HMS London Paying Off Newsletter

Captain J Garnier MVO FIL (RN) HMS London entering Portsmouth FOREWORD BY CAPTAIN J GARNIER MVO FIL (RN) It will be a sad day for all of us when HMS LONDON pays off in Portsmouth on return from the Caribbean. This fine ship has enjoyed a distinguished career since 1963, and our sadness will be shared by all those who served in previous commissions. We should not, however, allow our regret to dim our memories of the excellent spirit that has always prevailed onboard throughout the life of the ship, and particularly over the last two years. We have been faced with many challenges and I hope that all of you will share my great pride at our achievements. Both operationally and professionally we have reached a very high standard, and the obvious success of our goodwill visits will have contributed significantly to the diplomatic efforts of our national representatives. This has entailed a lot of hard work by everybody, and I have been continually impressed by the outstanding good humour and enthusiasm with which each new task was undertaken. Nor should we forget our families, without whose warm and unflagging support HMS LONDON would not have been such a happy and efficient ship. I am most grateful to the Editors of this booklet for their hard work in providing such an excellent souvenir of a most memorable last commission, and I wish you and your families the best of good fortune in the future. - - INTRODUCTION The aim of this Newsletter is to mark the end of the present HMS LONDON's life. Looking back into history at the careers of the other ships to bear the name, it can be seen that the present day LONDON has had a lot to live up to. The strong ties with the City of London date back to the seventeenth century when the City contributed to the building of the fourth LONDON. Since that time the 'London' ships have had a special association with the capital city. The London of today bas carried on this tradition, each time that the ship has visited the City the age old ties have been re-established and strengthened. By briefly covering the past twenty years from its launching in December 1961 until its Paying Off in December 1981, it is hoped that the ships varied career can be accounted for. Whilst not having an adventurous life as compared to its predecessors it has played its role in the Royal Navy of the present era. The West Indies deployment has been LONDONs 'Swan Song', everyone has enjoyed themselves at one time or another during the trip. The dits in the latter half of the Newsletter telling the story of this last deployment. A lot of work has gone into this Newsletter and it is hoped that the people reading it will be able to grasp the LONDON spirit in the years to come. ·, HMS LONDON History LONDONS PAST There have been 9 other HMS LONDONS, some more famous than others. What follows is a short summary of their careers. 1st LONDON 1620 The first ship to bear the name of LONDON was a famous fighting East Indiaman, privately owned and not a man-of-war. However, such ships did valuable service on the country's behalf and in 1620, LONDON accompanied by three escorts entered Saldanha Bay, just north of Capetown, and took possession of the neighbouring land in the name of James I. Five months later the ship fought two fierce battles against Portuguese corsair squadrons, which were attempting to stop the East India Company from establishing itself in the Persian Gulf. 2nd LONDON 1636 In 1636 another merchantman, the LONDON, equipped as a man of war of 4o guns served in the "ship-money fleet", one of ten vessels furnished by the City of London, in obedience of King Charles I's wish requiring the Lord Mayor to fit out a squadron for service with the Royal Navy. This ship is considered to be the first man-of-war named LONDON in the British Navy. She had an illustrious career, joining Blake's fleet and partaking in the battles of KENTISH KNOCK in the Thames Estuary and with Admiral Monk at GABBARD and SCHEVENINGEN against the Dutch Admiral Tromp. 3rd LONDON - 1656 - 1665 2nd RATE MAN-OF-WAR Built under an order by Cromwell she was launched on 30th July 1656. Cromwell had given the name 'LONDON' to this particular ship as a compliment to the City of London. At the time, however, the general election for the Second Parliament of the Protector was about to take place. London and Middlesex were to hold twelve seats between them; where voting was to be close on a division, these 12 seats were worth securing. Cromwell’s compliments were not usually given as a casual gesture. Cromwell at the time it is worth noting was spending 4/5ths of the National Revenue, of £1,050,000 on building up the British Fleet. He was laying down for the world in general the cardinal principle of his national policy. In his own words, "I will make the name 'Englishman' to be as much dreaded as was ever the name 'Roman Citizen' “• The London was a 2nd rate Han '0' War carrying 64 guns; she was 150ft long, 81ft across her beam and weighed 1050 tons. Her crew was of 360 Officers, men and boys. Her first duties after being fitted out were to fire a salute to Blake’s flagship, the St George, as she carried Blake’s body up the Thames. (He had been killed in a great sea battle against the Dutch). She was used as an escort for the first brigade of ironsides over to Dunkirk, where she witnessed the handing over of the keys of Dunkirk. (After the Battle of the Dunes). In the summer of 1660, after the death of Cromwell, the London formed one or a squadron which fetched Charles 2nd for the Restoration of the Monarchy. London’s own special passenger was the Kings brother, James, Duke of York (later James II). London was flying the flag of Lord High Admiral, the post to which James had been appointed. In March 1665 as the fleet was preparing for the second Dutch war, disaster struck the London. On her way up the Thames she blew up, killing three hundred on board. Only twenty four men and one woman survived the explosion, the cause of which was unknown. 4th LONDON 1665 - 1748 The second Dutch war had just broken out, shots had been fired. The loss at this particular time of one of Britain’s finest man-o-ward was a staggering blow. The City of London was startled and horrified (especially as the ship involved was 'London'). A cry went out to build a new LONDON for the Kings Navy. A letter was sent to the King offering to build a new LONDON. The King highly impressed by the Cities loyalty, announced that the new ship be called 'LOYAL LONDON'. Money for the subscription to build the new 'LOYAL LONDON' was slow in coming forth after the initial cry. However work had started down at Deptford on the new ship. The master builder, a Captain Taylor, who had built the previous LONDON, was to adopt his earlier design, improving on it in certain ways to make the new ship better. The money was now being collected from many sources. Every company in the city was approached - Goldsmiths to Brewers, Mercers, Glaziers, Taylors, Fishmongers and Grocers. The accounts of the building of the LOYAL LONDON were not in fact closed until 5 years later. However the City had kept its promise. The ship was launched in 1665 and was named the 'LOYAL LONDON' on the 10th July 1666, (the naming ceremony was usually carried out after the ship had been launched, as was the custom of those days). The day was a great occasion; the King was present, along with the Lord Mayor and his Sheriffs. The LOYAL LONDON was a three decker of 96 guns, with a crew of 470 men; she was described by Pepys as the best ship in the world. The LOYAL LONDON was described as a 'sea wasp', her sides were a bright canary yellow - the colour of the resin and oil varnish composition dubbed over the oak planking. In startling contrast, two double bands of black extended the length of the ship between each tier of ports and below to the waterline. The bulwarks and upper deck ports of the hull were painted blue, being decorated with arabesque work and gilded moulded wreaths. A gilded carved lion rampant with open jaws and wearing a crown decorated the bows, together with the shield of the City arms. At the stern was a carved representation of the Royal Arms of England painted in heraldic colours, together with King Charles' royal cypher in gilded letters. The whole of the rest of the stern was a mass of gilded brackets and mouldings, particularly around the lattice of the cabin windows. On board, the upperdeck gratings, hatchways and ladders were all painted a dull red - to hide "the unpleasant stains and splashes which occurred during battle". Below decks the woodwork was oiled and dubbed. The 'LOYAL LONDON' was ready to join the fleet the following month. Work had been hurried along as the Dutch fleet had been sailing up and down the English coast for some weeks; The French were poised with their Armies across the Channel. On July 25th 1666, St James Day, the two fleets engaged, the Dutch bad the slight advantage in numbers - 99 to 93 on the English side.

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