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HMS Blake (C99) 1945-1982 World Naval Ships Forums Archive


HMS Blake (C99) 1945-1982


Posts 1 to 50


For 1969-70 my father was FO2FEF, flag officer 2, Far East Fleet, based in Singapore. I have reports of Andrew's men sneaking past their flat at night singing "FO2 means happy sailoring" to the tune of the then popular Esso Blue advert! during this time he used HMS Blake as his flagship, or would have done if she had not suffered so badly from boiler troubles. At one time Blake was due to go to Australia with the Royal visit but as usual, conked out. The staff in Singapore wanted to cancel the visit but mindful of the disappointment to her company he insisted it went ahead and joined in the re-tubing. One signal he sent famously begins "From where I am standing inside B2 Boiler....". The visit was made and a good time had by all. Are there any Blakes out there in forum-land who remember this period? stories, pics and anecdotes welcomed; or any stories of Terror?? Tim Sorry, no pict to go with this post but sure KC can add one

I was a "Tiger" man myself Tim from Oct 58 living ashore in Glasgow whilst she finished fitting out at John Browns through the first commission leaving her in Feb 61. "Happy days" I think you will find Jim was on the Blake and I'm sure he will supply you with some excellent photos. Bob.
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As requested a pic of BLAKE Dave
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wonderful, and it looks as though all the boilers, feed pumps and the rest of the steam magic is working for once. Now how about swinging that lamp?

Another pic of 'Blakey' underway. Rik
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Here's one of HMS Blake: John
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HMS Blake (C99) was a guided missile cruiser of the Tiger class of the Royal Navy, the last of the Royal Navy cruisers. She was ordered in 1942 as one of the Minotaur class of light cruisers. They had a low construction priority due to more pressing requirements for other ship types during World War II, particularly anti-submarine craft. Blake was laid down in 1942. In 1944, Blake was renamed Tiger, then Blake again in 1945, the year she was launched partially constructed at the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company at Govan, by Lady Jean Blake, wife of Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey Blake. Construction of Blake was suspended in 1946 and she was laid up at Gareloch. In 1954, construction of Blake resumed, but to a new design. The new design was approved in 1951, but construction did not resume until 1954. She would have fully-automatic 6 inch guns in twin high-angle mounts with each gun capable of shooting 20 rounds per minute, and a secondary battery of fully-automatic 3 inch guns which delivered 90 rounds per minute per gun. She would have no lighter anti-aircraft armament or torpedo tubes. Air conditioning was fitted throughout the ship, and a 200-line automatic telephone exchange was installed. Each 6 inch and 3 inch mounting had its own director, linked to a dedicated radar on the director. On 18 March 1961, Blake finally commissioned into the Royal Navy, the last cruiser to do so. Just two years later, she was placed in reserve. From 1965 to 1969, she underwent a major conversion to become a Helicopter and Commando Cruiser. This reconstruction included replacing the after 6 inch mount and 3 inch mounts with a flight deck and hangar. She also had new radars and taller funnels. She had excellent command, control, and communications facilities installed, and found use as a flagship to task groups. The refit was very expensive; during the conversion a major fire broke out causing considerable damage and raising the costs still further. There were concerns that the money used to convert Blake, and her sister ship Tiger to helicopter cruisers drained much needed resources better used elsewhere. In 1969 Blake deployed to Gibraltar along with other Royal Navy units in order to ‘fly the flag’ in response to Spanish hostility following the closure of the Gibraltar-Spain border by General Franco. Also in 1969 a Royal Air Force (RAF) Harrier jet landed on Blake. In 1971, she was present during the emotional withdrawal from Malta, supporting the commando carrier HMS Bulwark, and in 1977 took part in the Fleet Review of the Royal Navy during the Silver Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II, which took place off Spithead, site of many Fleet Reviews. The cruiser was host to the Westland Wessex HAS MK3 helicopters of 820 Naval Air Squadron from 1969 and later on the SeaKing helicopter until Blake was withdrawn from service in 1979, when the ship became the last ship in the Royal Navy to fire a six-inch gun. Her large crew made her an expensive ship to operate and maintain. Blake was refitted in 1980, and due to a defence manpower drawdown that resulted in manpower shortages, became part of the Standby Squadron. She was sold for scrap on 25 August 1982 to Shipbreaking (Queenborough) Ltd for £210,000. The ship's bell of the Blake has been preserved and is on display in Saint Mary's Church, Bridgwater. She was the last cruiser serving with the Royal Navy upon her decommissioning. On 29 October 1982 she was towed from Chatham for Cairnryan, arriving 7 November 1982.
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I remember carrying out a Harbour Acceptance Trial (Air) of Blake in Portsmouth after a refit and discovered that the dockyard had fitted the Hangar doors on upside down! Big gaff and red faces! Chris

