Guys,
I've held off posting to this thread for a bit, as I wanted to wait until more issues were raised and useful points made, especially by people with operational experience like Mogwi. However, as a participant in 1982 (I was the Deputy Air Engineer Officer on 820 Squadron in Invincible) I think I can add a couple of observations that people might find mildly interesting.
It quickly became known that CO Hermes was not an easy person to serve under. By the way, that doesn't mean he was necessarily a bad operational CO. But, and it's important, ships work better when they're 'happy'. Anyone who has served in the RN at sea will know the difference between a 'happy' ship and an 'unhappy' one. It's complicated, but (in my view) it boils down to whether people do what's required because they want to (happy ship), or because they've been told to do it (unhappy ship). Hermes was, from what we were hearing on Invincible, an unhappy ship. Invincible was an extremely happy one. I'd caveat that remark by saying that inter ship rivalry was (and I'd bet still is) very common, and you often got rumours going round about 'what Captain X said' or similar. However, I did have first hand experience of how CO Hermes did his business, which I can now share here. I apologise for this 'dit' not being shorter.
It actually was a dark and stormy night (around 0200 I think) in May when a Sea King from 826 Squadron on Hermes suddenly arrived on our flight deck, requesting an AEO come out and look at a problem. I was on duty, and it didn't take long to establish that the aircraft (which was still rotors running) had serious issues with both engines, No.1 in particular showing no oil pressure. There was also a strong smell of burning oil in the cabin. My (easy) decision was that No. 1 engine was shot and the aircraft was U/S. Hermes was around 70 miles away and opening, and the night was absolutely foul, with winds of around 50 knots, rain and thick cloud, and heavy seas. I rapidly concluded that this aircraft was going nowhere. Within 5 minutes of my report to Flyco, the aircraft was folded, shut down, and sent down to the hangar. (We had run out of spare engines on board at that point). About two minutes later, I was called down to the Ops Room 'at the rush', and after the required sprint through and down the ship I was told to speak to 'Hermes'. Our CO (Captain J J Black) was listening in.
I was asked, somewhat testily, why I'd 'grounded' their aircraft. While I was explaining my decision, CO Hermes came on the line and ordered me to 'sign the aircraft off for one flight only, single engine' and get it back on the flight deck so it could 'immediately' launch for Hermes. ( I should explain that 'one flight only single engine' clearances were occasionally used to get Wessex 5s back home, but only on land, over short distances, at low weights and in good weather. ) This order from CO Hermes was 'barking', so I took a pause and refused.
CO Hermes went ballistic. He repeated his order to me in no uncertain terms, pointing out our relative ranks and my duty to carry out orders from a superior officer. At that point, Captain Black came into the conversation, and calmly told CO Hermes that the aircraft was staying down, Hermes needed to get an engine and a change team over here, and that the decision to strike the aircraft down had been made by 'an AEO that I trust absolutely'. He hung up, looked at me for a moment and then said that I was carrying out my duties to his entire satisfaction, and that I was to carry on doing so. That was definitely what some people call 'a life moment'.
I've bored you all with this to back up what Hot'n'High said. In all walks of life you get nice people and not nice people. If you are lucky, you get to work with nice people, like JJ Black and Peter Squire. Or you get people like CO Hermes. The more senior nice and not nice people get, the bigger the effect they have. You make the best of it the best way you can, and on a ship that means working as a team to take care of each other and get the job done. 1(F) did that on Hermes, and they deserve huge credit for it. As did every team and every person that took part in those strange days in 1982.
Best regards as ever to all those in all three services today who do the best they can with what they get, and the bosses they have. We all owe them so much.
Engines
Last edited by Engines; 24th Apr 2020 at 15:39.