| As we swung back onto our new course the weather really hit us.... |
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The ship was headed out to open sea, you don’t need to be told you’re there in brisk weather, the thump of the waves against the hull and the heave of the deck as you’re sitting tells the story. The 2 Marines grew quieter and their faces were flushed, both decided they wanted fresh air and headed for the deck. Freddie got into his bunk and I unslung mine and rolled in. Except for the card players all was peaceful, the ship was pitching and rolling, but that was normal in a running sea.
Coxwain sorting out the cew's rum ration on a minesweeper.
The Patrol Service were always given their rum neat. The 'Pusser' (proper) Royal Navy however had to have it diluted with water
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It was getting near to dinner time when Bob, one of the stokers came below. Freddie asked how things were on deck, Bob was a Cockney and a cheerful type, he said it was blowing up a bit and they were having problems in the engine room. They couldn’t get full revolutions, but the Chief was working on it. About this time our mess deck Peggy brought the food from the galley. Dinner wasn’t a thing we treated lightly, everyone was at the table with their eating equipment in two minutes flat and demolishing meat, potatoes and greens while it was hot. The Peggy had gone back to get the tea and whatever else cook had got up. It was noticed that the Marines had not been around for dinner but they would know best what they were doing. Peggy came back with the tea and mentioned we were off Stranraer rocks, a bit of rough coast line. That didn’t sound so good, we wouldn’t have expected to be so far down as that. Shortly after, the Leading Hand came down, he wanted us on deck to rig life lines. In bad weather hanging on to a life line when you’re moving about on deck can save you from being thrown into the scuppers, or even going over the side. We quickly strung the lines out fore and aft with two leading from the wheel house steps up to the whale back and a short one from the steps to the mess deck hatch way. It proved it’s value later that night to Freddie, he was trying to go aft to the galley when a wave breaking on deck caught him, his legs were swept up and over the deck sides, fortunately he kept his grip on the line and only got a ducking.
After stringing the lines it was back below deck and a warm up round the stove, it’s odd but I can’t ever remember that stove being out, I suppose it must have been at sometime but I can’t remember it.
Old Geordie went up the steps to relieve the Quarter Master on the wheel. The ship would be heading Northwest at this time, it wouldn’t be long before we were passing Ailsa Craig. We were heading into the wind, which by now was really working itself into a frenzy. I thought it would take possibly 3 hours to bring us up into the Sound, another hour after we would be alongside the jetty and ready for a night ashore, but that wasn’t to be. Even down below we knew the weather was really pulling it’s socks up, the wind was coming more from the Norwest and the breakers were coming over the port side. Every now and then a big one would hit us with a thump and unload on deck, the ship would shake herself, then plod on. The relieved Quarter Master came down, peeled off his woolen sweater, kicked off his boots and swung himself into his bunk, he said Sparks had picked up a signal for Gale Warnings to all ships, it was like telling us the night would be dark or the sun would go down, but he reckoned we would make port by 5, everyone settled in their bunks either to read or doze of.At just after 4 o’clock there was a whistle from the speaking tube, the Quarter Master was wanting a word with me. I rolled out and answered it, he asked me to take my turn on the wheel, as we were nearing port and he wanted to get into his Number One’s and shave in order to get ashore straight away. Well I had had an easy day so I said I’d rig out and go up within minutes. I pulled my jumper over my head, got my sea boots and hat on and headed for the deck and then up the steps to the wheelhouse. As I stepped through the wheel house door I noticed the 2 marines sitting on the floor in the back corner, I suppose it was as good a place as any to get out of the way if you were a bit off colour. The Quarter Master gave me his thanks and I took the wheel. As Geordie went through the door the Skipper asked who was on the wheel, I gave him my name and he said “ keep her head on the harbour entrance”. We were probably a mile off the boom and I could see ships either at anchor or tied to the buoys, it crossed my mind there was a lot of strangers among them but as I expected us to go straight up to the inner jetty it didn’t trouble me. I was concentrating on keeping the ships head on the harbour entrance, we were head on the wind and the waves were breaking over the bows. Another twenty minutes and we would be steaming up the loch. I heard Sparks sing out that he had a signal telling us not to attempt to enter harbour but turn round and head for Lamlash, apparently they thought we would be a danger to the shipping already at anchor if we went in. The Skipper ordered hard a port and I put the wheel hard over and as she came round the wave slammed into her. I knew it would be another two to three hours steaming to reach Lamlash, but I wasn’t going anywhere special anyway, I think I took a sort of evil delight in thinking Geordie was getting rigged up for nothing!
