Guest Book Archive Dated 1st April 2006
Name:
Bill Rodgers (Tex)
Email:
Williamrodgers@btinternet.com
Webpage:
Status:
Ex Ships Diver
trying to trace old diving oppos, Qualified FEB 1956 At SAFEGUARD Rtd 1970 VICTORIOUS.ARK ROYAL.HERMES.Plus shore stations ex F.A.A.
Name:
Robby Roberts
Email:
alan.roberts7@vigin.net
Webpage:
Status:
Ex Ships Diver
Hi. Quick dit, on joining H.M.S.Chilcompton( 9TH cms) in pompey 1961/62 as a young o.d. i was asked if i would like to do a diving course. i initially thought it was diving off boards in pitt st baths in the swimming pool. when told i required a medical and the course was 5 weeks in guzz the penny dropped. Anyway after completing the Co,on u.b.a.(oxygen) we were then told it was the last Co on u.b.a. & we would have to do a one week conversion to compressed air (s.a.b.a.) finally qualifying on 26.6.62 as a shallow water diver (2 bob a day). We had two s.w.d.s on each c.m.s. for our deployment to aden /persian gulf. The other diver on Chilcompton was mid pender- cudlip who later made flag rank. I converted to ships diver in aprij 1965 (4 bob a day) . One dive comes to memory 1970 under the old Ark Royal guzz dockyard,no viz tide running rigging de-perming wires standing on the bottom hull just above us tide dropping also the Ark, ropes buddy lines everywhere myself & arthur asquith couldn,t get to the surface quick enough (clean nicks req). Left the R.N 1984 re-joined 86 had to requalify 1 week oct 86 at 42 yrs old (vernon).Paddy you b ha ha. Finally left R.N. 1996/97 final dive R.N. sept 1996. total of 32/33 yrs as a ships diver. Still do a bit of diving today "SCYLLA" one dive Barrier Reef etc.Great times sad to see the end of a great branch lots good times many dits great memories Yours aye Robby Roberts ex C.P.O.ops (m) alan.roberts7@vigin.net
Name:
Geoff Baker
Email:
Geoff@GeoffBaker.com
Webpage:
www.geoffbaker.com
Status:
Ex Ships Diver
Great site. I was sent to diving school at Horsea in the summer of 1967 becasue I had done 3 dives in the river while I was at BRNC Dartmouth. It was then off to sea as a Midshipman on HMS Albion, on route to Singapore via 6 weeks off Aden. That started a 25 year career as a Ships Diving Officer that sometimes took preference over my main job as a Marine Engineering Officer. I dived from the Med to the artic, Singapore to the Caribbean, remembering that I wore a wet suite under my dry suite when diving on a damaged propeller in December while along side in Tromso, Norway. That was cold! Best career dive was on the wreck of the Rhone, Tortola, BVI. (I'll post photos if and when I can find them). Worst dive, Lisbon Harbour, nil viz at 6 inches! Ships include HMS Wilkeston, HMS Falmouth, AMEO, HMS Coventry, DMEO, and HMS Battleaxe, MEO. My last appointment was to the US Navy in Philadelphia, USA. In order to get my 120 minutes in, I flew to Key West, FL every four months to dive with the US Navy divers. Such a hard duty! I retired in 1993 and live in the suburbs of Philadelphia, USA. Post Navy careers include driving an 18 wheeler (HGV Class 1), up to 40 tons, 72 feet long, 8 1/2 ft wide, for 18 months all over the North East of the USA. Now that's a challenge, and great fun! Now I sell real estate, ski and play golf, not necessarily in that order. May your life be everything that you hope for. Geoff Baker
Name:
Harvey Allen
Email:
harvey.oldseadog@web.de
Webpage:
Status:
Ex Ships Diver
I qualified ships diver in the warm climes of Singapore in '65.We trained in oxygen rebreathers initially then went on to SABA comp.air sets As an OA I was automatically a tiffy diver and always had additional responsibility for the care and maint of all diving equipt.In the early 70's there being a shortage of diving officers, I became a diving supervisor after a very short course at Vernon. I left the Pusser in '75 after 25 yrs and am now 70 living in Spain on the Costa Blanca and getting a dip in whenever I can. I can't manage 120mins a qtr.so I must forego my 3bob a day extra!! Keep up the good work best regards Darby Allen
Name:
Robin Brisland (Briz)
Email:
rmbriz@comcast.net
Webpage:
None
Status:
Ex Aircrew SAR Diver
In the early sixties, we had to be a Ships Diver with one years experience ( mainly oxygen rebreathers) then a Free Diver (mainly air) and then Aircrew Diver (Normalair) and finally we could take the Rating Aircrew Course. It took over two years to become an Aircrew Diver and when I finally qualified in November 1964, there were only about 20 in the Navy. I remember getting paid an extra two shillings a day for ships diver, another two shillings for free diver and a further eight shillings for aircrew diver. Twelve shillings a day extra seemed a lot at the time!
