Ark Royal traps
Sadly, Captain, later Rear Admiral, W J (aka Wilf, aka Wid) is no longer with us.
Hmmm... I'm sorry to hear that. Do you have any further details?
I believe the Padre who feature in Sailor has also passed on.
Given that Sailor went down (no pun intended m'lord!) so well with British public, I did wonder if the BBC were planning to do a "30 years on special" programme back in 2006, but I guess it would have had a limited audience and the fact that many of the people featured would either be really quite old now or not with us at all...
Hmmm... I'm sorry to hear that. Do you have any further details?
I believe the Padre who feature in Sailor has also passed on.
Given that Sailor went down (no pun intended m'lord!) so well with British public, I did wonder if the BBC were planning to do a "30 years on special" programme back in 2006, but I guess it would have had a limited audience and the fact that many of the people featured would either be really quite old now or not with us at all...
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Brilliant footage from a fantastic programme. I remember it from when I was 6. But videoed the series when it came back on 8 years later.
Anyone know what happened to Tom Wilks - the wonderful fleet chief.
Sailor 8 years on featured him at Ark's scrapping berth in the old military port at Cairnryan. I think - it's on the DVD.
Incidentally a bit of her flight deck remains. It's the top of a septic tank in the carpark of a holtel near Sandhead.
So I actually got to set foot on her....sort of.
A fine ship that never fired a shot in anger. Demonstration of the use of organic air power perhaps?
Anyone know what happened to Tom Wilks - the wonderful fleet chief.
Sailor 8 years on featured him at Ark's scrapping berth in the old military port at Cairnryan. I think - it's on the DVD.
Incidentally a bit of her flight deck remains. It's the top of a septic tank in the carpark of a holtel near Sandhead.
So I actually got to set foot on her....sort of.
A fine ship that never fired a shot in anger. Demonstration of the use of organic air power perhaps?
Incidentally a bit of her flight deck remains. It's the top of a septic tank in the carpark of a holtel near Sandhead.
So I actually got to set foot on her....sort of.
Hmmm...interesting!
At the risk of sounding like a complete
(!):
1. Do you have any phots?
2. Does the bit that remains, give anything away re. its previous use?
So I actually got to set foot on her....sort of.
Hmmm...interesting!
At the risk of sounding like a complete
(!):1. Do you have any phots?
2. Does the bit that remains, give anything away re. its previous use?
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In the series Sailor, I can remember the Captain on one of his ship inspections placing a penny on an overhead pipe. When he returned on his next inspection somebody had replaced the penny with two halfpennies
Great video, those were the days.
Great video, those were the days.
Last edited by DON T; 12th Nov 2008 at 19:54.
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My Dad was the first Sub of the Gunroom of the Ark. He took with him his 1923 Rolls Royce 20, which was hoisted aboard and stowed in a hangar. It was slung ashore as they went round the Med. I'll see if I can find and scan a picture of the evolution.
Sadly dropping into geek mode....
the last launch from Ark was F-4K XT870, which stayed in subsequent RAF service right through to the end of the Phantoms RAF service days at Leuchars before being unceremoniously scrapped on site......
Strange the Fleet Air Arm Museum didn't tag it for restoration and display in the 'Carrier' exhibit rather than that test airframe, given the former's historic significance......
the last launch from Ark was F-4K XT870, which stayed in subsequent RAF service right through to the end of the Phantoms RAF service days at Leuchars before being unceremoniously scrapped on site......Strange the Fleet Air Arm Museum didn't tag it for restoration and display in the 'Carrier' exhibit rather than that test airframe, given the former's historic significance......
"My Dad was the first Sub of the Gunroom of the Ark. He took with him his 1923 Rolls Royce 20, which was hoisted aboard and stowed in a hangar. It was slung ashore as they went round the Med."
Now that, I would suggest, is s-t-y-l-e.
No jobsworth to tell him no on 'Elf 'n Safety grounds..
Now that, I would suggest, is s-t-y-l-e.
No jobsworth to tell him no on 'Elf 'n Safety grounds..
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No there is nothing to mark the spot whcih is a bit of a shame..
I spend a lot of my free time in the area and had heard that there was a hotel in the somewhere that had the damage control status boards from HQ1 on display.
So I pitched up at this little hotel in the area after being directed there by some guys in a local pub who recalled something to do with Ark.
The woman who owned the hotel told me the Septic Tank story - I think my car was parked on it. No damage control boards though. The only other ship stuff she had was a couple of brass fittings. One of them was the pointer that measures ship roll. She wasn't sure what ship they came from though.
Eagle, Ark Bulwark - one of her sister ships Albion on Centaur - Blake and host of other ships of that generation ended their days at Shipbreaking Queensbrough at nearby Cairnryan.
I've some quite sad (As in anorak get a life) phots of the scrapyard as it is now. If anyone is interested PM Me with an email address I will pass them on - in confidence of course!
I spend a lot of my free time in the area and had heard that there was a hotel in the somewhere that had the damage control status boards from HQ1 on display.
So I pitched up at this little hotel in the area after being directed there by some guys in a local pub who recalled something to do with Ark.
The woman who owned the hotel told me the Septic Tank story - I think my car was parked on it. No damage control boards though. The only other ship stuff she had was a couple of brass fittings. One of them was the pointer that measures ship roll. She wasn't sure what ship they came from though.
