Masirah.

[Akrotiri71]

I've just come across this photo, which I believe was taken in Masirah circa '69-'70? But I'm not certain. Can anyone shed any light? Does anybody recognise anyone in the photo? My Dad is pictured, front row second far right, sitting. Thanks.
http://i68.tinypic.com/6igzko.jpg

[Sam Dodger]

Recognise a few faces there who were on the Vulcan with 9 Sqn at RAF Akrotiri about that time. Masirah was a regular detachment for both the Akrotiri Vulcan squadrons then.

[Pontius Navigator]

SD, concur, definitely IX, we went the following year IIRC.

Definitely recognise the walrus moustache, knew him at Waddo, his name just came to me, Ray Leach. He was big on CS.

Looks like a small Det, just two crews.

Next to your father is, I think, Roger Greenwood. Was your father an engineer then, his badge does seem different.

[threeputt]

If you count the green-suiters it comes to 15 so maybe 3 crews? Definitely Ray Leach.

3P:ok:

[Pontius Navigator]

Threeputt, that depends on Akrotiri71's father. If he was a crew chief then that makes 2 crews with crew chiefs. If he was an AEO - previously an AEOp - then I agree three crews.

We await Akrotiti's feedback.

[Sam Dodger]

PN, 35 were there 4-15 Jan 71 according to my logbook.

[Pontius Navigator]

SD, not a full sqn then as I flew a day/night at Akrotiri on the 8th. However on 17th Jan 72 we did a hi-lo-hi over southern Iran, on the 19th over Oman, 21st RTB.

I had flown directly from UK to rejoin the sqn at Masirah.

[Sam Dodger]

PN, is your 72 is a typo ? If not we are a year apart, my ref is to Jan 71.

[Pontius Navigator]

SD, no, my mother had just died, I was compat home then 10 back to Akrotiri, rushed off, collected my kit, then on to Masirah.

[Tankertrashnav]

Regular detachments to Masirah? Yet another reason to be glad I escaped tin triangles! ;)

[NRU74]

Anyone remember where we got the paint from to paint squadron numbers on the turtles' shells when they came up on the beach to lay their eggs ? Also the Arab kids with their plastic buckets stealing the eggs as soon as they were laid, to take them home to eat them- anyone remember that ?

[Basil]

ISTR there was someone who had a little garden on base with a gate to keep the local deer out. One day the gate was left open :sad:

Still remember walking across the sand to the shower al fresco.

[Pontius Navigator]

Basil, probably the PSA garden with a water system to keep it irrigated.

TTN, actually Masirah was not bad at all. Large Twinam huts with more than enough beds for a crew in each room. Good bar with TV room off. Nightly all-ranks film shows by the RAFP where the P stood not only for Police. The films were in monochrome blue.

Then the fishing by night with the catch flown home in the recuperator bays in the wing - deep frozen at -70. And golf. Also in '72 we had Mustapha Aliqueen on his moped trying to get off the camp.

To keep the donkeys off the run (donkeys Basil, not deer) PSA set out two cattle grids on the two roads and then set up fences between the two grids.

Mustapha, at the end of his shift hurtling down the track he had used that morning and every day for the last many years almost drove in to the new fence. He backs off, tries a different line, same result, more fence. Backs off once more and goes hurtling along the fence line - to gap. Turns round, comes hurtling back, still no gap.

He did this several times until eventually he gave up and used the road. We had fully expected that he would try and jump the fence.

[NRU74]

If I remember correctly the dhobi in Masirah was free as the 'washing/showering ' water was saline. We cheapskate Tanker Trash often saved our washing to take it with us.I also remember that guys in Aden would volunteer for a RSM (Riyan/Salalah/Masirah ) trip to get a 'hot' shower, albeit saline as opposed to the 'warm' Aden fresh(ish) water showers. I also remember the Masirah TV room was ,ahem, very large(when you opened the door). Happy days!

[Akrotiri71]

Threeputt, that depends on Akrotiri71's father. If he was a crew chief then that makes 2 crews with crew chiefs. If he was an AEO - previously an AEOp - then I agree three crews.

We await Akrotiti's feedback.
PN.
After a little more digging, I found a photo of my Dad at Butterworth 1969, XM608. So I'm guessing the Masirah photo could be a couple of years later whilst on detachment there. My Dad was stationed at Akrotiri, as Crew Chief.

