Farewell HMS Hermes.....

[LaurieS]

20 minutes ago, gavingav said:

probably the most enduring image of her ...

 

 

Yes I remember that day like yesterday. Doubt there were not many in Britain not watching.

 

To be on the Hermes looking down at all that was happening as she slowly entered Portsmouth Harbour must have been quite something unforgettable.

 

What a scene.

[Chewbacca]

I will always remember HERMES as she was at Portland in the summer of 1987, shortly after being sold to the IN and renamed Viraat .  Part of the sale included a work up package under FOST staff  and at the time, I am afraid to say, she was a liability, described by one senior FOST officer at the time as a danger to shipping.  She failed just about every serial that she undertook whether it was engineering, damage control or simple bridgemanship and ship-handling.  It was so bad that the Admiral ordered an RN bridge team be put on board and they took her clear of UK waters being lifted off by a Sea King from Culdrose operating at the limit of its endurance.  She was also apparently leaking like a sieve and I remember a conversation with FOST Staff in our wardroom when they doubted she would make it back to India .  So all credit to the IN for keeping her going for so long.

[Whitewolf]

5 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

I will always remember HERMES as she was at Portland in the summer of 1987, shortly after being sold to the IN and renamed Viraat .  Part of the sale included a work up package under FOST staff  and at the time, I am afraid to say, she was a liability, described by one senior FOST officer at the time as a danger to shipping.  She failed just about every serial that she undertook whether it was engineering, damage control or simple bridgemanship and ship-handling.  It was so bad that the Admiral ordered an RN bridge team be put on board and they took her clear of UK waters being lifted off by a Sea King from Culdrose operating at the limit of its endurance.  She was also apparently leaking like a sieve and I remember a conversation with FOST Staff in our wardroom when they doubted she would make it back to India .  So all credit to the IN for keeping her going for so long.

Strangely enough she spent more time in service with India than the UK. From what I understand from individuals who worked on her at Devonport prior to the handover, she was not in a good material state.

However, according to others who spent time aboard her in later years, she was in pretty good condition? It seems the Indian Navy took far better care of her than we did.

[junglierating]

7 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

I will always remember HERMES as she was at Portland in the summer of 1987, shortly after being sold to the IN and renamed Viraat .  Part of the sale included a work up package under FOST staff  and at the time, I am afraid to say, she was a liability, described by one senior FOST officer at the time as a danger to shipping.  She failed just about every serial that she undertook whether it was engineering, damage control or simple bridgemanship and ship-handling.  It was so bad that the Admiral ordered an RN bridge team be put on board and they took her clear of UK waters being lifted off by a Sea King from Culdrose operating at the limit of its endurance.  She was also apparently leaking like a sieve and I remember a conversation with FOST Staff in our wardroom when they doubted she would make it back to India .  So all credit to the IN for keeping her going for so long.

Dont forget about the grand Devonport bicycle heist.....strangely a lot of push bikes went missing and turned up in the ramp store on board.....dunno how true that dit is.....before my time ....but no doubt an element of truth

[Whitewolf]

4 minutes ago, junglierating said:

Dont forget about the grand Devonport bicycle heist.....strangely a lot of push bikes went missing and turned up in the ramp store on board.....dunno how true that dit is.....before my time ....but no doubt an element of truth

Its true, that did happen, took a few people by surprise! The bikes were recovered..

[LaurieS]

What about this great picture in the hanger on the way to the Falklands.

 

http://

[Whitewolf]

An Inspirational pic, of our Falklands Flagship, enroute to a war no one thought we would ever have to fight! 

[LaurieS]

2 hours ago, Whitewolf said:

An Inspirational pic, of our Falklands Flagship, enroute to a war no one thought we would ever have to fight! 

Yes that picture says it all. a story in itself the activity.

 

The old Shars. The discussions going on perhaps SAS.

 

The night sky on the flight deck.

 

As you so rightly say inspirational. The positiveness but that relaxed British trait of nothing is happening out of the ordinary but it is. All there in that picture.

 

Laurie

Edited October 17, 2020 by LaurieS

[PF Naughton]

Hi,

Its kind of sad to see a ship with so much history, and of such significance to both the UK and later India go, but I guess it had to happen at some point.

 

One thing that I often wondered though, was why there never was a reasonably priced injection molded model kit of her, as it seems like she would have been a popular kit, if reasonably priced.  And since she served as for a long time, both in the Indian Navy, and earlier in the Royal Navy as a STOVL ship, a Commando Carrier and earlier as a CATOBAR ship it seems like there would have been a good possibility for marketing different options, (similar to how Trumpeter markets two different options of the Russian Pre-Dreadnaught Tsesarevich/Grazhdanin in either her 1904 or 1917 configurations).

Pat

[EwenS]

On 12/10/2020 at 01:17, VMA131Marine said:

So, because some aren’t doing well it means none can succeed? The US has 8 preserved battleships and 5 preserved aircraft carriers (plus one that could be preserved). Many of them have been in operation as museums for decades. That’s not an argument that preservation is not feasible.

In addition, it’s reasonable to think that none of these preserved ships will last forever.  Age and corrosion will likely get them all eventually, and that’s okay too. Nothing lasts forever, in the meantime people can enjoy them for the history they represent. 

By way of illustration of the problems faced in keeping these ships afloat is the battleship USS North Carolina preserved since 1961. Surveys nearly 20 years ago revealed her hull plating had corroded from its original 16-19mm to less than 4mm in places. Money is now being spent to repair her in situ at massive cost. Here is a photo of what they found on removing her bow plating.