Eagle, Ark Bulwark - one of her sister ships Albion on Centaur - Blake and host of other ships of that generation ended their days at Shipbreaking Queensbrough at nearby Cairnryan.
I've some quite sad (As in anorak get a life) phots of the scrapyard as it is now. If anyone is interested PM Me with an email address I will pass them on - in confidence of course!
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As there appears to be some interest in the tight landing intervals we had on recovery, they were achieved thus. When the leader slotted and turned downwind, [500ft circuit] the no. 2 timed 17 seconds before turning after him and so on. This was the best chance of having an ideal 35 second interval into the traps. This delay was the optimum to allow the wire to be released,[in some cases disentangled as it twisted around the hook], and tractored back into position, then re-tensioned. 40 seconds was way to long to hang around, and 30 seconds the absolute minimum to allow this to occur. This interval was timed, and the wire caught noted, by the duty boy on goofers for the recovery, to go with the rest of the LSO’s de-brief.
By the way, if anyone smelt AVTUR on board we should have suspected the RFA oiler of cheating us! We used AVCAT, more expensive, but a much higher flash point.
By the way, if anyone smelt AVTUR on board we should have suspected the RFA oiler of cheating us! We used AVCAT, more expensive, but a much higher flash point.
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Those were the days!
Thanks so much for finding this wonderful video which reminded me of many happy hours flying the Bucc from the deck in Ark / 809. I can vouch for the fact that Keith S-J could be more 'positive' when debriefing spotty-faced youths who failed to meet his expectations. However, he was a good stick and consistently good at deck landing. The Buccaneer, though absolutely unbeatable at high speed / low level, could be slightly more challenging in the circuit (rather like sitting on an egg on a pair of roller skates - one was never quite sure which way it wanted to go next). Operating it from the deck was never boring but extremely satisfying. Readers may be interested to know that there is a very active Buccaneer Aircrew Association made up of those of us (Dark Blue and Light Blue) who had the great good fortune to fly that magnificent aircraft.
I was lucky enough to do some of the flying for the 'Sailor' series and the requests for "lower and faster, please", from the film crew were a pleasure to deliver on!
I was lucky enough to do some of the flying for the 'Sailor' series and the requests for "lower and faster, please", from the film crew were a pleasure to deliver on!
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there is a very active Buccaneer Aircrew Association made up of those of us (Dark Blue and Light Blue) who had the great good fortune to fly that magnificent aircraft.
Suspicion breeds confidence
I think the last cat launch from Ark was an F4 flown by Murdo McCleoud (Sp?). Not the end of his carrier career though as he went on to fly Harriers in the Falklands off Hermes.
Anorak off.
Anorak off.
lower and faster, please
Of Paul S-S, never was a truer word spoken in jest than when Flyco asked SATCO "do you have him on your radar"
Last edited by 6Z3; 15th Nov 2008 at 09:44. Reason: spelling/dyslexia
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According to the Ark commissoning book on line here,
http://www.axfordsabode.org.uk/pdf-docs/arkroy27.pdf
last hook on was Gannet 044 "piloted by Lt Slade with Lt Cdr Rotherham and Lt Cass in the rear." on the 18th November 1978, last launch was 27th November, "at 1511 when Phantom 012 crewed by Flt Lt M Macleod and Lt D McCallum was sent down the waist catapult and that was it."
http://www.axfordsabode.org.uk/pdf-docs/arkroy27.pdf
last hook on was Gannet 044 "piloted by Lt Slade with Lt Cdr Rotherham and Lt Cass in the rear." on the 18th November 1978, last launch was 27th November, "at 1511 when Phantom 012 crewed by Flt Lt M Macleod and Lt D McCallum was sent down the waist catapult and that was it."
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SJ was my DO at Dartmouth!
Wasn't Northard CO at RNAS Yeovilton for a while?
If so I remember him being a b...y nuisance drinking in the bar with the boys after night flying.
Brilliant movie.
Some more vintage stuff of HMS HERMES. Rippingly good!
YouTube - Flight Deck HMS Hermes 1960
ES
Wasn't Northard CO at RNAS Yeovilton for a while?
If so I remember him being a b...y nuisance drinking in the bar with the boys after night flying.
Brilliant movie.
Some more vintage stuff of HMS HERMES. Rippingly good!
YouTube - Flight Deck HMS Hermes 1960
ES
Last edited by Edmund Spencer; 15th Nov 2008 at 02:45.
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And a truly spectacular display it was too Of Paul S-S, never was a truer word spoken in jest than when Flyco asked SATCO "do you have him on your radar"
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Was flying off Happy Hermes at that time. Just for the record we didn't use the word 'traps' at the time. It was an Americanism. We said 'landing, DL, or controlled crash'.
All the best to the survivors.
All the best to the survivors.
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Airborne Artist - I did not manage your fathers style with his Rolls-Royce but I did manage a car on board!!
And here it is in Gib with Bob Woodard, Ronnie Laughton, Hugh Malim etc!
I needed it on board so that I had something to tow my boat...............
Oh alright -so I was a Jungly.....................what am I doing on this thread? Although I did help repaint Eagles Flight deck with 848 markings a long time ago in Singapore..................
And here it is in Gib with Bob Woodard, Ronnie Laughton, Hugh Malim etc!
I needed it on board so that I had something to tow my boat...............
Oh alright -so I was a Jungly.....................what am I doing on this thread? Although I did help repaint Eagles Flight deck with 848 markings a long time ago in Singapore..................