Naval Party 8902 Falkland Islands - Hovercraft SRN6

[Jumpercross]

I served on this unit in 1971-2 before spending three years on 360 Sqdn @ Cottesmore 1972 -75. Neither outfits seem to have been written much about.

 

[Joint_Force_Harrier]

360 Sqn, the RN's best kept secret (90-94)

 

[Wightsparker]

In the early 80s I knew a major in what was then the Royal Corps of Transport (Now part of the Really Large Corps) who told me he had, several years earlier, been a hovercraft pilot in the Falklands. Not only that, but had somehow pranged his hovercraft with a Very Senior Officer on board.
Does that ring any bells, @Jumpercross, or was I being sold a line?

 

[Jumpercross]

Hi thanks for your response , having prangs with the huge seas and dangerous coastline around those islands was part of life on that unit. I was a hovercraft crewman thankfully on the day it was smashed our other crew was in charge, they wrecked the craft totally and luckily without loss of life it was a complete write off. I was never aware of the army officer being apart of Naval Party 8902 our sister unit was Naval Party 8901 Royal Marines 40 in number with approxiatey 12 matelots but the feeder unit for NP 8902 was the Inter Services Hovercraft unit at Lee-on -Solent. The Army did have its own unit too at Browndown close to the Lee-on -Solent Base. Not sure but it may have been something like 200 Sqdn albeit that is a guess. I can not confirm or deny his potential involvement with this tiny team based at the head of the bay - Moody Brook , Falklands .
In 1972 we were I believe the last Naval Party 8902. Our two officer pilots were both Naval Officers. At that time not many in the RN were aware we existed this was ten years before the conflict, most on my return thought it was off Scotland and not in the Southern Ocean. We travelled incognito via Montevideo Uruguay on the way down then on the last British-registered Steam ship SS Darwin . On the way home over a year later tensions were so that we did travel through Argentina . On my return I was drafted to 360 Sqdn based in Rutland where I stayed for the next three years another well kept secret in the RN. On my return to the mob after a four year stint with The Royal Marines then the RAF. I did join the Junglies 845 Commando Wessex V’s helicopter squadron eventually and went on to help set up the base Party for Clockwork in the Arctic. This actually set me for my role into today's world. I think I am the oldest Arctic and Antarctic Expedition Leader in the world , well I bet there aren’t many receiving the OAP benefits and just about to leave on my 30th Polar Expedition Slavbard Arctic Norway in June Robert Swan OBE as his Safety Officer he was the first person in history to walk to both Poles unaided www.2041.com and explorerspassage.com it’s now about climate Change and sustainability.
it would be great to see how the Falklands have changed since those early days also one of my mates died there a live weapon incident (SLR) he was eighteen year old “chick” Allen.( NAM) he was the other crewman. I was nineteen we buried him there and I helped our chippy to make the wooden cross for his grave. One assumes he would have been given a proper one by now or maybe been repatriated? I doubt I will ever get to revisit or ever know
Anyway, memories

 

[Wightsparker]

Hi thanks for your response , having prangs with the huge seas and dangerous coastline around those islands was part of life on that unit. I was a hovercraft crewman thankfully on the day it was smashed our other crew was in charge, they wrecked the craft totally and luckily without loss of life it was a complete write off. I was never aware of the army officer being apart of Naval Party 8902 our sister unit was Naval Party 8901 Royal Marines 40 in number with approxiatey 12 matelots but the feeder unit for NP 8902 was the Inter Services Hovercraft unit at Lee-on -Solent. The Army did have its own unit too at Browndown close to the Lee-on -Solent Base. Not sure but it may have been something like 200 Sqdn albeit that is a guess. I can not confirm or deny his potential involvement with this tiny team based at the head of the bay - Moody Brook , Falklands .
In 1972 we were I believe the last Naval Party 8902. Our two officer pilots were both Naval Officers. At that time not many in the RN were aware we existed this was ten years before the conflict, most on my return thought it was off Scotland and not in the Southern Ocean. We travelled incognito via Montevideo Uruguay on the way down then on the last British-registered Steam ship SS Darwin . On the way home over a year later tensions were so that we did travel through Argentina . On my return I was drafted to 360 Sqdn based in Rutland where I stayed for the next three years another well kept secret in the RN. On my return to the mob after a four year stint with The Royal Marines then the RAF. I did join the Junglies 845 Commando Wessex V’s helicopter squadron eventually and went on to help set up the base Party for Clockwork in the Arctic. This actually set me for my role into today's world. I think I am the oldest Arctic and Antarctic Expedition Leader in the world , well I bet there aren’t many receiving the OAP benefits and just about to leave on my 30th Polar Expedition Slavbard Arctic Norway in June Robert Swan OBE as his Safety Officer he was the first person in history to walk to both Poles unaided www.2041.com and explorerspassage.com it’s now about climate Change and sustainability.
it would be great to see how the Falklands have changed since those early days also one of my mates died there a live weapon incident (SLR) he was eighteen year old “chick” Allen.( NAM) he was the other crewman. I was nineteen we buried him there and I helped our chippy to make the wooden cross for his grave. One assumes he would have been given a proper one by now or maybe been repatriated? I doubt I will ever get to revisit or ever know
Anyway, memories

Good luck on the exped!