Eric Thompson - On Her Majestys Nuclear Service

ON HER MAJESTYS NUCLEAR SERVICE

COMMODORE ERIC THOMPSON MBE ROYAL NAVY

Published in the United States of America and Great Britain in 2018 by

CASEMATE PUBLISHERS

The Old Music Hall, 106108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JE, UK

and

1950 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083, USA

Copyright Casemate Publishers, Eric Thompson, 2018

Hardcover Edition: ISBN 978-1-61200-571-3

Digital Edition: ISBN 978-1-61200-572-0 (epub)

Kindle Edition: ISBN 978-1-61200-572-0 (Mobi)

A CIP record for this book is available from the Library of Congress and the British Library

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In writing this book, I have been helped, encouraged and inspired by a number of people. In particular, Mrs Margot Aked of Strathkelvin Writers who has voluntarily acted as my mentor/editor over the last two years; my friends in the Helensburgh Writers Workshop for their critiques since the beginning; and the late Mrs Catherine Lockie who, at the age of one hundred, was still offering me wonderful advice with her characteristic joie-de-vivre (RIP December 2016). I also wish to acknowledge the role of the Scottish Association of Writers through whom I have been able to derive the erudite critiques of Stuart Kelly, Literary Editor of the Scotsman, and Professor Bashabi Frazer of Napier University. I must also acknowledge the help and encouragement given by my friend, Madame Dany Lasbleis, whose superb command of the English language has enabled her to vet the manuscript for taste, grammar and punctuation.

For authenticating the Naval content, I am most grateful to my great friend and colleague, Commander Henry Buchanan for checking the entire manuscript; Commander Jamie Dobson for validating the sections on nuclear repair work; Commander Bob Seaward for his advice on the Deterrent; Admiral Paul Thomas and Commander John Osborne for authenticating the Revenge incident; Captain Norman Jones, Commodore Barrie Sadler, Superintendent (WRNS) Pip Duncan and Lieutenant Commander Conrad Jones for their help with the torpedo trials sections; Lieutenant Commander John Holl for corroborating the tales from Osiris ; Commander Tim Cannon for help with the Warspite fire and Captain Chris Wreford-Brown for his comments on sinking the Belgrano. I have also been greatly moved by the warm-hearted support of my former Commanding Officers, Admirals all, Sir Toby Frere, Sir Christopher Morgan, Frank Grenier, Jeremy Larken, Mike Harris, Paul Hoddinott, Richard Irwin, Tom Blackburn and John Trewby and from Captain Alistair Milne-Home. My thanks also go to Admiral of the Fleet the Lord Boyce for favouring me with a Foreword.

With the help of my friend, Commander Jeff Tall, former curator of the Submarine Museum, I have contacted most of the characters described in the book; none have raised any objections to my depiction of them for which I am most grateful; they are all worthy of great respect.

In finalising the book, the help of my literary agent, Ian Drury of Shiel Land and Associates, has been utterly crucial and without the faith of Clare Litt, Ruth Sheppard and Tom Bonnington at Casemate Publishing, my tale would not have seen the light of day; I am most grateful.

Ultimately, I owe everything to my late wife Kate to whom my book is dedicated and without whom I would not have survived thirty-seven years in the Royal Navy.

Eric Thompson

In memory of

Catriona

(Kate)

On 17th September 1961 at the age of eighteen, Eric Thompson and I were marched up the hill from town pier to Britannia Royal Naval College along with one hundred and sixty-three other keen young volunteers who were committing their lives to service in the Royal Navy. We were to be General List, full career officers, the crme de la crme of the officer corps, though few of us felt like that with a Gunnery Instructor snapping at our heels. Thirty-seven years later, Eric retired as Commodore in charge of Her Majestys Naval Base Clyde, better known as Faslane, the principal base for our nuclear-powered submarines. I served on for a further five years we both stayed the full course. We had also both volunteered for submarines and followed parallel but different career paths, Eric being an Engineer and I a Seaman. We were both engaged On Her Majestys Nuclear Service.

The secrecy of the Submarine Service means that few outsiders know what life was like for us or what kept us busy. Yet we were performing the greatest public service of all, making a hugely significant contribution to the prevention of a third world war. In this, history shows that we succeeded: the Cold war ended peacefully. It is no coincidence that in the first half of the twentieth century there were two horrific world wars but none in the second half; one could argue that the difference was that in the second half, we had a strategic nuclear deterrent.

As a term-mate and fellow submariner, I have been well aware of Erics exploits, his superb professionalism, his unique brand of humour and his occasionally subversive outbursts all captured in this book which provides an authentic historical record, both witty and serious, of what it was like to serve in submarines during the Cold War. It is a good read and I endorse it wholeheartedly.

Admiral of the Fleet the Lord Boyce KG GCB OBE DL

My story celebrates the fact that I have lived through the second-half of the twentieth century and have never known a world war. Had I lived through the first-half, I would have faced two world wars, the bloodiest in the history of the human race. I am from the luckiest generation and am truly grateful for that, but peace did not happen by accident; I have lived under a nuclear umbrella through the forty-six years of the Cold War.

After the horrors of the Second World War, Churchill said: It must never happen again. To ensure it did not, the victors equipped themselves with nuclear weapons, weapons so devastating that they were the ultimate deterrent to a third world war. The principle was called Mutually Assured Destruction.

Inspired by the heroes of the Second World War, I joined the Royal Navy in 1961, volunteered for submarines and served On Her Majestys Nuclear Service. My career spanned thirty-seven years and ended as Commodore in charge at Faslane, the operating base for our Strategic Nuclear Deterrent submarines. I was but one of thousands of men engaged in this peacekeeping mission. We were all anonymous, quietly doing our duty and far from the public eye. Heroes were not required but nor were we robots; we also had lives to lead.

It is a true story, written largely from memory and scrap notes. It is as accurate as I can make it but if there are inaccuracies, please forgive me. In a few places, I have changed the names of former colleagues to avoid unnecessary embarrassment but that does not diminish my tale. This is a definitive inside story of a secret world. It is utterly authentic and, I hope, thought provoking, sobering and, on occasion, amusing. It is my statement of gratitude for the peace I have enjoyed.