Maybe I have told this story before, if I have please excuse me. Good Friday always brings back memories for me of an incident on board HMAS Murchison 60 years ago (My God). Murchision was a World War 11 frigate and we had been patrolling the waters north of Australia looking for Japaneese pearling poachers, in other words trawling for pearls inside Australian Territorial waters.for the Easter weekend we had arrived in a place called Manus Island which is an Australian military base taken over from the Americans at the end of the second world war. Being Good Friday nobody was working except those on duty and most of the guys had gone ashore to the Beer Canteen in the shore base HMAS Tarangua.
Late in the evening a recall for all men to return to the ship immediatley was broadcast in the canteen as an urgent call for medical assistance had been received from one of the neighbouring Nimogooe island group, within a short time we were sailing out of the port and not long after hitting the open sea it became obvious that something was wrong in the engine room ratings messdeck as most of the guys living there had evacuated the mess and left only seven guys still down there who were well under the influence of alcohol and who had broken into the depth magazine nderneath their messdeck where there was a large number of full beer cases which we had been going to deliver to the Australian coastwatchers on another island.
Well these guy were singing and cursing certain officers then they dropped the emergency hatch to their mess entrance effectivley sealing themselves off from the outside world. It was only when one asked permission through the phone to open the hatch to go to the washroom, permission of course was granted but as soon as he appeared he was arrested and also entry made into the messdeck where by now most of the other guys had passed out
Upon reporting what had happened to Navy HQ in Melbourne we were ordered to return to Sydney for an investigation. Six of the guys involved accepted Captains punishment and received 90 days in the Naval Detention Centre, the ringleader a guy called McGregor asked for a court martial and he received a dishonourable discharge and two years detention. (Silly man). Mauri

Mauri, I enjoyed that story. I've said it before, but you've lived a life all right. What about the book? You would make a fortune.

another interesting tale from you Mauri keep them comeing