!! Just
volunteer!!!!!!!
Some have already spread promotional material around their areas and
if any one of you feels prompted by this small insert to put some
information around your area then “Tug” is only too willing to
forward some you some.
Attached with this “In Depth” submission are full details of Tug’s
plans for his expedition so please as many of you as possible come
and support this worthy cause. Contact Tug & Carol and be in this
initiative which your Association National Executive is supporting.
ANZAC Day:
The muster point is across the road from the Casino in Queens
Gardens on the corner of WILLIAM & ELIZABETH at 1000. The March
starts at 1000 and we step off in the “order of March” at sequence
number 108 which would mean a time of between 1045 and 1115, at a
guess so please try not to be late.
For those who wish to participate and are not “fleet of foot” then
Jeep transport will be organized. Names of those requiring transport
will be called for in the near future.
All ex-submariners are most welcome
OUR PATRON HAS SAID THAT HE WILL BE JOINING US, SO PLEASE AS MANY OF
YOU AS POSSIBLE COME AND SUPPORT HIM IN HIS 92nd YEAR.
In Conclusion: The Next Meeting is on Sunday 13 April 2008 at the
COORPAROO RSL
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN BRANCH
Secretary David BRYANT H 08-82630461 M 0412574790 email
djbryant@senet.com.au
Our ANZAC Day march commences at 9.30am, and we muster on North
Terrace adjacent the Museum. The reunion on completion of the march
will be at the Metropolitan Hotel, Grote Street (opposite the
Adelaide Markets).
TASMANIAN BRANCH
Secretary David BYRNE H. 03/6233588 Email:
dbyrne@keypoint.com.au
In early February a number of members and partners got together for
a meal at the Hog’s Breath Café in Hobart. The weather was warm,
the beer was cold, the food was hot and the company was scorching,
so what more could you ask for! A great night was had by all.
The next gathering will be up north in mid April and will centre on
the West Tamar Valley at Grindelwald. Early options include an
afternoon river cruise on Richard Phillips’ yacht on Saturday
afternoon, dinner at Grindelwald on Saturday evening and a winery
tour on Sunday. Tasmanian members will receive full details
shortly.
ANZAC Day Arrangements
As in past years, members will muster at 1030 out front of the
Treasury Building in Franklin Square for the ANZAC Day Parade. Look
out for the Association’s bright blue banner. On completion of the
main Service at the cenotaph we will retire to the Hobart Navy Club
on Davey Street for refreshments, smally eats and two-up.
We would like to take this opportunity of welcoming long time
submariner CMDR Tony Vine RAN to Tasmania in his new posting as
Commanding Officer Navy Headquarters Tasmania. Two other recent
arrivals in the state, Iain Burns and Peter Reid, have made contact
and we hope to bring them onto our books shortly. We would like to
welcome them both to the Apple Isle.
VICTORIAN BRANCH
Secretary Keith ‘Boot’ HATFIELD M 0408 051 085 email
hatfield.1@optusnet.com.au
AGM 16 March 2008 1200 ESU, corner of Walsh Street and Toorak
Road. Committee meet 11am. Items for Business to Secretary 14 days
prior. Contact Secretary for further details
20 April 2008, 1200 social meeting ESU, South Yarra.
Committee meet 11am to finalise Anzac Day arrangements. Contact
Secretary for details.
18 May 2008, 1200 social meeting Frankston Naval Club. Contact
Secretary for details.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
BRANCH
Secretary Paul MEAKIN H 08 95869375 M 0412314361
Email:
pmea8855@%20bigpond.net.au
The following is version 2 of our events calendar. Further details
will be passed on as they become available or clearer.
