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According to chat on Navy net around 2007, Operation Hornbeam is long gone. HMRC had an Operation Hornbeam to deal with some shady tax dodges ten or more years ago. Never heard of it myself. My one-time looker spent a few days as guest of a Russian fishing boat in the late fifties. I'll ask him, but I suspect the general answer will be that this particular scheme was restricted to the Briitish Merchant Marine and fishing fleet as suggested below.
There's a picture of a
("rare") over 100 page Operation Hornbeam Reporting Guide and description of the operation at this website.
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthoped...ping-247191962
I'll try to paste the image ...........
And the accompanying text from WorthPoint......
"This is the cold war spy guide issued to some vessel captains in the British Merchant Navy and fishing fleets. Operation Hornbeam was a secret project aimed at gathering intelligence on the specification and location of enemy (Communist) vessels from countries such as USSR, Vietnam, Romania, Poland, China, Hungry, German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia, Korea, Cuba, Albania, Bulgaria etc. (how the world has changed!) This is an original copy (numbered 239) of the guide . The document runs to over 100 pages and includes numerous ship profiles, guide to identifying electronic communications equipment, lists of vessels, coloured pages of stack markings and ensigns and of course instructions on what to record and report back.A great and rare piece of historical and military interest and probably the only chance to own one."
HTH - LFH
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