[Basil]

I also remember the Masirah TV room was ,ahem, very large
Rings a bell :)

PN, I'm sure there was a little deer hanging around when we transited, in the Argosy, to/from Gan in the sixties.
Saw it during the day, not returning from bar - honest!

[Bill Macgillivray]

I remember that there was a very tame gazelle on the camp in the early 70's, used to follow you around! The TV room was very useful for newbies! Incidentally, the door to the room was still there when I was with SOAF/RAFO in the mid-80's, although TV was available! Good times!!

Bill

[Pontius Navigator]

I believe Masirah was the first mess with a Sky TV room.

[JW411]

Masirah Donkeys.

[Basil]

Thanks, JW, I never saw those.
What I saw must have been the tame gazelle referred to by Bill Macgillivray.

[TrevM]

The Gazelle was called Shiela and rumour had it that she had originally come down from Sharja. She was extremely tame and wandered in and out of the living quarters without any fear at all. She was subject to a medical emergency when she was run down by a local on his Honda 50. The medical team managed to repair her damaged leg but she still carried on wandering about with a rear leg in plaster for five or six weeks.

[brakedwell]

I must have done at least two dozen RSM's during my time on 105 in Aden in 1964/6. ISTR the permanent members of the officers mess were never particularly friendly during our night stop. The scheduled arrival time of the thrice weekly RSM Argosy was around 1300 and by the time we secured the aircraft, changed into KD and reached the mess there was usually only time for one beer before the bar Closed at 13.30. After a series of slightly delayed arrivals, when we arrived in the mess shortly after closing time, we managed to depart from Khormaksar about twenty minutes early. The Ryan stop went very smoothly and we departed almost an hour early. More time was made up on the Salalah turnround and we headed for Masirah at max cruise speed with an ETA 30 minutes before the bar opened at 12.30. That was going to p*ss of the city fathers!
A high speed descent and a fast low level approach would keep ATC on their toes, or so we thought. We crossed a small headland on the south east side of the island at 200 feet and saw a submarine on surface sitting about a hundred yards off the beach. As I climbed to make VHF contact with Masirah in a tight turn over the submarine it dived and sat on the sandy bottom in crystal clear water. Masirah told us to keep the submarine in sight, they were scrambling a Shackleton from Aden. A bit pointless as it would take six hours to reach Masirah. We orbited above the submarine for over an hour before low fuel forced us to land, five minutes after the bar had closed!!!
We learned later that RAF police landrovers on perimeter patrols had been shot at on several nights a few weeks after the incident and Baghdad radio had reported freedom fighters on Masirah had retaliated against the British occupiers. The powers that be in Steamer Point were convinced the submarine had supplied small arms to a disgruntled group of Omanis on Masirah. None of my crew were ex kipper fleet, so all submarines looked alike, but it could have been doing Iraq's dirty work.

[JW411]

This may have been mentioned before but I recently got a copy of "Masirah - Tales From a Desert Island" by a chap called Colin Richardson. It is a pretty comprehensive history of aviation on Masirah Island from about 1929 onwards and I found it to be a pretty good read if you have any interest in the place.

[fantom]

Went there with our Hunters (208) and noticed the 'pre-oxygenating' taps in the floor of the changing rooms for the Lightnings.

Very odd.

[Pontius Navigator]

Fantom, as likely for the Canberra as they would cruise around 40k with a 25k cabin altitude.

[JW411]

Hunter Detachments (8/208) to Masirah and the mention of oxygen has got my memory going.

I have often wondered if our young trained killers ever gave any thought as to where their oxygen came from?

The answer is that it came from a Mobile LOX (Liquid Oxygen) Plant which was magically transported from Bahrain in an Argosy.

The Royal Air Force was in love with liquid oxygen in those days (allegedly because it saved weight). The problem was that LOX could be pretty evil stuff unless very carefully managed. No doubt many of you have heard the horror stories of dipping a lump hammer or a banana into a beaker of LOX and then watching it shatter when tapped on a work bench? Can you just imagine what would happen to the floor of your aircraft if a mobile LOX plant were to start leaking in flight? I can well remember visiting the Gas Plant at Muharraq and having a quick course about what could possibly go wrong by a very erudite Flt Sgt.

So what we did was to mount the Mobile LOX Plant on top of an MSP (Medium Stressed Platform) which was the normal way of delivering Land Rovers and trailers etc by parachute.