-
Friday, 25 April Perth, ANZAC Day Parade
-
Sunday, 18 May Swan Yacht Club, General Meeting
-
Sunday 25 May Albany, USN SubVets
-
6 – 9 June SUBCON, Canberra SAA AGM
-
Sunday, 20 July Sub School & SS Mess, GM and BBQ
-
Sunday, 14 Sep TBA, General meeting
-
Sunday, 19 Oct TBA, Navy Week
-
Sunday, 26 Oct Periscope Park,RN SubVets
-
Sunday, 9 Nov HMAS Ovens, Remembrance Day
-
Sat, 29 Nov Pt Peron Navy Club,
Christmas Party
Our last meeting held at the Swan Yacht Club was one of the best
attended for some time. It was pleasing to see new "old" faces along
with the branch stalwarts. Since that meeting a couple of more
potential members have surfaced and Joining forms have been
forwarded to them.
The next General Meeting will be held on Sunday 02 March at the Swan
Yacht Club commencing at 1100. All members or potential members are
invited to attend. There are a few items on the agenda for
discussion, but if any member has an item for inclusion they are
requested to notify Paul Meakin, the Branch Secretary as soon as
possible.
As there has been a major change in the Branch Committee the email
addresses are shown below for the current office bearers:
President Fred Lawrence saawapres@iinet.net.au
041 993 0914
Vice President Lloyd Blake lloydblake@iinet.net.au
Secretary Paul Meakin
pmea8855@bigpond.net.au
Treasurer John Rana ranaoxley@exemail.com.au
Welfare Jim Green jim.green@subsea7.com
In order that the branch may create an accurate membership data
base , members are requested to send the following details to the
Branch Secretary as soon as possible. This should include name,
spouse/partners name, email address, postal address and telephone
numbers. (Your privacy will be respected).
The primary aims of your committee during this term are to:
-
* Foster the objects of the Association as laid down in both the
National and State Constitutions;
-
* Recruit new members from old and bold and newly qualified
submariners;
-
* Actively support the RN Submariners Association (Australia
Branch) and the US Subvets Association; and
-
* Establish a broad framework for SUBCON 2009, which is to be
held in WA.
Two events looming on our horizon are ANZAC Day (Friday 25April) and
the US Subvets Association Memorial Service which will be held at
Princess Royal Fortress, Albany on Sunday 25May. I encourage
members to actively support these events. More detail will be
advised in due course.
The numbers visiting both websites continues to increase and
there has been a lot of positive feedback that confirms that
our visitor’s needs are being met. The separation of the
Association’s site (http://submarinesaustralia.com)
and Up Periscope early last year is proving to be
a bit of a headache to manage and it is intended to merge
both sites again in the near future. I have started on the
task, but it is taking much longer than expected – there is
never enough time when you are retired.
February saw the introduction of online voting as a trial, a
possible sign of things to come I hope. The initial test was a poll
conducted by the Queensland Branch on a possible future proposal to
be submitted as an Agenda item at our AGM in June. The poll ran for
a week and response rate of 28% of possible voters was recorded. The
comments made by Members were very constructive and showed that
Members DO care.
The results were favourable and gave the Branch Executive a
direction, based on the results. From my perspective it was also a
success, it demonstrated to non believers that the e system could
have checks and balances to ensure transparency and security. I will
be conducting more polls on various issues to further refine the
process and procedures that will form the basis of a paper for
submission to the National Executive.
Again I would like to thank the sponsors of Up Periscope, Thales
Underwater Systems and the Thales team for their support, and to all
those that continue to visit the site.
Remember, constructive criticism, suggestions for improvement and
even complaints are always welcome. Remember, it is
YOUR site and it is only as good
as you make it
Thanks for your support
Norm Williams - Web Manager
CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS OF THE ROYAL NAVY
“Prize Money”
To many people the seamen who made England famous as a seafarer
nation were nothing better than pirates. Drake Hawkins,
Frobisher were indeed labelled with this stigma, but it must be
remembered that the word “pirate’ had an entirely different
meaning then to what it is today. These intrepid sailors
certainly captured enemy ships and confiscated their precious
cargoes, but these were legitimate profits of the war. The snag
in this was that only those ships that traded in the Spanish
Main and thereabouts had the chance of meeting and intercepting
valuable prize ships. The stay-at-homes undoubtedly added their
quota to the efforts, but they reaped no material benefits as
did the adventurers overseas.
