HMS Droxford - P3113 - Seaward Defence Boats (Ford Class)

[Jack the Gunner]

I have started this thread in the hope of showing other modellers an excellent modelling prospect - see what you think.

I currently am working on Droxford utilising the Fleetscale Grey Goose hull, and is some 70 Inches long (makes for a lovely model).

I had the privilage of serving onboard Droxford as the Buffer (Seamanship) when we wrere attached to Glasgow & Strathclyde Royal Naval University Unit (URNU) where we would use the stream of University Students who had a liking to things Navy and taught them Seamanship and Navigation.

Photos are to follow (I need to resize them - nightmare!!!!!!) - this is a task in hand as I work in Saudi and attempt to do the small stuff while away and crack on during my home time in UK.

Yours Aye

Jack the Gunner.

[Jack the Gunner]

[Jack the Gunner]

http://i1037.photobucket.com/albums/a45 ... 2314-1.jpg

[cmomm]

Jack---

What is her loa?---thanks

[largeallan]

I was on this boat for a weekend when I was in the sea-cadets around 1981 I think...went to Ardrishaig.

[Hugh Williams]

Hi,

Details:

110' pp, 117.25 oa, 20' beam, draught 5 ft. 120tons light/160tons full load.

Hope this helps.

Hugh

[Guest]

I have created a group on facebook called "Friends of HMS Droxford" and have uploaded about 20 photos of the boat and people who were on board. I was a member of the Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities Royal Naval Unit (URNU) around 1980-82 and have many fond memories of sailing around the Clyde, and as far as Germany on one occasion.

If you have any photos please feel free to upload them to the group, and add comments if you can name any of the people in the pictures.

Regards, David Carle

[WB48]

I served as the radio operator onboard HMS Droxford 1973 to 1975 (I think) and worked out of Great Harbour Greenock. There were 2 Officers, a lieutenant Commander "mac" McAyres (CO) and the First Lt was, Andy Wilson ?? Our Chief tiff was called Smith; the PO Stoker came from Edinburgh and was always sozzled when we went to anchor heeeee ! heeeee ! The Chef was called Billy Mains, and Mac McGlaughlin was the AB. We also had a greeny onboard called mac who could drink like a fish. For the life of me, I cannot recall what the Buffers name was but always remember he was a very kind sort of chap. We had some really good times onboard, especially when we were on a trip up around the Western Isles, Aalborg in Denmark and even jaunts up around Tarbert, Inverary and the like. Does anyone recall these days ? I have, alas, no photographs of those days but it was great fun. The main thrust of our employment was to train Glasgow/Strathclyde University students in navigation
; they had Midshipman status but we never really took them seriously until Mac threw one of them overboard whilst alongside and a heavy bevvy session one Sunday morning ! He ended up being taken off and got 42 days for that !!! Anyone else recall the event ? Best regards .............Ginge BT

[Guest]

I remember the Droxford days very well. I was one of those Midshipmen!
Mac Ayers was the CO and was a helicopter pilot if I recall correctly.
The Chief was "boomer" and was a heck of a good guy.
The trip to Kiel, through the Limfjord via Aalborg and Aabenraa was definitely the highlight during my time with Droxford.

Some of the other Middies, were Liam O'Neil, Ken McKechnie

Good times

Ewan Barr

[johnjames]

I was drafted chef from gus in 1956 to salthouse docs at liver pool.we went on week end manovers with the Rnr.All I can reacal is the rnr skiper worked in a bank in Preston.Regards d/m945611 dunhill[size=150

[Guest]

I remember the Droxford days very well. I was one of those Midshipmen!
Mac Ayers was the CO and was a helicopter pilot if I recall correctly.
The Chief was "boomer" and was a heck of a good guy.
The trip to Kiel, through the Limfjord via Aalborg and Aabenraa was definitely the highlight during my time with Droxford.

Some of the other Middies, were Liam O'Neil, Ken McKechnie

Good times

Ewan Barr

I was on that trip too as a mid. + 1 good times. Remember the schnapps factory at Aalborg. I remember Liam O'Neill too, do you recall his brother Frankie, who was also in URNU? Sadly Frankie died last year.

Iain Robertson

[Guest]

Mac was a great guy and we also had medic who first name was Tom Shields was good fun. I remember going down with Tom and Ewan on a diving trip to Portsmouth which I only just survived. The trip to Keil and Aalborg was a a highlight and one of the engines broke down as we started the North Sea crossing.It was one of the few times I didn't get sea sick. It was a great shame when Droxford was decommisioned

Ken McKechnie

[Guest]

What a blast from the past to see some of these other posts!

The Aalborg, Aabenra and Kiel trip was most definitely a highlight...surprised we survived the akvavit splurge in Aalborg. I vaguely remember having a breakfast of herring rollmops and jaegermeister with the fishermen in Aabenra one morning!

