The programme on BBC 2 last night, bought back a memory, that I had forgotten.
Commander Scott`s ship Discovery, was bough into Chatham Dockyard by tugs, to the berth south
of No 2 basin. I with others were ordered to help, to take some of yard arms down. It would have
to be taken by tugs, up the river Thames then under Tower Bridge, to a berth near HMS Belfast.
It must have been considered, that the lower yard arms, would not go between the bascule arms
even at it highest limit. Our task was to let the crane take the weight, while dockyard riggers, then
undid the yardarm fittings, to the mast. We were to work overtime, as 6-00 pm came & went. They
were getting all the ropes off now. The idea was to place one huge yard arm on the deck each side of the ship. That is were the trouble started. It had to go under some overhead structure, when it
got jammed. Re-structuring the strop holding the yard arm was called for, again it would not budge.
All this time the clock was ticking, more overtime, until the job was done. re=stropping again, this
time it was placed on the deck and secured. The other one, went in nicely and was secured too.
We all clocked out at 9-00pm.--- Wonder WHO put the yardarms back up, on way back, we did not.
