DID YOU KNOW?  

SUBSAFE - CHIEF STOKERS LOG

This weeks edition of The Chief Stokers Log - 26th March 2017 - is now available online at this link.

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CALL THE HANDS NEWSLETTER ..... pdf

Attached is Call The Hands, the Naval Historical Society’s monthly newsletter.

I hope you find it of interest.

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DURING THE COLD WAR ...  pdf

For those who may be interested, please see attached an extract from the Popular Mechanics website.

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NEW RUSSIAN SUB

Attached is a  “link” to an article about the latest Russian Sub which has just been launched.

Not sure how it will compare to R.N. or Yankee Subs.

http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/russia-launches-most-powerful-nuclear-attack-submarine-yet/ar-BBznlEf?ocid=spartandhp

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WW2 - Scrap Metal.

Some interesting photographs and descriptions thereof.

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Pleural Plaques, Asbestosis & Mesothelioma

LEST WE FORGET SCULPTURE ....... pdf

"Lest We Forget: The Mission."

DEFENCE AND VETERANS POLITICAL PARTY

For your information ........ www.advp.org.au

BARFOOT & HIS FLAG ..... pdf

The reason why he wouldn't remove his flag pole.

EMUs ......... pdf

New book "Too Bold to Die" contains the story of the Brave Emu, 'gets the bloody job done'.

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Voluntary Work ..... pdf

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Indonesian Confrontation ...pdf.

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"Above and Beyond" 

 

When visitors first enter the museum, they will hear a sound like wind chimes coming from above them and their attention will be drawn upward 24 feet to the ceiling of the two-story high atrium.

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The Old R.A.N. .... 1911 - 1961 .... pdf

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R.A.N. Beach Commandos ..... pdf

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Lots of Navy Photos ..... link

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Free Gym Membership  

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Latest CPR Chest Compression Techniques 

AIRFIELD UNDER THE SEA  ...... PDF 

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THE MAN O'WAR STEPS .... PDF

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The Last Tot .... pdf

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New AWE Destroyers ..... pdf

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Harry de Wheels Cafe ....pdf 

A little bit of history for those that don't know.

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The first public performance is thought to have been given in Sydney on November 30th (St Andrew's Day), 1878 at the St Andrew's Day concert of the Highland Society. The singer was a Mr Andrew Fairfax.

The song was later published by W.J. Paling and Company.

It was also sung by a choir of 10,000 at the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia (1 January 1901), with a few amendments by McCormick including the addition of the words "our youthful Commonwealth".

In 1907, the Australian Government - the Commonwealth Government of Australia - awarded McCormick £100 for his composition.

McCormick died in 1916. His obituary in The Sydney Morning Herald stated prophetically:

Mr. McCormick established a reputation with the patriotic song, "Advance Australia Fair", which [...] has come to be recognised as something in the nature of an Australian National Anthem.

The copyright on Advance Australia Fair ended in 1966, fifty years after McCormick's death.

The Australian Labor Party policy for the 1972 elections included finding an alternative to God Save the Queen. The ALP won office in that election, and the Whitlam government (1972-75) announced in the Prime Minister's 1973 Australia Day address that a competition would be held under the auspices of the Australia Council for the Arts to find a new Australian national anthem.

Although a large number of submissions were received (2,500 lyric and 1,400 music entries), none were considered acceptable.

The judges recommended that one of three existing Australian songs - Advance Australia Fair, Banjo Patterson's Waltzing Matilda or Carl Linger's Song of Australia - be selected.

On April 8th, 1974, opinion polls were held by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the government announced that henceforth Advance Australia Fair was to be Australia's anthem, but with God Save The Queen to be played when (British) royalty was present.

The Whitlam government was dismissed by the Governor-General (Sir John Kerr) on November 11, 1975, and was replaced by the Fraser (Liberal) government (1975-1983).

In January 1976, the Fraser government modified the rules governing the national anthem. Advance Australia Fair was to be used, without words, on non-regal occasions, and God save the Queen was to be used on all royal, vice-regal, defence, and loyal toast occasions.

The Fraser Government held a plebiscite, the National Song Poll, on 21 May 1977.

