The Kintyre Forum

HMS Campbeltown is one of the ships in danger of being mothballed due to cuts in the defence budget.

Britain can't afford a navy when so much is being spent on the army in Afghanistan and Iraq,and even then our boys out there are not getting supplied with all the equipment they need.

i just hope all these cuts aren't because blair reckons bush'll help us out if we ever get a bit o bother. if the falklands happened now, i dont reckon we'd manage.

HMS Campbeltown is an old ship from world war II. I remember being on it in Saint Naziare, France with the Sea Cadets in 1982, even then it didn't look that great. Everything has a certain life span, encluding the HMS Campbeltown.

The present HMS Campbeltown was launched in 1987 and commissioned in 1989.She is one of the Royal Navy's largest warships.

That is devastating, to think they would actually do away with a ship so new and with such manpower. I had no idea the old HMS Campbeltown had been decommissioned.

Debi.D wrote:That is devastating, to think they would actually do away with a ship so new and with such manpower. I had no idea the old HMS Campbeltown had been decommissioned.

Think your a wee bit mixed up Debbie, I was in St Nazaire in 1982 and we were not on board HMS Campbeltown as after it had been disabled during the raid it was loaded with timed explosives and self destructed, after a group of high ranking Nazi officers had boarded her looking for intelligence.

petewick

Was there any intelligence found in the Campbeltown?

Bobbie En Tejas wrote:Was there any intelligence found in the Campbeltown?

No I don't think so, the reason being that HMS Campbeltown started her life as USS Buchanan, loaned to the Royal Navy from Uncle Sam in 1941.



petewick

petewick wrote:HMS Campbeltown started her life as USS Buchanan, loaned to the Royal Navy from Uncle Sam in 1941.

Not exactly loaned, but transferred to the Royal Navy as part of the 'Destroyers for Bases Agreement'.

Wikipedia wrote:The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty obsolete destroyers from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions. The destroyers became the Town class.

50 obsolete boats for land.. doesn't seem quite fair. Land never becomes obsolete. Wonder how long the rights last.

Edit: Just read. 99-year rent-free lease..

petewick wrote:

Debi.D wrote:That is devastating, to think they would actually do away with a ship so new and with such manpower. I had no idea the old HMS Campbeltown had been decommissioned.

Think your a wee bit mixed up Debbie, I was in St Nazaire in 1982 and we were not on board HMS Campbeltown as after it had been disabled during the raid it was loaded with timed explosives and self destructed, after a group of high ranking Nazi officers had boarded her looking for intelligence.

petewick

there was a film about it called the war horse. it wasnt called hms campbeltown in the film, but the story was the same. i think she was hms warhorse in the film, come to think about it!

[

Not exactly loaned, but transferred to the Royal Navy as part of the 'Destroyers for Bases Agreement'.

Wikipedia wrote:The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty obsolete destroyers from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions. The destroyers became the Town class.

[/quote]



Jeest as weel Gagsy, there wis'na much left tae gie them back

petewick

In the PS2 game "Medal of Honour...European Assault" the first screen is HMS Campbeltown ramming the docks at St.Nazaire.