Dave Skinner

HMS YARMOUTH

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Dave Skinner

I joined F101 at John Browns Yard and enjoyed the delights in Glasgow. We did propeller noise level tests up and down a beautiful loch and I remember the water was like glass. My training on asdics in Vernon was on a war time set and 170 so for UC's Yarmouths 177 was a relearning process with the help of 'boffins'. Work-up at Portland in foul weather was a lot of fun but then there was the visit to Yarmouth, again in bad weather. Never mind, we enjoyed a free visit to the Garibaldi theatre to see Tommy Trinder! Christmas 1960 was spent in the sun at Colombo, Ceylon and the New Year in Singapore. It was about this time all 12 torpedo tubes were removed. (less brass to clean) The Far East was a good run with a few unexpected weeks off Kuwait thrown in when we were sent to support the Army at a bombardment anchorage. Fortunately it blew over without incident but most of us suffered with 'prickly heat'. The treatment then was to paint the rash with Gentian Violet so we looked a bit like 'purple people eaters'. (you have to be getting on to remember that song). Of course there was no air conditioning in any of the messdecks only the ops room. Had anyone heard of comfort for ships co. then, I don't think so. Anyway we borrowed an old brass fan from Bulwark which just ticked over and did nothing for stale air in the aft. seamans mess. We all slept on the upper deck and watched Clarke Gable movies thrown on a flapping hammock sheet. With a can or two from the NAAFI shop and a packet of fags, who cares, we were young and life was great.