What a special moment in time it was. There we were, somewhere off the coast of Hawaii. Hadnt been ashore for somewhere approaching a month. And H.M.A.S Perth 2 was doing what she was born to do. Play carrier guard. In this instance to the U.S.S Independence. Something she hadnt done for a long long time. Nor would she ever do it again. This was no small thing for the old girl. Approaching 35 y.o. On her decommissioning cruise. And what a cruise it had been. The metaphor held together by string and paper clips was entirely apt. She was old. She was resource hungry. Parts were non existstant. And she was determined. To test the resolve of the engineering department. From the moment we started work up trials. And then you have days afternoons like this one. Shed also provided us with more than our fair share of special moments. A memorial service on the spot where H.M.A.S Perth 1 had been sunk in the Java Sea for example. Or being the first Australian warship to go to Vietnam since the Vietnam war. Which included a tour of the Khu Chi tunnels. A triptych extraordinary experience. But for an engineering type person, playing carrier guard was the kind of reason I signed up for. Steam may be an old technology. It is resource and man power intensive. Consumes a lot of space Thus work conditions into the boiler and engine room are quite frankly disgraceful. 50 degrees in the shade. 70 when you step out of it. And steam turbines engines are a beautifully elegant, living, breathing piece of machinery. James May would understand. It all becomes worth it when you have an opportunity to open the taps and give those 70,000 shaft horse POWER their head. Which we were doing that day. This was the farewell gift to what was at the time Australias flag ship. And what a gift it was. Sitting a couple of hundred meters astern of the Enterprise, travelling at 35 plus knots, our job was to be Johnny :) on the spot in case a plane coming in to land decided it would rather land in the ocean than on the carriers deck. And land they did. One after the other. With the sun just starting to set. And an almighty defiant bellow blasting from her stacks. In spite of the endless dramas and near fatal accidents wed had on that trip, Perth 2 was letting us know she still had what it took to run with the big boys. She didnt want to be put to pasture. And the truth is, were loathed to put her there. She did her crews, and the country she served for 32 years proud. Right up to the very end.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 14:47:07 +0000
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