HMAS Sydney
My name is Fr Mike Delaney and as well as being the Parish Priest of a country Parish in Tasmania I am also a Reserve Naval Chaplain posted to HMAS Sydney from 12th June until 5th August 2000
Day 0: Sunday 11th June
Left Hobart about lunchtime with plenty of time to get to the airport I think that I have managed to get most things done before I leave. I have a chance to ring tomorrow, and maybe Tuesday morning, to fix things if they haven't been done.
The flight to Melbourne was the usual trip; Melbourne to Sydney was a little bit different. The lady I was seated next to is the mother-in-law of Gill Groom's sister. We chatted most of the way and she told me that she has started lessons so that she can master e-mail and then the internet go for it!
Arrived in Sydney and grabbed a cab, after collecting all my gear, and have settled into my cabin. There will be three of us sharing a room that is 5m x 3m. Thankfully there is space below where we can store bags and extras but that is our room. The laptop computer that is for our use is also in the room and sits on the top of a set of small storage lockers.
I've got the cabin (1-164-2-L) to myself tonight will have to wait and see what tomorrow brings. The (1) means that I am on the main deck, (2) is next deck down & (01) is the next deck up; (164) means that the nearest main cross ship bulkhead is 164 feet from the bow; (2) means that the cabin is just off the centre line of the ship (0) is centre and the mark for the passageway; (L) means that it is a living space.
Day 1: Monday - 12th June
The ship was quiet today - some people started to come aboard but most left just as quickly because we aren't sailing until tomorrow.
I managed to spend some time with SCHA Brian Rayner who gave me some ideas about what I should do and when. I managed to meet some people today and even managed to organise a tour of the ship so that I could get used to what is happening around the place. I'm certain that I will need to know where things are over the next few days as things get more hectic.
The two guys that I am sharing the cabin with are Leut 'Gus' Stretton, a Flying Officer who will be part of the helicopter flight on board, and Leut Andy Barnes, the DSO (short for Deputy Supply Officer). They seem nice blokes so I hope that we survive the trip.
Day 2: Tuesday - 13th June
Today we sailed and a whole lot of things have happened to make life interesting. We have tested some of the systems, landed the helo a couple of times and found that we haven't been as neat and tidy in our work areas as we might have been. So there were some successes and some failures but we are working along towards getting it right.
Day 3: Wednesday - 14th June
Today saw us well under way with a following sea which meant that, at times, we seemed to be rocking and rolling around all over the place.
There were a few exercises during the day to test the readiness of the crew for any types of emergencies. Also, this afternoon we had a Committal of Ashes when we committed the ashes of three men to the sea: Herbert Dickinson, Brian Howe and William Payne. Herbert Dickinson was a crew member on an earlier SYDNEY and so it was fitting that we should be able to provide this final act of his story. Brian Howe had been a Royal Marine and William Payne's nephew, a sailor at FIMA, Sydney, had asked that his uncle's ashes be scattered at sea if possible.
The weather was overcast but the wind was considerate so that the actual scattering took place without too great a difficulty. I know now that there is one thing that I could have done to make it work better and that was to have three sailors there to actually tip the ashes out at the appropriate time, rather than me doing the work myself.
I've been promised that my overalls will be ready sometime tomorrow - I look a little bit out of place because I am the only one not in coveralls during the day.
I hope that it settles down tonight so that we can get some sleep but looking at the weather forecast it looks as if we will still have a following sea during the night to make things interesting.
Day 4: Thursday - 15th June
Did we have a following sea or did we not!!
At times during the night I was in a foetal position holding onto the port bulkhead hoping that we would come up for air at some stage.
At the moment life is not too difficult - the people in the wardroom are good people and the crew seem friendly towards the Chaplain so that is a good start.
I have just managed to recharge the batteries for my laptop but I am not able to work with it for too long before I will need to recharge so I will finish today and just let you know that we are in the Whit Sunday Passage and the seas are now much calmer so a good nights sleep will be in order.
Cairns tomorrow morning.
Day 5: Friday - 16th June
We arrived in Cairns this morning but had to refuel before reaching our final berth. There was a bit of a mess-up with the berthing which meant that we didn't leave the ship until well into the afternoon.
The RN exchange Officer, Tim, made some "moose's milk", a rather interesting alcoholic beverage reputedly worse if made by Canadians which started the party mode for Cairns. I went ashore with some 'birdy's' and enjoyed a very nice Chinese meal before joining some others at the yacht club.
From there I managed to visit some of the clubs before finally getting home about 2am much later than my usual bed time.
Day 6: Saturday - 17th June
As might be expected today was a very slow day well at least the start of it was.
I wandered up the street to make some phone calls and learnt that Tas Nichols, (Fr) Brian Nichols dad, had died the previous day. It is now much later in the day, and although I have been in contact with Brian, no one has rung me to tell me that Tas had died I am just a little bit disappointed and upset that nothing has happened.
I got back to the ship in a not too happy mood and there was a fire exercise taking place. Apparently the response wasn't as good as it might have been so another was run this afternoon. A better response but we will be having members of the Sea Training Group traveling with us from Cairns to Darwin and we can expect more exercises along the way.
I decided to go to Mass at the Cathedral this evening and managed to meet Bishop James Foley. He not only has the Cathedral as his Parish, as it should be, but he is also the only priest there which makes life a bit interesting for him, the Parish and the Diocese.
I wandered back through town before coming back on board and watching a bit of the Argentina-Australia Rugby Union game which Australia won easily. Now, however, it is time for bed.
Day 7: Sunday - 18th June
Slept well last night, made up for yesterday. Went ashore to get some papers and to ring home today is Dad's 75th birthday.
I also rang the Parish and wondered why it took so long for anyone to answer. It seems that there was some confusion about a supply priest this morning and no one from the Salesians arrived. Thankfully Sr Lorraine was there and she was prepared for the service at Hamilton and so was able to lead the Liturgy of the Word with Communion before heading off up the country. Since I started writing I have worked out that I had actually forgotten to organise the first weekend every other time slot was organised but the 18th didn't fit I hope that rest of the time works better.
I haven't done much else today although I did manage to get my washing done.
Late this afternoon I went to make a phone call and to post a card to Graham's when I thought to check the phone book to see if Kris Gebski, the Polish Navy Chaplain for Cairns, was in the phone book and he was so we spent some time together. Also checked onboard HMAS Tobruk to see is John Prichard, LCDR and OPSO on the ship, was around. Sad to miss him, but thankful that he was still in the Solomons because I would have been upset if I had thought he was here all weekend and I hadn't seen him.
Now for bed.
Day 8: Monday - 19th June
Early rise to get started for the trip out of Cairns as we head off to Darwin. Rang home to say hello and learnt that Ruth Fielding had died over the weekend. I know that Alan Duggan had his operation this morning at 8.30am so I will have to try to ring tonight whilst at sea to find out how he got on.
The Sea Training Group arrived on board this morning and will be conducting exercises on the trip for here to Darwin which will make life interesting.
It wasn't long before things really did get interesting - the Damage Control exercises started in earnest with a simulated fire with all hands called to stations and the special sea firefighters getting the whole thing under control reasonably quickly. I managed to keep out of the way for most of the time by heading into the Damage Control Centre to learn something about the activities of the ship.
I'm heading to bed early so that I can catch up a little on the sleep I have missed out on since we left Sydney - and also because I'm not certain when the next exercise will be held.
Day 9: Tuesday - 20th June
Today has been another day of exercises - almost as soon as one has finished another has been started. Man overboards, floods, toxic spills all happening all over the place.
I spent some time with the medics today and wandered with them through the ship as we dealt with all of these various things.
The ship seems to be coming together well after the weekend in Cairns - there were a few things didn't go so well but hopefully it will all be sorted before we get to Darwin on Thursday.
Took a photo as we sailed around Cape York sometime this afternoon - it was interesting to see the northern most tip of Australia from a couple of miles of the coast - I don't think that the photo will be that good but I'll wait and see. I think that I'll wait until I get back home before getting the photo's developed.
Now for bed - tomorrow is going to be a long and tiring day.
Day 10: Wednesday - 21st June
We had a mini war today. From 0800 until 1600 in the hot sunny weather as we sailed across the Gulf of Carpentaria we were at Action Stations with an imaginary force attacking the ship and causing all sorts of havoc. Thankfully there were no real dramas during the day and I learnt quite a lot about the ship and the way the ships company works under pressure.
We were all wearing anti-flash protection so that meant that it was really hot and by the time we all finished there were a couple of people who needed time in the sick bay to rehydrate. All the exercises resulted in passes - meaning that there was a standard reached but there is still more training that will be going on during the next few weeks as we travel to Singapore.
Bed is looking good and I'm heading there in a few minutes time and hopefully get some rest before we hit Darwin tomorrow afternoon.
Day 11: Thursday - 22nd June
Today has been a bit of a disaster. I had forgotten just how hot Darwin can be.
We arrived on time but then had to wait almost forever while we received some supplies on board. Unfortunately one of the vehicles bringing the supplies broke down and we waited for almost five hours to complete a job that should have taken 90 minutes or so - the troops were more than a little disappointed because we are sailing tomorrow afternoon and leave ends at midday so we now have, instead of almost two full days, less that 24 hours alongside.
