RN Boom Defence Vessels

[rusty]

Bar class ,boom carriers, any EX boomers ,on this site??

[ceylon220]

In 1960 I was drafted to the BARBICAN as a relief A/POM(E) from COCHRANE then situated at Donibristle, Fife. Talk about a shock to the system coming from Furnace Fuel oil ships to a coal burner, here`s me thinking that these coal burning ships were obsolete, anyway I was only on one trip and that was up through the Isles of Scotland and then back into Rosyth to the coaling jetty where all hands mucked in for coaling ship---I missed this exercise as I had my gear ready to return to COCHRANE. Does anyone have a photo of the BARBICAN that they can upload to go into my album of ships served during my time in the RN?

[tonclass]

BARBICAN - March 1963

[ceylon220]

Thanks a lot tonclass, great picture of the BARBICAN just the way that I knew her including the smoke belching out of her stack, much appreciated,mate.

Regards
Dave.

[Scurs]

Bit of a come down after old C30 Dave! :D

[ceylon220]

Sure was Scurs but an experience all the same, seemed that when I was drafted to Scotland after CEYLON I kept getting all these relief drafts to differant ships ie: BARBICAN,ORWELL,RUSSEL,never spent much time ashore, even got married quarters at Rosyth,they wife hardly saw me until I finally settled into Fishery Protection ship maintenance in the dockyard there, great little number--we were versatile in them days,you were expected to do any job that came to hand--the best time of my life was the navy apart from my marriage---longest draft of the lot --52 years and still going strong.(had to put that in as she uses my laptop now and again).:D:D

[Rob Hoole]

This entertaining account of life in HMS Barnard by ex-Boatswain Doug Barlow may be of interest:

A Boomer in Scotland (http://www.mcdoa.org.uk/Boomer_in_Scotland.htm)

[Fairlead]

I still see Dougie from time to time - Don't let him hear you say he is an EX - Bosun, he is very much still a 'Batswain' - marvelous fellow

Fairlead

[Rob Hoole]

I still see Dougie from time to time - Don't let him hear you say he is an EX - Bosun, he is very much still a 'Batswain' - marvelous fellow

Fairlead

Don't worry Fairlead. I see Dougie at least once each week and I assure you he hears far worse from me. Serves him right for being my best man 30 years ago and nearly losing the rings. :)

[Dave Hutson]

Hi Dave [Too many Dave's on the Forum, we'll have to start seperate ID's]

Weren't Barboats a welcome relief, I had Barbain out of Singapore in '63 - buoy and moorings + salvage [that story is on another thread].

In the FES only Skipper, Jimmy, ERA, Cox'n and Sparker were RN - so we were all Wardroom and all OOW [who needed a Watchkeeping Cert, just follow the Leader].

Hairy moments yes, but overall Great - especially when operating in Commie waters - discharge, down White Ensign, up Red Ensign and get on with it.

Regards.

DAve H [El Rey or for little h Dago]:)

[ceylon220]

Are any of these BAR boats operating today, certainly not coalfired?

[tonclass]

No Dave, but one has been preserved in the Victoria & Albert Dock, Capetown, South Africa. She is the former HMS BARCROSS/SAS SOMERSET.

[Dave Hutson]

Hi Rik,

Don't remember Barbain ever being that clean and I must admit a gun on the sundeck does look a bit alien.

She certainly bears the scars of being a workhouse though and desrves it's preservation place in Naval History.

Dave H

[Vegaskip]

I dont know if you have seen it, but there is a picture of a 'Bar Boat' at 'Jims Ship Paintings' Page 29 post #716

Regards

[Dave Hutson]

Will look, thanks T

[qprdave]

Dave
Was you on the Barbain when this happened?

Taken from The Times Archive

[Dave Hutson]

Thought you had it there Dave, no, that was another of her adventures. I think I posted my venture on "Disasters" when we had to pull a merchantman of the sand in Sumatra - scary visit from the Indonesians on that trip.

That item also mentions Mr Tom Mboya of Kenya who I had the privilege of meeting in Kenya when training their Navy, he had been groomed to take over from Joma Kenyatta but was assasinated on the steps of Govt Hse in Niarobi - general opinion reckoned he got too popular whilst Jomo was still alive. For me the jury is still out.

Dave H

[qprdave]

I did read a small piece about that time Dave

22nd Jul 1963 Barbain Sailed Singapore to assist Greek Cargo ship Pantelaimon off Sumatra

That is all it said

[Dave Hutson]

That's it Dave

See Salvage Money 27 Aug 16.28 post #2

Dave H

[Rob Hoole]

HMS BARFOIL (P294) takes the Far East Fleet Clearance Diving Team's MFV 164 in tow for the return trip to Singapore following the first inspection of the wreck of HMS REPULSE in 1965. More photos of this operation in the entry for 2 Dec 09 on the MCDOA website's 'Latest News (http://www.mcdoa.org.uk/News_Frames.htm)' page.

