Thread: Cool Memories

last one for now, its Albert trying to keep up. This Herc crew just got back from Afghan and the pilot was Zim, lovely bloke and i went up with him twice on drop offs - if you know about Hercs they are sitting ducks in a war zone and imo the crew have nuts bigger than oiliphants - they can party

Great pics

Originally Posted by Joe 90

Troy will get that for sure.

name the Tornado flight number? back then if you knew the right person, the Commander FI and OC flight you could get a spin in the Tornado Nav seat.

The flight had a great bar, all units have bars in the Falklands, you can do some serious sessions down there. Capt Morgans spiced rum was at the time 18p a shot, 36p a double and on twofer Tuesdays its 38p of two doubles. Back then a can of coke to go with the shots was 36p - it was cheaper to drink spirits - madness.

Being fighter pilots they were pricks - bar Initiation was the ejector seat, strapped in, fizzty vodka and get spun, if you puked you were banned henceforth.

First and last - it was brass down there

Great pics and thread.

Mike, great photos.

When I started working offshore in the early 90s I was trained by a guy who's father was a Captain of the 'RSS Shackleton' on the 1960s. He used to regularly do six month trips down that way with the Antarctic survey and I heard many a story.

Between around 2006 and 2010 I worked on a vessel called the 'MV Polar Bjorn', a research vessel/icebreaker that had been purloined for the oil and gas industry. At the end of the charter she was taken over by the Royal Navy and renamed 'HMS Protector' to carry out guard duty around The Falklands.

I'd love to get down that way some time but don't suppose I ever will now. There's been decent hydrocarbon finds off the Falklands but politics makes it unlikely to be economical to develop.

Great pics & stories, MM. Thanks also for that pic of you - gives an idea of how you look. It's not what I thought you'd look - you can take that as a compliment or insult.

Cheers!

(yes, I did see the dragon's head in the other pic. HOT winter/ snowy scenes were filmed in Iceland, though.)

^^ i had great time with the Naval detachment in Mare Harbour - here a shot from the air with the mysterious HMS Southampton docked

the resident Tug and crew from Liverpool had been there on and off for 10 years bless em.

I got to know them well, i got given a zippo and honorary membership of the crew as when i was there on my second tour i was an Officers Mess committee member. The crew had never been given mess access and i took it up and got them Mess status - its incredible they were left as second class citizens for all those years. Not sure they were comfortable but no one looked down on them and it was a laugh seeing them in shirt and tie - the Falklands messes are a mix of constant churn so no one has a right to ownership.

speaking of the Falklands most Military are deployed for 3 or 6 month unaccompanied tours - many men hated it and couldn't wait to leave. All staff have access to a free Heli trip anywhere from MPA or Mount Pleasant Airbase to any destination across the Islands - few took this opportunity and missed the amazing wildlife they could see - wildlife unafraid of humans so you could interact, get within feet of them - some that civis pays thousands to visit and see

Sealion Island

One of my favourites, Carcass Island Gentoo penguins - sometime you just have to crash

This was a young male Elephant Seal i got within 4 metres of and he chose to rise up - no aggression just a juvenile

curiosity

Laters

^^
Wow, magic moment!

Originally Posted by Joe 90

^^Wow, magic moment!

perspective is difficult but a full grown bull is massive, upright this nong was still nearly 7 feet and he's longer on the floor they are huge beasts but non aggressive outside mating season.

You aren't allowed to touch any wildlife in the Falklands, rightly so, i transgressed and hid the photo, another bloke who boasted was caught and was fined and deported - the MP didn't fuk around on this.

Babies in pots

anyone know what these are?

panting, it was a bit waaaaaarrrrm

Originally Posted by malmomike77

can Troy guess this bird?

nah, here she is

How long ago was this?

Looks like part of the kit was a UHD camera for Windows 11 backgrounds.

you would have been having your first tug

Looks suss for a pic taken way back in 2015.


You're not doing a Sergeant Snubby: I was Based in Germany! on us are ya.

Originally Posted by Edmond

Looks suss for a pic taken way back in 2015.


You're not doing a Sergeant Snubby: I was Based in Germany! on us are ya.

yes i am, well spotted.....it was during my MI5/6/SAS days

Originally Posted by malmomike77

Babies in pots

anyone know what these are?

panting, it was a bit waaaaaarrrrm

Never been there but look similar to Fulmars I saw in Orkneys?

Terns and some other birds due huge migrations, I maybe completely wrong in 1990 sailed past I think Hoy and sacks between Dunreay and Lerwick

^ albatross, one of my favourite birds.

This is on Saunders Island. A group of us took the whirly bird over for a weekend at the settlement and they do a Diner, Bed, Brekkie and Packed lunch for when you are out exploring. We did a few of these weekends when we could, the hosts who usually own each island were always fantastic, they loved the military and always put on a great spread. We would book places on the helis and take our own drink as there are no shops there and we always took enough for the hosts to join us in the evenings and often the early hours.

I mentioned before, the wildlife is unmolested and as a result they are completely unfazed by you getting quite close to take pics.

this is the small Albatross colony, takes some hiking to get there but well worth it

this parent was obviously a bit late and was still making the nest for his wife to lay in

Originally Posted by malmomike77

I forgot to mention but this pic reminded me, Albatross spend their entire life on the wing and in the water and only stay on land to raise their chicks - you can see this fellas feet, the are useless for walking and they are really ungainly on land when walking - the feet are designed only for swimming.

Originally Posted by malmomike77

name the Tornado flight number? back then if you knew the right person, the Commander FI and OC flight you could get a spin in the Tornado Nav seat.

The flight had a great bar, all units have bars in the Falklands, you can do some serious sessions down there. Capt Morgans spiced rum was at the time 18p a shot, 36p a double and on twofer Tuesdays its 38p of two doubles. Back then a can of coke to go with the shots was 36p - it was cheaper to drink spirits - madness.

Being fighter pilots they were pricks - bar Initiation was the ejector seat, strapped in, fizzty vodka and get spun, if you puked you were banned henceforth.

That kind of jogged a memory. Many years ago I was drinking in a bar in Belize city and met some sqaddies stationed there. A couple of them.nepales Gurkhas who invited me back to there base about an hour out of Belize city I got shown around and saw the amazing harrier jump jet. There bar closed at 12 but my new mates said there's a bar next door that will look after you and see you get back to Belize city. Turns out this bar was called Raouls Rose garden and I woke up in a short time room in the morning with a nice girl from El Salvador. It's funny the shit that can occur when your young dumb n full of cum