As soon as I could I headed for shore so that I could make a number of phone calls. Mum and Dad are both struggling a little, Ruby's sister Mary Mudge is still not getting any better and when I rang it seemed that she is even lower than she had been before I left.
I headed up town to get some supplies, including buying a 'rude' shirt to wear out. The decision had been made that going out wearing normal 'safe' clothing was not on so I picked up an interesting shirt in Woolworths which looked reasonable.
We went to 'Tim's on the Harbour' - an all you can eat establishment which provided heaps of food and good food it was. There was almost every kind of seafood you could imagine and a good night was had by all who went there.
I went with a couple of the other fellows to a bar across the road and then headed back to the ship for a sleep - so I'm actually writing this on Friday because I was way to tired to do anything about it last night.
Day 12: Friday - 23rd June
Today was another in the hot day stakes - beautiful if you can manage to cope in the heat but disastrous if you have to do any heavy work.
I managed to do some banking on the internet at one of the Cafe's and then couldn't open my Celtic.com email account so I had to revert back to Hotmail to get through. I also bought some singlets which are supposed to be worn under the overalls we wear around the place.
HMAS Huon is traveling with us to Singapore so we will be traveling slower than we normally would in order to escort her to take part in the exercise we are attending.
Day 13: Saturday - 24th June
Today was a part work day and part sports day. There weren't too many people who were upset about having a quiet day so we did an exercise in the morning then some cleaning routines before sport all afternoon.
This evening we had a "steel deck" BBQ. We used the flight deck to set up some BBQ's and the Wardroom were the hosts. A number of the junior officers spent a good part of the afternoon preparing food and the Heads of Departments cooked the meat when it came time for the meal.
It was a pleasant night and the troops all seemed to enjoy themselves. The meal was followed by a big screen film - Stars Wars: the Phantom Menace - shown on the shutter screen of the starboard helo hangar. The seating (the flight deck) was not all that comfortable but the rest of the night was good.
Because we have been traveling west the time changes have been interesting. We started the BBQ at 1700, then retarded clocks 1 hour at 1800 (which put us back to 1700) then at 2330 we will retard watches 30 minutes so it will be back to 2300.
Ultimately it means that we will be on West Australia Time ( 2 hours behind the East Coast) and there will be further changes when we get to Singapore.
Now it is time for bed - if I still worked on the time I got up this morning it is 9.45pm (a reasonable hour to hit the rack) but in the time frame I will arise in the morning it is basically 8.15pm which is a little bit early.
Day 14: Sunday 25th June
Celebrated Mass in the Ship's Gym this morning. Just as I was setting up the phone rang and I answered it in the reverse of the normal Navy style instead of saying 'Gym, Chaplain' I said 'Chaplain Gym' and the voice asked 'Have you changed your name, Sir?' Thankfully I haven't so I am alright.
Towards the end of Mass the encounter exercise we were running with HMAS ANZAC really hit it's straps and the helo took off and the whole gym shook as we were right under the aft flight deck. It also meant that the Captain and one of the other personnel there had to take off to their stations for the exercise. It was a 'mock' battle between the two ships which we won after several hours of engagements.
The rest of the day was a deep cleaning day when all hands joined in making the ship 'ship-shape'. It is really difficult to get all 215 people on board working in the same direction all the time, especially when there are other things happening as well things like trying to get the ship into steaming line with two other ships (sometimes involving substantial changes of course with resulting ship roll); people being called to either action stations or exercises as well as people working away at preparing meals and keeping the ship running normally. All in all it was a busy day and lot's of things did get done.
We had a long 'brief' on exercise Flying Fish this evening. The area were it is to take place, the various units of the different forces which will be involved as well as some of the rules for the exercise. I had to sit on the floor so I was a little bit tired when the whole thing was finished.
Now I am heading for bed tomorrow should be an interesting day as I am due to be transferred by boat to HMAS HUON in the morning to spend the day on another ship. There are a number of ship's company from each of the three ships which will be transferring between ships over the next few days until we reach Singapore.
Day 15: Monday 26th June
Up early this morning to join HMAS HUON but it seemed that they didn't have racks (beds) for two extra officers so they only took an AB for the day. I had stripped my bed because I thought that someone would be using my bunk tonight so to make the job for the stewards a little easier I did their job for them. Luckily it was a change sheet day today anyway because they said that they would be putting my bed back together again anyway.
This morning I joined the hauling line for the 'man overboard' exercise and learnt a lot about what happens when the ship jumps into 'lifesaving' activity. Just before the exercise I had visited the Chief's Mess and was having a coffee when one of the chiefs asked me to see another of the sailors. At the moment there are 4 people that I am seeing about personal issues some about events on board and others that relate to things happening at home.
This evening I started to watch the film but after a short time I have decided to 'spear' into the 'rack' a different way of describing 'going to bed'.
Day 16: Tuesday 27th June
Woke reasonably early and went up to the Bridge to see what was happening. We passed through the Lombuk Strait last night which meant that Bali was on our left for a few hours. We are now heading into the South China Sea surrounded by numerous Indonesian fishing boats small things with only a few people on board and many of them hardly big enough to use in coastal waters, let alone 100 miles out to sea.
We managed to refuel HMAS HUON this morning; this meant that we had to stop for a short time. There was a bit of an exchange between people on the two decks and there were a couple of extra exchanges one was significant. On board SYDNEY there is a young female Seaman Officer who is good value and she has hopped over to spend the day on HUON which means that they might be able to get things done a little better than they have been.
Early this afternoon the XO (LCDR Greg Ward) announced that he was resigning from the Navy to take up civilian employment in Melbourne from the 8th August he then added that everything was as normal until then. It took people a little bit by surprise it will be interesting to find out how long the news takes to get round the ship.
DSO (Andy Barnes) came back this morning after his day on ANZAC with a few ideas on how to deal with some of the issues that the Canteen and Relief Funds will need to deal with the GST. We only get some ABC news-email so our knowledge of what is going on is a little bit limited there might even be riots on the streets as Australia prepares for the GST to start on Saturday.
Heading for bed now. Have just taken part in a Trivia night that will be run over the next few nights. The team got a few wrong but we are only one question behind the leaders so we'll try again tomorrow.
Day 17: Wednesday 28th June
Today started really early. I woke a little after 4am and decided to get up and see what was happening up on the bridge.
The ship was in almost total darkness, except for some sealights, and everything is done using red lighting. A little difficult to get used to at first but after awhile it is all very comfortable.
Lot's of fishing vessels around, some small and some almost small factory ships. HUON was on our starboard bow and ANZAC was on the starboard beam and easily visible. It was much quieter than during the day so I'll try and do that a few more times before the end of the trip.
We had a couple of interesting events during the day. There was the danger of a collision when HUON suddenly turned to starboard when her power failed and we were astern quickly averted but woke everyone up in a hurry. During the morning we also had a jackstay procedure and a member of SYDNEY' s crew was transferred to ANZAC and the reverse was done from them. It happened during a rain squall that made life interesting for everyone.
Then this afternoon we had another exercise and I became a casualty when I entered a decontamination area without breathing apparatus. Luckily there were some medics nearby and I was 'given oxygen' almost immediately. Late this afternoon we had a swimex joined about 50-60 other idiots and jumped into the South China Sea 100 nm from land. There were two sailors armed with rifles on the bridge wing in case of sharks and the ships boat racing round just outboard of where we were swimming as extra protection. You really have to be keen but it was good. The sea temp was 29 degrees the air temp 30.
The rest of the day has been quiet (thank God) and I am hitting the sack early because I am supposed to be on board ANZAC for tomorrow and will, most probably, still be on board when we arrive in Singapore on Friday.
Day 18: Thursday 29th June
So much for the ANZAC transfer the message came through late last night, after I had speared into the rack, that there would be minimum transfers today so it doesn't look as if I will get to searide on either ANZAC or HUON. However, I am going to make every effort to spend some time on HUON before the trip is over because I would like to be able to say that I joined at HMAS HUON and served on her as well, even if just for a day.
We passed between Borneo and Sumatra this morning and crossed the Equator right on midday (WA time). The Crossing the Line ceremony will be celebrated on the way back as the Captain thought that because we are sailing in company it might be better to do it on the way home, rather than slow down during the day.
We had another swimex this afternoon - the only difficulty is the getting back on board, especially when the guys are more interested in throwing tennis balls at who ever is trying to climb the ladder. It means that I have been able to swim on both sides of the equator in the past two days.
Just about the hit the rack when one of the PO's asked if I had time to see one of his sailors who is having a bit of a problem at the moment. There are heaps of things that need to be worked through for her so we will see what can be done over the next few days while we are in port.
Now for bed.
Day 19: Friday 30th June
We arrived in Singapore this morning and the berthed outside of HMAS ANZAC. The trip into the Sembaweng Basin was an interesting time with any number of ships, large and small, making the passage interesting. I didn't get up that early but I know that the guys on watch during the early hours of the morning were working overtime to keep a good lookout for vessels - some of them are so tiny that you could hardly take a bath in them.
