I had an interesting experience in Masirah. 105 sqn Argosies operated a thrice weekly schedule to Ryan, Salalah and Masirah. Departing Aden at 0700 the RSM consisted of three 1.30 minute sectors with one hour turnrounds at Ryan and Salalah before arriving at Masirah for a nightstop. Scheduled arrival time was 13.30. The officers Mess bar always closed promptly at 1400. If we were on time it was possible to sink a quick cold beer before the shutters came down. I will always remember the disapproving looks from behind three week old newspapers as an Argosy crew rushed through the anti-room at 1355! On one RSM the bar closed early and the barman refused to serve us when we arrived at 1350, so on our next RSM we were determined to beat the system. Khormaksar Air Movements did a brilliant job and we departed with a full complement of passengers, freight and mail thirty minutes early. The turnround times at Ryan and Salalah were halved and we headed for Masirah with an ETA of 1200, thirty minutes before the Officers Mess bar was due to open!
We approached along the south east coast of Masirah at very low level, intending to catch out ATC. As we rounded a rocky outcrop at 100 feet we surprised a submarine sitting on the surface, about half a mile ahead and 100 yards from the beach. It crash dived in a mass of bubbles and sat on the sandy bottom, fully visible in the shallow blue water. We climbed to 1000 feet and reported our find to Masirah. Keep it in sight they said, we will inform HQMEAF. Five minutes later we were told a Shackleton was being scrambled from Aden and we were to remain airborne over the "target" until it arrived on task! With just over two hours fuel remaining this was impossible.
To cut a long story short, we landed at Masirah at two o'clock, just as the bar closed!
The airfield perimeter patrol landrover was fired on with automatic weapons several times during the next few weeks, fortunately by a hopeless shot. An intelligence officer told me later that Baghdad Radio had been heard boasting about supplying gallant freedom fighters to oust the British occupiers of Masirah Island.
So we found an Iraqi submarine, but failed Plan A. Big deal
