HMS Tartar 4th Commission 1970 13

We left Bahrain last Monday after getting our Royal Marine squad back from some exercising in the desert we also picked up some stowaways from the Army and RAF who decided to come along on our trip to Karachi to see how the Senior Service got things done. As usual it was not plain sailing, after all we were here guarding the Persian Gulf, which thankfully was a lot more peaceful back then than it is now, or maybe we were just good at it.

We met up with HMS Brereton, one of a few minesweepers we had local as a 'presence' and she would accompany us to Pakistan, Brereton became familiar later as being under the command of Prince Charles and in the same squadron as HMS Sheraton, my last sea going billet, great ship. A few days out we met the ESSO Warwickshire, a tanker which had taken mail from us months before, this time we swapped magazines and books and gave the crew a large parcel of 'nutty' (sweets) in thanks for being our postie. It rained that night, the first rain we have seen since mid July. We, or rather the seamen, cleaned the ship so that we could impress the locals in Karachi, somehow only the starboard side was made especially lovely which was a waste of time as we tied up on the port side when we got there.

HMS Brereton

I will always remember the line in the sea as we approached Karachi, on one side it was nice and blue, on the other, the one we were sailing into it was a murky brown, this feeling of dilapidation was not to leave me until we left. On getting alongside we not only for the first time had those circular metal washers on the ropes, to prevent rats etc. coming onboard, we also had sentries with clubs walk the decks. We had to shift moorings shortly after arriving as the jetty could not support us. I also remember sneaking past baskets of evil looking meat as I made my way to the upperdeck, thankfully one look at them from the QM and it was all sent back.

The officers had their usual cocktail parties and invites ashore but we had to make our own entertainment here, although I do remember an invite to the Karachi Sailing Club, which was a very genteel day out for a matelot and once again no chance of romance with any young memsahibs. We did get along to a reception, by default, given by the Naval Attache, as the bus trundled along a desperate series of holes with some road around them, for an instant I looked up one of the streets to see an old greybeard being chased and stoned by a mob, think of Gandalf and marauding Orks and you get the idea. We were gone before I could say anything, I still think of that old fella, anyway, after banging into a wall we arrived at the posh do, were allowed one drink and then ushered out before we embarrassed anyone.

Karachi Sailing Club

 So it was off to the Seaman's mission for the start of a run ashore, the Blue something or other it was called, beer was 10/6, so not cheap and in the city it was in short supply, if you could find it. We stopped a taxi, there must have been about five or six of us, and got him to understand we wanted beer, his mate got out and went into the boot to provide enough room, it was still a squeeze. We arrived at a club which was closed but within ten minutes or so they opened up for us, we did get booze but we were the only people in there along with other crew members who turned up, not a great run ashore, I don't think I bothered again after that.

Some of our crew managed to hitch a lift on an RAF transport for a trip to Rawalpindi and Peshawar taking in the Khyber Pass, they were also put up at a fancy hotel care of the British High Commission, or so I am told, being a lowly RO I didn't hear about this jolly and I suspect the twenty or so who managed a seat were no lower in rank than Petty Officer. Of course we couldn't just clear off for a few days as we had to keep watches while in harbour.

We would be back at sea again bound for Bahrain on the 24th August, there will be three Pakistani destroyers sailing along with us for the morning, I have seen some of these moored in the harbour and have not been impressed, I suspect they are WWII vintage or shortly after. I never thought I would look forward to getting back to Bahrain.