My Dad served on HMS Blake when it went to San Francisco via the Panama Canal in 1971 or 1972. He remembers buying a couple of photo/postcards of the ship and sending them home - one was a black and white picture and the other colour, both showing the Blake and the Golden Gate Bridge. He's managed to find the black and white picture in my Nan's belongings, but can't find the colour one. I was wondering if anyone might happen to have a copy of this picture? I've had a look through the picture galleries on this site, but can't see it. Any help would be much appreciated!

Shelley I served on the Blake at the same time as your dad. I have got that particular photo, in colour sailing under the golden gate bridge.I served on the Blake from 1970 to 1972. The photo is on my computer ! but bear with me as i learn how to send an attachment linked to a thread on this forum. I will send it. What was your dad`s name rate and rank ?.

Welcome to you both. I too would like to see that picture of Blake. To post a picture in the forum.. Click on post new thread. Find paperclip icon. Click on that paperclip and it will take you to the "manage attachments box" Click on the top "browse" button and it will take you to the place on your computer where you have your pics - when you see the pic you want to load just double click on it. You need to have your pictures stored as JPEG rather than Bitmap images to get the best results. If for any reason they are not stored as JPEGs then let me know and I will tell you how to change them over... Repeat where needed depending on how many pics you want to load [up to 10] when finished click on "upload" and wait for your list of pics to vanish - then click on the send button on the original reply box and you should be there! Once you have done this it soon becomes very easy!

Welcome to you both, and I am looking forward to seeing the Blake photo;) Jim

[QUOTE=astraltrader;54717]Welcome to you both. I too would like to see that picture of Blake. To post a picture in the forum.. Click on post new thread. Find paperclip icon. Click on that paperclip and it will take you to the "manage attachments box" Click on the top "browse" button and it will take you to the place on your computer where you have your pics - when you see the pic you want to load just double click on it. You need to have your pictures stored as JPEG rather than Bitmap images to get the best results. If for any reason they are not stored as JPEGs then let me know and I will tell you how to change them over... Repeat where needed depending on how many pics you want to load [up to 10] when finished click on "upload" and wait for your list of pics to vanish - then click on the send button on the original reply box and you should be there! Once you have done this it soon becomes very easy![/QUOTE] Alstraltrader The picture is in a img type file and it will not upload ! can you help?.

hardymel, I too was on the Snakey 'B' for the San Fran trip, I have the phot in question but it is a bit faded, have tried to enhance it on the computer. Like yourself i'm not to clever on doing attachments, but following Astraltraders instructions (who I might add attaches some fascinating phots), I think I might just have cracked it. I think! Maybe!
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Whoo Hoo Dunnit!

Well done Taff [it is Terry btw] glad you found my instructions and photos worthwhile!

I couldn't do much with the first one but I have tidied up the second one. Bob.
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Bob, You've done an excellent job cleaning that phot, I agree with you that the first one is a bit past repair having been in a frame and hung in a sunny spot of our Dining Room. Regards Andy.