This worked by having a large extractor parachute on the upper clam shell door which, when activated, would then yank the MSP out of the back of the aircraft and hopefully, after a decent interval, half a dozen other chutes would open to lower what was left of it down to the ground.

Now we did have a vent valve connection on the port side of the fuselage to atmosphere but we carried a chap from the Gas Plant with us and if he decided that things were getting out of control, then the whole lot went out the back regardless of where we were within seconds.

I never welcomed carrying Mobile LOX Plants but I have to say that all went well.

[Dougie M]

Once a month the RSM was flown with a padre on board so that he could minister to his scattered flock along the Arabian coast. The R.C. padre was one father Sean O'Shea whose favourite tipple was brandy and Benedictine. The flight awaited his return from devotions in Riyan and Salalah before journeying on. He once stated that hearing confessions in Salalah was like being stoned to death with popcorn. On arrival for the obligatory night stop in Masirah he could entertain the crew with wicked stories. One night the turtles came ashore to lay and the station decamped with generators and lights from the pan and lots of libations. Much later the father, the wrong side of a few brandy and Benedictines announced to our amazement that the turtles never laid all their eggs at once. We were in awe of all this knowledge learned in Irish seminars. He then proceeded to meander down the beach to a female loggerhead at least twice his size who was just starting to cover up its clutch. We were all expecting some holy benediction when the reverend bent down near its earhole and shrieked "Lay some more eggs you stupid fecking turtle!" At his command the turtle started popping out more eggs and duly satisfied the padre meandered back with a beatific smile. God works in wondrous ways.

[Fixed Cross]

In my youth I had the pleasure of being numbered amongst Jock's "young killers" and took part in several 8 Sqn detachments to Masirah. LOX was certainly a requirement which demanded respect but perhaps not quite the most dangerous.

The mighty Avon 200 series Hunter engine was fired up with the essential participation of Avpin - possibly the most volatile liquid to transport by any means. How it arrived at Masirah (and elsewhere) I cannot recall but subsequent wanderings around Europe (2 Sqn - Hunter FR 10) led to several turn rounds at NATO bases where the host nation would only store Avpin in the most remote locations. Happily the Hunter Avpin tank carried enough for several engine starts and we tried to plan our wanderings with enough to complete the exercise without relying on local pre-stored supplies. Perhaps someone can recall how Avpin found its way to Masirah.

[brakedwell]

Avpin: I know what you mean Fixed Cross. I was approaching Khormaksar from the south in an Argosy as it was getting dark when a bright flash lit up the sky ahead of us. Sadly, it turned out to be a Belvedere. The BOQ found one of the engines had shed an un-contained turbine blade, which entered the Avpin tank and destroyed the aircraft.

[pr00ne]

brakedwell,



"I must have done at least two dozen RSM's during my time.."


You boasting or just proud of your inter service integration skills?

[brakedwell]

More like feeling like a martyr, it was a bloody awful place!

[Pontius Navigator]

Brakedwell, regarding unfriendly natives, in the mess that is, I think this was probably true of most overseas messes, and even in UK, where the one night party night for the visitor was a 7 nighter as far as the residents were concerned.

I think the best RAF station in this respect was Luqa which ran two messes. As Sunspot Det we used the main mess but on rangers etc we were in transit.

[brakedwell]

Good point Pontius, I like to think we welcomed visiting crews into the Muharraq mess bar as it relieved the boredom! The Luqa Officers Transit Mess in 1958 was my first close contact with the V Force. Apart from me, a lowly second pilot, our Hastings crew was a load of old hairies, who were getting agitated about the blue eyed V boys drinking in their clanking flying suits. Eventual our captain stomped out to the entrance lobby and wrote this entry in the visitors' book: "Suggest the bar be pressurised to make the V Force feel at home." It never was though!

[ancientaviator62]

JW411,
the Hercules initially carried LOX on an SSP (Supplies Stressed Platform) rigged as you describe for airdrop. When the SSP was withdrawn from service we just carried it on a standard pallet without the airdrop option. Once had a fire under the flight deck on a trip from Patrick AFB to Belize when carrying 500 US gallon LOX tank. Made for an interesting few minutes.
As I recall we carried Avpin in 44 gallon drums under the dangerous cargo regulations.
I worked on Javelins, Hunters and Lightnings as groundcrew so I was serial Avpin inhaler. It is a wonder that any of us ex groundcrew have any lungs left !

