Memories - Good Ones

LPV’s Grey Wolf and Grey Fox, designated as riverine craft, both previously operated as part of Operation Lifespan in Northern Ireland from 1993. Both vessels were based in their own special dock at Massereene Barracks with access to 6 Mile Water in Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland. Specifically built for the task they were commanded and manned by a crew of seven Royal Marines and two Royal Navy personnel conducting maritime counter terrorism, surveillance, intelligence and anti-smuggling operations. After almost a decade of service where they were worked hard but maintained well they moved to Gibraltar to form the Gibraltar Squadron.
From 2002 until 2020 when they were piggy backed back to the U.K they were poorly maintained and ill used, the operators seemingly believed that it wasn’t their problem, no records, no running logs, dirty and uncared for.
Without wishing to sound like a ‘boring old fart’ that wasn’t the Navy I was in.

So today I got to visit my two ‘old ships’, I looked after them from 1997 through to 2001. The ships companies are very different from those who had the vessels in Gib, keen to find out all they could, keep the two vessels in service and in tip-top condition. They made us feel very welcome and when they found out that I was a previous operator/maintainer they were keen to ‘pump’ me for as much information as I could remember, they seemed startled to learn that the two MAN propulsion diesels had been in use for a quarter of a century.

Brilliant day, brilliant visit, great to meet the guys who showed that although the kit improves and changes it’s the people that make it the service that it is.

Today’s photos show a couple from today, four members of the Royal Naval Association visiting the vessels in Falmouth plus a couple from the archives showing the Grey Wolf going astern into Six Mile Water, Massereene and Grey Fox running at speed across Lough Neagh.