 

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3221826147866235&set=p.3221826147866235&type=3&refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2F

 

Note the heavily corroded frames revealed by removing the plating.

 

USS Texas is going to be moved to a drydock for similar repairs to replace her plating from the waterline down.

 

https://battleshiptexas.org/battleship-updates/

 

So it is one thing to want to preserve these ships but everyone needs to be aware of the massive financial commitment needed. Without proper and continuous costly maintenance there comes a point when the scrapyard becomes the only realistic choice.

[Whitewolf]

The problem with Noryh Carolina and Texas is that they were both berthed in locations where the Hull became encased in wet mud, which really hasn't done them a lot of good! But note that both are being repaired and will continue on......indefinitely. lessons are being learned as time goes by. A dry dock is a better setting, and I believe there is a proposal to berth the Texas in a dry setting as it were. 

[LaurieS]

2 hours ago, EwenS said:

By way of illustration of the problems faced in keeping these ships afloat is the battleship USS North Carolina preserved since 1961. Surveys nearly 20 years ago revealed her hull plating had corroded from its original 16-19mm to less than 4mm in places. Money is now being spent to repair her in situ at massive cost. Here is a photo of what they found on removing her bow plating.

 

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3221826147866235&set=p.3221826147866235&type=3&refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2F

 

Note the heavily corroded frames revealed by removing the plating.

 

USS Texas is going to be moved to a drydock for similar repairs to replace her plating from the waterline down.

 

https://battleshiptexas.org/battleship-updates/

 

So it is one thing to want to preserve these ships but everyone needs to be aware of the massive financial commitment needed. Without proper and continuous costly maintenance there comes a point when the scrapyard becomes the only realistic choice.

Yes agreed Ewen. Not realised alot that these ships ,in those days, were made of ordinary mild steel. Give a hint of water & it starts it's rusting.

 

We were a boating family I remember there were some parts in steel on the boats we had. However well the paint film rust would make it's entrance through the paint. Even above sea level. Very frustrating. Paint & a couple of weeks rust streaks.

 

Actually poor old Hermes had a real dose of iron-oxide when she made her way in Portsmouth harbour looked like a hulk.

 

Laurie

[LaurieS]

Just wonder how they have preserved The Belfast. Being tidal near the mouth of the Thames there must be some salt. Apart from water around the Belfast ha ha.

 

Laurie

[Whitewolf]

Isn't Belfast towed to Portsmouth and dry docked every so many years?

[davecov]

Yes she is.

 

Dave

[Whitewolf]

Belfast was dry docked at Tilbury in 1982 and again at Portsmouth in 1999, during which her hull was cleaned, shot blasted and completely repainted. I believe a lot of ultrasonic readings were also undertaken which revealed the Hull was in very good condition.

[LaurieS]

4 minutes ago, Whitewolf said:

Belfast was dry docked at Tilbury in 1982 and again at Portsmouth in 1999, during which her hull was cleaned, shot blasted and completely repainted. I believe a lot of ultrasonic readings were also undertaken which revealed the Hull was in very good condition.

That makes sense. Interesting to find the cost of maintenance against income.

[EwenS]

Article here from back in 1997 about how they keep Belfast's hull in good shape.

 

https://maritime.org/conf/conf-wenzel.htm

 

[junglierating]

2 hours ago, LaurieS said:

That makes sense. Interesting to find the cost of maintenance against income.

Its called the city Laurie

[Chewbacca]

On 16/10/2020 at 15:42, junglierating said:

Dont forget about the grand Devonport bicycle heist.....strangely a lot of push bikes went missing and turned up in the ramp store on board.....dunno how true that dit is.....before my time ....but no doubt an element of truth

I had completely forgotten that - thanks for reminding me.

 

5 hours ago, Whitewolf said:

The problem with North Carolina and Texas is that they were both berthed in locations where the Hull became encased in wet mud, which really hasn't done them a lot of good! But note that both are being repaired and will continue on......indefinitely. lessons are being learned as time goes by. A dry dock is a better setting, and I believe there is a proposal to berth the Texas in a dry setting as it were. 

I did read somewhere that one of the plans for Texas was to put her back in her recent berth, build a dam across the entrance to the creek, pump it dry and then fill it with concrete.  No idea how true that is or indeed if even feasible, especially given the corrosive properties of concrete.

 

12 minutes ago, junglierating said:

Its called the city Laurie

Whilst I wouldn't for one minute disagree with that, there is also the simple factor that being berthed in the Thames, close to so many other very high profile tourist attractions, if any preserved ship in UK can survive, it is BELFAST.

[LaurieS]

17 minutes ago, junglierating said:

Its called the city Laurie

My home town for seven years. 1954/ 1962

Chelsea Fulham, Oval, Lords. Walking with girl friends on the Thames Embankment (one at a time). Even had to work in Victoria.

[junglierating]

1 hour ago, LaurieS said:

My home town for seven years. 1954/ 1962

Chelsea Fulham, Oval, Lords. Walking with girl friends on the Thames Embankment (one at a time). Even had to work in Victoria.

One at a time 😂wouldnt have thought otherwise 🤔

[LaurieS]

41 minutes ago, junglierating said:

One at a time 😂wouldn't have thought otherwise 🤔

Are we talking football matches Jungle  😂

[Whitewolf]

Its suddenly gone very quiet about the fate of INS Viraat.......one can only assume things haven't gone well?

[Viper78]

47 minutes ago, Whitewolf said:

Its suddenly gone very quiet about the fate of INS Viraat.......one can only assume things haven't gone well?

 

I can't find any news on her unfortunately, it's a shame as the dismantler was prepared to sell to a willing buyer.