THE COVENANTER
submarines dont just fill their ballast tanks to a frigate moored against the harbour wall.
and sink, they do actually dive forward and We had to cross from one boat to the others
down. It was all a bit exciting at first as I lay on long planks then climb up a ladder onto
on my bunk and watched the depth gauge the frigate where a queue of sailors were
(mounted above the thing that always lined up being booked out of the ship by
leaked) slowly wind past the hundred foot an officer and some men whom the sailors
mark and continue on past two hundred. It called “regulators”, sort of Regimental
finally steadied on three hundred feet and I Provost staff. They were generally giving
was a bit relieved because from somewhere the sailors a good inspection and sending
in my memory (probably from a “Cruel some back to polish shoes etc but they didn’t
Sea” type movie) I thought that was as far bother those with HM Submarines on their
as subs could go down. Not so as I learned caps and totally ignored me. I was amused
at dinner in the mess, they had been down to see two very large boxes of condoms on
a lot further than that. I reckoned three the table with the booking out ledger with a
hundred feet would do me fine thank you. Help Yourself notice beside them. That kind
of thing at army guardrooms might have
I dont know when we surfaced again because saved a few young ladies a bit of bother in
I was asleep at the time and soon after that some garrison towns.
it was announced we were proceeding up
river and would be in Gothenburg soon. Gothenburg was a bit of culture shock to me.
The casing crew who would attend to the In the mid summer sunshine it was so clean
mooring of the boat were warned to be and prosperous looking with wide streets,
ready and this caused quite a bother. This fine parks and buildings and many canals.
crew were required to be dressed in the There was an excellent tramway system and
white submarine jumper. navy bell bottom the docks where our boat was parked was
trousers and white topped cap for this duty. more like an upmarket suburb, certainly a
As the boat moves slowly into the harbour world away from the docks in Glasgow I was
they line up on the casing standing at ease, familiar with. When we went sat down at a
all “tiddley” as the Navy calls it until the pavement cafe to have a coffee and watch
order to start the rope handling and so on the parade of very attractive young ladies
is given. Anyone watching from the shore who seemed to be everywhere on the streets
sees a smart and efficient piece of naval drill we came down to earth with a bang. The cost
and it looks impressive. of everything here was phenomenal, four
The problem was that those making up the coffees and gateau cost several pounds!.
crew simply did not have the kit to wear Fortuately there was a welcome letter on
and there was great rummaging in lockers the boats notice board from the Mayor
all through the boat to find enough jumpers welcoming the Royal Navy to the city
etc to get them dressed up as required. It and saying that entry to all museums, art
seemed that apart from their personal galleries, public buildings and so on would
shore going uniform every other piece of be free to those in uniform, also travel on
clothing on the boat belonged to anybody the trams, and best of all entry to the famous
who needed it. Imagine trying to dress a Liseberg Park.
regimental guard from every other member
of the company who might have some bits There were no pubs of course, drink could
of No1 dress. only be had in places where meals were
served and the cost of them ruled that out. I
Once we were tied up safely a few hours was not bothered because I rarely drink but
passed while the boat was sort of shut down the sailors were not too happy about this.
and cleaned up. During this time nobody We went back to the boat for dinner and to
was allowed out of the boat onto the casing, collect the little bottles the sailors were in
probably because although this was a very the habit of keeping a good part of their rum
slick and highly professional bunch of issue in then it was off to a tram stop and
matelots, if you had put them on shore in a trip to Liseberg Park. It was a complete
their steaming rig they would probably have shock to see an advert for a soft porn
been arrested as vagrants. magazine complete with illustration of the
cover on the pole at the tramstop. I actually
When we got out of the boat to go ashore found myself slightly embarrased looking at
it was to find that we were tied to two other it. It was only the kind of picture seen on
submarines like ours which were in turn tied magazines in any newsagent nowadays but
70
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