Lot's of work needed to be done before people could have leave, especially setting up the awning on the flight deck for the cocktail party on Sunday evening. Ours went up reasonably quickly but the one on ANZAC took quite some time and so our leave was held back until they were nearly finished.
A few people arrived from other ships so we had a few drinks before people headed off up to the Terror Club - the gathering place just outside the base where there is food, drink and a pool with tennis courts, basketball etc. The small 'oval' near by is currently been set up for the 4th of July celebrations which will take place on tomorrow evening.
Met the Chaplain working with the RN Ships, Padre Roland Warts, a Baptist minister now stationed in Portsmouth. We wandered into Yishun, the closest MRT station and had a coffee and he showed me some of the tricks to getting around Singapore. Also, managed to get a phone card and rang home to say hello and to see how people are getting on.
We could have a little bit of trouble because some of our boys have hit the club early and there are a couple of the RN types there who seem all to willing to exchange 'greetings' - I only hope things don't turn ugly.
For me it is time for bed.
Day 20: Saturday 1st July
Two of the crew flew home today, one because of a bad back and the other because his medical condition has been reclassified. We also had a little bit of strife last night up at the Terror Club - one sailor got cut face and another went to help him after he hit the deck and got a kick in the head for his trouble and now has a fracture of the skull. Not certain if he will be well enough to sail with us on Tuesday.
Went into Singapore with Gus Stretton and Andy Barnes, my two cabin co-dwellers and wandered around for awhile. Andy was playing Aussie Rules this afternoon so couldn't stay long. Gus played (or at least was going to play) soccer this afternoon but there was some mix-up about the venue and they simply had a bit of a kick together.
I haven't spent too much money although I have got a new organiser. I tried to use my normal little diary yesterday and the data was starting to get corrupted. I'm not certain why - maybe it is because of the humidity but things weren't looking too good. So, when we got home I immediately started to transfer data from one to the other and halfway through my old diary died - I'm now stuck without any birthday dates, or diary entries for the rest of the year. The new Casio Pocket Viewer has a connection that will allow me to load data from the Diary into the Computer and vice versa which means a certain safety and no more loss of data - whenever I get a chance to add all the material that needs to be added.
The thing that really worries me is that I now don't have the information that allows me to access my Netbank Account - I will try and contact the Bank on Monday to see what I can find out; I'm not certain what else I might be able to do.
Stayed home tonight because I was tired after all the walking today and didn't need to go out and do too much.
Day 21: Sunday 2nd July
Headed off early to try and find the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd but missed it because it doesn't look like a Cathedral. I will visit it next time we are in Singapore but today I went to Mass at the Portuguese Mission Church, St. Joseph's. It was a little different from a normal at home with the Celebrant being much more energetic about his preaching that I am used to being - throwing his arms around and using much more emotive language than I ever would.
I went for a wander around that end of town after Mass before heading down to the Singapore Cricket Club were the others joined me some time later to have 'brunch'. It was an interesting experience - we purchased tickets as we entered and we paid for drinks using the tickets and we paid for the meal as well. It is very much the fore runner of the Wardroom 'chit' system where the 'staff' aren't really trusted to handle the money so no money ever changes hand.
Afterwards a group of us wandered up to Orchard Road to do some shopping before wandering back towards the ship for the Cocktail party - ANZAC and SYDNEY were the hosts so all the Officers on board both ships needed to be around - the other ships supplied their Captain and 10 others. It was an interesting night - I chatted to a group of Singaporean Officers about Australia and Tasmania and at least one is interested in visiting and doing some bush walking so that might be interesting.
It has been a long day so I'm heading for bed.
Day 22: Monday 3rd July
Woke this morning really tired so started slowly but after a short time I decided that I would head into town with Gus to pick up a leather 'wallet/cover' for the Pocket Viewer we got on Saturday. Managed to get back to the place but they haven't arrived yet so will need to look at getting back to the shop when we come back in two weeks time.
Arrived back a bit after lunch so decided that I would just have some fruit because I'm going out with Roland Warts, the Baptist Chaplain with the RN Ships. When I said hello on Friday he was on H.M.S. NEWCASTLE but was transferring to H.M.S. CORNWALL before the completion of the exercise. This morning he said that he was in the process of moving all his gear to H.M.S. SUTHERLAND so I suspect that he is more than a little confused with all the moving.
I had a bit of a rest this afternoon before we headed for town and a meal at the Boat Quay, on the river near where Sir John Raffles actually landed. We headed off around to Clark Quay and some of the shops and food areas on that side of the river. On the way we also managed to watch some street performers doing a Chinese Dragon dance - talk about being energetic.
We didn't stay too late in town but wandered through a couple of the shops on the way back to the MRT and bus from Yishun to Sembaweng. As we passed the Terror Club things seemed much quieter - I hope that the last night in Singapore really is a quiet night.
Me, I'm heading for the rack because we sail tomorrow and I have a few letters and phone calls to make before we get under way.
Day 23: Tuesday 4th July
Most things on the base are shut this morning because of the Independence Day Holiday for the US personnel. For the rest of the world life goes on.
Things started badly today - I got to the phones early and found that my phone card only had a few cents left and not nearly enough to make any phone calls. The shops didn't open until much later (about 9am) so that meant a trip back to the ship and some work before we leave about 1145.
I had an appointment with a couple who were asking advice about their relationship - it is not accepted that people on board form relationships but that is easier said than done so we chatted for a short time. I will need to check on some aspects of what they can and can't do before we get together again.
This afternoon there was a shave off and a number of people offered to have their beards shaved for charity - I thought about having it done but decided against having it done completely - I settled for a trim for charity and even that was painful because people had their names pulled out of a hat and most of them had never done it before so it was rather excruciating.
For the most part today has been a funny day - we were meant to do a number of exercises but all we really managed was a number of man overboard exercises and some Officer of the Watch manouvers - which meant that we were thrown about rather viciously as they put the ship through some paces.
The Command Brief was later tonight than usual (and looks as if it will be the same for the whole of the exercise). Now, however, I'm heading for bed so that means another early night - I'm not certain that I can cope.
Day 24: Wednesday 5th July
People were on the move early this morning with various briefs happening as people were preparing for the various exercises that were to take place. Each day these briefs will be taking place to help us to be well prepared for whatever is to happen.
We had an Action Stations this morning which meant that we all put on our 'anti-flash' gear and go to designated positions in the ship in case there is an need to save the ship from some disaster i.e. fire, flood, smoke, toxic waste or even damage to the hull requiring repair work. Each person on the ship has a role to play and 'action stations' becomes a way of training people for their responses.
Our other main event during the day is to form a 'screen' - this means that all of the ships proceed in a general direction but are positioned so that the defence screen is larger than it would be for a single ship. This provides protection from any attacking aircraft or other ships because it increases the ability for being warned of approaching danger. A couple of times during the day we were 'overflown' by aircraft which came at different angles testing our response times and capability.
There has been some confusion about meal times because different parts of the ship are on different watches - some are on 8 hour shifts and others are on 5/7 hour shifts [5 on, 5 off, 7 on & 7 off]. Hopefully it will work out because some people got very little food today and they were not really happy.
Heading for bed - I was up early watching what was happening on the bridge and I'm more than a little bit tired at the moment.
Day 25: Thursday 6th July
My sister Michele sent an email this morning (at least I received it this morning) reminding me that two of my nieces (Claire & Lauren) were celebrating birthdays today. I immediately sent of emails to their parents asking that they be forwarded on to them.
We went to 'action stations' again this morning to test our response times - it's a bit hard on the guys who have just gone off watch as they have to dive out of their racks and get dressed - we managed it within 6 minutes which wasn't too bad.
The rest of the day has been working through the various exercises for Flying Fish and reacting to the various experiences of different Navy units who respond in slightly different ways to our experience which makes the whole thing a little interesting.
This afternoon there was a planning meeting for the coming week which will see us through to the end of the Flying Fish exercise and another few days off in Singapore.
I found out as we sat down for the evening meal at 1715 (5.15pm) that there were some British Journalists arriving on board for an overnight stay. They flew in on two Sea King helicopters from RFA Fort Victoria - a Reserve LCDR, a LS Photographer, a BBC film crew from the SW of England doing a piece on HMS Cornwall, a BBC women's reporter looking at the role of women at sea, another BBC journalist who has been working in SE Asia for some time as well as a French journalist working for Janes Defence Weekly as well as a new publication called International Warships.
After settling them in for a meal some of the HOD's went off to the Daily Command Brief whilst Barney (MEO), Mark Purcell (WEEO) and I spent time making them feel at home before Barney & I took them up to the Captain for an interview. After the chat we wandered back to the Wardroom where they remained for only a short time before they headed for their racks. Jonathan Head (SE Asian Correspondent) and Sheena Thompson (RNR) have been in the region for a few days - the rest arrived from the UK this morning so felt like hitting the rack early because they have an early boat transfer (approx. 0500) tomorrow so will need all the sleep they can get
For me, I'm also heading for my rack - it seems the more I am out of my Parish Routine the more tired I get so more sleep seems in order.
Day 26: Friday 7th July
Today will go down in my memory as one of the most stressful days in my whole life.