[neil6814]

I joined the Navy in 1952 as Signalman but after six months transferred to the Seaman's branch.
My specialist qualification was Boom Defence. I was an Able Seaman on HMS Barnstone in 1956, a leading seaman on
the Barrage 1957/58 and a PO (Buffer) on the Laymoor 1963/64. In between time I spent quite a bit of time in HMS Safeguard, the Boom Defence school in Rosyth. There I did a couple of Diving courses and was also in the Fleet Diving Team. I also instructed in Safeguard in Boom Defence. In 1967 I was an instructor at Ganges which I hated and so on hearing that the Boom branch was finishing I bought myself out in 1968.

[RonHowell]

I posted some photographs of my days on the Boom Defence vessel HMS Barnard on the 4th DS thread, the reply I received has encouraged me to start a thread on these little known workhorses with an RN crew.
After a Fleet Destroyer I went to the Arctic in winter on an Algerine Sweeper doing Fishery Protection duties, after being thrown around , nearly frozen to death and surviving a storm force 11 I thought it would only get better. No, I got a draft chit to a coal burner on the Clyde. As the only Electrician on board I had to multi task, alongside, a Postman with my own Red Devil, a Dab Toe at sea on the wheel, working on the foredeck, and on a long sea journey down the bunkers trimming coal, oh yes, I had my own job to do as well. But it was great, with many happy memories.
One such memory was the duty stoker he only went down the boiler room whilst steaming to shovel coal, on coming up he would occasionaly glance at the funnel, when the smoke became less dense down he would go and frantically shovel some more. At the end of his watch he had to rake the fire and ditch the hot cinders over the side.
Another memory was trying to navigate round Cape Wrath in a gale, at dusk the Cape was on our Port side, and in the morning the Cape was still there but in the distance, we had been going backwards in the strong tides and the stoker couldnt shovel straight due to the heavy seas, it really was a Naval vessel in the late fifties.
It would be interesting if any of the Forum members have any such memories of what I would call the last of the true seamen, the 'Boomers'

[Choppy Sea]

I was drafted to Barbastel when I arrived back at Malta from the Suez invasion, she had been taken out there but was surplus to requirements and had to be brought back home. We had no stokers the seamen did that job, two went down and raked over and then two oppos went down to re-stoke and bring up the ash and clinker. The two in the boiler room loaded a fifty gallon drum which was attached to a steel wire rope and to a small hand operated davit. When the drum was full the two uptop wound the drum up and swung the davit outbord and tipped the ashes in to the hoggin. We had a ships log cast over the stern for speed and distance but arrived in Pompey two days early because we had a following sea all the way and the log reading was useless. Calling in for coal in Lisbon was a real classic. Coal was dropped down a canvas shute which was too large for our small hatch and we were also very low in the water compared with most ships so the chute was very short of the hatch. The coal thundered down onto the hatch most landed on deck and everywhere was soon covered in a coating of coal dust, we spent the rest of the day washing down the decks and paintwork. She was my last ship.

[steve roberts]

Does anyone recall the name of the boom defence vessel that swung around a bouy off HMS Rooke Gibraltar for a number of years? Steve.

[rab.m.]

I was on Barnard,at Greenock only as steaming crew for a couple of weeks in '67.A couple of weeks after returning to Cochrane I was drafted to Laymoor at Rosyth.After a trip to Den Helder for a minesweeping exercise we joined Greenock boom base.I spent three great years on Her.
I believe there is an annual get together of ex boom boat crews, pusser and civie in Scarbourgh. Hope to see this thread continue.
regards rab.m.

[alanbenn]

Here's a few photo's I recently acquired of some of the bar-boats, I don't think these photo's have appeared on the forum before, apologies if any already have.

High res versions available if anyone wants them please send me a PM.

regards
Alan

[Rob Stuart]

These are interesting stories. If I may ask a question about the wartime activities of some of the Bar class, would anyone be able to say if Barlane, Barrier, Barricade or Barnet were at Colombo on 5 April 1942 when the Japanese attacked, or if Barbour was at Trincomalee when it was attacked four days later? Has anyone ever seen an account of either attack by anyone serving aboard them at the time? I've written an article about the attacks on Ceylon (it's at http://www.journal.dnd.ca/vo7/no4/stuart-eng.asp) and hope to write a book eventually, so I'm trying to compile a complete list of all the vessels present during the two attacks. I have fairly reliable evidence that these five vessels were based at these ports at the time of the attacks but can't say if they were in port at the time.

Thanks in advance,


Rob Stuart
Ottawa

[jbryce1437]

Here's a few photo's I recently acquired of some of the bar-boats, I don't think these photo's have appeared on the forum before, apologies if any already have.

High res versions available if anyone wants them please send me a PM.

regards
Alan

Lovely set of phots Alan, thanks for posting them.

Jim

[Rob Hoole]

Rob,

According to Warships of World War II by Lenton & Colledge, nothing untoward happened to the ships you mention and there is no information about their whereabouts during the war.

If it helps, BARLIGHT was certainly scuttled at Hong Kong 19 Dec 1941, salved by the IJN and finally bombed by Allied A/C at Saipan 15 Jun 1944 before being salved again by the Chinese.