A moment of lighthearted entertainment; Poor old Blake was back in service in the far flung in the 1970s and was for a while the flagship for my father when he was FO2.FEF (Who remembers singing "FO2 means Happy sailoring, happy sailoring.." to the tune of the famous Esso parafin ad? come to that who remembers parafin?) The old girl suffered endless boiler problems and spend more time broken down than steaming, this struck a sympathetic chord with the old man who spent much time trying to keep up morale, as you will note from his position at the right hand of Miss Blake, who fortunately is devoting her attention more the the ship's company. Blake was supposed to lead a visit to Oz at one time and of course broke down en route, the "powers" in Terror signalled to cancel her participation but he overuled it and dictated a signal famous for a while dictated from "Where i stand inside Blake's B1 boiler...."
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Der Blake entering harbour, and we all know where?
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Sorry for being late back into this thread! I didn't receive any notifications of updates/messages so didn't think anyone had answered me! Oops! :o I also managed to track down a copy of the picture from someone else, and will post a copy of it here shortly. It made my Dad's day when I managed to forward him a copy! Dad's name is Derek Wickwar - I'm not sure of his rank at the time but certainly when I was little he was a PO Steward...

Here she is!
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I couldn't resist it Shelley. Andy can now put this with his tatty one. She's showing a bit of rust isn't she? Cheers, Bob.
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Bob, that's brilliant! Though as you mention it does show up the rust somewhat more doesn't it?!

Hi Shelley, Smashing picture of Hms Blake, thanks for posting and thanks to Bob for his usual great job of cleaning up (are you as good in the house Bob?). George

Hello Not sure if the following are of any use to you mate. Also lucky enough in my collection to have a nice "Welcome Aboard" circa 1969 when she was a "Helicopter Command Cruiser" Danny
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They have both been used before in the forum, Danny.

Bit of a coincidence this, I just watched a DVD of RN 'Scranbags' (annual video reviews), and there is a short video footage of Blake passing the Golden Gate bridge. If you are interested it is on the following DVD at 1h59m10s into the DVD: [URL="http://www.iwmshop.org.uk/product/19896/Royal_Navy_Annual_News_Reviews"]http://www.iwmshop.org.uk/product/19896/Royal_Navy_Annual_News_Reviews[/URL] Pete.

Excellent job cleaning that phot of the Snakey 'B' Bob. As you say she is showing a bit of rust, as an excuse we had just transited the Western Seaboard of the US of A in company with Hurricane Olivia, we were en-route from Acapulco to San Fran. There were also bits and pieces of her missing causing us to arrive a day late in S.F. There is an excellent book entitled Tiger, Lion & Blake 1942-1986 The Royal Navy's Last Cruisers, by Neil McCart, which gives a full history of these ships which were, in their latter years, because of the Shoe Box on the back, much maligned. Anyway, we could only work with what we were given and as far as the Blake was concerned we worked hard to make her work. The result was a cracking ship with a belting Ship's Co. Whinge over I rest my case.

Hi Lads.. Was pointed here by someone knowing I was on Blake though a little later than the thread dates.. 74-76. She looked exactly as shown in those phots and not with the vile funnel tops she appears to have ended up with. That was always a good way to tell which was which a)Blake or b)Tiger. Nice to see these shots of her and of Tiger and Lion in a linked thread. I remember seeing Lion alongside at Rosyth awaiting disposal in early '74 when I joined Hermes as a sprog on loan for 'Dawn Patrol 74'. Sadly, the last time I saw her was at Inverkeithing.. much of her already gone. Never nice seeing a ship in that state. Anyway.. glad to be here and will try and pop in as often as I can. ATB Dave

Was in the MN meself, we went to sea! However, I always think that the greatest pleasure to be had in doing boiler drum inspections, repairs etc was to make sure that you were the last man into the drum. Position yourself with your lower body inside the drum and your upper body languishing in God's fresh air of the stokehold. A man who thought through his future endevours would have stoked up on baked beans, sprouts, boiled eggs and curry. Upon venting his voids he would have felt the hands of those trapped within the drum clawing at his legs etc. This would have learned the insiders a lesson. You must not do anything like this today because methane causes global warming and it's against "Health and Safety". JD

