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I
joined Minerva in Chatham at midnight on 2nd January 1970, having received a
telegram at home to come off leave 2 days early. We sailed the next day.
The first Soviet
carrier, Moskva, had emerged from the Black Sea, and we were required to
chase her round the Med. Mine was a pierhead jump to replace Mick
Lansley, from whom I had an hour or two's handover before we sailed. I
believe we called in at Portsmouth to pick up the crew who had failed to
return from leave early. Minerva had just completed a long refit, and
many of us still had to find our sea legs - I was almost immediately
seasick. I was vitalled in the forward
PO's mess, where we had a sergeant of the Black Watch, one of 20 or so
soldiers we were transporting to Gibraltar. It was interesting that he was one of
only two people who could stomach being that far forward for the first
days at sea. (But his first tot of neat rum was a joy to behold - we
thought he was going to explode!)
That commission of
Minerva was the best time I've had in the RN, mainly because the mess gelled
together so well, and I have many memories. I have put this site up so that I
can share some of these memories, and maybe jog some memories of my readers. I hope you find
this site interesting and useful, and maybe find shipmates you have long since
lost touch with. If you can help fill in the years since I left (June 1972)
please let me know. Photographs are especially welcome. If you can name any
individuals in the picture, and put a date on it, that would be even better.
Isaac
Newton,
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