Click on the links below for Minewarfare & Clearance Diving stories or 'dits'.  All contributions submitted to the Webmaster will be considered for publication.

A 21st Century Short Story by Rob Hoole
(Futuristic glimpse of mine countermeasures in the year 2030)

A Boomer in Scotland by Doug Barlow
(Life in the Boom Defence Vessel HMS Barnard)

A Clearance Diving Experience by Jake Linton
(Autobiographical account of a founder of the RAN CD Branch)

Aden Revisited by Rob Hoole
(Account of a visit to Aden by three RN minehunters in 1989)

A Forsey Achievement by Alan Padwick
(Illustrated story of the creation of a pavement mosaic by Dave Forsey's son Paul)

And so you think you are retired by Philip Balink-White
(Eventful life of former RN Superintendent of Diving Phil White after his retirement)

A Private Ship Called Lollipop by Rob Hoole
(Life on board HMS Vernon's diving training tender HMS Laleston)

A Wartime Tribute by Andrew Bailey
(An illustrated tribute to Bomb & Mine Disposal officer Lt William 'Bill' Bailey CBE, GM & Bar, DSC, RNVR by his son)

A Wee Bitty Fish by Rob Hoole
(Naval encounter with a fishing vessel)

Baptism into the MCD Branch by Rob Hoole
(One man's introduction to the Minewarfare & Clearance Diving branch)

Booze Cruises & Trips Round the Bay by Rob Hoole
(Some memories of HMS Laleston)

Divers on the Cut by Alan Padwick
(Familiar MCDO faces on narrow boats)

Getting Down to the Job (Fore-runner of Habitat?) supplied by Doug Barlow
(Historical item about the diving bell barge in Gibraltar)

HMS Reclaim - A World Record-Breaker by Rob Hoole
(A brief history of Royal Navy deep diving achievements)

HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales - The First Wreck Surveys by David 'Ginger' Lermitte
(Accounts of the first surveys of Repulse and POW conducted by members of the Far East CD Team in 1965 and 1966 respectively) 

HMS Vernon's French Connection by Rob Hoole
(Pilgrimage of three inshore minesweepers to ancestral home of the Vernon family)

Life in the West Country by Martyn Holloway
(The Plymouth Clearance Diving Team in the 1980s)

Operation Neptune: The LCOCU Frogmen by Rob Hoole
(The bravery of members of the Landing Craft Obstacle Clearance Units (LCOCUs))

Operation Neptune: The Minesweeping Operation 5-6 June 1944 by David Verghese
(The minesweeping operation for the invasion of Normandy on D-Day)

Playing with Matches by 'Taffrail'
(A tale of Pusser's bureaucracy during WW I)

Return to Egypt - Aswan by Ed Thompson
(Ed's return to make a 2007 TV documentary about his CD Team's recovery of ancient artefacts in the 1970s)

Stan's Navy - A Tale of STANAVFORCHAN by Rob Hoole
(Some memories of NATO's Standing Naval Force Channel)

The Angels Have Landed by Doug Barlow
(HMS Vernon's affiliation with Roedean School for Girls)

The Bicycle by Rob Hoole
(Short story about HMS Laleston at Tarbert, Loch Fyne)

The Blackfriars Bomb by Colin Churcher MBE
(The disposal of a bomb found under Blackfriars Bridge in London)

The Buster Crabb Enigma by Rob Hoole
(Short account of the mysterious life of Cdr Lionel 'Buster' Crabb OBE GM RNVR)

The Clyde Explosive Fishing Club by Dan Nicholson
(Disposal of submarine-laid mines in Etterick Bay)

The Far East Clearance Diving Team by Brian Braidwood
(An illustrated account of Brian's time in command of the Far East Fleet Clearance Diving Team during the late 1960s)

The Far East Fleet Clearance Diving Team by Mike Gillam
(A valuable personal account of clearance diving activity east of Suez during the 1950s and 1960s)

The Forgotten Few of the Falklands by Rob Hoole
(RN Minewarfare, Diving & Explosive Ordnance Disposal achievements during the Falklands Conflict)
 

The MCMTA - Enforcer of ETOTITL by Rob Hoole
(A tongue-in-cheek look at MCM in days of yore)

Ton Class Black Cat Quiz by Rob Hoole
(Rate yourself as a Ton Class minesweeper man)

To Sweep No More by Rob Hoole
(Probably the last conventional minesweeping performed by the Royal Navy)

Victory is Ours by Doug Barlow
(Entertaining story of the loss and recovery of a yacht in Gibraltar)

Wartime Minesweeping Memories by Ernest Goodhall
(Fascinating account of minesweeping in an RNPS Motor Minesweeper)

When Things go with a Bang! by Rob Hoole
(A cautionary tale about unexploded underwater ordnance)

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