I have quite a few slides I took of BLAKE (with the barn on the back) when she led the 2nd Group Deployment to the Far East in 1974-75. She flew the flag of Admiral Leach. Attached is a shot of BLAKE taking it green in the South Atlantic on our way to the Far East via the Cape (Suez closed at the time). I am experimenting on the best way of converting slides to photos/digital images as the attached slide is of poor quality.
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Tim, when your father transferred his flag to Blake it was a most unhappy ship. On his way to the bridge from the flight deck he encountered what he thought was the duty watch mustered in the main cross-passage, the starboard passage, through to the sick-bay and regulating office flat. He commented that this was a large duty-watch only to be told by one of the many senior rates there that it wasn't the duty watch but 'Men under Punishment'. I have it on good authority that his feet barely touched the deck on the rest of the way to the bridge. The following day he reviewed the cases of all the men under punishment and the majority were dismissed. The Captain and Engineer were replaced on the day that we left Sydney for Singapore, where two badly damaged boilers were to be repaired. Unfortunately the two good (?) boilers remaining gave up as we were sailing north inside the Great Barrier Reef, resulting in a near-grounding. The engineers took some time to get things going again; we only had enough power to keep lighting and ventilation to the boiler rooms, consequently all routines were abandoned. The chefs organised a continuous smorgasbord and the beer in the refrigerators was consumed before it got warm! At Singapore our mini-refit extended for three months or so but the damage was so bad that we were not considered to be an operational unit of the fleet. We did sail for Hong Kong twice but didn't make it much further than Horsborough light. When we finally arrived in Hong Kong, Blakey leant against the dockyard wall and refused to go further! However, morale rocketed due to your father's influence and the new Captain. On our way back to Portsmouth and a proper refit, the Admiralty decided that we should conduct a Beira Patrol! This was a magnificent idea, our top speed was around 12 knots; sailing dhows had the edge on Blakey! I left Blake on return to Portsmouth, rejoining her three years later for perhaps the best three years of my life in the Service.

[QUOTE=INVINCIBLE;102786]I have quite a few slides I took of BLAKE (with the barn on the back) when she led the 2nd Group Deployment to the Far East in 1974-75. She flew the flag of Admiral Leach. Attached is a shot of BLAKE taking it green in the South Atlantic on our way to the Far East via the Cape (Suez closed at the time). I am experimenting on the best way of converting slides to photos/digital images as the attached slide is of poor quality.[/QUOTE] Look forward to them and if you give permission posting them on my HMS Tiger web site.

Thanks KK, brings back all the stories he told me and most welcome to hear. I am slowly preparing a web site about his life which I plan to launch on his 90th birthday, 19 October, this year. I would be delighted to hear more of his time there if you have any other stories or more detail to these? My younger brother moved to S/pore with them in those days but being 12 years older I had already started work and had to stay at home in uk. Very best to you tim

Slightly outside the time frame but here are two slides I took of BLAKE - one looking smart in Gib in 1974 (the second picture) and the first looking rusty in the South Atlantic in 1975 on her way back fom the Second Group Deployment to the Far East.
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Was it not possible to keep the waist 3" guns when the hanger was added? I know you'd lose firing angle to the rear but they would still be more use than Seacat.:rolleyes:

This link might be of some interest to some ex-Blake'ites if looking for old oppo's, or just for interest to the rest of us!!! (there is no real significance to the link being about 9 o'clockers :):) .... it's what I was browsing at the time) [url]http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://blakestokers.com/resources/_wsb_394x286_IMGP0692.JPG&imgrefurl=http://blakestokers.com/6.html&usg=__AmpvF8xmHFQD1q-e7NK57afSaX4=&h=286&w=394&sz=27&hl=en&start=2&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=6YRtPXVeGILoZM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3D9%2Bo%2527clockers%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26rlz%3D1W1GPEA_en%26tbs%3Disch:1[/url] Little h

[QUOTE=limeybiker;102896]Look forward to them and if you give permission posting them on my HMS Tiger web site.[/QUOTE] Barry, Sorry I don't think I responded to your post above on this thread. I posted a couple of my pictures of BLAKE on the "HMS BLAKE 69-70" thread (post No 10). Certainly do please use them for your splendid web site if you wish.