The results were: (from http://www.ausflag.com.au/debate/amr/amr23.html):

COAL DRIVEN POWER STATIONS & CO2  --- pdf 

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The Japanese code was broken by Lt Eric Neave (Australian Navy)
When the poms realised his potential they took him to England to work for them.  Neave became sick (tropical desease). Neave was sent back to Oz to recover.   Neave, then worked with the yanks at their intelligence HQ in Brisbane.
Neave travelled with General Macarthur.  The yanks never mentioned Neave's code breaking records.  They took all the credit
See true story in the book titled 'A Man of Intelligence'  the life story of Lt Neave.
The book is written by Ian Pfennigwerth who lives here at Nelson Bay.  Ian is ex RAN

Somethin' for the Navy and Marines to watch.

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Refugees and Pensions

Office of Chris Bowen

There has been a recent E-mail misinformation campaign which is targeting refugees and Age-pensioners. 
The baseless claims suggest that refugees in Australia receive significantly more financial support than Age pensioners. 
Nothing could be further from the truth. 
Refugees in Australia do not receive higher rates of payment than Age-pensioners.  In fact, there are no separate rates of payment for refugees, and they are not eligible for more assistance from Centrelink than any other customer. 
As with any Centrelink customer, the rates of payment available to a refugee depend on individual circumstances. 
A refugee who qualifies for Age pension would receive exactly the same rate as an Australian citizen whose income, assetts, and relationship circumstances were the same.
 
Office of Chris Bowen
Minister for Financial Services
Superannuation and Corporate Law
Minister for Human Services 

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Regarding Our National Anthem

I am sorry, but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Arabic - enough is enough. No where or at no other time in our nation's history, did they sing it in Italian, Japanese, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German, Portuguese, Greek, or any other language because of immigration. It was written in English, and should be sung word for word the way it was written.
The news broadcasts even gave the translation -- not even close.
I am not sorry if this offends anyone, this is MY COUNTRY - IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP ---- please pass this along

I am not against immigration -- just come through like everyone else. Get a sponsor; have a place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the rules AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past -- and LONG LIVE Australia!

PART OF THE PROBLEM. Think about this: If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone-----YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM !!!!

Will we still be the Country of Choice and still be Australia if we continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other countries who have come to live in Australia because it is the Country of Choice??????
Think about it!

IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT.

It is Time for Australia to Speak up.
If you agree -- pass this along; if you don't agree -- delete it!

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WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR PARTNER WHEN YOU DIE - MUST READ 

What Happens to Your Partner When You Die. pdf  

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THE PETRODOLLAR - SCAM OR NOT.

Worth a read, can make you think and time will tell. 

Petrodollar.pdf 

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CLIMATE CHANGE, MAN'S FOLLY OR NOT.

An interesting alternative view on climate change, makes you stop and think: [click on the link to read the article]

 http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/johncoleman.asp 

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Kitchen Fires

This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how to deal with a common kitchen fire ... oil in a frying pan. Read the following introduction, then watch the show ... It's a real eye-opener! At the Fire Fighting Training school they would demonstrate this with a deep fat fryer set on the fire field. An instructor would don a fire suit and using an 8 oz cup at the end of a10 foot pole toss water onto the grease fire. The results got the attention of the students.

The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom where it  instantly becomes superheated. The explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out. On the open field, it became a thirty foot high  fireball that resembled a nuclear blast. Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fire  ball hits the ceiling and fills the entire room.

Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire. One cup creates the explosive force of two sticks of dynamite. This is a powerful  message----watch the video and don't forget what you see. Tell your whole  family about this video. Or better yet, send this to them.

clip 

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EARTHQUAKE SURVIVAL

Boy! Is this ever an eye opener. I can remember in school being told to, 'duck and cover' or stand in a doorway during an earthquake. This guy's findings is absolutely amazing. I hope we all remember his survival method if we are ever in an earthquake!!!

Please read this and pass the info along to your family members; it could save their lives someday!

EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE: 'TRIANGLE OF LIFE'

My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake.

I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries.. 

I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for
simultaneous disasters.

The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every child
was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide under something.

Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a
space or void next to them. This space is what I call the 'triangle of life'. The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the
object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next
time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the 'triangles' you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.

TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY

1) Most everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the foetal position. You should too in an earthquake.. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.

3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.

4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a
much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on The back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.

5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.

6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!

7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different 'moment of frequency' (they swing separately from the main part of the building).
The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get
on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads - horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the
stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.


8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than
the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be
blocked.

9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway.. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.

10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact.
Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.

Spread the word and save someone's life... The Entire world is experiencing natural calamities so be prepared!

