British warships in Gulf to be renamed AA and RAC

[horizon]

The Ministry of Defence has announced that the two British warships, currently and soon to be serving (respectively) in the Gulf of Oman are to be renamed the "AA" and the "RAC" while their service there continues.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said that they wanted to acknowledge the support given to motorists back in the UK by the making safe of oil supplies for the forecourts of Britain. "It's really just what you would expect from those great British institutions, the AA and the RAC, on the roadside so it's appropriate that we use those names."

A Conservative MP said that motorists should remember that although they pay a small fortune in Road Tax (sic), much more is being done for them than just building roads: servicemen and women are willing to sacrifice their lives and those of many Iranians to safeguard that vital 10 minute drive to the local shops.

Nobody from Green Flag was available for comment.

[fausto copy]

Nobody from Green Flag was available for comment.

And I'm with Britannia Rescue, which I think would also be an appropriate name.

fausto.

[PDQ Mobile]

I have a length of rope attached to vessel/vehicle in one hand, and a twenty pound note in the other, which I wave at passing traffic.

[reohn2]

I have a length of rope attached to vessel/vehicle in one hand, and a twenty pound note in the other, which I wave at passing traffic.

Would it not act as an anchor though

[Mick F]

HMS Montrose was already there as a normal deployment as we have had a Gulf Patrol ship there since Adam was a lad.

Even my first ship, HMS Achilles, was there in 1971, and my second ship HMS Gurkha (Tribal Class) was designed for Gulf Patrols pre East of Suez withdrawal. They were used latterly as West Indies guard ships, and we did a deployment there in 1975.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribal-class_frigate
Done Gulf patrols with HMS Ambuscade 1981 and HMS Sirius 1988 as well.

HMS Montrose has no doubt had a programme change to remain in the Gulf for a few weeks more, and HMS Duncan was already in the Mediterranean and probably on her way out that way anyway to relieve HMS Montrose.

On an interesting point, when HMSs Montrose and Monmouth were in build at Yarrows on the Clyde, I was there standing by HMS Iron Duke. HMSs Argyll and Lancaster were there too being finished off and fitted out. I eventually served on HMS Argyll as my last ship.

The ship hulls were built in sections upside down and then each section turned the right way up and laser guided onto the adjacent one to be welded together. They started midships and worked their way forward and aft, with the last bit being the stern.

Due to small compounding errors, the back end of Monmouth didn't fit properly, so they swapped it for the back end of Montrose. Luckily, the Montrose end fitted the Monmouth!

[PDQ Mobile]

I have a length of rope attached to vessel/vehicle in one hand, and a twenty pound note in the other, which I wave at passing traffic.

Would it not act as an anchor though

It is my discount price alternative to membership of a breakdown org.

I confess to not having tried it at sea but it worked 25 years ago on a remote mountain single track road (faulty fuel gauge!) very late at night.
Mind you the guy who stopped (I was actually blocking the entire road) in a TR3 (!) didn't seem to recognize the limitations of Moggy Minor brakes.
Still we survived and all's well that ends well.

[661-Pete]

I have a pair of jumper leads in my car boot - and a foot pump. Should the next warship be named "HMS Jumper Leads" or "HMS Foot Pump"?

[philvantwo]

Interesting post from Mick F!
Did you ever fire one of those big guns at another ship Mick F?

[mercalia]

HMS Montrose was already there as a normal deployment as we have had a Gulf Patrol ship there since Adam was a lad.

Even my first ship, HMS Achilles, was there in 1971, and my second ship HMS Gurkha (Tribal Class) was designed for Gulf Patrols pre East of Suez withdrawal. They were used latterly as West Indies guard ships, and we did a deployment there in 1975.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribal-class_frigate
Done Gulf patrols with HMS Ambuscade 1981 and HMS Sirius 1988 as well.

HMS Montrose has no doubt had a programme change to remain in the Gulf for a few weeks more, and HMS Duncan was already in the Mediterranean and probably on her way out that way anyway to relieve HMS Montrose.

On an interesting point, when HMSs Montrose and Monmouth were in build at Yarrows on the Clyde, I was there standing by HMS Iron Duke. HMSs Argyll and Lancaster were there too being finished off and fitted out. I eventually served on HMS Argyll as my last ship.