[QUOTE=INVINCIBLE;106736]Barry, Sorry I don't think I responded to your post above on this thread. I posted a couple of my pictures of BLAKE on the "HMS BLAKE 69-70" thread (post No 10). Certainly do please use them for your splendid web site if you wish.[/QUOTE] Many thanks, work in progress, click on the link below, I have added a few of Princess Grace and Prince Ranier.

Just realised I've still got the commission book for that trip.

Dear Mac, if you could kindly post any extracts that relate to incidents involving my dear old dad i would be most grateful, and of course any personal memories you might still have. All very best tim

Tell you what Tim, tell me where to send it and I'll let you have a lend of it.

That is an incredibly kind offer, i will send you my address in a private message, i will scan it and then return it asap. Very many thanks PS and I will post the juicy bits on the forum once scanned to share the pleasure.

I have written an article (in german) about the Tiger-Class and have posting at my Scribd-account: [url]http://www.scribd.com/doc/32584345/Tiger-Klasse-Kreuzer-Royal-Navy-Lenkwaffen[/url]

Gentlemen Great pictures - thanks for sharing them. Mel

Reading kkbuk's account I can confirm that until FO2.FEF joined us in Capetown with someone called Kenwood? HMS Blake was the most unhappy ship I served on. Apart from possibly HMS Alacrity 1978/9. Our saviour on that occasion was FOST, Admiral Pritchard. kkbuk's account regarding the men under punishment is true. It was the Senior Rates Mess Pres', Sandy Hindshaw that answered the Admiral's query, much to the annoyance of the Captain. He was told that the gathered men were not duty watch but senior rates under punishment, nearly 30 in number!! He then asked the Admiral if he could explain why and invited him into the mess.......on his own. The Captain, Commander and Master at Arms were then told to wait outside by the Admiral. On emerging from the mess some time later and disapearing at a great rate of knots back down the sick bay flat, aft, to his cabin he shouted "Captain, Commander, my cabin now"! I do recall two senior rates being charged after being returned to the ship by the local police after they had been attack by a gang in the dockyard. They had been found covered in blood with one having a broken jaw but charged with bringing the uniform into disgrace? or something like that! I also think that we had a mutiny on board where a watch of seamen refused to turn too!

Ten years earlier I was one who "stood by" Blake being built in Fairfield's Govan Shipyard, we did the sea trials and then commissioned the ship. The one and only commission as a cruiser. Brilliamt Ship, Captain (David Clutterbuck) and we were FOF Med (Rear Admiral JFD Bush). Great ship's company. Based in Malta but hardly ever there. Went to W. Indies for the Independence of Jamaica, then the Independence of Trinidad and Tobago. Brilliant commission and then mothballed for years to re-emerge after refit as a "Through Deck Cruiser" with that abomination on the stern....for the choppers!. Ref the boilers breaking down, when we left Govan after commissioning we had to anchor at the "Tail o' the Bank" for a week whilst "Tank Cleaning Vessels" did their job because the steam heating pipe in the FFO tanks burst leaking water into the fuel......not easy to light!!! To save face we were refused permission to return to the Yard.

That 'abomination' on the stern of Blake & Tiger took a flight of ASW Seakings to sea: the equivalent of four ASW frigates. 'Through-Deck Cruisers' was the term originally given to the Invicible class carriers. Helicopter Cruiser was the term we (those that served onboard these magnificent, and extremely useful conversions) used.

[QUOTE=Shinysheff;103220]Was it not possible to keep the waist 3" guns when the hanger was added? I know you'd lose firing angle to the rear but they would still be more use than Seacat.:rolleyes:[/QUOTE] I think you'll find they were replaced in each case by Seacat




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