As we became more civilised, this fact began to be recognized.
It was all very well to award the value of ship and cargo to the
lucky captors, but was it fair to the others, in port? There was
a Prize Court in the fourteenth century, but this functioned
mainly in seeing that the Sovereign of that time had the major
share of the booty! So in the year of 1864 the Naval Prize Act
was passed, which enacted that every ship captured in war,
or any captured ship suspected of carrying munitions of war to
the enemy, had to be delivered to the Marshal of the Court. He
then had to value the capture and decide the manner in which the
spoil was to be shared. It was argued that ships in home waters
seldom had the opportunity of capturing enemy ships although
they were employed just actively in fighting the war. So the
Prize Court established a common Prize Fund. All captures were
in the hands of this Court and after the termination of
hospitalities, the total amount was to be shared by all.
However, on 19 December 1945, Mr. A.V. Alexander, the First Lord
of the Admiralty, made the following announcement “…..It has
been decided that prize money in respect of the proceeds derived
from the sale of captured enemy vessels and cargoes,
which was traditionally been granted to the Navy, shall again
be granted, but it is the intention that a portion
of the proceeds should on this occasion be allocated for the
benefit of Air Force personnel. It has been decided,
however, that a grant of prize bounty should not be made.
In previous wars this grant*
has been paid to the destruction of an enemy warship, but in
the Government’s view such a grant is inappropriate under modern
conditions of war and should be regarded as obsolete. The
dominion Governments and the Government of India have concurred
in principle in these decisions. So far as the United
Kingdom forces are concerned, however, it is the Government’s
decision that this shall be the last occasion on which prize
money shall be paid…..”
Well, it was sorted out in the end, but it didn’t amount to
much!
*This
was also sometimes known as “blood money” in the Navy.
DUTCH SPY
SUBMARINES by Menno Streketee
Following a partial relaxation by the Dutch MoD on its strict
code of secrecy imposed on its former Cold War submarine crews
Menno Streketee interviewed several retired Dutch submariners
and describes some of their secret missions spying on
Mediterranean-based Soviet ships and submarines.
In the dark days of the Cold War, the Dutch submarine
Tijgerhaai was cruising at periscope depth in the Gulf
of Hammamet, Tunisia. The surface was dead calm and a short
distance from the lurking Dutch boat lay a Soviet Mirka class
corvette. The submarine’s Periviz camera slowly zoomed in on the
Russian’s superstructure. Inside the submarine’s control-room,
Lieutenant Robin Snouck-Hurgronje was looking at a screen but
there was not much to report from the periscope camera. He
noticed a few rusty spots on the Soviet ship’s hull and some
sailors hanging over the railings smoking cigarettes. Then it
happened. One of the sailors slowly pointed directly at the
camera. The submarine had been spotted and in the ‘cat and
mouse’ Cold War days anything could have happened next.
“You will understand”, says retired submarine Captain Robin
Snouck Hurgronje in his garden in Wieringerwaard, not far from
the Den Helder home base of the Royal Netherlands’ Navy, “that
we had to do an emergency dive. We did know how those Russians
would react. If they had attacked us they could easily have
reported it as an exercise. They could have said that we should
not have been cruising around their anchorage in secret.”
Snouck
Hurgronje (58) was an officer aboard the Dutch submarine
Tijgerhaai in the early eighties and went on to become
commander of the submarine Zwaardvis. The event he
describes was during the frostiest period of the Cold War.
Despite regular arms conferences and hot lines between the White
House and the Kremlin, East and West distrusted each other
deeply. Spying seemed the only way of preventing a surprise
attack. Surveillance was done by satellites, aeroplanes, real
life spies and submarines like Tijgerhaai and
Zwaardvis (photo).