'We are but angels with one wing, it takes two to fly'

In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul , University of
Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical, scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten mannequins did 'duck and cover,' and ten mannequins I used in my 'triangle of life' survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film and document the results. The film, in which I practiced my survival techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions , relevant to building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and cover.

There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people using my method of the 'triangle of life.' This film has been seen by millions
of viewers on television in Turkey and the rest of Europe , and it was seen in the USA , Canada and Latin America on the TV program Real TV

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HOTEL KEY CARDS

This is pretty good info.  Never even thought about key cards containing anything other than an access code for the room!
Ever wonder what is on your magnetic key card?

Answer:
a. Customer's name
b. Customer's partial home address
c. Hotel room number
d. Check-in date and out dates
e. Customer's credit card number and expiration date!

When you turn them in to the front desk your personal information is there for any employee to access by simply scanning the card in the hotel scanner an employee can take a hand full of cards home and using a scanning device, access the information onto a laptop computer and go shopping at your expense.

Simply put, hotels do not erase the information on these cards until an employee reissues the card to the next hotel guest.
At that time, the new guest's information is electronically "overwritten" on the card and the previous guest's information is erased in the overwriting process.

But until the card is rewritten for the next guest, it usually is kept in a drawer at the front desk with YOUR INFORMATION ON IT!

The bottom line is: Keep the cards, take them home with you, or destroy them. NEVER leave them behind in the room or room wastebasket, and NEVER turn them into the front desk when you check out of a room. They will not charge you for the card (it's illegal) and you'll be sure you are not leaving a lot of valuable personal information on it that could be easily lifted off with any simple scanning device card reader.

For the same reason, if you arrive at the airport and discover you still have the card key in your pocket, do not toss it in an airport trash basket.  Take it home and destroy it by cutting it up, especially through the electronic information strip!

Or, if you have a small magnet, pass it across the magnetic strip several times. Then try it in the door, it will not work.  It erases everything on the card.

Courtesy of C.M. 

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For a long time the RSL has endeavoured to have the word ‘ANZAC’ capitalised to demonstrate in a small way that we honour and respect the memory or the original ANZAC’s.

After a motion 9.2.12 of the 1990 National Congress is was completed. Following discussion with the Minister’s Office, it was agreed that the word ANZAC should be capitalised. Accordingly, this change was communicated by the Australian Government Publishing Service through its issue Stylewise. This publication is circulated throughout Australia and advises any changes in Commonwealth standards.

Capitalising the word ANZAC preserves the unique heritage embodied in the word ANZAC and, out of respect for that tradition and New Zealand partnership, it is most important that we maintain the acronym as it was originally contrived – all in capitals. Capitalising ANZAC in this manner is one small way we can honour and respect the memory of the original ANZAC's.

Please be advised that we should encourage all those who use the word to recognise its significant heritage value and always use the word in

Courtesy of G.T. & The Buzz

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Mosquito Spray?????!!!!!! 

 
I was at a deck party awhile back, and the bugs were having a ball biting everyone. A man at the party sprayed the lawn and deck floor with Listerine, and the little demons disappeared. 
 
The next year I filled a 4-ounce spray bottle and used it around my seat whenever I saw mosquitoes. And voila! That worked as well. It worked at a picnic where we sprayed the area around the food table, the children's swing area, and the standing water nearby. 
 
OUR FRIEND'S COMMENTS: 
I tried this on my deck and around all of my doors. It works - in fact, it  killed them instantly. I bought my bottle from Target and it cost me $1.89. It really doesn't take much, and it is a big bottle, too; so it is not as 
expensive to use as the can of spray you buy that doesn't last 30 minutes. So, try this, please. It will last a couple of days. Don't spray directly on a wood door (like your front door), but spray around the frame. Spray around the window frames, and even inside the dog house. 

Don't know if it works or not, but at least you can use it to wash out your mouth if it doesn't!

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When Veterans Retire

When a good Veteran leaves the "job" and retires to a better life, many are jealous, some are pleased and yet others, who may have already retired, wonder.  We wonder if he knows what they are leaving behind, because we already know.  We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie that few experience, it will remain as a longing for those past times. We know in the Military life there is a fellowship which lasts long after the uniforms are hung up in the back of the closet.  We know even if he throws them away, they will be on him with every step and breath that remains in his life.  We also know how the very bearing of the man speaks of what he was and in his heart still is.

