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The Brodie Family |  |
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The Brodie Family | |
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Mike Brodie
The Gulf War Diary
"what if a missile comes now with all this on? Have i dressed myself correctly?"
" We are now only 15 miles off Kuwait and the tension is so high."
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I kind of knew that something was going to happen, even when i was on leave, so unusually for me i scrapped some paper together and decided to keep a record of my thoughts and feelings during this deployment. I am so glad i did! |
January 1991 |
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Returned from Christmas leave today to prepare the ship for deployment to the gulf. Had a good leave although i did have a few problems with my hire cars. First an Astra from Southern Self Drive got broken into i then had a Montego from Kennings in Leeds. On the morning i was due to set off for Pompey i woke up to find the car had gone. Thankfully the police found the car late afternoon. It wasn't just me that i had to drive back, i had brought a lad from Barnsley home as well so you can imagine how we both felt to actually get in the car and head back to the ship safe in the knowledge that we weren't going to be adrift. |
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| Right then off we go! Sailed from Portsmouth this morning to commence a 1 week shake down at Portland where we go through an intensive routine to get rid of some cobwebs in our procedures. Ships that joined us for this shake down were H.M.S. Brilliant, Brave and Manchester. | |
| Portland at sea. | |
 See where HMS Exeter & USS Missouri were!
 This is Uss Missouri in action just as it was when firing over us into Kuwait. The power of these shells passing over head made the whole ship shake in the water accompanied with a sonic blast! |
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| Portland at sea. | |
| Portland at sea. Today a Thursday War (an exercise that's lasts all day and most of the night. We simulate being attacked, fighting fires, floods and practice all the routines that will come in if we come into conflict with the enemy) our last one for a while, next time it will be for real. Had a group 'Y' photo and then proceeded for a couple of days in Gib, get pissed and hopefully meet Sharon from the Wimpy again. | |
| Still in Portland areas but that's now behind us as we prepare for our high seas firing (where we fire a couple of our Sea Dart missiles to check all is working well). Manchester departs making a quicker transit for the Gulf, lucky sods sooner we get down there the better. I think we've nearly worn out our respirators with all the chemical exercises and many more to look forward to. | |
| Just on the edge of the Bay of Biscay in the areas for the Sea Dart firings. There have been quite afew problems, very encouraging! We eventually get two off with both assessed as hits but what is a hit when the chukka target still flies towards you? Yeah we've still got snags which will be sorted out in Gib (Gibraltar), or so they say. Situation in Gulf still very tense with the deadline set by Bush only two days away now -- it's quite an intriguing thought about the outcome if things kick off, will he use chemicals? will we be coming back? the question is known the outcome is not!! | |
| Transit to Gib starts with many exercises planned, however today we relaxed a little -- thank god. | |
| One day to go before deadline, will he or won't he? | |
| Transit to Gib! Well it's started at approx 0013 local after keeping the first watch, reports were coming in of an allied air attack on Baghdad and other targets in Iraq. The offensive had started and i'm going to be with only one thing in my thoughts................ | |
| Continuing reports of air attacks as well as reports of things going well so far. Can anything really go well when your at war -- maybe it can. | |
| The war goes on and our engine goes tits up! Maybe an early arrival in Gib? I hope so BEER! | |
| Picked up speed and are planning to enter Gib sometime tomorrow. Still listening closely to world service radio to find out what we can, it's amazing, in the Navy and we are kept so much in the dark, why? people back home know more than we do. | |
| Reached Gib! Arrived approx 2130. We were all ready to tie up and get ashore when we were moved to a different beth way out on the far wall. Then a pipe came that it was the intention to ammunition ship tonight. Moral.... well it hit the deck. As it turned out i wasn't required so it was a case of straight into civvies and straight ashore. About 2245 for our first drink wasn't that bad i suppose considering. | |
| Worse for wear this morning we moved berth again, for an engine change this time. Only to be told that the jetty wasn't suitable so we moved yet again. Typical of this bloody ship. Myself well i was ashore scoffing, drinking and shopping whilst all the duty bods dug out. Oblivious to all the hassle that was going on with the engine change but i suppose someone got their revenge as we had a hell of a long walk to get back to the ship. Yep of-course i got a taxi! No sign of Sharon which was a shame, apparently she has returned back to Yorkshire (Skipton). I guess i'll have to do without now as i'm duty tomorrow. It's amazing how beer and the thought of getting a bit takes your mind off things..... the war goes on a we are heading straight towards it. | |
| Duty! Throbbing.......... Engine is now in place a we sail first thing in the morning. | |
| Sailed from Gib. Next stop Port Said (Egypt). | |
| Embarked the fleet NBCD (nuclear biological defense) team....OH NO! Big exercise tomorrow but for now it is quite relaxed. | |
| Fleet NBCD team run riot, however (unlike Portland) they are guiding us through it not jumping down our throat which is good. Just a thought......Next time it's for real. | |
| This was the first day when the whole ship reverted to defense watches as theoretically we were within reach of an attack from Iraq. How mad, we haven't even got to the Suez Canal yet! Many more defense watches to come though living life 6 hours on watch, 6 hours off watch day after day after day. We are making steady progress to Port Said, due to arrived Monday 28th. | |
| Defence watches! | |
| Defence watches! | |
| Defence Watches! Arrive Port Said around mid-afternoon. No gully gully man or trips to Egypt this time but the place still stinks and the ragheads are still in their floating shops flogging some bargains as well as some rip offs to the ships company. Start transit through the Suez around 1900. Hints of yet another engine going tits up, what's going on? | |
| Defence watches! through the canal now and being told we are heading straight to Jebel Ali for another engine change. | |
| Defence watches! | |
| Defence watches! | |
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