Crews’ strict silence:
Seventeen years have passed since the Berlin Wall fell and since
then the Dutch Ministry of Defence has relaxed the strict
silence that submarine crew members were supposed to observe
about their work. In those days crews were not even allowed to
tell their wives what they did. Berrie Monster (62), retired
commander of the submarine Potvis, remembered that
in many cases crew members were not even told where they were
going. According to Will Falkmann an electrician in Dutch
submarines during the Cold War, he knew they were sailing north
if it got cold and south if it got warmer!
Being allowed to talk is not the same thing as wanting to talk.
The habit of keeping quiet about Cold War missions, with code
names like ‘Faceless Fable’, ‘Candid Carnival’ and ‘Giddy
Golfer’ is equally strong in most of the retired submarine men
interviewed.
However, Snouck Hurgronje is prepared to talk about his Cold War
activities. He worked for the Submarine Service for almost
twenty years and often spent three consecutive months at, and
under, the sea. His life is still dominated by the sea, as after
retiring he was skipper of the three-masted clipper Stad
Amsterdam for some years and is currently involved in
Sail Training International, the organisation that organises the
yearly Tall Ships Races.
Archives opened:
The Onderzeedienst, the Dutch Submarine Service, recently opened
its archives slightly, partly because last year (2006) was the
service’s centenary. Only slightly however, as operational
details that could reveal anything about its present day
missions in the Arabian Gulf or the Indian Ocean are still
strictly confidential.
The Dutch submarine service mainly worked in the Mediterranean
Sea during the Cold War, with half a dozen boats on service at
any one time. According to Snouck Hurgronje, the Mediterranean
was of great strategic importance to Eastern Europe, although
most people would not know it: “We assume that the Soviet-ships
would try to get to the Atlantic Ocean in the case of a third
world war, in order to attack transatlantic routes. The Soviets
would have mainly done that via the northern Atlantic Ocean and
the Baltic Sea, but would also get out via the Straits of
Gibraltar.”
However, Gibraltar would have been hard to pass. The SOVMEDRON,
as the Mediterranean Soviet-fleet was called in NATO-jargon, had
too few naval bases. Snouck Hurgronje remembers that the Arab
nations were not very sympathetic towards the Soviet Union but
they did allow the Russian to have anchorages on the edges of
their territorial waters out of sight from the coast.
Soviet anchorages appeared all over the Mediterranean: in the
Tunisian Gulf of Hammamet; near Sollum in Egypt; and even near
the Greek island
Kythira.
The Russians parked lots of different types of ships in these
anchorages: technical workshops, tankers, supply vessels,
hospital ships, to name a few. Operational units would drop in
and it was the job of the Dutch Navy to spy on them.
The reason why the Dutch submarines were used in the
Mediterranean was the same as why they still patrol the Indian
Ocean and the gulf today: they are much better equipped to move
secretively in local shallow waters than the large nuclear
submarines of their NATO-partners.
During the Cold War it was crucial that the Russians did not
know where the Dutch submarines were operating. Therefore, all
friendly submarine movements were coordinated by Commander Task
Force 69, an American commander at NATO headquarters in Naples.
This arrangement prevented NATO ships or helicopters chasing
friendly submarines by mistake. It was essential the Russians
were kept unaware of any submarines operating in the vicinity of
their improvised bases and anchorages. Any other way and
position and location of the Dutch submarines could have been
compromised.
On some days there could have be up to seventy Soviet ships in
any one anchorage. Snouck-Hurgronje’s first task would be to
identify these ships, and in order to spy on an interesting
target he would have to plan his route through the anchorage
from afar. Anything that made any noise in the submarine would
be turned off or securely fastened down.
The submarine would slide along underwater towards the anchorage
in an ultra quiet state, navigating by noise of moving chains,
engines, etc. Screens in the submarine control room informed the
commander exactly when he neared a certain ship. The periscope
would be quickly elevated and cameras would start shooting.
