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I Served
On-Board HMS Fearless when she hit the Gehardt
10:50 on Thursday 29th
September 1983.
By Tony Lang |
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Click on the pictures to enlarge. |
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 When asked “ And what do you do” I generally say “I’m
in IT, Engineering” boring I know. The questioner then usually makes an
attempt to chat about computers but I respond with technical drivel and then
they wonder off in search of more interesting conversation… Civvies.
I remember the days when asked “And what do you do” I
would answer arrogantly “I am a Royal Marine” whilst pushing past them for the
bar or to ogle the talent on the dance floor. Pre 15 Aug 1998. my 40th B'day
which marked the end of 24 years service as a Royal Marines Commando.
Funny how I assume most civvies would not even understand
what I’ve seen or done, and suppose I took the time to enlighten them they
often think me arrogant or a damn fabricator because such things could not and
do not happen in the real world, TV and films yeah maybe but not in the UK…
So my memories and photographs (salvaged from two
divorces) remain for the eyes and ears of those who are close enough to care.
Shame because I had a great time, at least these are the memories I share. The
bad ones remain, for the time being at least, locked within, still raw,
choking, and surprisingly personal.
The Fearless though was a good time of adrenaline at work
and boyish humour and pranks when stood down, afloat and ashore with the
Assault Squadron mixed with feelings of loneliness and longing for my wife and
young children who I would only see during leave periods between 3 month
deployments and longer…
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 December 82 saw quick Pre-Embarkation
Training (PET) and a re-acquaintance with the run ashore at Poole Last tasted
in 78 on NP8901’s PET (Another story). I recall completing Navy
Communications training at HMS MERCURY at Petersfield. The Cpl’s
were Me, Dave Trevelion, & Bill Reid, the Mne’s were Dave Knowles, Paul
Needham, Dick Thurley, Burt Lindsay and a couple of others. I recall a night
in the NAAFI club enjoying the many traditions of Naval Hospitality and of
course this was a training camp for WREN RO’s.
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 After many beers the club was closed by the duty
Regulating Leading Hand and we proceeded to leave in a group of us Cpl’s and a
couple of females who had enjoyed our company, On the way out of the Building
we were confronted by a PO & CPO Wren who ensured the trainee Wrens did not
follow us to our accommodation. We struck up a slurred conversation with them
until the subject of Wren’s and Webbing came up, where by Dave ripped the
CPO’s Skirt from her knees to her ears (to the surprise of us all) to reveal
all Pusser had to offer. Her Screams of blue murder and rape! Set us in
flight round a corner where we bumped into the Duty entourage of Lt, CPO & PO
RN, we did not stop until we were at our bunks, which we instantly dove into,
boots and all. We were followed by all and sundry, wheezing from the
chase with torches blearing looking for moustached males.
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 The following day we were escorted from the camp only
being allowed back once a WO2 RM (Ginge Luckman) from RM Poole had read us the
riot act and volunteered us for the APWT on Saturday as punishment. For the
remainder of our time at HMS MERCURY we were escorted and sent back to Poole for the
weekends. This started a trend for our tour.
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Once on-board and as part of the 4th Assault
Squadron RM we had many memorable run’s ashore in many countries, notably
Hamburg, Copenhagen, Den Helder, Sweden through the locks in LCU’s, Norway and
all around the Med, Gib etc. Interspersed with ships routine, chipping &
painting, up-channel nights, and exercising with the midshipmen, embarked
forces from the Corps and some Pongo tanks, and arms sales marketing seminars
and shows. All of which hold their own memories of comradeship, daring feats,
and drunkenness. |
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 One particularly memorable event occurred of Portland
during the ships company beat up and whilst taking part in one of the famous
war days exercise for those who know these things it was the Thursday War...
I was the mess deck Cpl of 2C2 it was a normal day for
the RM Detachment not really involved in the morning activities which was
putting the Midshipmen through their paces before we all went into the “Action
Station” sometime in the afternoon. So the mess deck dodgers left tidying up
and collecting the beer ration, the tannoy system was in full swing blurting
out instructions for the Middies exercise, I was on my own in 3C heads doing
my Dhobi, all five sinks on the forward bulkhead for washing and all the sinks
on the aft bulkhead for rinsing. So picture me in shorts and flip-flops
chucking wet clothes from sink to
 sink to sink to bucket (we’ve all been
there) when a ships alarm (Claxton) goes off followed by the pipe “All Hands
To Emergency Stations.” And then silence, just another drill? The ship started
bucking and vibrating as the engines were thrown into reverse (I later found
out) the next instant I was lifted up given a Glasweigen Kiss by the forward
bulkhead thrown to the deck and all my dhobi and contents of the sinks were
thrown over me. The tannoy system then went wild spewing out instructions
and calling for all hands to emergency stations once more all other ranks to
report on the Flight Deck. The time was 10:50 on Thursday 29th
September 1983.
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 When I arrived on the flight deck wet but with my combat
jacket, life jacked KFS and mug. I was greeted by a milling ships crew
pointing wildly in the heavy fog at a German Bulk Freighter Gerhardt bobbing
in the water to our Port side with her guts hanging out. All the commotion
was because we had rammed into her and almost cut her in two. No one was
seriously hurt other than pride. I do recall the RM Band striking up a tune on
the flight deck similar to epic disaster movies depicting stricken ships, but
these were of the OOM PA PA, version. The lower decks thought this incredibly
funny of course the wardroom saw it in a different light as the Court Martial
showed.The story goes like this… It was foggy and we had
drifted away from the training area and into the commercial shipping lanes,
Capt Trussle had popped off the bridge for a moment. The first pass of our
circle went to the front of the Gerhardt and aroused the forward lookout who
warned the bridge, course was adjusted by us and them and our next pass we
were at the rear of the Gerhardt, I can only assume some more adjusting of
course was calculated and complied with until the forward lookout banged on
the bridge window screaming and pointing, shortly before we collided.
Needles to say in true military fashion, Fearless was
repaired professionally – the hole was filled with concrete and several plates
of steel welded over the thing. Luckily the ability to flood the dock to
capacity and beyond enabled us to lift the bow sufficiently to make it back to
Portland. Within 2 weeks we were re-supplied and steaming at full 18Knotts
for bound for Beirut where we stayed on station through Christmas and New
Year. Visiting the shore on public business on behalf of the peace keeping
force and later on a “Mission” for 2 LCU’s the delivery of some SNEG Missiles
to a lonely disused jetty to a bunch of “Yassah Arrafat’s Rag Heads” by Royal
armed to the teeth. I also recall that OCASRM confidently stepped on to the
jetty only to find after a few steps that the planks were rotten right
through… Another story.
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I left the Ship in Sept 1984 to successfully complete a
SCC and on promotion to 3 Cdo Bde HQ & Sig Sqn RM. |
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