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As we swung back onto our new course the weather really hit us, it was coming in hard on our starboard quarter and I had to concentrate to keep her head straight. It was a pitch-black night and yet around the ship there was a cocoon of light. The masthead light seemed amazingly bright, I could see the foredeck and forecastle clearly. The waves were possibly 15 to 20 ft high as they swept down I could see them clearly, white combed at the top, lower a yellowish green then blue and black at the foot. They crashed over the gunnels and pounded onto the deck, it was fascinating and a bit frightening. |
Somehow time didn’t seem to count, I was concentrating on the compass and spinning the wheel to compensate for the lurching swings of our bows. I must confess I felt a kind of hatred for those ashore, it was unreasonable I now know but it was true. I think it makes you struggle harder. Time meant nothing, four hours must have past unnoticed, we were steaming off Arran and the gale was forcing us inshore. The Skipper gave me a compass bearing to swing to, going round to starboard. It was obvious that the weather was forcing us towards the shore, fortunately, the engines were back at full power and she slowly headed round to Norwest. The gale had really stepped up its efforts. It felt like a live thing, intent on crushing the Brett. I felt a part of it all, I was bound up with her, trying to help her. If she went under, we went under. It makes you care, you have to trust her, you bond with your ship. I remember when an old member of our crew had to return to base to receive his demobilization, as he climbed over the side to get into the trot boat he was in tears, all he could do was try to wipe his eyes and wave to the crew as they shouted farewells to him. It’s not like leaving home, you return sometime to your home – he couldn’t return to the crew and ship - for him it would soon all be in the past
The ship didn’t let up on her struggle to beat the weather, she headed straight into the teeth of it, she was making some headway but for how long could her engines stand up to the struggle? I couldn’t believe our engines would hold out, I prayed they would but I just couldn’t convince myself. It was about then that Sparks shouted to the bridge that a signal was picked up, a trawler had gone aground on the ‘Black Rock Ledges’ in my mind I knew just where it was and I was shocked by it. The Skipper asked for her name and Sparks shouted out the name and said she’d just been built. The Coxswain said we weren’t more than a mile off her. I felt sick for them and for us, I heard the Skipper say, “we can’t get near her, if we try we’ll be on the ledges with her”. I felt myself mentally sigh with relief, I knew it would be hopeless to get near her but it was his decision to make and it wouldn’t have been the first time that a wrong decision was made. Then I heard Sparks shout “the C/N lifeboat is on her way out”, I was amazed, it didn’t seem possible, surely she would go under, it was asking too much. The old man kept us heading into the weather and after about half an hour he shouted down a compass change that was bringing us to port with the weather on the starboard bow. I knew then that he was going to let the weather take us around Plada Island and then swing us into the sheltered water behind Arran.
Shortly after the change of course I heard Sparks shout the message that the lifeboat had got to the wreck and got her crew off. It was like a fairy tale, I found it hard to believe but they had done it. But now they were fully loaded, how could they drive into that gale to get back to base?
It wasn’t long after this that I felt the weather easing. It was still rough and the waves were still breaking down on deck but we’d had that dozens of times. I knew we were in the lee of Arran and soon we would come up to the harbour. Sure enough, I could see the harbour lights ahead. The Skipper told the Bunting Tosser (signalman) to flash for permission to enter harbour, he also told the Coxswain to take her in. The Coxswain was an ex-fisherman who knew the harbour so it would be simple for hem, all he had to do was take the wheel and I was off to my bunk quick – then I heard Bunts say permission to enter had been refused – we were to head for Brodick Bay.
Edwin W Sams 2006
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