At 0503 this morning the ship was awoken to the pipe - safeguard - man overboard (both phrases repeated). The word "safeguard" is the kind of language that no-one wants to hear because it means that something is seriously wrong and "man overboard" in the middle of the night is an absolute nightmare.
Thankfully the ship closed up quickly and the two guys who had been dumped into the water when the ship's boat was being loaded for the transfer were in the water for less than 12 minutes but the emotional toll on a large number of people has been extreme.
Much of the rest of my day was spent as part of the CISM defusing program on board dealing with the various groups who were exposed to the incident. As well as the two guys, there were also the boat crew, the line crew and the people on watch. It also included the British Journalists with whom I spent a good deal of the morning and early afternoon until they were able to be airlifted off the ship at about 1500. They were heading back to Singapore without too much of the gear that they had brought on board which had been in the boat when it capsized.
The ship moved back into the Flying Fish Exercise but people were more than a little bit frazzled and some of the evolutions didn't work as well as they might have.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day - as I started getting ready for bed I found that under my overalls I was still wearing my pj's - I think that I will have a shower and hit the rack feeling clean and hopefully a bit refreshed.
Day 27: Saturday 8th July
I was still tired as I stumbled out of bed this morning.
I checked on the two guys from yesterday and they were both still asleep in their racks so that was a good sign for the start of the day at least.
We had a refueling exercise with RFA Broadleaf this morning which went reasonably well. The first pass was a little quick but is always a trial run anyway. The second went much better and the refueling hoses linked perfectly first time which made life a little easier and the whole exercise a success. I joined the team on the hauling line - some of the guys were surprised to see me there as the chaplain normally stands and watches.
Lot's of things are happening around the place today as the CO's investigation needed to be completed by 1600 today so there were a number of people being interviewed so that everything can be presented to the CO tonight.
Just as the HOD's meeting was progressing a message came from the bridge asking the CO to come to the bridge. We stayed behind for a few more minutes and discussed some matters that might be raised at the CO/HOD's formal meeting scheduled for Monday. We had only been in the cabin for a few minutes when we heard a conversation between the OP's room and the Bridge during which the CO asked the duty PWO to come to the bridge and to see what exactly was going on as he doubted they knew what was happening. [The CO of course is the Captain; a HOD is a Head of Department such as Electrical Engineering, Supply, Mechanical Engineering, Flight Group and Chaplaincy (only catch is I'm the only one in the department); OP's is the Operation Room where all the high tech equipment is set up; and the PWO is the Principal Warfare Officer - there are actually three on board, Gunnery Officer, Defence Officer and Antisubmarine Warfare Officer - enough of the shortened names for now.]
I've decided that since there is almost nothing else I can do tonight I'm hitting the rack in the hope that I will be able to get some sleep after last night.
Day 28: Sunday 9th July
Today marks the (sort off) half way mark on my time away - there are 27 days to go before I arrive home. Unfortunately I didn't mark the half way too well because I didn't sleep very well last night - I think that I am too tired after the past few days.
We came to anchor at Palua Tiomen this morning, after a bit of a stuff up when two ships in front of us anchored in the wrong positions; this meant that we had to wait until they moved to their correct position before we could anchor. The island looks amazing and I suspect that it is the kind of place where people who have bucket loads of money come for a holiday - I think that being off the beach in one of Her Majesty's Ships is going to be as close as I come to visiting the island.
Some of the crew went ashore to compete for the Perth Cup, a cup that is contested each time there is a Flying Fish exercise (usually ever two years). I didn't hear who won the cup but the rest of the ship's company took life a little easier after we eventually were stood down from the various stations for coming to anchor.
Just before I celebrated Mass a message came through that two Sea King helicopters would be landing for refueling. The flight deck is immediately above the gym where I was to celebrate Mass so I went and requested permission from the Captain to use his cabin - he was to be aboard one of the other ships so that made life a little easier. We didn't say anything to the others on board about the passengers on board the helo's but they were the same British Journo's from the other day - thankfully it didn't come out because the people on safety duty for the helicopter landing had to hang around for quite some time before it was finally announced that they weren't coming.
The rest of today has been fairly quiet - we finally had a swimex (hands to bathe was the pipe) at 1700 when the heat of the day was over. The water was beautiful and warm and heaps of people joined in the swim. Unfortunately as I climbed the rope ladder at the end of the swim I hurt my elbow and I'm not certain how it will be tomorrow but it is a little painful tonight.
The evening finished with another steel deck BBQ (there are now photo's from the first one on the web (www.netspace.net.au/~mdelaney/trip.html). The Matrix (film) was supposed to follow the BBQ but they had trouble so I decided to check my email and learnt that Dick Shepherd (the husband of Nancy) had died earlier today so I immediately sent back an email via Beryl Judges to be given to Nancy and the family. I hope that I will learn when the funeral is to be celebrated so that I can remember the family at that time wherever we are.
Now for bed.
Day 29: Monday 10th July
We had our CO/HOD's meeting this morning and there were some issues that have yet to be resolved but everything is being handled so that is good.
There was another swimex this afternoon but I decided that the climb back on board was too much for my arm today - I woke this morning and it was quite painful so I decided that I wouldn't put it to any further test for a day or so.
Most of the fleet sailed early today but we waited until later in the day so that we sail we will be heading into 'hostile' territory and have to face 'the enemy' and try to survive until we get back to Singapore on Saturday afternoon. The departure was a lot easier than our arrival yesterday and now we are back into action - we've had to make sure that every thing was secured so that when we go to action stations - at a moment's notice - our cabins aren't trashed by the 'action station police' when we get back to them.
Now, however, it is time for bed.
Day 30: Tuesday 11th July
It was a quiet cabin this morning - Gus had been up half the night at flying stations and Andy had been up late as well. He is under training as a Helicopter Control Officer (HCO) and is still being supervised for night flying - I had to sneak around without making too much noise. Mind you, when we are in Defence Watches, people are asleep all hours of the day and night so being a 'day hand' means moving around quietly at all times.
This morning I spent time talking with a young fellow, working through some of his concerns. At the moment it seems as if he will be able to deal with any issues that arise but we will need to keep an eye on him. I later chatted with his Divisional Staff who have overall responsibility for him and, at this stage, it would seem that they want him to get his act together because they feel he might be 'swinging the lead' and looking for an easy way to get out of any extra work at this time.
I spent a little bit of time on the bridge this afternoon but left fairly quickly as there was quite a deal of action and people running from one side of the bridge to the other checking on ship's movements and possible 'hostile' action from one of them.
This evening's Command Brief went well although just as I walked in I was asked what my response to a signal was - it was about a sailor who had been posted back to Sydney just before we left Singapore. I hadn't heard anything about what had been done for them and so I knew nothing about what had happened since they went home. It is a bit difficult to comment at a Command Brief when you nothing. It worked out all right but I hate being put under pressure like that.
Now for bed - I'm really tired.
Day 31: Wednesday 12th July
Today has been a really funny day.
It started with me joining Andy down in the HCO room whilst we waited for the helo to return from it's Dawn Patrol. There was a fairly long period of doing absolutely nothing before it arrived; some activity during the landing and then sitting and waiting as the refueling took place before we were able to secure and head back to the Wardroom via the COC (Central Office Complex) to check my email.
Below decks, i.e. not on the bridge or in the ops room, it hardly seems as if anything is really happening. We did have a number of 'unexploded devices' found after an air attack and there was a Damage Control Exercise to remove them from the area in which they had been found onto a safe deck space before the arrival of the clearance divers, the Explosive Ordinance Device (EOD) team, to remove them from the ship. It meant that the ship had to travel in a fairly stable mode for a few hours.
This afternoon I spent time with some of the Junior Officers talking through (or rather listening as hey 'complained' about) some of the career issues that effect them. I'm not certain that there are any easy answers and for the most part it could easily be translated into any group of young people wondering about how to deal with how they are treated but there are some concerns that I will raise with the Captain at some stage.
After the Command Brief this evening I spent a short time talking to one of the sailors in my office - the flat outside the Decontamination Unit - about the only quiet place there is for me to chat with anyone of an evening.
Now it is time for bed.
Day 32: Thursday 13th July
Today started with a quick trip down to the COC to check my email & and there was none waiting for me so had to wait until later in the day before I found out that nothing much had happened.
There was a mini-HOD's meeting in the Wardroom this morning when we all arrived about the same time for a coffee. This was immediately followed by another session with the young seaman officers trying to cope with the way they are being treated. I chatted with Barney (LCDR Barnett - the MEO) and he talked about the process that is being followed in the Mechanical Engineering part of ship to ensure that people receive the correct preparation for their deployment and their duties at sea. There is a vast difference in the way the two processes happen - the seaman branch has a lot to learn.
We had the weekly planning meeting immediately after lunch looking at the plan of action for the next few weeks. It cleared up a lot of doubts about what is actually going to happen but I don't think that it made the troops any happier knowing that we really aren't going to get into Singapore until mid morning Sunday and that the stokers are going to be hanging around for some time as the ship receives fuel for the helicopter.
