Espana Levante Submariners

Fifty years ago we had RN Submariners at the North Pole,  surely we can get a few to Benidorm.

Photos provided in by the younger everyday "Chopper Gane” of Dreadnought at the North Pole 3rd March 1971

Visit to HM Submarine Ambush in Gibraltar by Albert and Leslie Barlow.

Lesley and I had the pleasure to be able to visit HMS/M Ambush on her present visit
to Gibraltar last week
.
On Friday the 15th Feb. we were taken to the submarine in Gibraltar by a friend who works in the yard. As we know the Queens Harbour Master Gibraltar, they seemed to not have too many issues when we asked for a visit.
It is difficult to get into the yard we had to hand in passports, change passes several times, pass througha few gun points but managed to be on time where we were met by the Queens Harbour Master LT.C dr. Jon Taylor.

Soon the officer of the day appeared a young looking Lt. James Williams CASO who had the task to give us a tour.
Having given in our camera, mobiles, passes, we were given a brief as to what work was going on aboard the submarine and then off we went.
I always remember our access a bit easier than Ambushes, and when you got inside, cramped is perhaps not the correct word !
Immediately we were baffled, being used to seeing Periscopes, masts, plot table and all the rest our minds whizzed around as we tried to take in all these screens.
Where on earth was the submarine controlled from, and as it was so big how did you know the captain was in the control room.
The boat was massive with all these individual bunk spaces for different departments, but essentially the same ingredients as other submarines, the weapons department massive with modern torpedo's a bit different to the Mark 8s we carried .

Still we had a good time, the officer was well up on his knowledge doing a tour and the jobs officers of the day do at the same time. Coffee in the wardroom which was small but fine and everyone we met was polite, said hello as if they were expecting us.
We even met who we assumed was the Captain who gave thirty minutes of his shore time as he was in civvies and threw questions at us about our background and a mini dit on the SBS bit, interesting.

A thoroughly enjoyable tour, very interesting and having had an e- mail from the Captain today saying anytime they were in and we wanted a visit we were welcome, his name by the way is Commander S McAllister RN (Mac) came up through the ranks from a TS who used to scrub the tiles in the control room which they don't have now they are carpeted.

Geoff Mountstephen VICKERS STRAIGHT-6  an interesting read about  a Victory-6 submarine diesel engine, located in Australia.

Vickers Straight-6 (click on the link)

 The following file is at the request of Bob Head to me (Tim Greenside), about my involvement with the Submarine Shovel.  So you can blame him!!!

History of the Shovel  (click on the link)

The following file is a 'DIT' submitted by our Bob 'Nutty' Head

New Bridge for Old  (click on the link)

Swinging the Lamp, a Naval Story our our Senior member Geoff Mounstephen, recommended read!!