TAS Days HMS Aisne by Alan Quartermaine
HMS AISNE. D22. Motto: ARMED I SEEK NO EMMITY.
By Alan Quartermaine
Having read Tom Galley s write-up, I have attempted to give some information I remember of my time on board, some 50 years ago. L.Sea A. Quartermaine
I returned from Foreign Service leave, having served on board Cossack and Jaseur Far East Station from 1950 to 53, and reported to RNB Chatham. In those days, as I remember, you reported to the Drafting Commander for your next draft. Etc. This was about June 53. He said: How would you like a draft to the Coastal Minesweepers based at Harwich? I said: Are there any ships in the dockyard? Drafting Commander said Corunna and Aisne , Corunna leaves the dockyard in October, Aisne in November, and so I said the Aisne. I joined and relieved PO Herbert who was going away to Vernon for a UWIs Course.
The CO was Cmdr Trechman, 1st Lt, LtCmdr Winn, TASO (Ops Room), Lt Curry, Gnr TAS, Mr Tindale, Coxn Persil Brown, C/GI Fras. Fraser, and later, PO Pettit in 1954. The C/GI organised craft and hobbies prior to the sea, and later organised a competition, of items in the Mess Deck below the Canteen Flat.
I was Killick of the aft mess, starboard side, mostly TAS rates. I think Tom Galley was a RP or Gunnery rate. Other members of the mess, as I can remember, were L/S Jolley UC, AB Hank Janson UC, AB Willis UW, L/S Jock Hawkins UW, L/S Pincher Martin RP (Cox MB), AB Allison UC Ex-Cossack, AB George Kemp, Ex-Cossack, AB Baker Ex-TS Arethusa, AB Moodie UC, whom I briefed on Commercial Asdics, as he was going outside to join Antarctic whaling ships on leaving the RN.
Jock Hawkins was to join the Police in Scotland, end of service. Other personnel I remember were Captain of the iron deck, PO Hemmings, L Sea Scott (Ex-FG crew). LS Ted Wade, PO Dixon i/c TAS Pty., Ord Sea Taylor, Chance and AB Spider Webb. These three lads were in the TAS party in the main tube sweepers. On board also were several National Service men: one I remember was Ord Sea Carlton, who was the son of some titles person up North (Yorkshire).
My Action Stations were the for d tubes and SQUID for Anti-Sub duties. AB Willis UW3 was SQUID Sweeper . I also did the occasional ACR duties, as I was a TD2 re-cat to UW2. In the early days of 52 on board Jaseur , I was i/c Asdics on board the Algerine sweeper. On Cossack ( 50/51) I worked on tinfish in harbour and A/S Watch Keeping at sea off the N/S Korean coast. All torpedoes were fitted with pistols in the warheads. Every 6 weeks a specific routine was carried on torpedoes. In November, the 4th DS did guard boat in the North Atlantic, while the Queen and the Duke flew over to Canada/Bermuda. As I remember, it was a Force 8 going out, and coming back to Londonderry to re-fuel, etc. Someone mentioned at the time that we were west of the Azores, and the Canadian destroyer Micmac was in the next area. On return, Aisne , secured in Londonderry, Barrosa tried to come alongside; but her bows came inboard just a few yards aft of the whaler, and carried on damaging other parts of the Starb side etc. going forward.
(Jan 54) After Christmas Leave, I was told by Mr Tindale Gnr TAS that our PO TAS had been kept in RNH at Chatham, and did not know when he would be back to the ship. I therefore had to take over the TAS party, as I was Senior Weapons Rate (1 badge Killick), prior to the HF Spring Cruise to the Gibraltar and the Med. I prepared two practice fish to fire off Portland, and this we did. It was rather cold in Jan 54, I remember. On arrival at Gib. With HF (Vanguard C in C), Med. Fleet ( Glasgow Lord Louis C in C), I was told to prepare for a full outfit firing: two were already prepared from Portland, and for the other 8, to remove Warhead and fit K9 Blowing Heads. Most of the days were at sea except for weekends in the Destroyer Pens, and so it was a matter of using this time to prepare both end of the tin fish as per the old BRs. During this period we had a visit to Casablanca with Captain D4 Agincourt . I had a fish to work on. The squadron TASO. Lt Cmdr Chapman (I think) saw Jock and I preparing one fish out of the aft torpedo tubes. He said L/Hand put that fish up the tubes and go ashore. (Make and Mend.) On board Captain D they had a Chief TASI Bungy Williams, of TAT fame Vernon (Torpedo Attack Teacher). I think Mr Crisp was the Senior GTAS.
I thought at this point in time in the Andrew that my job was the hardest in the RN a one-badge Killick in charge of ten tinfish, Killick of the Mess. I had some good shipmates in the Mess, as regards cooks in watches. I had a leading hand in each set of cooks, which made this task much easier. Numerous times I complained about the Hull/Fire Pump not operating correctly in the Mess to the D-O and Jimmy: shoes floating around at sea when men were in their hammocks. (Grand life, Lads!)
Summer Cruise. If I can remember, we visited Torquay, Aberdeen and Invergorden for various exercises; Scapa Flow and Helsinki with the new Daring Class Destroyer Diana . We did Bathy Dips all the way up the Baltic. I had to take all the slides over to the Diana s TASO. In Helsinki, we berthed near the central part of the city and the ship put on a firework display on the last evening of our visit. Our shipwright made a rocket launcher to hold several rockets. At about 2300 hours, our first salvo went out as per the book; but in the second salvo, some of the rockets went out, but some remained behind their rack thus the propellant ignited the boxes of other reloads on B Gun Deck. A large flash occurred, and two shipmates manning the launchers got severely burnt; and so we left Helsinki in the morning with the two lads in hospital. The CO s wife stayed behind, I understand. During the cruise we had a HF Regatta at either Invergordon or Scapa Flow. AISNE did very good: our seaman s whaler went aboard the Admiral s ship either Vanguard CinC or Jamaica FO Home Flotillas to receive our Silver Oars. This was the second one I had received when serving on board Gabbard 5th DF (48/49). We won the Cock of the Flotilla in 49. In 54 we did the usual Navy Days at Rosyth: the torpedo Depot provided us with the usual practice dummy fish. On the Saturday afternoon, the ship s writer came down and put a signal in my hand to attend the Examination Board for PO on Corunna on the Thursday at Portland (in 6 days time). First thing on the Monday morning prior to the ship leaving, I went to the Rigging shop with a carton of duty-frees (cigarettes) : they gave me a 3 ½ inch wire rope for a Bollard Strop, with a spare length if required. While at sea to Portland, the Killicks were firing questions at me from their seamanship manuals, etc. While waiting for the AISNE s motor boat to pick me up, the Corunna s Buffer said he would like my Bollard Strop. I said: Sorry Buffer, our Jimmy wants it. One time at Sheerness it was Clear the lower deck by the tubes . Our CO told us about the situation with our mates who got burnt at Helsinki, also AFO s red. Discharge by Purchase, and Married Quarters. Later I had a draft to Vernon for a UQI course, then to Royal Arthur for the usual 6 weeks leave and back to RNB (C).
In the mid-1960 s, while on FOST staff at Portland, I assisted the AISNE on work up: she had been modified for Radar Picket. The first Lt. was LtCmdr Kirk, who served on the Cockade when I was on Cossack (1950/51-ish); we were both leading Seamen TD2s. The TAS Branch changed in 53 to UWs and UC (more specialisation for Weapons or Control, as opposed to Torpedo and Detection, 1946 to 52).