HMS Cavalier (August 2001)

It wasn't until 1955 that she was modernised. After which she recommissioned and joined the 8^th Destroyer Squadron in July 1957. Cavalier then served in the Far East until she returned to Portsmouth in May 1963. After a refit she then recommissioned from 1966 until 1972. Cavalier was the last operational Second World War destroyer. She was then sold and taken over by the HMS Cavalier Trust and opened to the public as a museum ship at Brighton. After which she then went to Southampton and eventually to Hebburn on the Tyne. During these years she had become neglected and needed a lot of money spent on her. A Malaysian company became interested in the Cavalier and intended to purchase and sail her to Malaysia. This woke a lot of people up in Britain, realising that she was irreplaceable given her historical past. Eventually she was purchased and brought to Chatham dockyard, where she is open to the public and is a memorial for all men lost on destroyers during Second World War.

In August 2001 both Colin and I, with our wives, went to visit the old girl. Though neither of us sailed on Cavalier we had both served on CA's. My first ship was the Cassandra and Colin's was the Carysfort so we were familiar with the layout and conditions on board these vessels. Though we were both surprised to see that in Cavalier's latter years she had many improvements in the messdecks with large lockers and bunks. I was unfortunate joining the Cassandra after she had commissioned and being just a junior I was given a small seat locker to stow all my kit in. Needless to say items of kit had to be ironed after being crammed in such a small space. We had hammocks to sleep in, which were quite comfortable though a bind to "lash up and stow" every morning.