HMS Somerset blog

The Commanding Officer of HMS Somerset, a type 23 Frigate, has 'made waves' (forgive the pun) by becoming the first CO to write a blog.

The blog can be found at http://hms-somerset-co.blogspot.com

Reading this blog brought back a lot of memories. I particularly like this post which highlights one of the many tricks that are played on new recruits. I'm trying to recall but I don't think I was gullible enough to fall for any of them. It didn't stop them trying though. Like the first week on my first ship when I was presented with an electricity bill for my bunk light. And my first trip to Gibralter when there was a pipe (tannoy announcements) that foreign money changing was now open. It was amazing to see the line forming outside the onboard post office for changing Pounds to Gibraltar Giberoons!

Some of the pipes were pretty funny too.. like 'OM Thalidimide to the Small Arms Store'. You probably couldn't get away with that these days. I hear the Navy is becoming as PC as civvy street. I blame the Labour government...

The truth emerges

I've just watched the news conference given by the returned sailors and I'm riled to say the least. Not from what the sailors said but from the reaction of some idiots on forums and some newspaper columnists in the papers today. I think people have been watching too many Hollywood war movies. I'd like to see how they'd fare if they were captured, kept in solitary confinement and told they might spend 7 years in an Iranian prison.

It's clear now that their appearances on TV in Iran was heavily manipulated and edited. In my view, and the view of of people like John Nicol who have actually been captured and tortured, they did exactly what they should have done. Even the SAS will tell you that the Name, Rank, Number line that you're supposed to take is useless when you're in the hands of people who don't consider themselves bound by the Geneva Convention. They didn't give out any intelligence or operational information, and they're supposed apologies were edited and taken out of context by the Iranian propaganda machine. No they weren't tortured, but those who have been through torture say that the psychological pressure can be just as bad as physical torture.

I hope those sad little columnists in the papers, who have never served a single day in the armed forces, are thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

Diplomacy works!

Thank god we're not Americans. If it was yank sailors that had been arrested by the Iranians they would have either fired back, in which case they would have all been shot due to being heavily outnumbered, or Bush would have taken a hard line, in which case it could have led to another war and the sailors would never be seen again.

UK sailors captured at Gunpoint

I can't believe that Iranian forces have captured Royal Navy sailors again.

I sailed through Iranian waters a few times myself during my years as a matelot, and tension always rose because of the number of Iranian FPB's (Fast Patrol Boats) that came close to us. We always had to close to a high state of readiness whenever we went through the Straits of Hormuz on our way round to the Arabian Gulf.

This time it sounds even worse because if the reports are correct, the boarding team were in Iraqi territorial waters at the time, not Iranian. I can't believe we let them get away with it. I know it may be out of proportion to potentially start a major international incident that could lead to war on the back of this, but what is the 4.5 inch gun on HMS Cornwall for!