These are the burdens of the job. You will still look at people suspiciously, still see what others do not see or choose to ignore and always will look at the rest of the Military world with a respect for what they do; only grown in a lifetime of knowing.  Never think for one moment you are escaping from that life.  You are only escaping the "job" and merely being allowed to leave "active" duty.

So what I wish for you is that whenever you ease into retirement, in your heart you never forget for one moment that "Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called children of God," and you are still a member of the greatest fraternity the world has ever known.  

Civilian Friends  vs. Veteran Friends

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Get upset if you're too busy to talk to them for a week.

VETERAN FRIENDS: Are glad to see you after years, and will happily carry on the same conversation you were 
                                        having the last time you met.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.

VETERAN FRIENDS: Have cried with you.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.

VETERAN FRIENDS: Keep your stuff so long they forget it's yours.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.

VETERAN FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.

VETERAN FRIENDS: Will kick the crowds' ass that left you behind.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Are for a while.

VETERAN FRIENDS: Are for life.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have shared a few experiences...

VETERAN FRIENDS: Have shared a lifetime of experiences No citizen could ever dream of...

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you've had enough.

VETERAN FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say,

"You better drink the rest of that before you spill it!!" Then carry you home safely and put you to bed...

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will talk crap to the person who talks crap about you.

 VETERAN FRIENDS: Will knock the hell out of them..... For using your name in vain.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will ignore this.

VETERAN FRIENDS: Will forward this.

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You cover your medals, not your heart

 When you place your right had over the left side of your chest to honour the fallen, you are not placing it over your heart – you are covering your medals, in a gesture which owes its origin to the ceremony in London’s Whitehall on Armistice Day, 1920, to unveil the Cenotaph.  

A funeral procession accompanying the remains of the Unknown Soldier, which had arrived from France the previous day, was to march past the Cenotaph, then proceed to Westminster Abbey.  

The regimental sergeant major of the Guards regiment conducting the ceremony decreed that all would salute the Cenotaph as they marched past be placing their hands over their medals.  

“No matter what honours we may have been awarded, they are a nothing compared with the honour due to those who paid the supreme sacrifice”, he said.  

The RSL maintains that tradition to honour the dead by placing the right hand over medals – not the heart – during a march past at a ceremonial occasions or at a wreath-laying ceremony.

Courtesy of G.T. 

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The author of “The Ode”  

What has become universally known among ex-service families as “The Ode” is one verse of the poem, For the fallen  by Laurence Binyon, who served in World War I as a stretcher bearer and whose experiences move him to write his poem.  

It is believed that he was so dissatisfied with the finished work he screwed up the paper on which it was written and threw it in the direction of the waste-paper basket.  Fortunately for us, he missed; and Mrs. Binyon, a poet in her own right, discovering the crumpled paper, smoothed it out and recognized its merit.  

It was published; and that one verse, which expressed so eloquently the feelings of all who had lost comrades or loved one in war, eventually became “The Ode” which is recited countless times every year wherever and whenever we gather to remember those who laid down their lives:-  

They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn*.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.  

Laurence Binyon was born in 1869.  He was keeper of prints and drawings in the British Museum and was a noted authority on many branches of art, particularly Chinese paintings.  He published many volumes of poetry, the first of which, Lyric Poems, appeared in 1894.  He also wrote some plays.  His major work of scholarship was his translation of Dante’s Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy).  He died in 1944.  

*According to scholars, the work in Binyon’s original poem was contemn, a now very rarely used word meaning “despise, scorn, disdain, hold cheap or unworthy”; but whether it was the author or those who were unfamiliar with the word who changed it to condemn is by no means clear. By common usage, contemn has been replaced by condemn –“Blame, censure, reprove’ – which is the word generally favoured by those who recite the Ode; but not without some strong objection from traditionalists.

Courtesy of G.T. 

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The Men of the Cenotaph  

Particularly on Remembrance Day, 11^th November and ANZAC Day, 25^th April, as well as other special days of commemoration,
thousands of people visit the Cenotaph in Sydney ’s Martin Place .  

Wreaths are laid and we bow our heads as we remember the fallen;  but how many look closely at the two bronze figures – the soldier
facing east and the sailor facing west?  These fine statues are not expressions of the artist’s imagination;  a real sailor and soldier
were used as models by the famous sculptor, Sir (Edgar) Bertram Mackennal (1863 – 1931).  