BARON (built Philip:Plenty 11 Apr 1944) is shown as being in the mercantile from 1946 to 1948 and serving in the Royal Ceylon Navy in 1959.

The mooring vessel BUFFALO is shown as being mined off Singapore 4 Apr 1941 but this was before the Japanese entered the war.

The gate vessels DOWGATE and LUDGATE (built Hong Kong & Whampoa 14 Sep 1935 and 30 Sep 1935 respectively) scuttled at Singapore Feb 1942. Two gate vessels (probably DOWGATE and LUDGATE) reported as being used by the Japanese at Changi until May 1943.

The gate vessels ALDGATE (built Hong Kong & Whampoa 5 Apr 1934) and WATERGATE (built Hong Kong & Whampoa 5 Apr 1934) both scuttled Hong Kong 19 Dec 1941.

[Robelfast]

According to Warships of World War II by Lenton & Colledge.

Hi Rob H. I'm interested in the BDV's. Could you advise me as to which Part / Volume of Lenton & Colledge I need to buy?

Thanks
Rob.

[Rob Stuart]

Hello Rob,

Actually there is some information about the whereabouts during the war of the ships I’ve named. I have found the following on their movements, mostly from the excellent site Naval-History.Net, whose owners have transcribed numerous primary documents.

August 1939
- Barlane is at Hong Kong, Barnet is on the East Indies Station (base unspecified) (http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-3908-01RNships.htm)

June 1940
- Barlane is at Hong Kong (http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4006-15RNOverseas-Dominion.htm)

30 December 1940
- Barnet leaves Colombo (http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4101-26RNOverseas-Dominion.htm)

January 1941
- Barlane is at Hong Kong (http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4101-26RNOverseas-Dominion.htm)

25 June 1941
- Barnet arrives at Aden (http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4107-34aRNOverseas-Dominion.htm)

31 December 1941
- Barbour (Ty/Boom Engineer M T O’Rourke RNR) departs from Durban, allocated to Trincomalee. (http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4201-40RNShips4Overseas.htm)

January 1942
- Barnet is at Aden (http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4201-40RNShips4Overseas.htm)

31 January
- Barbour leaves the Seychelles for Addu Atoll. (C-in-C EI report for January 1942, at http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWD-EF1942.htm)

11 February
- Barbour arrives at Colombo (C-in-C EI report for February 1942, at http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWD-EF1942.htm)

15 February
- Barbour leaves Colombo for Trincomalee. (C-in-C EI report for February 1942)

2 March
- Barlane and Barrier arrive at Colombo from the Far East. (C-in-C EI report for March 1942, at http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWD-EF1942.htm)

5 April
- Barlane’s presence at Colombo is noted in Peter C. Smith’s book Aichi D3A1/2 Val and in the online memoir of one of its officers, EARNEST GUY HEAP, at http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/66/a6103766.shtml

25 April
- Barlane leaves Colombo for Bombay (http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWD-EF1942a.htm)

30 April
- Barrier, Barbour, Barricade and Barstoke are in the Ceylon area (http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWD-EF1942a.htm)

5 May
- Barricade and Barrier leave Colombo for Addu Atoll and the Seychelles (http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWD-EF1942a.htm)

18 May
- Barstoke leaves Colombo for Addu Atoll

The evidence that Barnet was possibly at Colombo when the Japanese attacked is weak. Apart from what I list above, the Wikipedia article on the Sri Lanka Navy mentions that Barnet was one of its first vessels. I don’t know when the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force (CNVF), as it was then called, took over Barnet, but if this was before the Japanese attack then it was probably based at Colombo.

I don’t believe that anything untoward happened to any of the Bar class during the Japanese attacks, or to any other of the small warships stationed there (except Balta, which suffered a fatality, but I don’t have any reliable info on what happened to her), but as I said I’m trying to compile as complete a list as I can of all the vessels at the two Ceylonese ports during these attacks.


Thanks,

Rob

[siggy63]

Excellent photos all

Prefer to see some of these work-horses rather than some of the bigger ones - much like I prefer researching ratings rather than officers - remember officers get decorated, ratings get medals lol

Danny

[ceylon220]

Coming from LOCHINVAR to Greenock to join the BARBICAN I entered the dockyard and saw these bods playing football opposite the ship all dressed in white( off white would be the right description) jerseys and sea boots-- if my old Commander at LOCHINVAR had seen this he would have had a fit, this was the ships crew, talk about things being laxed, even when at sea the ratings were dressed in anything but naval attire but for a months cruise around the Scottish Isles at the expense of the RN who cared,even the Skipper wore a battered trilby at sea--remember being up in Loch Ewe at anchor I was eating a plate of fish and chips on the bridge when this sea gull shot down,grabbed the fish off my plate and away with it---think it was a sea gull, could have been a Scottish eagle!!!!!!!!!!!:D
Arriving back at Rosyth the ship pulled alongside the coaling jetty and all the hands fell in to coal ship,I was lucky as I was on my way back to civilisation-LOCHINVAR ----certainly enjoyed the experience of a coal burner and this being in 1961 ---she must have been the last of the coal burning breed.