Between the meeting and the RAS (Refueling at Sea) I headed down to check on my emails. One was from Jenny Searle at Graham Family telling me that she had read in the paper today that (Fr) Joe McMahon had died - she didn't say when but hopefully it was only yesterday. Again, I didn't get any info - all I know is that when John Roach goes overseas later in the year he will be getting an email from me weekly telling him what is going on - it really is painful not knowing what is happening.
The other was a message from Beryl telling me how things had gone with the funeral yesterday for Dick Shepherd. It seems that everything went well and (Fr) Bill Egan acquitted himself well. Apparently Graham's didn't have the funeral (it was Millington's) so I will wonder why that was so until the next email.
Just before the RAS started - as we were lining up to send across the various lines we ran over some fishing nets. Barney was up on the port bridge wing and saw them. A little later I was looking out and saw some more and, for my sins, spent the rest of the time keeping a lookout for others. Luckily there were none so we sailed on without any problems. Finished the RAS - it was really hot and took quite some time because there was a difficulty with their fuel pump so we stood in the hot sun for about an hour. Half way through one of their crew brought out icy poles for all their deck people - we stood and watched.
COMFLOT (Commander Fleet) came on board this evening and spent some time with the Captain. He didn't have time to speak to the HOD's so I watched a bit of TV and now I'm heading for bed.
Day 33: Friday 14th July
Today is John Brereton's birthday so I hope he had a happy day. I posted a card/letter in the ship's mail box last Sunday when we were at Pulua Tioman but I don't think that any mail went off the ship so he will probably get it when the mail is posted from Singapore on Monday.
Today was another quite day at war we saw a couple of fighter planes early in the day and apparently were attacked by two other planes later but we seemed to have been the victor in all other parts of the exercise. For the most part it has been the work of the people in the OP's room who have manned the radars etc. and kept the system running along. The rest of the ship has also been in defence watches which has frazzled people's nerves because of the lack of sleep but that can't be helped.
The rest of the day was spent wandering around the ship saying hello and talking to people most seemed a bit disillusioned at the moment and there are lots of reasons but very few solutions. I spent some time wondering what could be done and I suppose that I will have to try and put some things down on paper when I finish the deployment to leave for the captain and the Chaplaincy Branch since I won't have any time to really brief them after the trip.
Tonight the Command Brief and the HOD's meeting went really well. The Captain was in fine form and we spent some time chatting after the event about ordinary things around the ship and not just a sitrep (situation report) meeting. The Supply Officer produced a cheese board apparently a tradition on the night before we enter port the comment was made (not certain when we are arriving) that it was too little, too late.
Came back to the Wardroom just as The Matrix was starting so I stayed and watched it and am heading for bed much later than I had hoped. Both Gus and Andy are up early tomorrow for another dawn patrol for the helo so I might sleep through their alarms and I might have an early morning.
Day 34: Saturday 15th July
The Supply Officers cheese and bikkies did the trick last night because during the early afternoon 'D', one of the Warfare Officers, rang HMAS ANZAC and asked what time they were likely to be berthing at Sembawang Basin. Between the two Navigators the discussion went that ANZAC could be there early evening and since we were again mooring outside her we could be berthed by early evening. As it turned out we were alongside by 2000 H (10pm EST) so the bar opened to celebrate the promotion of Ken Morton, to Lieutenant Commander and the final trip with us of Tim Berry, the RN exchange Officer who will sail back to WA on ANZAC when we leave on Tuesday.
The end of the 'war games' was a bit of a fizzer - the OP's room people worked hard but for the rest of the Ship's Company it was really very ordinary - just like watching grass grow with a few moments of activity but nothing really obvious to everyone.
I'm hitting the rack early tonight so I've had a beer or three and now sleep.
Day 35: Sunday 16th July
Headed out early this morning to get to Mass. As I passed through the Wardroom one of our Officers was sitting talking to one of the NZ Officers - neither had been anywhere near a bed and both looked like they were well and truly tired.
Caught the wrong bus into town and headed along towards the West end of the island rather than to the MRT (Rail) Station. Eventually I got off and managed to head for town and arrived in time for the 8.30am Mass at St. Joseph's, the Portuguese Mission Church I had attended two weeks ago. The celebrant today was one of the original group of Anglican priests ordained in 1968 in Perth - Fr John but I can't remember his surname. I stopped and chatted with him for a few minutes after Mass before heading off to get the leather covers for the Casio Pocket Viewers (Gus and mine) so that they are protected from heavy knocks.
From there I headed to the Singapore Cricket Club to wait for the others to arrive for brunch - I waited some time but nobody arrived. The place was really busy but I had a table for one right in the middle of the area and sat back with a Gin and Tonic and enjoyed myself going back to the buffet area several times for quite a pleasant meal. It seems that the people who were going to be there all had had a very late night/early morning and didn't wake until it about 10.30am this morning.
After lunch I made some phone calls and visited a few shopping centres before catching the train back to Yishun and walking through the shopping mall there. I then caught the bus back to Sembawang and walked up by the local Chapel to check the times for the various Church services so that the Liaison People can put the information into the Visit Briefs that are prepared for the Ship's which come to Singapore on their trips.
I called into the Internet Cafe behind the One Degree North Cafe on the base to check some things on the net. Unfortunately I had not included my list of wines to be ordered so I'll have to return tomorrow to do that so that they will arrive in time for the celebrations next month.
I've just back from a meal at Newton Circus, an outdoor food market with all the variety of foods that you could imagine. We stopped off at a place called the Nelson Bar, close by the base on the way home. It seems that this place, one of just a few which have survived the years, where sailors used to head as soon as their shipped berthed. The atmosphere is almost the same as it was years ago and the noisy sailors are still the same sort of people as before - I think that the old lady owner/manager has probably been there since the beginning as well so it has a remarkable history. There are numerous ships plaques and badges throughout the establishment and all of the panels on the ceiling have messages and comments from people from all over - when they paint the ceiling they paint an area at a time so that the there are still lot's of messages at any one time.
It has been a long day so now I'm heading for bed.
Day 36: Monday 17th July
A slow start to the day but put into overdrive when Chap Wort from HMS CORNWALL called for the fourth time to see me. We wandered back to his ship and I had a complete guided tour and managed to meet up with Julien Mathonniere who had been one of the visitors on board when the RHIB capsized. He told me that Adrian Walker had managed to borrow some equipment from a local TV Channel and complete his assignment and Emma Jane Kirby had managed to create 4 episodes for her program (had intended to complete three) so she was happy. We came back and toured through SYDNEY before he headed off to do some thing around his ship - they aren't sailing for another couple of days so he has some other things to do.
I then headed off to buy a couple of things from the local shops before heading back to One Degree North to complete the Wine Order and found that I didn't have my password for the internet shopping cart - another casualty of my original organiser dying. I've sent an email off asking for the password to be sent to me but sadly it hasn't arrived tonight so I will have to wait until Manila before I can place the order - provided the password arrives during the next day or so.
The rest of today has been reasonably quiet until tonight when we watched a stupid movie, called Spaceship something or other. It is now almost midnight and I'm heading for bed. We have an early start in the morning because we sail at 0830 which means that everything has to be ship shape before we leave which generally takes a little while to complete.
Day 37: Tuesday 18th July
Woke early and got a few things organised before we left Singapore. Sometimes the system works and other times you have to wonder where things fit in life. ANZAC was the senior ship in the RAN team at Flying Fish and because of the way that ships had to be berthed at Sembaweng Basin (because of the different lengths of individual ships) it meant that we (SYDNEY) were outboard of ANZAC which also meant that we needed to depart before she could leave. It all became a bit of a pain because ANZAC wanted to lead us out of Singapore even though, as soon as we were clear of the Singapore Straits, she was heading off back to Australia whilst we are heading towards to Manila - but because of seniority we waited for half an hour in the harbour doing nothing and the crew got hotter and sweatier as they had to stay at their leaving port stations until ANZAC got into position.
The rest of today has been much the same as usual - most people happy to be back to work after several days of rest (and or recreation). I spent most of the day wandering between the various parts of the ship saying hello to people and seeing how they were getting on. Most people seem happy with life - in fact much happier than they were a few days ago so that is good.
This evening we watched the latest James Bond Movie - Tomorrow is not Enough on the VCD player - the good thing about it is that you don't have to rewind the video when you finish but the downside is that if something goes wrong with the power you have to start from the very beginning. There is probably a way of making it work with picking up where you left off but no-one has learnt that trick yet.
Time now for bed and to read a good book.
Day 38: Wednesday 19th July
This morning I'm headed down towards the Laundry flat to get some washing done as I had been lazy and not done any washing for a week or so and found that there had been so many people doing washing yesterday (first day out) that there were water restrictions. It seems that as soon as they did some work on one of the 'water-makers' a seal failed and it took some time before we had a good water supply back on line. I'll be up early to do the washing tomorrow - otherwise I will be in serious trouble.
One of the things that is going to happen in Manila is that we (60 Officers and Senior Sailors) will be attending a Cocktail Party and the usual practise is that a senior Philippine Officer will sing and then invite the visiting Captain to sing and he deputes his Officers to return the favour. This afternoon I spent some time with Barney and Leut Narelle Hogan working through some of the Karioke VCD's to work out a number of songs that we can produce the words for so that we will not be unprepared. The songs chosen are 'Take A Chance', 'Top Of The World', 'New York, New York', 'There's A Kind Of Hush' and 'Hooked On A Feeling'. If that doesn't work then we are in serious strife - I'm not sure when the first rehearsal is going to be but I'm sure that when tomorrow comes we will be called up for practise.