[JW411]

That was a great book. I remember two entries:

"Thank you for my stay at the Luqa Transit Mess. The standard of catering was second only to that of El Adem".

"Suggest that the practice of 'watering down' be discontinued".

"What do you mean? The ink or the fruit juice?"

"The fruit juice - the ink was delicious".

[Pontius Navigator]

JW, El Adem, best fillet mignon I ever had, and that while the Hastings was grounded.

[Four Turbo]

RE 'Pre-oxygen on Canberras'. Did several tours on PR 7s & 9s, including Masirah dets. Never heard of the pre-oxy being for our benefit, or saw it. Yes, we did float around in a cabin alt of 25k plus for many hours. So we had pressure waistcoats and Taylor helmets on the 9, but not the 7.

[Pontius Navigator]

4T, I think it was very much an Av Med fashion from the 50s. They had us preoxygenating for the bang chamber but by the early 60s the O2 system on the special crew buses was defunct and the O2 benches in flying clothing were never used.

I know bends was an issue in the 50s with unpressurised cockpits so they probably specifier prebreathing but found it unnecessary after the fact.

[haltonapp]

When I was on 8 Sqn in 68, avpin was transported in unopened drums in the Argosy when we went to Masirah for live firing. Memories come flooding back, green water in the swimming pool, currency reserve bank of India rupee, no coins, change given in goods! Rusty tins of McEwans Export, women in black Burqas walking across the desert to and from tin town (dwellings constructed of oil drums). Great bbq on the beach, beach alive with crabs as the tide went out, fishing off the pier. Happy days!

[ian16th]

The mighty Avon 200 series Hunter engine was fired up with the essential participation of Avpin - possibly the most volatile liquid to transport by any means. How it arrived at Masirah (and elsewhere) I cannot recall but subsequent wanderings around Europe (2 Sqn - Hunter FR 10) led to several turn rounds at NATO bases where the host nation would only store Avpin in the most remote locations.

At Istres circa 1957, it was flown out in 44 gal drums in a Valletta from Benson. Then stored in the 'Avpin Hut', an isolated wooden hut in the bundu about 50 yards from the hanger.

[Cornish Jack]

PN - "El Adem, best" ranks top of any list of oxymorons!! (based on 6 weeks residence with the Mighty Bev on exercise)

[Pontius Navigator]

Ian, you remind me of the Form 21 action converting hangars, aircraft to hangers, coat and then writing off the latter as C stores.

[Pontius Navigator]

CJ, selective editing will get you anywhere.

[Dougie M]

Visiting crews to Masirah were often given "duff gen" by the residents who had to while away their 12 months unaccompanied. The guff about taking the train to the Golden Flip Flop Club wore thin on us seasoned visitors. After a round of golf on the "browns" of the local club the best fun was trolling for grouper around the wreck of the mis spelt S.S. Eletric. On one occasion as the dory raced past the ship with six rods out all of us yelled "fish" at the same time. Then the hard work started of winching these enormous grouper up from the depths as they paddled backwards with their huge pectoral fins. Finally as they reached the surface they just gave up except for one which was zipping around far too quickly. "That's cos it's a barracuda" said the dory driver. Once the fish were aboard he opened up the throttle and all these fish including the one with the pointy teeth slid aft. A great rush was made to be in the bow first. A few Gizzit gins were needed at the fish Barbie that night.

[brakedwell]

Playing around with boats relieved the boredom, I suppose!

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c32/sedgwickjames/General%20Pics/Masirah%20marinecraft%20unit%20boat_zpswvv1d1n6.jpeg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c32/sedgwickjames/General%20Pics/Off%20Masirah_zpsw0c8oifk.jpeg

[Null Orifice]

No fence in those days, JW!
Back in the late '50s I was ground crew on Shacks that were doing a bit of the old fashioned 'colonial policing' - you know the sort of thing: meet interesting people and drop bombs on them!
Between sorties, us groundies retired for a spot of scoff (hard tack biscuits and tinned compo cheese IIRC). On returning to the servicing control tent we caught sight of the arse-end of a donkey protruding from the tent. Closer inspection revealed that the critter had been lunching on a F700 that was left open on the Chiefy's table.
After we had stopped laughing, chased the donkey away, and carried out a fresh servicing (current signed pages were inside donkey), we needed several signals to base in order to establish the approximate hours consumed by lifed items, these pages also having formed one of the courses of the donkey's lunch

