THOUGHTFUL (4) - AUGUST CHALLENGE

As I mentioned yesterday, this coming weekend is the Bournemouth Airshow and there will probably be thousands of people here - we will have a fantastic view from our balcony - but I am not that interested in planes - it's just a shame our friend, Matthew, can't be here because he would love it.

Today's August Challenge is THOUGHTFUL and when I got up this morning and saw these various Royal Navy Ships in the bay, it reminded me of my grandfather, who ran away from home in 1914 to join the army. However, as he was under age, his mother found out where he was and had him brought home.

As soon as he was 16, he joined the Royal Navy and I have a very precious logbook of his travels on board HMS Durban from 1920 to 1923. He had married my grandmother in 1919, so they were separated for some time even after the war, when she lived in a strange town had a small baby to look after.

I have found out the following information about the ships in my collage for those interested:

(Top) Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Argus A135 - an aviation training ship with two helicopters onboard (and which actually flew off just after I took this shot) with a secondary role of Primary Casualty Receiving Ship. She has a fully equipped 100-bed medical complex onboard, which can be uniquely tailored to deliver cutting-edge treatment afloat. The ship was requisitioned in 1982 for service in the Falklands War.

(Left) HMS Westminster F237 - a frigate which was originally designed for anti-submarine warfare. The addition of the vertical-launched Seawolf point missile defence system and the Boeing Harpoon surface-to-surface missile, has expanded its role to include anti-surface warfare.

(Right) HMS Mersey P283 - an off shore patrol vessel, named after the River Mersey. A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence duties. They are commonly found engaged in various border protection roles, including anti-smuggling, anti-piracy, fisheries patrols, and immigration law enforcement. They are also often called upon to participate in rescue operations.

“The ship is safest when it is in port,
but that’s not what ships were built for.”
Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage