Was there a UK sailing boat?

[Roberto]

London, Feb. 19 -- The U.K. apologized to Spain
after marine commandos taking part in a military exercise off
Gibraltar stormed a Spanish beach by mistake, the British
Broadcasting Corp. and other news services said.
A group of 20 armed soldiers was met by two local policemen when they landed on the beach at La Linea on Sunday, the BBC said.
They were heading for the adjacent Western Beach in the territory of Gibraltar, the base the U.K. occupied in 1704.
The troops withdrew immediately and the error is regretted, the BBC cited an unidentified spokesman for the U.K. Ministry of Defense as saying. Spain said the matter is closed and it won't protest, the report said, quoting the Spanish Foreign Ministry.
The marines were carrying out training exercises from HMS Ocean, a helicopter and commando carrier. The vessel is on its way to the Indian Ocean to support military operations in Afghanistan.
The British military command in Gibraltar said poor
visibility and a number of local fishermen on the intended target beach contributed to the error being made, Agence France-Presse reported.

 

[billmacfarlane]

Goes to show you. Never trust eyeball navigation. They should have used GPS. They're on their way to Afghanistan ? If that performance is anything to go on they'll end up invading Bolivia.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Marine recruitment policy

Recruited for muscles and cardio-vascular systems. Brains are optional extras and in some circumstances may be a disadvantage..

 

[Roberto]

Re: Marine recruitment policy

Can you imagine the faces of the "local fishermen" in the beach? They must have thought the signalless fast motorboats were bringing the sadly usual illegal immigrants they are used to see on that shore, imagine the surprise when out of the water they came, 20 fully armed-machine-guns-face-painted-black...

 

[Twister_Ken]

Mistaken identity

Apparently there was some sort of local carnival going on, and at first it was thought it might be a bunch of locals in fancy dress!

BTW, once saw a rigid raider full of armed and cammed-up guys coming up the Lymington river, do a quick about turn, and disappear again. I now realise they probably thought they were somewhere up the Irawaddy.

 

[Guest]

Re: Marine recruitment policy

I have forwarded your observations to Whale Island, exercises will shortly commence in your area. They do train throughout the Solent, all branches. Try and get a commision in the RM, you would be suprised how hard it is.

Pete

 

[Twister_Ken]

Re: Marine recruitment policy

Thought Whale Island was a gunnery school for Jolly Jack.

Bootnecks at Eastney and Hamworthy surely.

Too old for a commission in the RM, but the army once accepted me. Luckily(?) an accident changed my career direction - because Northern Ireland started at about the time I would have been a keen young subaltern.

 

[Guest]

Re: Marine recruitment policy

Whale Island now HQ RM, Eastney very nice flats oops sorry apartments!!!!

Pete

 

[Roberto]

Strange encounters

The most frightening of all once in the gulf of corynth, first lights of dawn when you struggle most to stay awake, an ugly black thing quickly emerged at abt 50m: there it was a submarine. Maybe it was not greek, maybe just looking for the Irrawaddy too ?
cheers

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Roberto on Tue Feb 19 13:32:12 2002 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Viking]

Re: Strange encounters

Sailing down to Weymouth just off St Alban point. Bright sunny day, someway off on the port bow a grey navy vessel was steaming toward me, no problem I thought. Navy must know what their are about! so I thought. But he came on, and on and on. By now I could see it was some type of fast 'gunboat'. I was under plain sail and on a cllear day they must see me, at 200 metres they where still on a collision course and at 100 metres I cant take the suspense and I tack to starboard, at that point they turn to port!. Panick! we are closing very fast, just as Im about to retack, they suddenly turn back to starboard and miss me by no more then 15 or so metres. A beaming navy crew smiled and waved over the side. No I didnt dip my ensign, nor did I give them a single finger salute. I was to busy hanging hold in their wake. I could not take the name of the boat as it was in Arabic, the flag suggested that it was Sudia Arabia. I still wonder if they thought Poole, in which direction they were heading, was Porstmouth.

 

[billskip]

Re: Strange encounters

proberbly greek sub Roberto..old and smokey diesel..I was motering up ftom poros to aegina no wind dead flat calm..i saw this "stick" floating upright..then realised the stick was moving..only seemed about 20 mtrs away ...then up she came..see it/them quite often now..lot of sub training area there...

Bill
www.aegeansailing.co.uk

 

[tcm]

Re: Strange encounters

In future, if you must turn, always turn to port, as the other vessel did.

 

[Twister_Ken]

A question of towels

Goddit - 45 Marine Commando was just trying to get its towels on the beach before the Germans bagged all the best spots.

Acoording to Spanish Anna, this thing is a HUGE joke in Spain, and has added much to the quality of life.

 

[Jeremy_W]

Re: Marine recruitment policy

A friend from his school's athletics team did the "Tarzan" assault course at Lymstone (sp?) in normal running gear. He finished minutes outside the qualifying time which the RM squaddies do carrying full kit (40 - 60 lbs) after a 24-hour route march in full kit.

Those guys are tough and fearless - Terry Judge, Pete Goss, Mike McMullen (Binkie, Binkie II, Three Cheers), "Paddy" Ashdown (oops - maybe not on this apolitical forum)!

 

[Guest]

Re: Strange encounters

Not as bad as the Japanese who mistook Pearl Habour for Poole Harbour - or was it the other way round?

 

[Viking]

Re: Strange encounters

I judged that I would have had to recross the line of his bow has he was fine on my port bow, also so it would have taken me into his wind shadow and could have stalled me with no power to break through his wake. He should have clear my stern had he not turned to port when he did. My aim was for us to pass port to port!
The fact still remains why did they come so close and so far in shore. Sail and power rule?. Take action early?

 

[billmacfarlane]

Re: Marine recruitment policy

Nobody's doubting their toughness , it's their positional sense that leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Twister_Ken]

45 Marine Commando renamed...

...now officially known as the Los Plonqueros brigade.

 

[billmacfarlane]

Re: A question of towels

Rumour has it that the Germans don't actually want best spots. They just bag them to annoy the English.

 

[Viking]

Re: A question of throwing in the towel

The thing was.... Spain surrendered