SUEZ! HM's 150th Minesweeping Squadron and other dits.

[Seaweed]

See

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/HMS.Seaweed/HM150thMSS

for pictures of three ex-Scheldt-class LCTs and a trawler taken up from trade in November 1956 to form HM's somewhat extempore, 4-knots with sweeps streamed, 150th Minesweeping Squadron. This was called into existence at Aden after our hugely sucessful invasion of Egypt was scuppered by Eisenhower. The 150th MSS never saw action and was disbanded in January 1957. But it was good-oh while it lasted.

Interested parties can email me for a longer narrative.

 

[bootneck54]

:wink: Thats going back in time?,LCT(A) HMS Striker work horse of the Med Fleet and Amphibious squadron that old lady would roll on a wet cricket pitch a Suez Vet.Aye jr

 

[Seaweed]

A bit of history: At approx 0100 local on 1st November 1956 HM Ships Newfoundland and Diana sank the Egyptian frigate Domiat (ex HMS Nith) which was interfering with neutral shipping in the Red Sea. This was probably the very last warship-to-warship conventional gun action in the history of the sea and also the last time the BL gun was fired in anger. The action made big headlines (just cauight the front pages!) of all the London papers but was soon eclipsed by goings-on further north.

I have a snap of Egyptian officer prisoners taking the air on Newfoundland's quarterdeck while Newfy was RASing from Wave Sovereign but don't seem able to add this to this dit!

 

[Seaweed]

Another bit of history: At 1800 local on 2nd November 1956, while patrolling a bit too close inshore off the Sinai peninsula, HMS Crane was attacked by Israeli jets. One of them was successfully shot down as it was departing. Crane's Gunnery Officer later said that it was the only time he had pressed an alarm rattler from a prone position - his Captain was lying on top of him. The Cranes were goofing at a tank battle on shore when they were bounced.

It is possible that the Israelis mistook Crane for a second Egyptian ex-River class which had skulked off to Saudi out of the way. We could tell who was which because Crane's bow was distinctively stove in where she had previously rammed HMS Modeste.

Apart from an attack on HMS Kenya off Korea this was probably the only actual attack by an aircraft on a warship - at least a British warship - between VJ day 1945 and Falklands 1982. Perhaps it has now sunk in that the Gun Direction Time Cycle is too long for medium range guns to take on attacking jet aircraft, although goodness knows how many manhours and rounds of ammunition have been expended in practices while we pretended that this wasn't so.