[Waighty]

RMAS Kinloss, Rosyth, mid 1980s, coming alongside the Bullnose After a day in the reserved area doing shock trials for what by then had become DRA. The scale model suspended between the horns and the trials barge alongside on the starboard side. I came in through the boat channel, took a turn and lined up for the Bullnose. Went to kick her off and then come astern; the Kinloss steamed majestically on in a straight line and the port horn disappeared into the old WWII lookout building on the end of the Bullnose. Just before impact one of the deck crew called up and said "we're gonnae hit the building", I think I replied something along the lines of "if you can't think of anything other than the bleedin' obvious, shut the **** up", I was a little pre-occupied at the time you understand!

We slid gracefully into the old building, then backed out and secured along side. The port horn needed remedial work very quickly as we were destined to sail for the Humber a couple of days later to maintain PEPs moorings. One of the stokers kept his bike in the building but miraculously it wasn't damaged.

Plenty of damage forms and reports to write and an intrview with the CP and SM. Happy outcome though, the dockyard estate people (what used to be MPBW but I can't remember their name at that time) had the building down for demolition, so inadvertently I'd saved them money by doing the job for free - they just had to pay for the clear-up!

[Slowone]

The Market Test ....... enough said I think!

[mil511mariner]

I agree

[BelliniTosi]

Originally Posted by Waighty

[b](what used to be MPBW but I can't remember their name at that time)

Ministry of Public Blunders and Wonders
eventually became the PSA (Property Services Agency)

[Waighty]

Originally Posted by BelliniTosi

Ministry of Public Blunders and Wonders
eventually became the PSA (Property Services Agency)

Property Services Agency! Now I remember, thanks for that - the ignorance of declining grey matter.

When I was at school in Hong Kong there was a gorgeous girl in our class - her dad worked for MPBW - I didn't know what the letters stood for then either; the ignorance of youth!

[BelliniTosi]

MPBW really stood for Ministry of Public Buildings and Works
And the joke was that they invented the woman, because nobody else would put the main drainage in the middle of the play ground.

[senior pilot]

i mucked up once i was duty bosun on a liberty run to a r f a tanker off crombie , it was the blakeny i sprung her off the queens pontoon but left it too long and the prop hit the stone steps a nicely damaged couple of blades the s p was not amused and i lost out on a few more duty shifts