HMS Tenby

[tim lewin]

My father took command of the 17th Frigate Sqn in the early sixties when it was the Dartmouth Training Squadron, at that time it was made up of two divisions of Type 15 emergency wartime destroyer conversions. As these quietly rusted into retirement they were replaced by type 12s, a fine design and all round seaboat, mother of the Leandfers, poss the most successful warship design of all time? Does anyone remember those days in Tenby? her deck plate is at my office door, still shining!
I have lots more of Tenby, just need to scan them in to upload. I couldnt resist these of Yarmouth going up-di-di-up-up and down-di-di-down-down. This was exactly the time you din NOT want to be on maintainance detail for the paxman diesels which were immediately below the focsle deck.

[rumrat]

In response to Tim Lewins pictures of the Dartmouth training Squadrons training cruise to the USA in 1963 here's a couple of pictures taken at the same time as TENBY transited the Welland Canal.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v343/RUMRAT/TENBY1963.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v343/RUMRAT/TENBYWellandCanalJune1963.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v343/RUMRAT/TENBYWellandCanal1963.jpg

[tim lewin]

I have more somewhere which I will post when I find them, sound as though might have been there? The squadron also steamed through New York sending the photographer in a cab to snap them as they passed under the bridges!
tim

[rumrat]

It would be nice to see them Tim, New York always make a good back drop for any photographs,I to have more of the Training Squadron i'll post some later .
Regards
Dave

[rumrat]

I think this may well be one of the photo's taken as she passed under the bridges off New York.
Regards
Dave

[tonclass]

Nice on Dave. Didn't have such a large copy as you.
Rik

[tim lewin]

Great picture which inspired me to dig out some more pictures of the F17 visit to Cleveland Ohio on the 1963 summer cruise, lots of crew pics. Please see the new post.
tim

[tim lewin]

Here are a few more pictures from the 1962-3 commission of F17. I have quite a lot more of the Cleveland visit but they are almost all of USN people and visitors, in case any of our US visitors would like to see these please tell me and I will gladly upload them.
tim

[rumrat]

Tim,
If you read the attached booklet you'll see your dad gets a mention as Captain 17th Frigate Squadron 1963.
Regards
Dave

[spenoian]

H.M.S.Tenby Association 2009 Reunion will take place at the Royal Hotel Coventry on 1st - 4th May 2009. Anyone interested should contact the chairman, Ken Jones by e-mail, krhysjones @ blueyonder.co.uk

[astraltrader]

Welcome to the forum, Ken. Whilst your reunion is most worthy - I would seriously advise you against putting your telephone number in a forum open to all such as ours.

We would usually counsel against even putting an email address visible such as you have.

I would strongly advise you to press edit and change this post to preferably "PM or private message me for details" - then if you just call in the forum once every whatever you can send your contact details to any applicant.

I have just noticed that you are not in the forum - so I have decided to remove your phone number for security...

[kc]

Yes, while the post is most welcome, you will attract a considerable amount of nuisance email and phonecalls by publishing your details publically. While I leave it entirely up to yourself, at least we can say you were warned.

PS. I hope the forum attracts plenty of interest for your reunion. :)

[simon anderson]

Hi

My Name is Simon and i just posted a Thread on Uk Navy Ships called DAvid John Wright.

I am searching for him as he is my dad and ive never met him..he served on HMS Tenby in the early 70's

Please read my thread

Thank U

[john1walker]

Hi,
Tim - I was aboard Tenby when the photo was taken in the Welland Canal
in 1965, we were on our way down bypassing Nigara Falls thru to Detroit
the first British Warship to visit them. I remember it was all over the local
papers with a story headed 'Grey Ghosts enter Detroit Harbour' The Scotish
comunity there invited as many as they could to a party which I attended.
For info our Capt F onboard Tenby was Capt Wake-Walker and I was part of
his Comms staff......John L Walker

[CYLLA]

Tim,
I have this image of two type 15,s.....if it were in colour ,it would be look super.
The background is of Dartmouth,i should say.

cylla

[rumrat]

John,
Did TENBY transit the Welland Canal twice in her career 63 and 65 ? As i have these comemorative pictures dated June 1963 not 1965.

