Posted by Andrew Craig-Bennett on November 14, 2003 at 10:13:59 from 195.93.32.7 user ACB.
In Reply to: Re: Winter Holiday & Shorts posted by Laurence Monkhouse on November 14, 2003 at 08:06:22:
I presume that she was not at action stations when she was torpedoed.
Wandering yet further off topic, during the later 1980s two small British shipowning companies were operating large tankers into the Arabian Gulf, at the time of the later stages of the Iran/Iraq war. I wqorked for one of them. After some years, and much quiet agitation, the British Government agreed that the RN would provide a convoy escort through the Straits of Hormuz against Iranian gunboat and air attacks, which was very welcome, and 100% effective.
British ships (tankers, containerships and the odd bulk carrier) were entitled to convoy escort but every other ship would naturally try to tag along.
There was a natural wish to have one's ship at the head of the convoy, and as near to the single frigate that provided the escort as possible.
We discovered that the secret was to become known for offering a good lunch! RN warships at action stations douse cooking ranges and eat sandwiches. If our VLCC offered a four course, sit down, lunch, served by stewards in the officers' dining room, with plenty to take back afterwards, ("four kilos of butterfly prawns" rings a bell!) we could be sure to be positioned in convenient WASP range of the frigate!
Several years later I met my opposite number in the other small British company - they were doing exactly the same thing!