Rocking and Rolling
Looking aft over the port quarter of HMS Stubbington (M1204), a Ton-class minesweeper in the Royal Navy's Fishery Protection Squadron.
I took this shot whilst we were sailing north-east from Guersney towards Portsmouth, enduring a large quartering sea for most of the day from what at its peak was a Force 10 gale.
Being aboard such a small vessel (46.3m long, 8.5m beam and 2.4m draught, displacing 440 tons), the storm would have been exciting enough, but the reason we were in it in the first place was that we were in a race to reach the only available replacement engine as one of ours had already broken, and another Ton was also seeking the replacement. We got there first...
I recently discovered that in the journal I was required to keep at that time I made several entries about this voyage: our heaviest roll was up to 60˚. I can't remember the detail, but I think this probably occurred during the first change of helmsman, when the new man was not prepared for the impacts the ship was taking and we almost broached before the situation was recovered.
I also noted that at one point most of the ship's company were sitting on the deck in the wardroom flat (main deck level), all with their lifejackets and once-only survival suits to hand... Not sure whether this was a commentary on the decision to sail in the first place, their mate's bad driving, or genuine concern about whether we'd make it, but they were there for quite a while.
This photo was taken later in the trip when the weather was beginning to abate somewhat. On the stern can be seen an oropesa float and a couple of danbuoy reflectors, standard elements for our military role of minesweeper.
Rocking and Rolling
Looking aft over the port quarter of HMS Stubbington (M1204), a Ton-class minesweeper in the Royal Navy's Fishery Protection Squadron.
I took this shot whilst we were sailing north-east from Guersney towards Portsmouth, enduring a large quartering sea for most of the day from what at its peak was a Force 10 gale.
Being aboard such a small vessel (46.3m long, 8.5m beam and 2.4m draught, displacing 440 tons), the storm would have been exciting enough, but the reason we were in it in the first place was that we were in a race to reach the only available replacement engine as one of ours had already broken, and another Ton was also seeking the replacement. We got there first...
I recently discovered that in the journal I was required to keep at that time I made several entries about this voyage: our heaviest roll was up to 60˚. I can't remember the detail, but I think this probably occurred during the first change of helmsman, when the new man was not prepared for the impacts the ship was taking and we almost broached before the situation was recovered.
I also noted that at one point most of the ship's company were sitting on the deck in the wardroom flat (main deck level), all with their lifejackets and once-only survival suits to hand... Not sure whether this was a commentary on the decision to sail in the first place, their mate's bad driving, or genuine concern about whether we'd make it, but they were there for quite a while.
This photo was taken later in the trip when the weather was beginning to abate somewhat. On the stern can be seen an oropesa float and a couple of danbuoy reflectors, standard elements for our military role of minesweeper.