The Command Brief and the HOD's meeting were interesting this evening. The CO had a meeting the Chief Petty Officer's and brought back a whole range of comments from the meeting about some of the things happening on board as well as their concerns and worries. Some of them related to management so we talked through them for some time and it was rather late when we finally got back to the Wardroom for our evening meal.
After the meal there was another James Bond movie - The Spy Who Loved Me - so without even trying, I have become a James Bond follower. It didn't go too late so I was able to get to bed by a decent hour and I still haven't finished my book but I suspect that I'll have to finish it early tomorrow morning just so that I can get it all together.
Now, however, it's time for bed.
Day 39: Thursday 20th July
Headed down early to get my washing done this morning and managed to get things into the machine reasonably early, although there were quite a number who had beaten me to it.
A message (signal) arrived to say that the father of one of the sailors had died during the night - it took me quite some time to catch up with him but everything seems to be working towards him getting home from Manila to be able to get to the funeral on Tuesday afternoon in Gympie. Thought afterwards that if decisions had been made a little sooner then he might have been able to transit to Brunei with HUON and travel home from there a couple of days earlier but that didn't happen - he seems happy enough with what has been planned so that's good.
I tried to add another song to the list for the Philippines Navy function on Monday night but the Word program wouldn't let me make the changes I wanted (it seems I wasn't the only one who had trouble with the program today). I transferred the document to a disk and loaded it into Lotus Wordpro (the program I use for all my work) and it was fixed immediately. After adding the new song I've printed it all out and it is ready for rehearsals whenever they get planned. I almost missed the weekly planning meeting this morning as I tried to do the work on the songs and got a seat right at the edge of the Wardroom as a result. The meeting itself went as well as usual with some 'sparks' flying when people tried to include extra events into the program without having made provision before the meeting.
After lunch the CO had a meeting with the Petty Officer's (after the meeting with the Chief's yesterday). It seems that it was less of an issue raising meeting than yesterday's so hopefully we will learn a bit more about all of that tomorrow. From the shortcast there is provision for the Junior Officers to meet tomorrow so it will be interesting to see what arises out of that - I know that if they are honest there should be quite a deal of discussion to provide food for thought.
The weather has been quite good with hot temperatures (around the 30 degree mark everyday) but it is the humidity which is quite draining. For some reason we had a steel deck BBQ last night which provided a degree of entertainment - even in the process of having the meal the ship had to do a couple of really sharp turns to avoid large logs. This put a fair degree of pressure on the food bins which suddenly started ducking from one side of the tables to the other- luckily there were some pretty nifty people from 3 Aft Mess on duty to prevent a major disaster. There was a tropical storm/typhoon in the area a week or so ago and it seems we were passing through some of the rubbish that had been dumped in the sea as a result.
I didn't stay to watch the movie - the flight deck without seating is quite uncomfortable so I headed back to the Wardroom. I thought that the plan was to have a rehearsal for the singing at the Navy Reception on Monday night but it seems that no-one else had been informed so now I am going to spear into the rack.
Day 40: Friday 21st July
The Captain had four meetings today with various messes to gauge something more of an understanding regarding the lives of the people on board. Most of the meetings were successful but there were some concerns, similar to those mentioned by the Chiefs & PO's earlier in the week. Some of the Junior Officers were very aggressive about the quality of food that is presented in the Wardroom and these things will be looked at over the next few days. The discussion made for an interesting HOD's meeting this evening - but there was a cheese platter which definitely means we will be in port tomorrow!!
There was no swimex today as we have to stop for two hours tomorrow to put grates over the water intakes for the engines and the fire fighting equipment because of the pollution in the harbour when we get to Manila.
The rest of today has been ordinary with arrangements being finalised for the passage home of the fellow whose father died during the week and I also spent some time with one of the young female officers whose grandmother died early today.
There still hasn't been a rehearsal for the singing of songs at the Reception on Monday so after watching part of a film I'm now going to spear into the rack and get a good nights sleep.
Day 41: Saturday 22nd July
The entry into Manila Harbour was at a very leisurely pace. We were early for the rendezvous with the two Patrol Boats who had traveled a little bit more slowly to conserve some fuel because only three grates were fitted instead of 7, I'm not certain why but the decision was made to only fit the three. It was sad to see a harbour so polluted with rubbish and it is frightening to see so many shanty town along the coast line. I looked through the 'big eyes' binoculars and could see a great mansion on the high ground surrounded by large areas of these shanty villages. I'm not certain I am totally prepared for the vast difference between those who are very wealthy and those who live in poverty - I mean I knew in my head that there was real poverty but I'm not certain that I really understood what that meant.
Fairly soon after we had berthed the crew set to work on the necessary cleaning of rubbish and stowing of stores. I was standing talking to another officer when the Coxswain said to grab my cap and join the Captain ashore to be officially welcomed and to receive a lei from the group on the shore. It was then a very quick trip across to one of the phones that had been set up on the wharf to ring home - boy did I get a surprise. Last week in Singapore we had got 64 minutes for the equivalent of $20 - today I got 8m42s for the same price - it means that phone calls home will be short and sweet, unfortunately.
We had a cocktail party on board tonight so this afternoon most of the officers simply relaxed with a few beers and watched a movie or wrote letters - there was no mail when we arrived which was unusual - I'm certain that people will be waiting and hoping for some soon. I made a couple of phone calls to my sister-in-law Rowena's family in Sucat and to Sr. Tess, a Sister of Charity, who had worked in Hobart and have arranged to spend some time with them tomorrow.
The cocktail party was a good night and people enjoyed themselves. Some of the guys headed out after the main event, it will be interesting to see how they fare tomorrow morning. For me, now is a good time for hitting the rack, we still haven't rehearsed the songs for Monday night.
Day 42: Sunday 23rd July
I celebrated Mass by myself this morning because I headed out to spend the day with my sister-in-law Rowena's family. Her sister and brother in law picked me up at the Harbour Gate and took me back to Sucat via the Cathedral, St. Augustine's ( a very old Church in Intermuros) and then to the Shrine to Jesus, a large modern Church on reclaimed land which was quiet spectacular but which also turned out to be the 'mansion' I had seen as we waited to enter the harbour yesterday.
We then visited Nayong Pilipino (a 'theme' park close by the domestic airport) which included aspects of the main islands of the Filipino and provided an experience of the Philippines in Miniature. It was good to see the various aspects of Filipino life, even in miniature, and to understand something of the different cultures.
We then arrived at Sucat after an interesting ride - I simply sat back and didn't get worried as we ducked in and out of traffic and across lanes and through gaps that didn't exist. The welcome was terrific and the hospitality was grand. Almost everyone who could be there was there and I was entertained royally. There will be many photo's that will be part of the story of the family for many years to come.
After lunch we headed back to the ship and I took Roger and Susana and two of Rowena's sisters through the ship. We couldn't go too far because people were resting after last night but it was enough to give them an idea of what the ship is like and some idea of what we do.
I then had a short time before I caught up with Sr. Tess. Originally I had intended to call to see her on the way back from Sucat but she had to take her mother to hospital this morning so she decided to come to the ship instead. I took her on a tour of the ship. We met up with Andy Barnes who spoke about getting a shotgun put through his taxi window last night as he returned to the ship and Tess said that there might be a security problem over the next 48 hours because the President is to give a State of the Nation Address tomorrow and there is a deal of tension between some rebels and the government which could spill over onto the streets. I contacted the Captain and with Andrew Quinn, the Security Officer, we went to see the Captain and to brief him on what Tess had told us. He thanked her and said that he would make further enquiries and take any necessary steps to increase ship security if needed.
Tess and I then headed out for a meal. She had intended to take me to one of the sea food restaurants in one of the Hotels but instead she took me to a Fish Sellers Market where we got some crabs and prawns and then went upstairs to a tiny room above one of the shops and waited while they were cooked and we then spent the next two hours eating a very messy but tasty meal. It was interesting to see her haggle about the price of the prawns but interesting to see how she then gave the difference between the original price and the final price to the woman's 5 year old daughter who was standing watching us. Ella then walked with us to get the crabs and the melon's for dessert and carried things as we bought them and then she carried them to the little place where we had the meal - Tess then gave her the money and the look of delight on her face was incredible.
It was an interesting night as we talked about Tasmania and what is happening there under the leadership of +Adrian and my own thoughts about what I had experienced in my two days in Manila. Tess had spoken to an elderly lady (at least I thought she was elderly) and she told us that she came to work with her daughter each morning and sat in the little area upstairs where we were eating because her daughter was the bread winner for the family and she was there to protect her. The daughter leaves home at 5am each morning and gets home about 11pm each night, seven days a week for 800 pesos - A$1 = 24 pesos - she earns about $33 a week which is quite a deal of money for her family.