[ian16th]

No fence in those days, JW!
Back in the late '50s I was ground crew on Shacks that were doing a bit of the old fashioned 'colonial policing' - you know the sort of thing: meet interesting people and drop bombs on them!
Between sorties, us groundies retired for a spot of scoff (hard tack biscuits and tinned compo cheese IIRC). On returning to the servicing control tent we caught sight of the arse-end of a donkey protruding from the tent. Closer inspection revealed that the critter had been lunching on a F700 that was left open on the Chiefy's table.
After we had stopped laughing, chased the donkey away, and carried out a fresh servicing (current signed pages were inside donkey), we needed several signals to base in order to establish the approximate hours consumed by lifed items, these pages also having formed one of the courses of the donkey's lunch
I take it that you had a 'Traveling F700'. We had such on 214 Valiant's.

[Pontius Navigator]

NO, as I recounted earlier, the donkey fence was erected while we were there in Jan 72.

[NRU74]

What happened to the donkeys ? Were they slaughtered (presumably the younger ones) by the Brits or the Arabs ? Did we have donkey stew or filet d'ane á la mode de Masirah ? I can't remember much about the food there, possibly not entirely unconnected to the amount of beer I drank !

[Pontius Navigator]

NRU, no doubt some succumbed but they were the Toyota pickup of the day. Strange no one mentioned the camels.

[Fixed Cross]

Whatever happened to the OK Coral? I seem to recall this splendid facility was constructed to house all stray animals collected by the plods in their evening "round up" before the fence was built. Having strays wander around the runway during operations was not conducive to flight safety.

[DON T]

Detached there from TPMH Akrotiri in 1976. Whilst out on a walk around the golf course we asked a member of the permanent staff where he was off to. His reply, 'Down to the beach to do some sunbathing.':ok:

[Pontius Navigator]

Doing similar while walking out to the ship wreck and monument when a local on his put put bounced across my path. On the back was either wife and daughter or two wives both sitting side-saddle in black hibjab but without the veil.

He couldn't see what they were doing but I got great cheesy grins and a wave from both of them :)

[Pontius Navigator]

I see you can stay at the resort spa on the island for less than £100 per night room only of £1,000 for 8 days DBB plus taxes and gratuities.

[Null Orifice]

ian16th. I take it that you had a 'Traveling F700'. We had such on 214 Valiant's.

These were the full 700 as it was a 3 month det. Travellers were used when we went on ops where there was a likelihood of diverting to Muharraq or Sharjah.

[JW411]

Fixed Cross:

OK Coral? Would that perhaps be the Lazy M? See my photograph on #19.

[Fixed Cross]

JW,

When was that photograph taken? I used to visit with 8Sqn 68/69 and my memory (admitted somewhat unreliable now) had the compound tagged as the OK Coral.

GL

[brakedwell]

I see you can stay at the resort spa on the island for less than £100 per night room only of £1,000 for 8 days DBB plus taxes and gratuities.

Jeeez, I wouldn't pay a penny to stay in that "green and pleasant land"!


http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c32/sedgwickjames/RAF%20Masirah%20apron_zpsc2gvriz9.jpg

[JW411]

Fixed Cross:

I'm sorry, I really don't know when I took the Lazy M photograph. I first visited Masirah on 30.04.65 (Argosy XR139) and made my last Argosy flight out on 21.09.71 (XN852). A quick trip through my log books tells me that I visited the Jewel of Arabia no less than 93 times!

I next visited on 30.09.72 (Belfast XR368) and after another 19 visits finally said goodbye to the place on 18.04.76 (XR369 Masirah - Athens).

I have looked in Colin Richardson's history of Masirah this morning and came up with:

1971

"A donkey fence was erected around the airfield. This was long overdue. It was quite ridiculous that the RAF Police had had to round up stray animals before it was safe for aircraft to land or take-off at what was now a major staging post. At night it had not been easy to see whether stray animals had returned to the airfield".

"The donkey fence caused a little extra difficulty for the Masirah State Railway because a gate in the fence had to be opened and closed on every journey. The MPBW warned that if the gate was ever left open or damaged the railway track would be cut".

My guess is that I took the Lazy M photograph in 1971. My further guess is that the Lazy M was built at the same time as the donkey fence and was possibly a replacement for the OK Coral (which I don't really remember)?