As Ken McKechnie mentioned Tom Shields was a Surgeon Lt Cdr who specialized in diving medicine I believe and could tell some of the wildest stories I have ever heard.

Iain, unfortunately I don't remember Frankie, but sad to hear of his passing all the same.

Good times...good memories

Regards to all....Ewan Barr

[Guest]

Jack---

What is her loa?---thanks

Sorry for the delay in responding, but I work in Saudi and shall we say Internet is difficult.

HMS Droxford was forst commissioned in 1954 as a Seaward Defence Boat. Her length is 35.7 meters long with a beam of 8.8 meters and draws 2.1 meters.

[OIC G&S URNU]

Gentlemen,

I know this thread is somewhat old but i have only just discovered it. I am the Current Officer in Command of Glasgow and Strathclyde University Royal Naval Unit and I am looking for information on the units old ships along with any pictures that people may have. Could any of you be of assistance?

Yours aye,

Gary Bickley
LT RN
CO HMS SMITER
OiC G&S URNU

[Timmy C]

Smiter, eh? A friend of mine served on her a couple years ago - a lively young lady on exchange from Canada.

Smiter's predecessor was Attacker, now serving as a customs boat for the Lebanese, under the name Trablous (pennant #301, apparently): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacker_class_patrol_boat
Some low-rez pics of Attacker in RN service are mid-way down this page: http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/patrol_craft.htm

[Guest]

Although I have been unable to find this info anywhere, HMS Droxford was the used for training purposes and was attached to HMS St Vincent during 1960/61 and may be longer.

[guest]

hms droxford was definitly still being used as a training ship attached to st vincent in1967-68.
The buffer was butch norman l/s . we had a trip up[ the thames to Richmond and were shown on the evening news.
dads dadswell.

[Guest]

I joined Glasgow & Strathclyde URNU in October 1972

I was dragged in during the Strathclyde University Fresher's Fair by the then Midshipman Graham Taylor, later Commander Taylor who is now a COS Padre in Broughty Ferry

The CO then was Lt Cdr (later Commander) Dudley Pound, son of Captain George Pound and grandson of Admiral Dudley Pound of 'Sink the Bismark' fame

The Chief was CPO Leo Gibbs, a 'Boomer', who I believe ran a pub after he retired. He had previously broken his back on an icy flight deck on HMS Fearless

Lt Cdr 'Mac' Ayres took over from Dudley and whilst Dudley was General Service, Mac was a helicopter pilot and that did make for a great difference in approach - especially in coming alongside!!

I left the URNU to join Clyde Division RNR in May 1975 - a Ton-class HMS Clyde (HMS Repton)

Before the formation of the URNU, Droxford was a tender to HMS Graham - the RNR Division in Glasgow and she was berthed in Queens Dock (?) in Govan - a site now overlooked by the Science Museum. Every sailing therefore involved a two-hour cruise down and up the memory-lane of the Clyde until 'Specials' fell out at the "Tail of the bank".

It was in about 1974 that Droxford's berth shifted to the Great Harbour in Greenock - this at the time that she left the RNR and a permanent RN skeleton crew was established to maintain her and provide the technical functions - a 1st Lt was then appointed to run the ship through the week as the CO was in the Glasgow office, at 15, Ashton Lane, which was then the URNU base.

I first saw Droxford in about February/March 1973 - we sailed her out of Fairmont's Shipyard on the Clyde where she had been for a refit - the first cruise was up the western isles at Easter 1973 - through the Caledonian canal and around the top back to Glasgow.

Some of the names that I remember from that era were:
Jim Craig - an RN University Cadet
John Duncan
Ian Robertson - a Doctor
Ian Pears - Joined the RN as an Nuclear Sub MEO
Philip Cafolla
Stuart McHardy - Now sadly deceased
Julian Ferguson - joined the RN and went on to command a nuclear submarine
Graham Taylor - joined the RN as a Schoolie - now a COS Minister
Jim Hughes - joined the RNR
Liam O'Neil

Moving on to the origin of this thread - as part of my Duke of Edinburgh's Gold award, the first and last ship model that I ever built was of HMS Droxford and that was built from a set of 'As Fitted' drawings that I came across one day, together with a set of hull profiles that were provided by DG Ships in Bath. Her claim to fame is that she actually sailed in the Clyde, just off the Cumbraes, in a bit of a swell - I can still recall the terror of an inadvertent sinking.

I believe, but I may be wrong, that Droxford's last posting was to HMS Neptune (Faslane) where she was used as a target - her end came when she suffered severe structural damage, amidships, while berthed in Faslane in a heavy swell.

Mino Manekshaw

[Guest]

my shipmate dads dadswell was right hms droxford was berthed at gosport and used for training junior seaman from hms st vincent during 1966 to1967 during that time i was the buffer onboard l/seaman b norman(butch) we visited jersey every 3 months and also poole harbour and every day up the solent for training