At the same time the crew would make so called sonar/acoustic
fingerprints of enemy ships. That way they learnt to recognise
the sound of a Russian ship opening its torpedo hatches. They
could hear how long it took a torpedo to leave its tube and what
a torpedo sounded like when pinging away, looking for an enemy
target. Submarine officers could listen in on the Russians
talking to other ships in the group via underwater telephone.
Surveillance electronics:
The Dutch submarines were well prepared before each mission and
were all fitted with appropriate surveillance electronic.
Submarine technician Will Falkmann recalled how he and fellow
technicians brought simple scanners from surplus stores and
adapted them to intercept Russian radio communications. With
only a single antenna, these simple scanners could receive all
frequencies, including VHF and UHE.
Photographing and filming Soviet ships from a submerged
submarine was not that easy according to Falkmann. He recalls
obtaining borrowed American Periviz cameras and fixing them onto
his boat’s periscope. Not an easy task, as at first Falkmann
found the camera would turn to the left when the ‘right turn’
button was pressed, a problem that was quickly sorted.
Apart from the quality of the technical appliances, the quality
of the crew members was important too. Snouck Hurgronje recalled
that submarine commanders would almost come to blows over the
best sonar-men, as everything they traced, however trivial it
may seem, could be of importance. One such example was seeing a
Soviet commander, with decorations, leave his Tango class
submarine and get delivered by sloop to a Krivak class cruiser.
Possible conclusion: this Tango would be around for a while and
the cruiser was an important ship. In case of war, the Krivak
class cruiser would be the first ship to be attacked.
Captain Hurgronje explained that the Soviets always moored their
submarines on the flank of the submarine tenders facing land and
these anchorages were always positioned within Egyptian or
Tunisian territorial waters. In order to have a good look at the
submarines, he had to sail close to the shore into these waters.
Officially, this was forbidden, but he claimed that if he was
caught red handed he would have blamed the intrusion on a
navigation error.
There was always the chance of being spotted. Although the
Soviets would not immediately open fire, accidents could happen.
Snouck Hurgronje recalls chasing an Echo-class submarine for
hours as she was preparing to dive. Suddenly she went down and
he immediately lost track. None of the Dutch submarine’s crew
had any idea where the Soviet had gone or what she was planning
to do. That was a very dangerous situation Hurgronje’s submarine
went Ultra Quite State, and all equipment was turned off except
sonar. Most of the crew sent to bed so as to save oxygen and the
Dutch boat stayed there, motionless, for 32 hours, but never
spotted or heard from the Soviet Echo-class submarine again.
The Scottish Royal Navy base Faslane was home base of the
Dutch spy submarines during the Cold War years.
NATO-headquarters at Northwood near London coordinated all
submarine-operations, but it was mostly the intelligence
services that managed the spy missions. This was mostly done
under the quid-pro-quo principle: Dutch submarines were sent on
missions in exchange for intelligence the Dutch spy services
could use. Snouck Hurgronje recalls a certain amount of
duplicity in these cloak and dagger sorties, such as going on a
mission for the Americans and after returning to Faslane, being
asked by the British to do exactly the same mission again.
One of the hardest and most dangerous ways to find out more
about Soviet fleet was the so-called under-water look where the
periscope would be used to view the underside of Soviet ships.
Roaming around invisibly underneath a ship can only be done
during the day and in clear waters, as anchor chains can pose
problems.
These under-water looks were however routine for Dutch
submarines. The hull form of Russian ships was considered of
interest to NATO intelligence services because it was the ideal
place for hatches from which mini-submarines or frogmen could
escape. Vice Admiral Nico Bruis, who later became the director
of Dutch domestic intelligence services, became well-known
within the service as he once discovered such a hatch. Also, the
number of propeller blades could reveal a lot about the
capacities of enemy submarine.
Dutch submarine officer Berrie Monster remembers how he tried to
take an under-water-look at a Soviet AGI, a Russian fishing boat
converted into a spy vessel. It was near Northern Ireland and he
was commander of his submarine Potvis camera. The
AGI usually lay in shallow water as its crew did not want
anything spying on them from below. Now and again the AGI would
sail off to watch a passing American ‘boomer’ (missile carrying
submarine) on her way from Faslane to her patrol station in the
Atlantic. Monster claimed to have succeeded only once in getting
images of the underside of the Soviet AGI, but unfortunately the
muckiness of the water spoilt the pictures.
