Oh the Navy’s sleek destroyers
And Mighty cruisers too
With their speed and fighting power
Sail oe’r the ocean blue.

The are firm and sturdy vessels
With their missiles and their power,
They can steam for weeks and longer
At over thirty knots per hour.

But don’t forget the sweepers
With their small and wooden frames,
Where men are made of iron
And deserving of no shame.

They know they serve their purpose
As they slowly sail the sea,
For they serve with pride and honour
For the country of the free.

They lack the speed and glamour
As every tar should know,
But until they’ve swept the channels,
The other ships can’t go.

Anon
Reproduced by the kind
permission of
Mr John Foster , Author of
'Hands to Boarding Stations'
A Ton Class Minesweeper

Powered by Napier Deltics with Foden gen. Sets too.
They were the 16th Minesweeper Squadron of the RAN.

Based at Sydney’s Waterhen
Skippered by officers gallant and true
With men made of iron that made the crew.

It was all hands on deck with sweeps to be done
The cook, the steward, and the stokers,
The greenies, and the spooks too

To the Solomon Isles we had to go
Sweep those channels
Where mines lay there
Money to be made
So clear the channel boys, we must try
We heard The merchant Navy cry!


Then conflict came, Hawk & Gull first,
Then Curlew, Snipe
Then Ibis, Teal
Bought up the rear

All boats served with distinction
But nobody ever heard
For no “rules of engagement” were given
The boats weren’t ‘allotted’ so we played by ear!

Gus Murray got his DSC
The only officer to be decorated
That’s the way it was back then
But you could speak about us all you want;
But remember!
You don’t go anywhere ‘til the channel’s been swept
clean!

(c) Rodney G Clarey
Ode To A Minesweeper
                  anchor colour to base colour here
THE
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY
16th MINESWEEPING SQUADRON
Old sailors sit
And chew the fat
About things that used to be,
Of the things they've seen'
The places they've been,
When they ventured out to sea.

They remembered friends
From long ago,
The times they had back then,
The money they spent,
The beer they drank,
In their days as sailing men.

Their lives are lived
In the days gone by
With the thoughts that forever last.
Of the bell bottom blues,
Round white hats,
And good times in their past.

They recall long nights
With the moon so bright
Far out into the lonely sea.
The thoughts they had
As youthful lads,
When their lives were wild and free.

They know so well
How their hearts would swell
When the flag fluttered proud and free.
The underway pennant
Such a beautiful sight
As they plowed through an angry sea.

They talked of the chow
Ol' cookie would make
And the shrill of the bos'n pipe.
How salt spray would fall
Like sparks from hell
When a storm struck in the night.

They remember old shipmates
Already gone
Who forever hold a spot in their heart,
When sailors were bold,
And friendships would hold,
Until death ripped them apart.

They speak of nights
Spent in bawdy houses
On many foreign shore,
Of the beer they'd down
As gathering around,
Telling jokes with a busty whore.

Their sailing days
Are gone away,
Never again will they cross the brow.
They have no regrets,
They know they are blessed,
For honoring the sacred vow.

Their numbers grow less
With each passing day
As the final muster begins,
There's nothing to lose,
All have paid their dues,
And they'll sail with shipmates again.

I've heard them say
Before getting underway
That there's still some sailing to do,
They'll say with a grin that their ship has come
in,

And the Good Lord is commanding the crew.
Let There Be No Moaning at the Bar
Chewing the fat in 2004...
With kind permission from Bill
Krause (c) all rights reserved.
copyright (c) sixteenthnavalsquadaus.org 2004-2010 all rights reserved
RAN 16th Minesweeping Squadron Association.
site conception and editorial content copyright (c) RG Clarey,JL Clarey & C Collins.
2004-2010 all rights reserved.