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H.M.S. Veryan Bay Commission of the South Atlantic and the
Falkland Islands 1956-57
This is the trip told by Eddie Carruthers L/Stoker, who first joined the
Veryan Bay on November 1956.
I will not go into the name of the skipper, officers,
or most crew members, simply because I have forgotten most of their names,
and what's in a name anyway.?? Most of the crew started coming on board
about the same time as I did. We were billeted in quarters close to the
ship, but there were some who were still at Drake barracks.
For the next four months or so, we were to give the ship a well-needed
refit. Being engine room branch, and also a leading hand, my job was to
work with the dockyard workers in the engine room, boiler room, and also
the fitting of a new Paxman Ricardo Diesel engine, that was being housed
In an oil fuel tank, that had been made available for it on the Starboard
side.
Then there were my mess duties along with four other killick stokers,
who were to share the engine room, and diesel room duties with me. Those
four months or so, we spent refitting the ship, soon passed by, and all
too soon we had a full compliment, but no mascots or pets.
Yes, all the new bits and pieces had been placed in their respective areas,
we also had a laundry on board as well, a far cry from sitting in the bathroom
with the old dhobi bucket between your legs. I remember too when we were
about to sail, we had delivered to the ship a quantity of beer. This was
to be rationed out to us when we arrived at our final destination on a daily
basis. Something about an extra overseas allowance. But we never did get
around to drinking any of it for some reason, the space it took up in one
of the storerooms, was in fact used to carry extra ammunition I believe.
So with a full compliment, and the little lady looking a million dollars,
in March of 1956, we were off for a tour of the South Atlantic, and the
Falkland Islands. The ship we were replacing was the H.M.S. Protector, a
Netlayer, which had been converted to a Ice Patrol Ship, and who was about
to complete a one-year tour of the South Atlantic.
Our first stop, was smack in the middle of the Atlantic,
at the Azores, We stayed there for two days, giving each watch a run ashore,
Myself and one of the stokers on my messdeck, had a great time with one
of the local families, who on our return on board, sent over to the ship
by our liberty boat, one of the biggest hands of bananas I have ever seen.
By the time they were finished, we all looked a bit yellow round the gills.
From this deserted spot in the middle of the Ocean, we headed for our
next stop, which would a bit more civilised, with Bermuda shorts, the nightlife
the works. Yes it was to be Bermuda, and what a lovely spot it turned out
too. On the way there, we had a bit of a problem one night with one of the
junior seamen. According to him, kit musters were a complete waste of time.
As you know the crew were subject to the occasional one, and it could be
a snap one at that. This displeased this lad no end, and he refused to lay
his kit out. It so happened he was a young Glasgow lad, and me coming from
the same town and being the duty killick, I was picked to try and get him
to do it, and if he did, then all would be well. Finally he agreed and said
he would get his kit bag and hammock and set it out on the quarterdeck.
But what came next I was not prepared for. On entering the quarterdeck,
he calmly walked over to the rails on the port side, and threw the lot over,
he turned to me and said, if you want a kit muster, then swim for it. I
can't quite remember what he got for that. All I could do was snigger in
the background.