Some Ships From 2007

[monkeyhanger]

Whilst living in Plymouth (just over the road from Devonport) I was a regular visitor to Plymouth Ho and Plymouth Sound. I saw lots of interesting stuff. Ine day in particular I was in the Terrace Cafe with numbers 1, 3 and 4 daughters and a frigate came into Plymouth sound. It did a sharp turn to port to get into the - well - port! Very spectacular. Here are some pictures I took.

[monkeyhanger]

... and some more. The picture of HMS Albion in the distance is framed by numbers 3 and 4 daughters- who loved Plymouth Sound as much as I did!

The submarines are of the nuclear variety and are tied up until the Navy can think of something to do with them! They looked a sorry state, covered in sea weed.

I must get over to Hartlepool soon and see the French carrier tied up at Graythorpe befor eit gets scrapped. The other four ships are clearly visible from the road between Hartlepool and Middlesborough. I hope no French sailors visit Hartlepool though, not after the misunderstanding almost two hundred years ago.........

[Captain Canada]

Nice shots ! The one with the kiddies is pretty neat. Those old subs sure are in a sorry state.....

[lancer]

The submarines are of the nuclear variety and are tied up until the Navy can think of something to do with them! They looked a sorry state, covered in sea weed.

Probably not enough money to refurbish them and get them operational again is there?

Are we the only country run by a bunch of stinking left wingers who run the mlitary on a showstring at the very least ??

[pyro-manic]

Those will be the old nuclear powered attack boats. They've been stripped right back, but the reactor compartments will be radioactive for a very long time. Nobody's worked out what to do with them yet...

EDIT: There are a load more old nuke boats laid up at Rosyth in Scotland, including the Resolution class Polaris subs, and HMS Dreadnought, the UK's first nuclear submarine.

[monkeyhanger]

Well, five years later and back to Plymouth. This time I'm working in the dockyord, so I can't take pictures (the one of the submarines was taken during a Navy day. I'm seen some impressive stuff. I park in South Yard and walk up to the office. there are lots of Type 23s around, one of them is refitting and has it's gun pointed straight at our office. I was treated to HMS Ocean departing a week or two ago. But two weeks ago I arrived on Monday morning and HMS York was heading out of the Tamar. I think she is one of the last two Type 42s in service. Two nights later I was ina sea front pub with some of the lads staying in the same hotel as me. A couple smoked, so we were finishing our beer outside and HMS York came back into the Tamar. She was an impressive sight, although I found out from Wikipedia that the last Sea Dart has been fired, so for long range area air defence she can only use...........harsh language.

Also saw HMS Vengeance come in to port during the first week I was there. the boss 'phoned the briefing room to get us all up on the wharf. She is a big impressive piece of kit............

the submarine HMS Courageous is preserved, but not open to the public, except for high days and holidays. I'm hoping to get a look around whilst I'm there. My walk down to the sandwich show at lunchtime is down by the wharf with the submarine hulks. there are lots of jelly fish in the dock and I told my youngest two that they are mutants with laser eyes (the jelly fish, not my daughter). but I just got an "Oh, Dad, thats a really bad Doctor Who story....."