Re menace at Christmas!!

[Heathrow Harry]

Russians near uk waters!!

RN sent frigate!! ..but it was back in port for Boxing Day....

If I'd been the Russian captain I'd have slipped into the Tyne or the Forth and sent the crew onshore for the Sales..............

[Treble one]

Pleased to report no sign of a Russian vessel slipping into the Tyne at around 1400-1500L on Christmas Day....

[Heathrow Harry]

Those oldies amongst us will remember the thousands of E. Block fishermen who landed at places like Ullapool & Mallaig and used to roam free as far as Edinburgh & Glasgow shopping in the 70's & 80's without visas or passports.

IIRC it was referenced in "local hero" where a Russian skipper had a building society account in Inverness......

[Fareastdriver]

In Aberdeen they used to buy up all the old Ladas and Yugos in the back of dealers yards and ship them back home. You would see a trawler with two of three Ladas strapped across the deck heading for the Baltic.

[Pitchpoller]

referenced in "local hero" where a Russian skipper had a building society account in Inverness

True. The actor was Polish.

Oh! The irony!

[Heathrow Harry]

Iwas told Bulgarians bought up dozens of old pianos to ship home

[KPax]

Does the Malin Head AGI still exist.

[Pitchpoller]

If we didn't have Russia as a faux 'enemy', who would they give us as a 'reason' for the billions upon billions of "defence" "need"?

The French? The Argentines? The Americans? Islamic Furriners? Vikings? Chinamen? Martians?

How difficult is it for us to field a Grey Funnel Line tub to chunter along a mile or two away from a Russkie tub that is bimbling home?

Nothing to see here. Move along.

[BEagle]

Pitchpoller wrote:True. The actor was Polish.

Indeed, Krzysztof Rózycki was a very well-known actor who also appeared as 'Count Rostov' in Downton Abbey.

He passed away in 2015 from injuries sustained by a fall.

[Fareastdriver]

That'll teach him to polish his floors.




I'll get my coat.

[NutLoose]

In Aberdeen they used to buy up all the old Ladas and Yugos in the back of dealers yards and ship them back home. You would see a trawler with two of three Ladas strapped across the deck heading for the Baltic.

There was a car dealership outside Ripley in Derbyshire used to use those to stop people stealing his stock of wheel clamps.

[Pontius Navigator]

KPax, I would not be surprised if in one form or another. Similarly SOSUS probably continues with a different acronym in a different place. As a newcomer in the 70s I knew of SONAR, pingers, and homing torpedoes. Once indoctrinated it was a whole new world. When I left a short time later that new world had become ancient history.

[Pontius Navigator]

In Aberdeen they used to buy up all the old Ladas and Yugos in the back of dealers yards and ship them back home. You would see a trawler with two of three Ladas strapped across the deck heading for the Baltic.

I think a few went out of Lerwick too. Once sat next to a Kazakhstan officer, complete with stripped T-Shirt, who was studying Exchange and Mart for Lada spares. He knew some way of getting them home.

[Heathrow Harry]

Given the state o f the oil business they may be shipping them back....

[Tankertrashnav]

I had an antique shop in Falmouth in the 80s when Russian fish processing ships used to moor in the bay for several weeks at a time. Parties of sailors were allowed on shore accompanied by a political commissar who was supposed to keep an eye on them. I'd quite often get a couple come into the shop to sell me stuff from under their coats, while another kept a look out for the commissar at the door. I often bought old Russian silver coins from them, but I gave the ikons a miss as most of them were apparently modern fakes. I also once bought a tin of caviar - the first time I had sampled the stuff.

[5aday]

Malin Head AGI - I think not.
In my time at BK I think it was called "Repiter".
Depending on how obstructive the Captain was, we used to try
and throw galley rubbish in his overhead. We always missed though.
Happy New Year to everyone.

[Pontius Navigator]

5aday, remember one time the RN was a but short of grey gunboats so RFA Olwen was being used to mark the AGI. Splendid sight to behold as she held off the AGI and no doubt put plenty of noise in the water.

[WE Branch Fanatic]

But surely the AGI was an ELINT gatherer - are you suggesting she had sonar too?

[Pontius Navigator]

WEBF, I would not know but I do know it was marked. Faslane was close by so one might guess its purpose.