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Rod Solomons 1962 - 1964
I served on HMS Manxman joining her at the end of 1962 whilst she was still in refit at Chatham, I joined as a junior seaman from Ganges via the Edinburgh Tattoo.
Serving also on board were some of the old hands who were due for discharge and were only on board to steam her out to the far east (Singapore) then steam back home HMS Woodbridge haven, a wooden decked corvette which Manxman was relieving. The old corvette was very slow and as the steaming crew were due for discharge they had planes to rig the awnings as sails to speed the passage.
Manxman's duties out in Singers where as support ship to the 6th Inshore Minesweeper Squadron based there, so to that end the forward boiler room had been gutted and four Paxman Ricardo generators installed, so that four of the Ton's Minesweepers could be berthed alongside and provided with power at the same time. The mine rails along the starboard side were removed and a store built for sweep spares. The two large reels on the stern were for spare sweeps and repair of same.
HMS Manxman Singapore 1963. Note the two large reels on the stern
Ton class minesweepers
The "Ton class" sweepers were wooden hulled so they would not set of
magnetic mines.
Woolaton was one, and I think the
others were Tankerton
and Fiskerton, my memory is very grey now after 43 years.
They could tow various types of sweep. One was an electric cable that passed a
current to generate a magnetic field for magnetic mines, and wire sweeps
with cutters powered be a charge, so when a mine cable was cut, the cutter
fell on the cable allowing the next cutter down the wire to cut the
next, they could also tow a hammer box to detonate acoustic mines.
The sweeps were like a trawl using otter boards to hold the sweep open,
the sweepers could also operate in two's a sweeper at each end of the sweep.
HMS Watton M1195 Photographs courtesy of Dave Page ( see link page)
One incident I remember on Manxman was during a "RAS" at sea (refuelling at
sea). I was Bosons mate in the wheelhouse along with the Quartermaster and the
Coxswain, who was at the wheel. The wheelhouse on the Manxman was in the front
of the open bridge, the wheelhouse being enclosed. Manxman was the only ship I
served on where you could see where you were going whilst at the wheel.
Part way through the "RAS", the coxswain said the ship was not responding to the wheel and reported this to the bridge via the intercom, not getting an acknowledgement repeated it,
there was still no response so I flung open the door and shouted out to the bridge.
I remember all the officers were absolutely frozen for two or three seconds before pandemonium broke out.
The starboard screw was ordered. stopped to steer the two ships apart and emergency breakaway ordered.
At the enquiry it was found that both steering pumps were switched to the same generator and that the generator had failed (they should have been on separate generators) also the "Nato" deck coupling that the oiling hose fitted too, should have been able to be smashed with a sledge hammer (maul) but it didn't smash. We ended up pulling a load of fittings out of the RFA.
I left Manxman 26th October 1964 and after serving on Lowestoft (Type 12 Frigate ) and Eagle (Carrier) and left the Navy in June 1972 from HMS Cochrane.
From Rod Solomons HMS Manxman 1962 - 1964.