Regards
Dave

[tim lewin]

Def in '63. it was my father's commission, got lots of photos of the trip and it is extensively covered in the book "Lewin of Greenwich" which I propose to republish as a E-book very shortly, hopefully with the help of this forum!
Happy new year
tim

[tim lewin]

The two type 12s at Dartmouth are most likely Tenby and Torquay and the period is the early to mid sixties, grerat pictures for which very many thanks
tim

[ltotenby]

Hi Rum Bosun, just like to say, as a 'newcomer', many thanks for posting the photos of Tenby. Sadly I lost all of mine due to a mishap. I was on the Tenby at this time, quite enjoyed it, served under Captain Lewin, must say, a brilliant Commanding Officer, and did an excellent job as Captain F... I have often tried to tell people about 'those docks' with great dificulty and you come up with excellent drawings.... Many thanks, what a breath of fresh air....
'George'

[tim lewin]

Dear Dave & George, I guess you will remember that Tenby went on to visit Cleveland Ohio after the canal transit; I think I may have posted some of these before but twice is better than never! theseare in an older file that doesn't display when broused so if there are any doubles or out of place pics, sorry!
Tim
PS. For those that havn't read Richard Hills book on my father I can send you the chapter that covers this commission. I will ultimately republish the whole book in a dedicated web site but need the time to focus.

[ltotenby]

Many thanks Tim, we all had a great time in Cleveland, firts real American football stadium I ever saw. (The Browns).. George.

[tim lewin]

I may have more general shots of the hospitality, too much the same if you are not in them but if you like i can scan them and send you the set for your own memories.

[jim7966]

Here are a few pictures of my father Larry Gillespie from his time on the Tenby. If anyone recognizes the others in the pictures I'd be interested to know their names. I could put them in touch with my father if they so desired. Thanks

[harry.gibbon]

jim7966 just a thought; would you identify which is your Dad in the pics you have posted, it might assist any ex Tenby forum members.

Little h

[qprdave]

I have merged five Tenby Threads to avoid duplicity

Dave

[TheNavyWouldNotHaveMe]

There's one of how she ended her days in To Sail No More, and found this online:

[Nutty]

Just fell into this thread whilst looking for pictures of the Welland Ship Canal. Tenby must have traversed the Lakes both in 63 and 65. I was a A/B RP3 on Tenby Aug. 1964 until July 1965 when I went to Dolphin for Submarine Training.

Tenby, Capt (F), Eastbourne (Who broke down with boiler trouble in Montreal and failed to make the Lakes) Scarborough and Torquay, the operational three, went into the Lakes in June/July 1965. The trip from Guzz was as follows.

St Johns, Newfoundland, Montreal, Kingston Ontario, Toronto Ontario, Detroit, Quebec, Halifax Nova Scotia and Pier 42 New York by Greenwich Village.

We arrived in Portsmouth for Navy Days on the Friday 24th July and it was my birthday on Saturday 25th. I was piped to The Ships Office after we fell out from Harbour Stations, I was Quarter Deck part of ship. The Leading Writer gave me my draft chit and also tossed me a little box which contained my GSM Borneo, that was bit of a surprise for a young A/B.
On the Monday I joined Dolphin 11 for boats.

It was a tough life for a young Jark Tar in ther 60's;)


Bob (Nutty) Head

Battler Britten, Swede Thwaites and George Rushen where are you.

[Nutty]

I think this may well be one of the photo's taken as she passed under the bridges off New York.
Regards
Dave

Rum Rat

It would appear that this photo was a posed picture not taken in the USA. Tenby at the time of this picture was configed as DTS unit with the school room aft and two extra 3 in 1 davits on each side of that school room.

BUT

No boats are carried on these davits if you are entering NY where are they?, the funnel is not painted black topped as "Capt F" should be. The upper deck is completly devoid of any crew which could not happen if sailing up the Hudson River at SS Dutymen, at least an anchor party would be present.

IMHO this was not taken from a NY bridge or any time on either deployment to the Lakes.


Nutty

[tim lewin]

Not sure if i mentioned this before but i am sure it was after leaving NY that my father heard it was Nicholas Monserrat's birthday so he steamed the ships (Tenby and which??) along the shore where his house was located, somewhere nearby on the coast, an i beleive fired a few rounds all of which the great writer much appreciated. Anyone able to add to this?
tim

[crawfie69]

Thought members would like to know there is a video on Youtube of the Tenby at the breakers yard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvYO_YB0CDk

[alanbenn]

Very sad to see her in such a state, here's a photo of her in better days.

Regards
Alan

[tim lewin]

sad indeed; i remember when my father took over at Portsmouth in about 1973 driving down to visit the family in Admiralty House in the DY. on the approach we passed two T15s stranded in the mud looking very forlorn and neglected but instantly identifiable by the pennant numbers. I suggested to dad that it was just too saddening to see these old warriors that had once been such a focus of the lives of so many people like this and that it might be better if they could at least be made anonymous. Very shortly afterwards he arranged for defaulters to go down there with cans of pussers grey to eradicate their identity.
I had forgotten this small event until yesterday.
all best
tim

PS. I understand that Admiralty house itself has now been allowed to fall into such dispreair that it might have to be demolished, a fine historic building.