Unlike the Irish Sea, the water in the Mediterranean was usually
clear. Captain Hurgronje explains a typical underwater run: “You
had to know beforehand precisely where the ship that you were
looking for lay. Keeping at the right depth was essential and
the periscope had to be low enough under the hull to actually
see something.”
The Berlin Wall came down in 1989 and two years later the Warsaw
Pact was annulled. In that year the Soviet Union collapsed. The
Cold War was over. As a military attaché in Turkey former
submarine commander Hurgronje was able to watch the former enemy
from nearby. He remembers touring inside a Russian Kilo-class
submarine for the first time and thinking was this really what
we were afraid of all that time?
Of course, he could not speak about all his spying missions, but
recalled a time when as a naval attaché he discovered that a
Russian colleague had been the commander of a supply ship he had
been following for days. Hurgronje was delighted to discover
his fellow attaché had not been aware of the Dutch submarine’s
presence on his tail, a good opportunity to raise a glass of
vodka to a job well done and a new era of East-West cooperation.
From “Ships Monthly” October 2007 Volume 42 No.10
FIRST SCORPENE FOR MALAYSIA NAMED
The first of two Scorpene Class submarines ordered by the
Malaysian Navy has been officially named Tunku Abdul
Rahman* at DCNS’ Cherbourg shipyard by Malaysian
Minister for Defence Najib Tun Razak at a ceremony attended by
Malaysian and French officials
The ceremony was an important milestone in the execution of the
contract signed on 5 June 2002 by the Malaysian Government and
the DCNS as it marked the completion of the construction phase.
Tunku Abdul Rahman is scheduled to be handed over
to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) in January 2009 and the second
boat 2010.
With the endurance of 45 days, a displacement 1,550 tonnes and a
length of 67.5 metres, the Scorpene submarines will be manned by
crews of just 31. Crew training is on schedule to enable the RMN
to provide complete crews from delivery.
The Scorpene was designed by DCNS and developed jointly by DCNS
and Spanish naval shipbuilder Navantia. Each boat is built
partly in France and partly in Spain according to the same
industrial process. Benefiting from the latest innovations
developed for other programs, the design features a range of
advanced technologies, particularly in hydrodynamics, acoustic
discretion and automation. The modular Scorpene design can be
readily tailored to each client navy’s specific mission profiles
and requirements.
*Tunku Abdul Rahman (8 February 1903 – 6 December
1990), also known as Bapa Kemerdekaan (Father of Independence)
and Bapa Malaysia (Father of Malaysia), was Chief Minister of
the Federation of Malaysia from 1955 and Malaysia’s first Prime
Minister from Independence in 1957 until he retired from public
life in 1970.
UUV RECOVERED BY SUBMERGED SUBMARINE
The Boeing Company has successfully demonstrated for the first
time that unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) can be recovered by
underway submerged submarine, opening up new possibilities for
advanced naval operations.
During recent tests, a USN attack submarine launched the
AN/BLQ-11 UUV from one of its torpedo tubes. The vehicle,
formerly called the Long-term Mine Reconnaissance System (LMRS),
then returned to the vessel where the system’s robotic arm
retrieved it into the submarine.
“With this recent success, Boeing has taken another important
step in UUV development by demonstrating that the unmanned
vehicle can return to the submarine and be recovered by a
robotic arm,” said Dan Jones, director of Boeing Advanced
Information Systems, a division of Boeing Space and Intelligence
Systems. “This milestone represents a critical next step for
the USN and opens the door for a whole new set of advanced
submarine missions.”
The at-sea UUV tests follow earlier assessments during which
Boeing and the USN proved that the UUV could successfully home
and dock with the system’s robotic arm, while the submarine was
u
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