Name:
Dingley Dell
Email:
dingleydell@fsmail.net
Webpage:
Status:
Serving Ships Diver
Brilliant idea for a website, we may now be gone but lets not be forgotten and hope that the powers that be see sense and re-instate us.
Name:
"Timmy" Mallott
Email:
lmallott@col-westanglia.ac.uk
Webpage:
Status:
Ex Ships Diver
Good site 'Jack', i qualified as a Royal Marines ships diver in 1999. Only bootneck with seven matelots and two deeps on 'course 750'. The course does not change much, wet dry bags, long jackstay swims in Horsea lake and necklace searches 'up trots'. Currently i am working with another 'ancient' ships diver and Ganges Rating, Paul Adcock (ex PO who qualified in November 1977) if anyone remembers him or his worldwide antics.
Name:
Dave Horsman
Email:
oes@postmaster.co.uk
Webpage:
Status:
Ex Ships Diver
Ships diving course 11/82 (Vernon). Served on HMS Liverpool & Boxer diving teams. Dived mid atlantic (2/84) & was 6 miles deep. War pensioner now, suffered badly after leaving mob (3/87) & have had 2 hip operations one a full hip replacement due to a bends related disease called "caissond disease".
Name:
tom coyle
Email:
tomcoyle@incarecruitment.com
Webpage:
Status:
Ex Ships Diver
GREAT IDEA HOPE IT GOES WELL TOM
Name:
'Red' Crowley
Email:
pusserdiver@hotmail.com
Webpage:
Status:
Ex Ships Diver
I was just thinking the other day that I never see any comments or websites about Ships Divers, when completely by chance I happened upon this site. I originally qualified as a Shallow Water Diver in the early 60's, using an oxygen re-breather, and then qualified as a Free Diver using SABA kits. At the age of 63 I'm still diving today, mainly around the Greek Islands. I'm really pleased to see this site - perhaps you should advertise it in the Navy News. All the best Red
Name:
Mike 'Scouse' Hogan
Email:
mkhogan@bigpond.net.au OR michael.hogan2@defence.gov.au
Webpage:
Status:
Ex Aircrew SAR Diver
Ship's Divers Course Dec '71 - cooool! (POCD Jan Stevens (sic), Nobby Clarke) HMS Lowestoft, 72 Seafield Park Dive Staff(Dunker)'73 waitng for Aircrew and SAR Divers Course (Lt Andrew George Linsley CACMN Terry Scott) Dive Section Portland (Cliff Clifford CD1 LCDR Jan Greener) SAR Divers Course (DNC) Dive Section Lee on Solent BFT then to 707 and 848 '74 HMS Bulwark (NACS 848) SAR flight Culdrose '76 SAR Divers course (#2) withdrawn injured Dive Section Culdrose - CPOCDs Cliff Clifford - one I cant remember then Neil Primrose - who I definitely remember.SAR Divers Course (#3) Left RN 1985 worked offshore then joined the RAN in 88 As a LACMN (LSA here) Currently XO of HMAS WATERHEN the 'home' of Mine Warfare and Clearance Divers in Australia and recently promoted to Commander RAN. Happy to hear from anyone who might remember me outside of teh Aircrew world as I am in constant contact with them. Sad to see the ship's divers go - based on manpower -just wait until the next 'conflict' and they will probably review this decision! regards to all and keep your ears clear! Mike 'Scouse' Hogan.
Name:
Gordon"Pixie"Parkes
Email:
gordon.parkes@ntlworld.com
Webpage:
www.faasurvivalassociation.co.uk
Status:
A Casual Browser
Site looking good. A big thanks to your site and Denis for finding Ginge Kinkaid who we have looking for for a long time now. Ginge was Safety Equipment turned diver.If any of you guys are ex SE or know of any SE guys I can search for it would be appreciated as we started our Association 2 yrs ago and all are welcome to have a gander at the site.Its great when you can all meet up again after so many years.
Name:
Denis Woodhams
Email:
denis.woodhams@btconnect.com
Webpage:
www.arrowmill.com
Status:
Ex Aircrew SAR Diver
Diving course in January 1965, Plymouth, very cold ! Jumping course same year with Dave Airey as instructor, Johnny Margetts on same course. Sadly both these great guys no longer with us. Mostly Brawdy SAR, 814sqdn Victorious, some time at Yeovilton and Lossie and only two days at Culdrose. Now own a hotel in Warwickshire how about a divers get together ?
