Red Sea attracting War Bonus, Panama running out of water, freight rates on the way up and we're heading for Yorkshire. Dear God.
Full Astern, bunkers and vitalls off-limits Weymouth, lets head South and earn a few bob.

What good is a few bob at your age ...In Ireland you get a free train pass and bus pas a free phone and as many blue tablets as you can eat. We don't want to be heading to war, look what happened that french bloke Drake, he lost an eye. If you want to earn big money we should head to cape farewell Iceland and fillup with giant cod, don't forget your gutting knife.

Ah Weymouth. Not as many pubs now as when the Navy was at Portland. Those were the days when you could stand on almost any street corner and actually see a dozen watering holes.
Nowadays not much of anything, except fishing boats and yachties, but the bay makes for a pleasant anchorage at this time of year.
I wouldn’t bother with Portland Port - they want to charge loads of dosh for everything, They would even charge people for swimming if they could get away with it.

put in to Weymouth back in the early 60,s with a TID tug. Moored up not far from the bridge. went ashore with the skipper (my Father). we went into a couple of pubs there. double scotches with a worthington chaser (father being a scot from Aberdeen). Both nissed as pewts holding each other up. Next morning with a hangover we had to tow 2 pontoons to cowes. Never forget Weymouth.

White Shield? Pa praised it as the cheapest alcohol and also for gut health (by including the bottle bottom dregs one ensured a slow moving gut became rather more athletic).

(Whisky, however, both of us would have had trouble being un-teetotal were this to have been the only stuff available. I am sure we would have succeeded but it would have taken effort unlike gin, brandy, rum, PORT, etc.).

Ah Mr V, your father was a man after my own heart, VFM and a dual mandate in one half pint package. Pity his son deviated down the Mackeson route.

a free train pass and bus pass... Correct

a free phone... Incorrect

as many blue tablets as you can eat... Incorrect... We don't need them, they are for export only. Mostly to the UK.

:applause:

Our departure lounge card only gives us half fare on the railway (it's seen as recreational and a way of earning from visitors rather than transport).

The BBC tell me HMS QE cannot go to the Red Sea to support HMS Diamond because the RFA have a manpower shortage. Like Capt Mainwaring I can scarcely believe my ears.
Will the nice Mr Shapps kick arse?

Me and varley are on our way to kick it and varley is going to put his windows in....see how he likes that.

I don't think aircraft carrier plans include sailing without a group of warships in support. A fleet (in modern arithmetic).

(I doubt it means the MN has gained an aircraft carrier! If so we would have to think on a change of regulations. Look what a noise the authorities make when we sink another ship by accident. What sort of melee would ensue if we started doing it for a living?)

Next thing they will be looking for Hull trawlers.

So, the problem is fuel and stores.
Here’s a suggestion which would fit with the best traditions of Golden Dreamer.
Just tell the Egyptians et al that Queen Elizabeth is really the cruise ship of the same name in disguise. Then pop into port, pick up what you want and charge it to Carnival.
Sorted, particularly if RN are using Fujitsu kit - then no one would ever suspect a thing and if they did, they would just be told to shut up.

HMS Diamond must have bunkering and stores arrangements, piggy-back of them.

come on lads Hartlepool next stop. Single up cut outs hold a breast slipper. Engine room on standby.

British West Hartlepool?

Careful, there`s still a shore battery up there.

and a rare breed of long necked monkeys I hear.

Lets head for somewhere that doesn't flood, freeze or will be subject to storm after storm.

No good coming to Sunny Bananaland (Queensland) then.;)
Floods, monsoon rain, cyclones and bushfires.
Makes Victoria, bad as it is, half tolerable.

BB think outside the box.

We must give succour to our oul shipmate in Oz, a dry bed and a cold beer. Lay off a course for Melbourne, like a good chap. Easter in Australia, what could be nicer, hang on YM we're on our way.

Tmax big burners please and prepare the Admiralty Emergency Nozzles on the HP Turbine.

Iron mike has the details. we will need BPS on all nozzles. notify the boiler room! and hold tight.

Is titty sailing with us, we may need a hand.

Which direction are we proceeding ?
West and Panama is rumoured to be running dry.
East and one is likely to be shot at.
Or perhaps around a Cape for safety.