THE COVENANTER
fiddle and accordian players but joined now right . Down with the lever and we were
and then by guys with guitars and bohran away back to the left, up with lever and it
drums. The standard of playing was very was off to the right again. After ten minutes
good. I might even have heard the great Ali of this, the course we should have been
Bain learning his trade there before going steering and the compass only had a passing
on to take Shetland music round the world aquaintance and I’d almost forgotten what
and become internationaly renowned as the it was anyway, Slinger had actually gone
greatest fiddle player of his generation. off to the toilet and the other sailors in the
control room were in absolute stitches and
When we had left Shetland and were on offering no help whatever. They probably
our way to Gothenburg I went along to the told tales for years afterwards about the time
control room where Slinger was on watch they let a “pongo” drive the boat and ended
and taking his turn on the helm(steering up going in circles.
the boat). He sat on a small seat just to the
left of the conning tower stairs with a heavy I couldn’t understand why there was no
blanket over his knees reading a novel. The reaction to all this from the conning tower
blanket was needed because the snorkel tube but finally from the voice tube by my head
above the tower pulled in huge quantities of came a polite request to know who was
air and forced it down into the boat but I steering. I said “It’s me Sir , the soldier”.
thought the novel was a bit casual.However “Well just hand over to Slinger and get
nobody else in the control room seemed to yourself up here” was the reply. Up in the
be bothered. I stood at the ladder looking tower ( which wasn’t as far above the water
up at the little circle of sky above when I as I’d expected) I was invited to look back at
get a dig in the ribs and Slinger says “Have the wake which was a pitiful sight snaking
a go at steering”. I thought he was kidding about behind us. “Any aircraft flying over
of course but he was serious saying “Its no and seeing that might report us as a ship in
bother, I’ll show you how”. trouble” says the watch officer. Back down
I said “OK, I’ll have a go but shouldn’t you in the boat I watched as the job was done
get permission from somebody?”. “No No properly and it was a much more skilled affair
It will be alright” says he and since no one than you might think. The helmsman has
else in the control room was raising any to be able to balance the corrections against
objection I found myself on the seat with the boats head going off, the delay before
the blanket over my knees. the rudder takes effect and overcorrection
when it does.
There was a pedestal coming up from the
deck with what looked like one half of a I was pretty sure I’d been wound up for a
motorcyle handlebar on one side at the top, bit of naval entertainment but who cares!.
above it a large compass like a clock with How many soldiers can claim to have driven
only one hand pointing at the twelve o’clock a submarine?.
position. The compass rose moved round the
face so when the heading was set it sat at the Shortly after this episode the boat began to
end of the pointer. All I had to do was keep get rather lively and we were running into a
it there. It wasn’t that easy of course. The storm. I wasn’t at all concerned , who ever
heading would sit steady for a few minutes heard of a submarine being sunk by bad
and then start wandering off course because weather, apart from the casing and tower
of the effect of wind and wave on the hull. most of it is under water anyway and there
When it got a few degrees off course I was is only the one hole open to the sea which
to push the lever up to move the boats head can be closed down quickly. The Captain has
left or down to go right. The longer it was the perfect solution to bad weather, just go
held up or down the more the boat moved under it. Thats what we did. As the motion
and when you let go it self centered. of the boat became a corkscrewing action
the order to submerge was given. There was
By the time I had got all this the boat was no big drama as preparations were made .
already five degrees off to the right so I I was in the fore-end as it happened and
pushed the lever up but by the time the thought it better not to go up to the control
rudder took effect it was ten degrees off. I room in case I got in the way. All I noticed
corrected more and got back to the correct was that the boat became quiet and stable in
heading but the thing then kept going too the water and the deck under my feet took
far left. Corrected again and well over to the on a gentle slope . Thats when I realised that
69
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