It has been a sobering night and walking back to the ship after Tess caught a taxi home was a long walk from poverty but a joy about living to a virtual luxury liner (although I'm certain a lot of people would argue about that) yet a greater degree of sadness about many aspects of our lives on board. I'm not certain how I will sleep tonight but I have plenty to think about.
Day 43: Monday 24th July
This morning I headed off with Gus and Narelle Hogan to meet up with Jodie Ware and Marilyn Batterson, the young engineering officer who had been the first one to welcome me on board all those weeks ago. Jodie and Marilyn had stayed at a Hotel for two nights so when we decided to head out they were told that we could travel in the Hotel Tarago Van so we all headed off to Greenhills Shopping Mall to look at some gifts for their families so I tagged along to watch. I have to admit that I was a little bit naughty and only bought a new pair of Nike Air shoes for 500 pesos (about $22) - they are black so I will be able to wear them 'to work' when I get home.
The driver waited for us and then took us off to Makati Shopping Mall which was similar to the Shopping Malls of Melbourne and Sydney. As we entered into the Mall all the bags were being searched and in just about every shop there were more guards checking things. As we left there and headed back to the hotel the driver told us that there were many more police and army people on the streets today because of the State of the Nation Address but there hasn't (to me) been any serious reaction during the day.
We arrived back here and got ready for the Reception with the Philippine Navy at their Headquarters. It was an interesting night with lots of food and plenty to drink and lots of entertainment. There were half a dozen dance instructors who led the dancing and helped make the night a really great time. The evening ended with the senior Philippine Naval Officer going up to the microphone to lead people in song (and I started to panic because we still hadn't practiced our songs) and he started singing 'Auld Lang Syne' and then the night ended so we were happy to get back home tonight in one piece.
Now I'm heading for my rack and a good night's sleep.
Day 44: Tuesday 25th July
Today was not a good day. This morning I woke reasonably early and headed down to the Office complex to check my emails and there were a few there so I spent a few minutes answering them before heading back to the Wardroom. I had talked with two guys about going to the Edsa Shopping Mall to look at some 'pirate' computer software but had decided not to go when one of them walked through the Wardroom and and asked if I was going so I headed off in the ship's mini bus firstly to the Robinson Mall and then via taxi to Edsa. That's where the problem started.
Neither Stu nor I had the 160 pesos to pay the cabbie so Stu went into a shop to buy something and get some change - we both had 500 peso notes and he didn't have change. I had looked in my wallet and put it back into my pocket, or so I thought. When Stu arrived back I got out of the cab and my wallet must have fallen back into the seat or onto the floor because as he drove off I realised that it was gone but it was too late. I borrowed 200 pesos from Stu and caught a cab back to the ship and then rang back to Australia to cancel my Mastercard which was the only card in the wallet (besides the money). Everything got fixed quickly but it was so stupid that I deserved to lose the money - everyone else had ditched their wallets and carried money loose in their pockets - much harder to get your pocket picked and no wallet to lose either.
I spent most of the rest of today on board the ship watching a movie before heading out for a walk with Andy Barnes just before tea . He wanted to take some photo's but wasn't really interested in going by himself so we walked through Rizal Park and he took some photo's of the various style of Jeepney's taking people home.
I've found a copy of Robert Ludlum's The Scorpio Illusion which I haven't read before so I'm spearing into the rack early and going to enjoy a quiet night.
Day 45: Wednesday 26th July
We sailed from Manila this morning with four Philippino Naval personnel on board - 2 officers, a senior sailor and a stoker. They are obviously here on information gathering exercise as well as simply living on a bigger ship because every where they go they are writing notes about what is happening. Because their sponsor's are busy at various times I have spent a bit of time with them as they wander around looking but I have found it very difficult to get any real information out of them about their families or anything for that matter.
The day started unusually because I went for an early morning walk and found Narelle Hogan, the senior female seaman officer in the wardroom with a young, very distressed, female sailor. I kept going but asked as I came back and they were still there was there anything I could do but she broke down so I said that I would see her later. I spoke to Narelle about it during the day and she said that the girl had been abducted by a cabbie and had escaped and been brought back to the ship by the police. The embassy people came and there will be an investigation but it is unlikely that anything will come of it - sadly. This followed another incident when one of the mini-bus drivers picked up some of his friends whilst driving some female sailors to a club and one of them was stalked - luckily in both cases the girls weren't molested but both were fairly upset and shaken by the experience.
The XO spent time today talking to some of the crew who have formed relationships in other ship's company - it is behaviour frowned on by the Navy so people have been told to get their act together or people will be posted off the ship as soon as we return to Darwin as a disciplinary measure. I'm not certain what I can do about it all but will keep my ear to the ground.
After the daggy start to the day things have got much better and I'm going to my rack early, again, to enjoy reading my book - the movie they are showing is Perfect Storm which I saw yesterday afternoon whilst I sat round licking my wounds after loosing my wallet.
Day 46: Thursday 27th July
Today was a long and busy day with lot's of meetings going on that kept me really busy. I went down to the COC (Central Office Complex) to check for emails and send answers and new emails out as required - one of the first activities of my day.
After finishing there I headed for the bridge and checked out what was happening and chatted to the P.N. guys who were looking around and learning about life on board HMAS SYDNEY. Not long after that we had another man overboard exercise and this time because the sea was so calm it was difficult to catch sight of the dummy but before too long we had it back on board.
From there it was down to the to Junior Sailor's Cafe to attend a Welfare Committee Meeting. The meeting was interesting but didn't really have sufficient answers for some of the questions so will be reconvened for a short time next week.
Then it was time back to the Wardroom for lunch and another quick wander around the ship. I was expecting to see a sailor at 1500 but got involved in a discussion with the XO and the HOD's regarding conditions on board as there is a signal seeking a response concerning the 5 Key Personnel issues facing the RAN. To describe the discussion as interesting would be an understatement. The sailor arrived part way through the discussion so I headed off to my cabin.
When we had finished I headed back to the Wardroom where the HOD's were still deep in discussion. It ended with the decision that we would re adjourn at 2000. The reason we stopped then was to allow the stewards to prepare the table for the evening meal - we had 30 minutes before the Command Brief at 1800. After the brief we adjourned to the CO's Cabin for the nightly discussion with cheese board as we arrive in port tomorrow. The CO left to go to the bridge for flying OP's so we stayed and continued our discussion until almost 2000 and we only stopped then because we needed to go to the evening meal before the Galley shut.
It has been a long day so I've headed for my cabin and now I'm heading for bed.
Day 47: Friday 28th July
We stopped early this morning to fit the grates again for Cebu but because of the low tides and the depth of draft we are anchored out in the harbour and needing ferries to get us too and from the wharf. It means that phone calls home are going to be a little bit more difficult and getting to do any shopping will take a bit more planning that when we are alongside as the ferries run on the hour from the ship and half hour from shore.
Lunch was a better affair than last Friday so that made some people happier. There are quite a number who have decided that they will be staying ashore for the next two nights and they are juggling the logistics of being able to go to a hotel and still be able to attend the P.N. Reception tomorrow night but I'll let them work that out.
I went to iron my white trousers (S7's) and found that they hadn't been washed at all. Because there was some uncertainty as to what water we might be getting (and the quality) the washing machines have been turned off so I've had to spend quite some time sponging them trying to get them clean enough to wear to a Cocktail Party on board HMAS HUON and HAWKESBURY this evening. I managed to get them good enough in the end but I've just arrived home and they are wrecked so I'll have to wash again in the morning - if the water restrictions have been lifted.
We traveled to the ships which are berthed at our original anchorage via the RHIB, repaired after it had been turned over during the capsize some weeks ago. The CP was pleasant but there were a number of guests who were left by themselves for some time so I spent most of the night talking to three senior Police Officers and nearly missed the ride back to the ship. Someone asked if I was going back just as the RHIB was leaving so it was a mad scramble to get their attention and find where my cap had been stored and then the trip back to the ship and now to bed - I've used a spot remover on my whites tonight - hopefully that will be enough for tomorrow.
Day 48: Saturday 29th July
I got up early this morning and headed ashore to make some phone calls. When I got on the ferry it looked as if I might be heading off to play softball because it looked as if they were going to be short but when we arrived there were enough people from HUON, HAWKESBURY and TOWNSVILLE. TOWNSVILLE had arrived late last night with a sailor who needed a medivac - I'm not certain how he is but he seems to have developed some form of fever.
I headed off to the Ayala Shopping Mall to make some phone calls and check with an airline for the exact details of my flight from Darwin back to Hobart next Saturday. The rest of the morning was spent looking at shops, some time in an internet cafe and a bite to eat before heading back to the wharf to catch the ferry back to the ship. I met the two principal agents for the provedoring companies on the jetty and we chatted while waiting for the ferry to arrive.
There were only three of us on the way back to the ship but there were heaps waiting to go ashore when we got back. I immediately headed for the laundry to see how my white trousers had got on and they were beautifully white - I could almost have done a TV commercial to endorse the products I used. However, my problems had not been solved because when I went to iron my rig one leg caught on a piece of equipment on the bulkhead and now owned a brown mark right across the front so it was back to the cleaning process to get it fixed to wear out.