The sailor was Leading Signalman John William Vercoe, RAN, dressed in the rig and equipment for fighting ashore.  The two inverted chevrons on his arm represent eight years of good conduct. Born at Bakers Swamp , NSW on 20^th July, 1897, he was educated at
Dubbo Public School .  He enlisted in the Navy in 1913, served on HMAS Pioneer and HMAS Parramatta during World War I and was
awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) in 1918,  He died, aged 51, in 1948.  

The soldier was Private William Derby (Regimental Number 6) of the 15^th Infantry Battalion and later the 4^th Field Ambulance, AIF. 
Born in 1870, he served throughout World War I and died in Brisbane in 1936.  The sculptor chose him for his fine physique and military bearing and, it is said, “the stern, warrior-like cut of his face”.  

Sir Bertram Mackennal’s many great works include the Shakespeare Memorial in Sydney ;  “Circe” in the national Gallery, Melbourne;
King George V in Canberra ;  King Edward VII’s memorial tomb at Windsor , England ;  and “Diana Wounded” in the National Gallery or
British Art.  He was the first artist form the dominions to be elected an Associate of the Royal Academy .

Courtesy of G.T.

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WHY I LOVE THE NAVY  

I like standing on the bridge wing at sunrise with salt spray in my face and clean ocean winds whipping in from the four corner of the globe,
the ship beneath me feeling like a living thing as her engines drive her through the sea.  

I like the sound of the Navy the piercing trill of the boatswains call the syncopated clang of the ship’s bell the harsh squawk of the main broadcast and the strong language and laughter of sailors at work.  

I like navy vessels, nervous darting destroyers, plodding fleet auxiliaries, sleek submarines and steady solid carriers.  

I like the proud names of navy ships Australia , Melbourne, Sydney.  

I like the lean angular names of navy destroyers Anzac, Vampire, Vendetta, Voyager.  

I like the tempo of the navy band blaring through the upper deck speakers as we pull away from the tanker after refueling at sea.  

I like the pipe “libertymen fall in” and the spicy scent of a foreign port.  

I like sailors, men from all parts of the land, from city and country alike and all walks of life; I trust and depend on them and they trust
and depend on me, for professional competence, comradeship and courage.  In a word they are shipmates.  

l like the surge of adventure in my heart when the word is passed “ Special Sea dutymen close up”.  

I like the infectious thrill of sighting home again, the waving hands of welcome from family and friends.  The work is hard and dangerous,
the going rough at times, the parting from loved ones painful, but the companionship of robust navy laughter, the all for one and one for
all philosophy of the sea is ever present.  

I like the security of the sea after a day of hard ships work, the beer issue, watching flying fish flit across the wave tops as sunset gives
 way to night.  

I like the feel of the navy in darkness, the masthead lights, the red and green navigation lights and the pulsating phosphorescence of radar screens.  

I like drifting off the sleep, lulled by the myriad noises large and small, that tell me that my ship is alive and well, and that my shipmates
on watch will keep me safe.  

I like quiet middle watches with the aroma of kai on a winter night.  

I like hectic watches when the exacting minuet of haze grey shapes racing at full speed keeps all hands on a razor edge of alertness.  

I like the sudden electricity of “Action Stations”, followed by the hurried clamour of running feet on ladders and the resounding thump of watertight doors and hatches as the ship transforms herself from a peaceful workplace to a weapon of war ready for anything.  

I like the sight of space age equipment manned by youngsters clad in No. 8’s, and sound powered phones that their grandfathers would still recognize.  

I like the traditions of the navy, the men who made them, and the heroism of the men who sailed in the ships of yesteryear.  An adolescent
can find adulthood.  

In years to come when sailors are home from the sea they will still remember with fondness and respect the ocean in all its moods, the impossible shimmering mirror of calm, and the stern tossed green water surging over the bow; and then there will come again a faint whiff of stack gas, a faint echo of engine and rudder orders, a vision of the bright bunting of signal flags snapping at the yardarm, a refrain of healthy laughter.  

Gone ashore for good, they will grow wistful about their navy days, when the seas belonged to them and a new port of call was ever over the horizon.  Remembering this, they will stand taller and say:  

I WAS A SAILOR ONCE, I WAS PART OF THE NAVY AND THE NAVY WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF ME.  THAT’S WHY I LOVE THE NAVY.

Courtesy of G.T.

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