A DAY AT SEA ON HMS CATTISTOCK (July  2010)

Several members were invited, at short notice to spend the day at sea aboard HMS CATTISTOCK. TCA member, Rob HOOLE explains all on the MCDOA website here

Just scroll down the page to reach the article

SEAFARES UK (May  2010)

Dear Fellow Ton Classers,

I am a member of a Royal Navy team of mountaineers who between us has a combined age of 304 years and a total of 167 years service.  Not unsurprisingly we have called ourselves the ‘Salty Old Seadogs’ to reflect our ages and are currently preparing to undertake one of the UK’s toughest charity mountain events, the 24 Peaks Challenge, over the weekend 17-18 July 2010.  To do this challenge we are trying to raise money for the Seafarers UK charity.  You may not have heard of this charity, but it is the new name for what was once the King George’s Fund for Sailors. 

Seafarers UK provides support to a vast range of people from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Merchant Navy, fishing fleets and their dependants.  It is also an umbrella organization that awards grants to other charities.  It helps seafarers’ and their families cope with homelessness, poverty, debt, bereavement and serious injury, providing support to all ages from young maritime trainees to veterans of past conflicts.  The call for the support they provide increases year on year and thus they need our assistance to raise funds to support those desperately in need of help.

The Salty Old Seadogs support Seafarers UK and hope that you will too.  We are trying to reach a target of £5000 and we will be extremely grateful if you could sponsor us for this challenge by donating whatever you can either on line at our site: www.justgiving.com/saltyoldseadogs  or by sending me a cheque made payable to:  Mr M C Mackey and post to my home address: 1 Cosham Park Avenue, Cosham, Portsmouth, PO6 3BG

Whilst we may be going over the mountains, we are certainly not over the hill, but when we are we know that Seafarers UK will make every effort to support us and our families.  This is why we, the Salty Old Sea Dogs, are putting ourselves through this tough challenge and hope that you will support us in our quest.

Yours Gratefully,

Martin

Salty Old Sea Dogs Mountaineering Team

ARGENTINE MEETING (May  2010)

Click to enlarge

"On Monday the 17th May my wife Dee answered the phone and then called me. She had her hand over the mouth piece of the phone and whispered to me ‘This may be a wind up but I have a gentleman asking for you and he tells me he is from Argentina’.

It was no ‘wind up’. The gentleman on the other end of the line was Captain Juan Carlos Frias of the Argentine Navy and ex CO of ARA Chaco the ex - HMS Rennington.

Captain Frias was visiting the UK to attend a meeting at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) HQ in London. He told me that he had an item that he would like to give to the TCA and could I advise him on the best way to do so. He thought that we might have a member in London, local to where he was working. This was not a question I could easily answer immediately and conscious of the fact that Captain Frias had made the effort to get in contact with our Association I suggested that I would travel to London to meet him.

So on Tuesday 18^th I caught the train to Waterloo and walked along the Embankment to the IMOHQ, meeting Captain Frias at 13:00 hrs.

I was warmly greeted and then presented with an ARA CHACO cap tally followed by an introduction to another gentleman who was standing close by. This turned out to be Captain Valentin Sanz Rodriguez who is the ‘Permanent Representative to the IMO’ from the Embassy Of The Argentine Republic.

The three of us had a long discussion about the Ton Class ships and our Association in particular.

As Captain Frias had been good enough to give the Association a gift, I took with me to the meeting one of the TCA wall plaques and presented it to him much to his delight (see attached photograph above). He passed it to Captain Rodriguez who also admired it so much so that I promised to obtain another badge and post it to him. This I have done.

I have since received an e-mail from Captain Frias who thanked me for an interesting couple of hours and has expressed the wish that we meet again when he intends to introduce me to some fine Argentinean wine. This I am very much looking forward to.

I have also received, from Captain Rodriguez, a copy of the Argentinean magazine ‘Edicion especial Bicentenario La Armada en la Historia Nacional’ which roughly translates into ‘A Special Edition for the Bicentennial of the Argentinean Navy and it’s National History’. "

Bob Dean

SLOPS (November  2009)

Slops page has finally been updated now that the website is up and running again.

Apologies to George & Laurie for the long wait.

HMS MAXTON (July 2009)

A Homecoming event is being held in Maxton village hall, Roxburghshire in the Scottish borders on Sunday 23 August 2009. All friends, former residents and Ex-Maxtons are welcome

A representative of the Border Family History Society will be on hand to advise on Family research etc.

Your TCA rep will be there, with a pictorial display and potted history of HMS MAXTON.

A light lunch will be available between 1pm - 2pm. Coffee/tea & biscuits are available throughout the day.

Come along and support the affiliation between Maxton village & the TCA. It promises to be a great day.

For more details contact charles.denoon@bordernet.co.uk or visit the village website at

 http://www.maxton.bordernet.co.uk

HMS BRONINGTON - UPDATE (May 2009)

There has been quite a bit of interest in her recently.

These videos were made last month.