[tipahmh]

Dave, thank you for the nice photo of HMS TENBY and thank you too for the post card of Welland Canal shown back in post#2.

I have not been there, however with your post card map and diagram of the area, I have some idea of the canal.

Best regards. Hanef

[limeybiker]

Found this photo of Tenby in my brother Dennis's belongings, I assume taken from HMS Battleaxe, 1959ish.

[tim lewin]

Thanks Barry, great pic; afteer this commission she went into refit before being handed to F17 in deplorable condition;
prob i should post this somewhere else but its late and you might enjoy it. It a transcript of a couple of tapes my father dictated before he died on his memories of F17 including taking over Tenby & Torquay. Thev transcript was made by a delightful girl who normally transcribed the evidence tapes from Ipswich nick so anything beyond "i never done it" or "its a fair cop guv" gave her great difficulty! i leave it to you to complete the blanks where she got really stuck. This was never intended for publication, just ax an aide memoire for Richard Hill who wrote the book "Lewin of Greenwich" but i think some of you might enjoy sharing it. Hopefuly
tim

[limeybiker]

Thanks Barry, great pic; afteer this commission she went into refit before being handed to F17 in deplorable condition;
prob i should post this somewhere else but its late and you might enjoy it. It a transcript of a couple of tapes my father dictated before he died on his memories of F17 including taking over Tenby & Torquay. Thev transcript was made by a delightful girl who normally transcribed the evidence tapes from Ipswich nick so anything beyond "i never done it" or "its a fair cop guv" gave her great difficulty! i leave it to you to complete the blanks where she got really stuck. This was never intended for publication, just ax an aide memoire for Richard Hill who wrote the book "Lewin of Greenwich" but i think some of you might enjoy sharing it. Hopefuly
tim
Thanks for that Tim, most appreciated. Look forward to reading the complete version.

Brought back a lot of memories of our trip to the States in 1959, we did Norfolk, Boston and New York, incredible runs ashore, little did I know then, I would be an American Citizen, fifty years later.
We had Tenby, Salisbury and Scarborough with us at Norfolk, they then headed North for the Queen's opening of the St.Lawrence Seaway, we had to suffer, demonstrating the Full Angled Deck, 984 Radar, Mirror Landing Sight and the Steam Catapults to the Yanks.
The carrier in the background is the Independence, she was as long as the Victorious and the frigates.\
Whacker Payne and I inviegled our way onboard her, on the pretext of getting some Sky Raider Spares, their Jack Dusty gave us the grand tour.

[astraltrader]

Thanks for that Tim, most appreciated. Look forward to reading the complete version.

Brought back a lot of memories of our trip to the States in 1959, we did Norfolk, Boston and New York, incredible runs ashore, little did I know then, I would be an American Citizen, fifty years later.
We had Tenby, Salisbury and Scarborough with us at Norfolk, they then headed North for the Queen's opening of the St.Lawrence Seaway, we had to suffer, demonstrating the Full Angled Deck, 984 Radar, Mirror Landing Sight and the Steam Catapults to the Yanks.
The carrier in the background is the Independence, she was as long as the Victorious and the frigates.\
Whacker Payne and I inviegled our way onboard her, on the pretext of getting some Sky Raider Spares, their Jack Dusty gave us the grand tour.


Great photo Barry - couldn't you scan it a size worth seeing?? ;)

[tim lewin]

Indeed an excellent picture, they all look remarkably tiddley, not a hair out of place; i have posted quite a few pics from this cruise on the site somewhere. This is the Navy i grew up with. Very many thanks
tim

[limeybiker]

Great photo Barry - couldn't you scan it a size worth seeing?? ;)
Unfortunately, I left all my original photos on a Milk Train from Waterloo to Pompey 1962.
With the advent of the Internet, I have managed to recoup most of them from old shipmates, this forum and two or three others.
I didn't realise that photo existed until I found The MOD Archives web site, then, you could download a sample with, www.ministryofdefenceimages.mod.co.uk (http://www.ministryofdefenceimages.mod.co.uk)
written across the photograph, I believe this site has now closed down, but I did download most of the photographs and I can post them here if it is permitted.
Please ask for a private copy I have 700 images, but all only at 62kb.
None of Tenby unfortunately.
I particularly like this one of Superb.
I sent an email to the webmaster, requesting a high quality, high resolution copy to put on my web page, as an ex Victorious rating with three years served on her, I felt some sort of right.

I received a pretty snotty reply, to the effect that my home page was breaking MOD copyright and I was to cease and desist and remove all ship's crests and photographs, as they are all over fifty years old now, I don't feel that I am breaking any copyright.
I also paid for the originals from the photographic Section onboard at the time the photos were taken.