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NAVY NEWS, MARCH 1993
Captain Bligh returns 200 years on
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THE EAST Caribbean island of St Vincent was in celebratory mood when the frigate HMS Alacrity's visit coincided with the 200th anniversary of the arrival in the capital, Kingstown, of Captain Bligh in HMS Providence, bringing with him the breadfruit plants, which still flourish today on the island. (Captain Bligh's better known deployment to the islands of the Pacific in HMS Bounty was undertaken to collect breadfruit plants and transfer them to the West Indies for large-scale cultivation). At a ceremony when a breadfruit plant was jointly planted by the Prime Minister of St Vincent, the Right Hon Mr James Mitchell, and the Commanding Officer of H MS Alacrity, Cdr. Tony Croke, the ship provided the Colour Guard to escort the symbolic plant to the site in the island's picturesque botanical gardens. Following in the footsteps of Charles Laughton. Trevor Howard and Anthony Hopkins, Cdr. Croke played the part of Captain Bligh, resplendent in period dress uniform. Officers and senior rates later attended a cocktail party given by the Governor-General, Sir David Jack. Alacrity has been deployed as West Indies Guard Ship since November. She has participated in a series of exercises with the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, and St Vincent Coastguards, and made port-visits to a variety of places in the region, including Bermuda, Miami, Belize, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Tortola, Trinidad and Puerto Rica. Christmas was spent \n Tampa. Florida, with relatives and girlfriends taking the opportunity to fly out to some winter sun. Opportunity has also been taken by the ship's company to carry out charity work, painting and renovating schools in Jamaica and St Vincent, while full sports programmes have been undertaken at various ports of call whenever possible.
HMS Alacrity alongside at Kingstown, St Vincent
Flanked by Mr John Home, St Vincent's Education Minister, and Mid Tony McKay,". Captain Bligh (alias Cdr Tony Croke) follows behind the symbolic breadfruit plant en route to the planting ceremony. The accompanying Colour Guard comprises, left to right, AB(M) Burton, PO(S) Minter and AB(EW) Beadsley.
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Top-cat memories
Dogwatch at Tai-o SNAKES alive! — but not for long, when ABs Black Dog and Sam are on watch. At the Royal Navy's Coas- tion to duty. Evidently there is sometal Watch Station at Tai-o, Hong Kong, snakes abound thing about the Navy's cats in the surrounding under- and dogs from Hong Kong growth and it's the task of which sets them apart from the ship's dogs to control ordinary animals (see Simon them, something they do the cat's story, right). with enthusiasm and devoPictured below in patriotic pose are, left to right, LS(R) Sid Akamune-Miles, AB Black Dog, AB Sam and AB(R) lain Block. Photo: LA(Phot) Slinger Wood
Simon, onboard HMS Amethyst with three of his shipmates, in 1949. "SIMON. Neuter Cat, (Died before award). Served on HMS Amethyst during the Yangtse Incident, disposing of many rats though wounded by shell blast. Throughout the incident his behaviour was of the highest order although the blast was capable of making a hole over a foot in diameter in a steel plate." Thus reads the recommendation for the award of the Dickin Medal (regarded as the animal equivalent of the VC) by the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, in 1949. The medal, duly awarded to Simon, is to be included in a forthcoming sale of orders, decorations and campaign medals at the London auction house of Christies on May 11, where it is expected to fetch several thousand pounds. Born in 1946 on Stonecutters Island in Hong Kong, Simon was destined to lead a short but full life when, aged just two years, he joined the crew of the frigate HMS Amethyst. During the Yangste River Incident when Amethyst made her historic dash down the Yangtse River, Simon had his coat singed
when the Captain's cabin, his normal resting place, was set ablaze during intense shelling by Communist Chinese artillery, attempting to prevent he British frigate reaching the open sea. But, after licking his wounds, the ship's cat resumed his duties; the prime one being to catch rats, which, disturbed by the enemy action, were not leaving the ship but were coming out of their usual hiding places and causing havoc amongst the valuable supplies of food aboard. His average catch was reportedly one rat per day during the action and thereafter, until the ship finally returned safely to Devonport. Sadly, after all his brave work, Simon died unceremoniously and quietly whilst in quarantine, but he will long be remembered as the only cat ever to be awarded the Dickin Medal.