THE ROCK

Old Bunting Tossers will recognise the scene on Hyacinth`s bridge that afternoon, on passage from Alexandria to Tripoli, coastwise, zig zagging ten minute legs. Cloudless sky, burning hot sun, flat calm sea and all quiet below save for the occasional rattle of a dhobi bucket on the well deck. Lookouts wedged upright in the wings, elbows hooked over the rail, tot dozy, eyelids at half mast, reflecting on the long hours ahead. Young Sub. Lt., entrusted with the watch because nothing serious was expected, draped Noel Coward fashion over the voice pipes, silently rehearsing his next change of course order, scorning the use of the alarm clock favoured by other watch officers to time the turns. Strictly pusser.

Monotonously the afternoon wore on, all was quiet save for the Subby`s zig zagging orders and an occasional throat clearing cough from one of the lookouts to demonstrate his continued vigilance, having just forced himself awake. Hot sun coupled with the soothing rhythm of the ship`s engine was getting to work.

Young Subby`s head hung noticeably lower. The duty Signalman, ever mindful of his branch`s reputation (eyes and ears of the fleet, Captain`s right hand man etc) but also very aware of his Yeoman`s penchant for soft shoeing up the bridge ladder, continued to `scope the horizon for alien craft until presently he became aware that something was wrong. Hadn`t this port tack been going on a bit? Looking round in alarm, to his horror he saw the shoreline looming perilously close.

What to do?! Unthinkable to shout at the officer, he sprang to the ten inch lamp and vigorously rattled the shutter handle. All too late, even as subby yelled "Starboard ten" down the voice pipe (in rather more a falsetto tone than his previous instructions) crunch!! Hyacinth had scuffed onto a submerged rock.

It all turned out surprisingly well. At the enquiry, the skipper reportedly spun a very convincing dit about having to squeeze inside a minefield. No one was weighed off.

We, the crew, did very well out of it. With the ship under repair, we had visits to Jerusalem, Nazareth and Tel Aviv plus a spell in an army rest camp amid the orange groves in Nathania whilst Hyacinth was in dry dock.
The only downside was in having to watch others of our group, Peony, Primula, Petunia, Salvia, Gloxinia etc., go out on convoy and A/S duty, leaving us tied to the dockyard wall, playing uckers or preparing for another game of football. It was truly sad to wave them off and to hear them cry, "Where`s that bloody rock?!"

Dixie Dean
Sig. T/O