Finally it was off again on the ferry to the wharf where we boarded a bus to head across to Macatan Island to attend the Philippine Navy reception. At one stage we looked as if we might be lost because the bus driver kept asking directions and it was only because the CO had been there yesterday on his official visit that he knew where to go. There was no big sign saying this was the way - it was a small sign that might easily have been missed if you were traveling in a taxi.
It was another good night - lot's of singing and great food and some time to chat again with people I had met last evening which was good. On the way back to the ship some of the guys who had taken hotel rooms got off the bus when they were near their hotel and others got changed on the bus and headed off to a nightclub to continue to party.
Me, I getting to old for all of this so I'm heading for bed.
Day 49: Sunday 30th July
Today was a quiet day. I celebrated Mass at 0900 and then did very little for the rest of the day - it was almost the ultimate 'veg' day.
I managed to catch some films (on board) - Notting Hill was the best of the bunch, the others weren't bad but I wouldn't go and spend money to see them.
People came and went all day. Many went ashore for a meal, some returned from shore after being out overnight and then returned again to spend some final time at a club.
I changed some money back from the Philippine money so that now I actually have some Aus currency for when I step ashore in Darwin on Saturday on my way home.
Now I'm heading for bed. I'm reading another Dick Francis novel but I tend to fall asleep before I get to far into it so I'll try again to get some pages read.
Day 50: Monday 31st July
Today was a funny day. Just before the last liberty boat (Cebu ferry back to the ship) arrived it suddenly stopped in the middle of the harbour and decided it wasn't going anywhere. It took some time to get things going again and we needed to use the RHIB to get some of the jobs done, including sending a PO to HUON to conduct some trials on equipment that had been installed as well as collect the doctor and the sailor that had been medivaced from TOWNSVILLE back on board. Just as the entry into Cebu had been delayed so also was the departure and it was well past midmorning when we got underway.
After lunch I did some rounds of the ship and found that the majority of people had enjoyed their stay in Cebu and seemed happy about life - I think it might also have something to do with the fact that we are only five days away from being back in Australia and that makes a big difference.
There were a couple of DCX's today (DCX is a Damage Control Exercise). The first was a toxic hazard and then there was a fire drill. Both went reasonably well although there were some gaps that needed to be looked at which was why the second exercise was run.
Tonight's Command Brief went well but I haven't worked out why they need to use two computers to run it - surely a disk swapped between the two would make life a lot easier for the guys running it.
We have Action Stations tomorrow morning at 0800 which means that there will be heaps of exercises during the day and the ship will be at alert for the whole day so it will be interesting to see what happens. That means an early night because, although I won't be heavily involved, working in this heat is very draining and you really need all the energy you can spare.
Day 51: Tuesday 1st August
The Action Stations - whole box and dice - went from 0800 - 0930 which meant that the rest of the day was concerned with exercises for various departments. I helped the CO (for the day) last night as she prepared a list of Officers who were to be part of the Standing Sea Fire Fighters (for the day). They were involved in a number of exercises and managed to get thoroughly soaked in the process. Mel (LSSTD Brokate) enjoyed her day as CO and managed to get her own back on a couple of people during her time in charge.
The MEO (Barney) was 'demoted' to Leading Seaman and had to put in the hard yards in the engine spaces for the day. The worst part was that his replacement 'LCDR' Griffiths was no better at Karaoake than Barney so we were all glad when 1600 arrived and we could return to normal - whatever that is.
The Command Brief still doesn't work - the Power Point program fails when they use the second laptop - I really don't know why they don't simply load it on the LAN and use one of the super computers in the OPS room to do the presentation.
I was just about to head for bed when they put a movie on and it was really good so I've stayed up later than I had intended but now I'm heading for bed.
Day 52: Wednesday 2nd August
After breakfast I headed down to the COC (Central Office Complex) to check my email - there was a note from Beryl with some updates on things for next week when I get back to work. I sent back a response and then headed back to the Wardroom. I'm normally one of the first to breakfast so by the time I get back I get a chance to talk to people and say hello.
I wandered down to the Engine Control room and looked at one of the guys doing some drawing on an old pair of coveralls for the Crossing the Line Ceremony that was held this afternoon. Someone suggested checking the stores people to see if there were any old 'ralls around - I managed to get some from 3 AFT Mess so I headed back to the cabin and cut off the legs upto the knees and the arms to just above the elbows and drew a 'Bad to the Bone' emblem on the back - "Bad to the Bone' is the Sydney emblem.
The ceremony was interesting but because there were so many making the crossing for the first time it was reasonably tame but still took quite some time. The photo's tell the story!!
We finished the day with another Steel Deck BBQ - an awfully uncomfortable way to eat a meal but fun none the less because everyone has a chance to eat with people on board you hardly ever see, especially the 'spooks' - those people who work on all the secret stuff and whom we hardly know are on board we see them so infrequently.
Now, because we turn our clocks ahead an hour tonight I'm heading for bed because I am really tired.
Day 53: Thursday 3rd August
Today has been a different day - lot's of things happening and lot's of wondering about what is going to happen when we get to Darwin.
Overnight our navigation plan was changed by Navy Headquarters to avoid any possible incursion into Indonesian waters which has added sufficient extra distance onto our journey to make it difficult for the two Mine Hunters traveling with us to retain sufficient fuel at yesterday's speed to reach Darwin safely. So we have had to travel slower which means that at some stage tomorrow we will have to detach from the ships to then increase our speed to reach Darwin at 0900 on Saturday. There was some confusion and uncertainty created by the possible change in arrival time which started some rushing round to rearrange plane flights and other events planned for Saturday afternoon.
As usual my concerns will probably be unfounded but I like to hope that I will have covered as many of the possibilities or probabilities as I can so I have been in contact with home to ask that the Salesians be on standby for Mass at New Norfolk on Sunday if I can't get out.
The day also included a number of exercises with all hands going to Action stations at 0830 and dealing with incidents and injuries until 1030 then having a 'defence messing' lunch - how to eat your meal quickly so that all 215 personnel were fed within 45 minutes, not a bad effort since there are only 60 seats in the cafe and half the ships company was on duty watch at the time.
Then it was another action stations and exercise. The same sort of things with 'casualties' and extra training. All of this is in preparation for the Fleet Concentration Program that runs next week in Darwin involving all of the FFG Class frigates during which all ships are checked against Fleet Standards to ensure best quality performances from the Fleet.
It then turned towards a quiet afternoon and evening with the Command Brief and HOD's meeting being short and without too much to be concerned about. The debriefs after the exercises provided some discussion but nothing of any real concern.
I've just spent the past hour or so working through the photo's on the LAN of some of the events that have taken place during the time I've been on board so that I can take them home with me to show around the place.
As we have another half advance of our time clocks tonight I'm heading for bed.
Day 54: Friday 4th August
Woke early this morning (again) so I'm not sure how I'm going to cope over the next few days as I move back another time zone on the way home tomorrow. I went down and checked my email and sent off some to home to let them know what is happening, or at least, hopefully what is happening tomorrow.
I got back to the Wardroom for breakfast and found the AMEO (Assistant Mechanical Engineering Officer) waiting impatiently for a phone call. Today is the penultimate day in the Navy for LCDR Greg Ward, the XO, who is in charge of all the exercises we have been doing so this morning, when he went to have his shower they threw smoke canisters into his cabin and ran a 'Fire' exercise with him wrapped in his towel looking on. He, as well as the WEEO, Supply Officer and Warrant Officer were replaced for the day by sailors (as part of the fundraising activities of the ship) so he has been Able Seaman Ward and running around doing AB jobs all day.
At least, that's how the day started. By mid morning most of the CPO's had been changed and replaced by LS & AB's and most things around the ship were being managed by junior sailors. Everything went really well with some interesting activities occurring, including another 'fire' exercise - this time into the cabin of the two officers who 'got' the XO this morning. I'm almost the only senior officer on board who missed out so I'm not sure whether I am pleased about that or whether I should be upset that I got missed. I also wonder what whether they didn't know what I did so they couldn't get anyone to try and do it!! FLYCO (Flight Commander) gets his on the way back to Sydney after the FCP.
Day 55: Saturday 5th August
The day started early as I wanted to get my towels washed and dried so I washed all my clothes - I have this thing about putting wet things into bags when I pack.
I still have an upset stomach (mainly I think from nerves so there is nothing really I can do about that) but it has made the day uncomfortable.
We were a little late arriving in Darwin and every minute was starting to weight on me as I wondered what might happen with Customs and getting cleared from the ship to catch the plane. As it happened all my worrying was for nought and they cleared all of us catching planes and we headed ashore without any trouble. As usual saying goodbye to people is a bit of a pain which I don't enjoy but I will be seeing many of them again in November so that is good.
The trip home was via Adelaide and Melbourne so by the time I arrived I was quite tired and ready for bed but I still needed to get my gear out of the car. I went with one large bag, a suit bag, my computer and a small back pack & arrived home with an extra large bag with presents from the Philippines, and extra large bag with gear I had collected on the trip plus uniform that would no longer fit into my kit bag so all in all it was a full boot load.
Now however, it is time for bed because tomorrow I am back to work in my ministry as a priest of the Archdiocese of Hobart.
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