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Archive for the Cornwall Volkswagen Owners Club Category

Run to the Sun 2008 - Show & Shine

26/05/2008 by G4USB.

With a very wet start the day began and looked like it was going to be as bad as last year. However
after lunch the raid eased the skies began to brighten and wow, the sun appeared making the latter part
of the day dry and warm.

With just two of the Cornwall VW Owners Club present myself and ‘Bertie’ we were far from well represented
however there were still a large number of VW’s.

During the rainy period I sat in the van and worked stations on the 20m amateur radio HF band. With some interesting short skip propagation I held contacts with Scotland,Cumbria, Liverpool, France and Germany plus others.

Photo set is now available on Flickr.

www.flickr.com

g4usb@btopenworld.com’s Run to the Sun 2008-Show & Shine photoset

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Plymouth Cruise and visit to HMS Turbulent

22/04/2008 by G4USB.

This post is to say a very big thank you to our fellow member and friend Jakey alias CPO Foran [I believe] for what can only be described as an amazing visit to take a look at his working environment on board one of England’s finest [it will be when it’s finished I’m sure]Nuclear powered submarines.

Quite a few of us were not enamored with using ladders so moving from deck to deck was quite an interesting process! with effectively four levels ladders were in abundance and even at 5′ 8″ you had to be aware that banging your head was all too easy.

Space, it could be said, was at a premium and personal possessions for the crew could be very limited, bunks were just about an adequate width for sleep and it would appear that even below the waves a certain amount of pitch and yaw was expected as they were all fitted with belts so that you could tie yourself in to avoid being deposited in a heap with your colleagues on the floor.

The chefs must be very meticulous in their work as the kitchen was even smaller than the usual domestic variety but they have to prepare and cook meals for about 130 crew members starting from breakfast then snack for 50% in the morning, lunch, then snack for other 50% in the afternoon then evening meal. The menu is varied but, week on week expect to see the same thing on each week day, week on week.

The question was asked by Mrs Mcclean, ‘what happens to the scraps and the craps!’ well she did not quite say that but meant it. Answer a compacter and a slurry tank that is vented to the ocean to give the marine life a treat.Well she just had to know!

Visibility for the ‘driver’ known as the planesman is to say the least limited. Imagine driving your car around a field at night with your windscreen painted out,m about it just the dials to look at. Must be very scary when you first sit in the hot seat.

The Torpedo Room lovingly known as the ‘bomb room’ to the crew is, compared to most areas quite spacious but we saw it without nearly 30 twenty foot long 2.5ton metal fish in the racks! the torpedo’s are capable of about 70 kts , pretty quick, and can take the scenic route to their target, should it be decided that the prudent course of action is to fire and get well away before the target goes BOOM!

The Officers Mess was quite civilised but not that roomy when you consider that there are 16 Officers or so on beard. The Senior Ratings mess was somewhat smaller and caters for about 60. Good big screen telly though……and no Mrs McClean they cant receive or watch television signals when they are submerged it will be DVD/Video on screen, silly girl!

The toilet/washing facilities are also very compact and bijou so no baths to soak in just a quick shower wash and shave and away there are `50 in the queue so hurry up.

Oh yes, fresh water. No problem it appears, desalination is the name of the game here and fresh air, well, via a very complicated and technical process a whole battery of very high tech machines sucks in the air and re cycled the carbon dioxide, produces fresh oxygenated air and removes the hydrogen which is safely vented to the outside of the vessel.

We were on board for less that 2 hours and all of us marveled at the way the submariners manage to cope with submerged tours of duty extending to up to 6 months. All power to them and hats off I could not do it — ever.

A short trip around the docks on the way out with one stop that attracted the attention of a very security conscious white van driver followed sand then a mini Plymouth cruise that passed Pennycomequick, North Road and the shopping center and through the Barbican to park on the approach to the Hoe. It than rasined again and the event came to a close.

Well done Jakey, keep it up we will sleep more peacefully in our beds with you looking after us —- scary thought really.

Norman
Vice Chairman CVWOC

Link to photographs are in another post.

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