The ship hulls were built in sections upside down and then each section turned the right way up and laser guided onto the adjacent one to be welded together. They started midships and worked their way forward and aft, with the last bit being the stern.

Due to small compounding errors, the back end of Monmouth didn't fit properly, so they swapped it for the back end of Montrose. Luckily, the Montrose end fitted the Monmouth!

HMS Iron Duke wasnt that battle ship or heavy cruiser. I once had ciggy cards with them all on. Must be another one you referring to as that was an old un

[Mick F]

HMS Iron Duke wasnt that battle ship or heavy cruiser. I once had ciggy cards with them all on. Must be another one you referring to as that was an old un

Duke Class (Type 23 Frigate)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_23_frigate

Interesting post from Mick F!
Did you ever fire one of those big guns at another ship Mick F?

Not in anger at shipping, but plenty of exercise shelling at towed targets or ship hulks.

We fired hundreds of rounds a night at the Argentinian forces in 1982. 4.5inch live shells. HMS Ambuscade. Amazon class Type21 frigate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_21_frigate

I was the main weapons computer technician and was on watch every night for weeks. We would leave the rest of the fleet out in the Atlantic and go right in - usually Berkley Sound - and shell at maximum range of 12miles over the hills into the Argentinian camp sites and dugouts. Poor devils.

Before first light, we'd sail back out to the fleet, re-ammunition, re-fuel and any other stores required, then repeat the whole thing again.

Not the happiest time I had in the RN, I can assure you. I didn't join the RN to kill people.

[Cyril Haearn]

HMS Pinafore for me

[Mick F]

I prefer The Pirates of Penzance.
I was one of the policemen in the Policeman's Chorus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAc5Z89SjH8

[mercalia]

HMS Iron Duke wasnt that battle ship or heavy cruiser. I once had ciggy cards with them all on. Must be another one you referring to as that was an old un

Duke Class (Type 23 Frigate)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_23_frigate

Interesting post from Mick F!
Did you ever fire one of those big guns at another ship Mick F?

Not in anger at shipping, but plenty of exercise shelling at towed targets or ship hulks.

We fired hundreds of rounds a night at the Argentinian forces in 1982. 4.5inch live shells. HMS Ambuscade. Amazon class Type21 frigate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_21_frigate

I was the main weapons computer technician and was on watch every night for weeks. We would leave the rest of the fleet out in the Atlantic and go right in - usually Berkley Sound - and shell at maximum range of 12miles over the hills into the Argentinian camp sites and dugouts. Poor devils.

Before first light, we'd sail back out to the fleet, re-ammunition, re-fuel and any other stores required, then repeat the whole thing again.

Not the happiest time I had in the RN, I can assure you. I didn't join the RN to kill people.

strange thing to say like I didnt join the army to kill people

[Mike Sales]

strange thing to say like I didnt join the army to kill people

I cannot resist it any longer. Was it for the water skiing and the travel?

Colonel:
Watkins, why did you join the army?
Watkins:
For the water-skiing and the travel, sir. Not for the killing, sir. I asked them to put it on my form, sir: "no killing".
Colonel:
Watkins, are you a pacifist?
Watkins:
No, sir. I'm not a pacifist, sir: I'm a coward.
Colonel:
[disgusted] That's a very silly line. Sit down!

[Mick F]

You've got to put this in perspective.

It was 1969 and I left school after O Levels, and joined the RN as a electronics technician. I never referred to myself as a sailor, but an electronics engineer.

It was the height of the Cold War, and all the RN was doing was countering the Soviet threat. We didn't expect to survive five minutes after the bomb was dropped.

My third ship - HMS Sirius - was equipped with wonderful towed array sonar listening equipment. We spent weeks on end up in the Iceland/Faroes Gap near the Arctic Circle tracking Soviet submarines on their way from Murmansk into the Atlantic on their way to the USA coasts. We tracked them for days on end and handed the tracks over to the USN, and when they were on their way home again, we took over again and tracked them home. Sometimes four or five subs at a time. When we weren't on patrol, one of our sister ships was there.

Very good friend of mine joined the RAF in 1966. He was a radio technician and fixed radios. That's all he did.

If we'd wanted to carry a rifle and kill people, we'd have joined the Army.