Name:
David (Ginge) Kincaid
Email:
danork@bigpond.net.au
Webpage:
Status:
Ex Aircrew SAR Diver
I did my SD course at Rosyth in February 1964. If you can call diving in a black iceberg fun, it was great. On to a Jumping course at Horsea and Portland then aircrew traing, No 3 RAUT Course also at Portland. I served with Centaur SAR Flight, Cldrose SAR and 814 Squadron in Victorious. Swaloowed the anchor in December 1966. Following 7 years with the old bill, we emigrated to Hamilton, New Zealand, then move on to Perth, Western Australia where we reamain. I should have a few photos that may be of some use, but I will have to sort them out. Keep up the good work Regards Dave Kincaid
Name:
Brian Pinnington
Email:
brianpinnington@hotmail.co.uk
Webpage:
Status:
Ex Aircrew SAR Diver
Great idea this site served 62-66 as sar diver got a few stories to tell keep in touch Brian
Name:
Rob Hoole
Status:
Ex Ships Diver
"I underwent my Ships' Diving Officer's course during the freezing January of 1975. Having swum endless lengths of the jackstays in Horsea Lake and performed ship's bottom searches up harbour in a leaky dry bag, it was no small consolation to be appointed as the Ships' Diving Officer of the Leander Class frigate HMS Minerva for an eight month deployment to the West Indies immediately afterwards.
This was long before the Belize upset so, each week, we hopped from one tropical paradise to another. After dragging our anchor on some coral early in the deployment, I was invariably the first off the ship to check that it had dug in properly. The photos were taken during a diving exped on Nevis, British West Indies. That's me in the centre with my hand on our rigid Flag Alpha. My log also records dips off: Bermuda; Andros Island, Freeport and Nassau in the Bahamas; Grand Turk; English Harbour in Antigua; South Caicos; Kingston, Jamaica; Puerto Cortes in Honduras; Cartagena in Colombia; Guadeloupe; Curacao; Tortola in the British Virgin Islands; and Pensacola in Florida but there were many other places where I just supervised.
We had no shortage of volunteers to dive with us under the old 'Exped Rules' and the 'booties' in our Royal Marines detachment were particularly enthusiastic. On one unfortunate occasion, our RM detachment capsized their Gemini inflatable dinghy while making an exercise assault on a beach in Montserrat. As a result, my team spent several hours looking for their lost weapons in the surf. We worked from a whaler anchored just offshore but the roiling surf made proper diving impossible so we ended up using snorkels. Lots of local children offered to assist us so we radioed the ship for 'goffers' (soft drinks) and 'nutty' (sweets and chocolate) to offer as rewards and then let them get on with it.
Such memories sustained me a couple of years later when, as a Minewarfare & Clearance Diving Officer in HMS Wilton, I found myself minehunting diving to a depth of 54 metres in zero visibility in the Thames Estuary or off Belgium or Holland. In those days, no Clearance Divers below CD2 level were allowed deeper than 42 metres so the onus was on the Coxswain (a PO(D)), our LS((D) and me to perform all the deeper dives.
What good memories it brings back. Regards, Rob Lt Cdr R J Hoole RN. Vice Chairman & Webmaster Minewarfare & Clearance Diving Officers' Association www.mcdoa.org.uk
Name:
Alan Paterson
Status:
Ex Ships Diver
I qualified as a "Ships Diver" whilst serving in HMS Troubridge in Malta in May 1965. Our 4 week course was run by a PO CD1 who's name escapes me. We used the facilities of what I think was termed as the Manoel Island Fleet Diving School ! I recall that day 1 was spent in the class room learning about SABA, (Swimmers Air Breathing Apparatus), Pulls & Bells (No its not a secret code for some sort of sub aqua personal gratification), and most importantly dry suits and suit inflation .
On the morning of day 2 they took us for a very shallow water dive to check most of what they told us had stayed in, and we weren't likely to throw a wobbly underwater - AND THEN on the afternoon of day 2 they laid a line across Sliema Creek, dressed us up in the full gear, exchanging fins for lead boots, and made us walk across the bottom of the creek, which in my case included falling down into the dredged channel, which in 1965 was still full of old WW2 landing craft and various other redundant small ships, awaiting their appointment with the cutters torch. Anyone who cracked their suit inflation and "popped to the top", was off the course.
The next four weeks consisted of running, swimming, lectures getting in & out of dry suits until you could get fully kitted out in the required 3 minutes, lectures and numerous ships bottom searches (many of them with blacked out face masks), seeking the elusive "Mk 1 Explosive Hop Leaf Bottle Mine", which had usually been hidden deep inside an Engine Room inlet, or worse still the forward heads outlet !
I think that the latest name in the RN is now "Military Diver" , and reading the official RN website, training techniques have thankfully appeared to have improved considerably in the last 40 years ! Once qualified, provided you managed to get 120 minutes logged every quarter (3 months), you qualified for SSP (D) at the rate of 4 shillings a day ! Which in today's money is about 20 pence !
I AM STILL DIVING ..but only as a PADI AOW recreational diver when on holiday, mainly in warmer climes, looking at the fish who are looking at me ! However as the big 60 looms ever nearer, I now follow 3 main rules. I DON'T DO DEEP - I DON'T DO DARK - AND I DEFINITELY DON'T DO COLD !
Regards to anyone who remembers me