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          Plymouth Weather Forecast,

                     United Kingdom

 

 

 

 

 

 

31 August. If you have memories of Sir Percivale, you really don't want to see this End of an era:

20 August.     The Annual National Service for Seafarers


16 August.    

 Is there no end to it? Comms Branch Renamed!

 

 


11 August. News of REUNION 2011 HERE.


10 August.   

The SDSR: a crossroads for the Royal Navy
Defence Management
These cuts will come if our politicians fail to grasp that SDSR has to shape our ... The Royal Fleet Auxiliary needs its new MARS programme like a thirsty ...

9 August.   Tony Pitt, the Branch welfare co-ordinator is out of office until the end of the month. Any problems, contact the Secretary or  another committee member.


  6 August.              

 Information Wanted. Roy Seccombe from Plymouth. Born c1920. Died aboard Indian ship Vikram Jayanti at Nagasaki, 1964.

 Served during WW2 and as Chief Officer of Wave Master, War Brahmin, Wave Liberator, Fort Charlotte,

 Wave Laird & Olna between 1949 - 1956.

 A close relative is seeking any information about him which may be forwarded through the Webmaster

 Click to enlarge.


  3 August.      Pingat Jasa Medal Sitrep


30 July.                           Visitors flock to Navy Days
Portsmouth News
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Argus will also give visitors a rare glimpse ... The event comes as the government considers budget cuts for all three ...


15 July.  GUNLINE. Summer Edition is online HERE . Should be in the post soon.

   Big spread on the Reunion.


7 July. The annual Sea Sunday Service will take place at St Andrew's at 1115 on Sunday 11 July


14 June.  National AGM  Reports & Accounts


28 May.   Royal Navy launches anti-sub war against drug cartels - Telegraph

 Commanding officer of Plymouth ship lost in the Falklands unveils plaque


27 May.  Reunion 2010.

  

  By all accounts it was a good do. Photos Here

 

 

       


 

7 April.     Gunline April Edition


31 March. 

    Naval chief is positive about RFA's future role
Portsmouth News
Thousands of RFA workers have signed petitions since The News revealed in the autumn that the service was facing potential cuts. But Cdre Walworth has said ...


  15 February.   RFAA REUNION 2010. See Future Events for news. 

                        


  13 February.  Pingat Jasa Malaysia.

Two Plymouth Branch members, Peter Waters and Terry Vincent were among the 160 South-West Veterans, presented with this medal at a ceremony in Plymouth on February 12th.       The event, at the Holiday Inn, was organised by Mike Warren of the National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association (NMBVA).

Before making the presentation, Brigadier-General Dato Tajri Alwi, the Malaysian Military Attache, recounted that he had now made some 12,000 awards and now that new supplies were available would continue until all the applications were fulfilled.

  (click to enlarge)

 Peter served in RFA Eddyrock which operated in Tawau, Sabah in 1964 and later in RFA Orangeleaf. Terry served in RFA Tidereach in 1964-5. 

The PJM  is a commemorative medal which the Government of Malaysia would like to award to eligible British citizens, for their service in Malaya or Malaysia between 31August 1957 and 12 August 1966. Further details may be obtained from the Veterans Agency  http://www.veterans-uk.info/medals/pingat.html  or from the RFA Association.

From HQ - I spoke to Mike Warren of the NMBVA a couple of days ago and he explained that the situation was coming to a conclusion and that all veterans would be contacted very shortly for the pesentation of their medals, I was expecting an email from him to publish in detail the current state of play but it has not arrived yet.The essence of this details is, as I have already mentioned, that everybody who has applied and has been declared eligible would be called forward BUT, he is quite convinced that some names have, for various reasons, gone missing from his database. If you hav'nt been contacted regarding a presentation ceremony please telephone him on 01253 318239, his phone is very busy arranging these presentations at the moment so keep trying or by email at  mikewarren44(at)yahoo.com and he will check that your name does appear on his database. Also, if your telephone number has changed since your application was made do get in touch with him as that is the only way of contacting you.


5 December.  Another book is brewing.    

Grey Rover, A History of Service    
 

Article by Chief Officer Chris Locke

On a grey and overcast day in October RFA GREY ROVER finally succumbed to her inevitable fate and passed the Round Tower for the last time.

This had been the third attempt at towing the ship to Liverpool for re-cycling; the first cancelled at the very last moment by the tug Captain due to his sudden concerns over weather conditions and the second, new tug and new skipper, due to surveyor’s concerns with towing arrangements.  So it was at 1450 on 14th October 2009 that Grey Rover finally slipped her moorings under tow from the tug Braveheart for the four day tow to Canada Dock in Liverpool.

Many would say that the breakers yard came too early for such a fine ship and there was ‘life left in the old girl yet’.  A true statement perhaps, although with the ever increasing stringent regulations concerning Single Hull Tankers significant alteration and modernisation to the ship would have been necessary.  However, it is worth mentioning that during her decommissioning and preps for disposal she was prepared for a Government to Government sale for use by another navy and not for scrapping.

The purpose of this article is to sound out amongst the many who sailed onboard Grey Rover if there is enough interest and material to write a small book about the ship, and more importantly about the crews that sailed and lived aboard her.  The book would also cover the re-cycling process, a fascinating area particularly pictorially.

Most people have heard of stories from famous ships like Victory, Hood or Endurance however, this would be the story of just an ordinary ship and her crew and an account of life at sea and how it changed during the 36 years of her service.
If you (either retired or still serving) have sailed in Grey Rover or been associated with the ship and would be prepared to forward anecdotal stories and accounts, which could then be woven into the ship’s history I would be pleased to hear from you.  A fine example I already know about is Grey Rover meeting a Russian Foxtrot Class submarine on an Easter Sunday in the Faeroes Iceland Gap. Other stories include a passage through the Beagle Channel and around Cape Horn and more recently, drug seizures in the Caribbean, all of which would have a place within the pages of such a book.  However, recollections of happy memories on the ship or other experiences which are less dramatic but perhaps give more flavour of life on board such as the account of a past Captain who joined Grey Rover as his first ship in the RFA as a Junior Officer and has fond memories of those early days.  Shipboard life memories might include barbeques on the flight deck or experiencing stormy seas in the South Atlantic.


If you would like to contribute to the Grey Rover story then please contact me at   thegreyroverbook@googlemail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it     The more pictures the better.


 

   14 November.  The new book is on the streets.

   


25 October.    

         

    The Alternative RFA Calendar 2010 

 

 

 


         

24 March.     Future Reunions