HMS Tartar 4th Commission 1970 15

 A week or so ago our cooks spent a lot of money, time and effort stirring a gigantic Christmas pudding, the recipe called for a gallon of rum, however that has now been banned from our modern high tech navy so it was replaced by brandy. The shore base here, HMS Jufair, held a large ceremony for the passing of the rum ration, it was a faux funeral and they buried a 'rum fanny' the large wooden tub used to mix the water and rum when dishing it out to the messes for lunch. Up until then if you did anyone a favour the payment was so much of his rum ration, usually 'sippers' or 'gulpers' which are self explanatory. I never liked the stuff and preferred the beer, the idea of banning it was to stop people getting drunk but you could get a hold of plenty of beer if you really wanted to so it was a bit of a waste of effort and the end of a unique piece of history. One strange ingredient of the pud was carrots, no, I don't know either. Anyway I wouldn't be eating it as I don't like fruit puddings like that. On the Tartar for the end of the rum ration we 'spliced the mainbrace' and everyone no matter what their age got a tot, yuch.

We received a visit from an MP while alongside and he was hounded about our useless stint on Beira Patrol and the loss of the rum ration amongst other things, he beat a hasty retreat. As we will be in Singapore at the end of the year we are expecting the arrival of a Chinese tailor, this chap will make just about anything you want and their skills are legendary. The problem however is where to put him, he will no doubt bunk with the rest of the Chinese in the laundry but where he will carry out his job has not been settled, a small room/locker under the flagdeck looks favourite for now.

Three days ago we had a families day and went to sea taking army and RAF personnel along with their loved ones and some civilians on a jolly, some 350 people took advantage of the trip around the harbour. We entertained them with mortar firings, helicopter demos and man overboard exercises, all while the band of the Royal Irish Rangers played on the rear end. A full speed run back to Bahrain ended the day, one of those soldiers aboard I met years later when working on Ninian Central Platform for Chevron UK, small world.

On the 4th October we took part in Exercise Bugle Call, an amphibious landing exercise with our Royal Marines and some Scots Guards at Sharjah. We are now on a cruise around the Gulf with the new Commander Naval Forces Gulf to show him his patch.