Hardway 1968-72 lots of pics

[Habebty]

Scanned a few of my dad's slides from my my childhood, so for you Gosportites spot the difference - to me not a lot.
How many of the old grey funnel line can you name including the obvious celebrity that was parked in front of our house for a couple of years.
The TV picture didn't half get better when it went!!

where I used to live before the flats were built

and now

This dredger used to make a racket

 

[Iain C]

Great to see that...thanks for sharing!

 

[Blueboatman]

The world afore marinas wall to wall. good stuff!

 

[Bav34]

Enjoyed those, thanks

 

[Sandyman]

A trip down memory lane....................thanks.

This would be about the time Diamond & Blackwood were used as training ships.

The big old girl looks like the Vanguard !!!!! She who refused to go the the breakers yard.

Many a time we had use the ships whaler to make clandestine midnight visits to boats up the trot
to acquire spares & parts (all illegally) to keep our old tubs seaworthy.

Got any more photos ???

 

[Sans Bateau]

Is that a project for Lakey I see there?

 

[Seajet]

Is that a project for Lakey I see there?

What, HMS Belfast ?!

Should keep him busy fettling a couple of Seagull engines, and the trailer bearings will need a particularly careful greasing to get to Windermere...

 

[Poignard]

The big old girl looks like the Vanguard !!!!! She who refused to go the the breakers yard.

I think she's a Town-class cruiser, perhaps HMS Belfast. At first I thought she might be the Colony-class cruiser,HMS Gambia, (my first ship) which was laid up awaiting disposal for a while around that time but Gambia's X-turret had been removed, also she had a transom stern

 

[Seajet]

Vanguard looked quite different and much bigger - see below;

that's the Belfast in Habebty's dad's shots.

Here's another old sight from the area, taken in the mid-late 1970's.

'Mercury', now happily - and somewhat amazingly - restored as HMS Eagle at Chatham.

Many thanks to Hababty for posting his shots.

 

[Habebty]

Certainly was the Belfast!!

Carrier was the Victorious i think.

Diamond and Blackwood were indeed the Sultan training ships. And you can just see Mercury above Vospers pier in one of the pics.

There always used to be an interesting selection of fast patrol craft (some for Iraq!!) on Vospers pier as well as some sizeable hovercraft one of which can just be seen on the pier.

 

[Poignard]

Certainly was the Belfast!!

Carrier was the Victorious i think.

I was in her as well! I can't say I recognise her though. She had a huge radar aerial, like a dustbin on its side, but that would pobably have been removed before she was scrapped.

 

[l'escargot]

The "mothball fleet" and it was the Belfast. Used to tie up to her buoy in my little fishing boat, there was a skeleton crew on some of the ships as well in those days. Remember being called over one day and being handed a carrier bag full of chips fresh from the galley - just a shame we didn't have the fish to go with it!

 

[Sandyman]

I didn't recognise the Belfast because I was just skin & essence in those days

Habety have you got any photos of Haslar Creek/ Blockhouse area from that period ??
Pneumonia Bridge and the mudflats where Haslar Marina is now ?
Any photos of the hulks that used to be on the trot in the middle of the harbour ?

 

[photodog]

In the third picture in front of Belfast looks to be a Battle Class destroyer... Maybe HMS Matapan before they extended her aft...??? On the opposite side it looks a bit like a Tiger, but not big enough... with that vertical funnel might she be one of the Darings?

 

[Habebty]

In the third picture in front of Belfast looks to be a Battle Class destroyer... Maybe HMS Matapan before they extended her aft...??? On the opposite side it looks a bit like a Tiger, but not big enough... with that vertical funnel might she be one of the Darings?

I think it was the Matapan or Cavalier? heavily converted for some sort of radio test bed work, and the Daring is HMS Diamond.

I think the Keppel or the Hardy might be tucked in there somewhere as well.

 

[photodog]

Matapan was converted for Sonar testing and training IIRC... But there is a type 14 mast two up from her as well... So that must be Keppel as Hardy was in commision until the late 70's....

 

[Habebty]

No pics of Blockhouse. but here is a grainy one of Camper & Nics and some of Navy Days.

 

[hannahman]

Interesting to see the slide of the two yachts on the slip (the Seadog and Holman design).
The Holman appears to be 'April Dancer', which, for several years, in the 70s laid up each winter alongside my father's 9 ton Hillyard, in Ken Brown's Highland Road yard in Southsea.

Lots of familiar sights in those scans, bringing back many memories!! I must do the same and put up some of my dad's pics.