CDT2 Memories - Ron Nordberg

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=82 BGCOLOR="#000033" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>RAN Clearance Divers Association</B></FONT><B>     |   </B><B>  </B><A HREF="articles.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Articles"><U><B>Articles</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="More Branch History"><U>More Branch History</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bomb Mine Disposal WWII"><U>Bomb & Mine Disposal - WWII</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CDT1 in PNG"><U>CDT1 in PNG</U></A>   |   <B>CDT2 Memories - Ron Nordberg</B>   |   <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Memories of CDT3 in South Vietnam"><U>Memories of CDT3 in South Vietnam</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id83.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Naval Historical Society Article Mar 09 "><U>Naval Historical Society Article Mar '09 - CDT3 South 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1/66.  My first draft after qualifying was to CDT2 in 66. </div> <div> A very fond memory for me is the first compass swim with the team.  I was teamed with the legendary Skull Boden who carried the depth gauge.  Skull had been second dickie through most of my course and he had given me quite a tough go of it.  We were tasked to swim across the bay to the Admiral's wharf (?) and back.  I was fresh from the course and Skull had been slacking in the team.  On the way over he had no problem keeping up with me, but on the way back I picked up the jackstay leading straight home to Rushcutter.  I dropped the compass and increased speed.  When we reached the wharf, Skull could not climb out of the water, we had to go up the slipway instead (Skull on hands and knees, with a bloody big grin on his face).  The perfect revenge, mind you Skull and I were good mates for a long time after that, we and shared some very wild nights on the turps.</div> <div>  The team was situated below the Wardroom in two rooms, the Boss's (Lt Parker) office and the team room.  We added a partition and by pirating materials from all over (inc Garden Island) we had a really posh Brew point down one side of the area.  It was not uncommon for team members to slip up the back stairs to the wardroom where Dixie Ford (the Steward) would sell us a coke from the fridge.  The really good part was that we would open the bottle and have a good swig, and then Dixie would top up the bottle with rum.  We ABs loved the practice.  </div> <div> Another memory is hiding stuff all over the place when it came to Permanent Loan Musters.  The boss would be advised and we would spend a week or more hiding stuff we were not supposed to have.  For more recent Bubblies, initiative was drummed into us in those days and that meant you got what you could where you could when you could, because one day you might need it.  There was one time when we though the ceiling of the boss's office may come crashing down from the weight of all the rabbits hidden up there.</div> <div> Team Two was a very happy team, I have to apologise because I know I am going to leave out names but hell we are all getting old.  Boss Lt Tom Parker, Chief John Dollar, PO Joe Golinski, Kellick Mick Currie.  Members how who and when escapes me but some were  Ron (Nord) Nordberg, Allan Ingham, Mumbles Vanveraldenhoven (later Aldenhoven), Pat (Zeke) Zegenhagen, Robert (Jacko) Jackson, Ken (Blue) Hislop, Ray (Bollard Head) Shenton, Bruce (Mother) Thompson, Peter (Lofty) Lofts, Jeff Hales, and many others.  I Think Subby Ken Green must have been in the team after Lt Roberts took over, because he was in charge of Hislop and me aboard one of the sweepers doing target work for Ikara Trials (HMAS Perth) in early 67.  I also seem to remember maybe Peter (Magoo) Magnuson, Bristles Lassau, Lofty Kember being in the team when I first joined, but that could be bad memory too.</div> <div> As I recall we were tasked with all diving work on the east coast and working with RANEL testing possible new equipment.  Skull and I also spent an enjoyable number of weeks testing a boat (Boston Whaler) for possible use.   We tried all sorts of outboards including twins.  At one time we had the twin motors set up, but had only one set of forward controls for the ahead and astern lever.  Both throttles were connected, but only one gear change.  A certain POCD  (No names Joe) along with a mate of his asked us if they could take the boat out, we replied that we were the only personnel permitted to use it, and we were told that we were AB's and He was a PO and could make it an order.  Neither Skull nor I were the rebellious sort, so we graciously allowed the placePO to assume the command of our experimental set up.  He and his oppo started the motors and pushed the throttles open expecting to go astern.    WRONG  - full ahead, straight under the wharf smashing the windscreen and putting quite a few scratches on the decks.</div> <div> They vacated the boat extremely quickly then the PO issued a direct order for Skull and I to take the boat over to GI (Garden Island) and fake an accident, the return to Rushcutter and report the matter.  United and Undaunted, Skull and I complied.  There were no repercussions for us or for the people who deserved them.</div> <div> Another RANEL story involved Skull and I being asked to monitor a primitive “beacon” designed to help locate lost divers, this was about the size of a packet of smokes (20 in a pack in those days).  It regularly emitted a sort of a zinging sound that was designed to be picked up by sonar, and also flashed an extremely bright strobe light at the same time.  All went well during work hours, but we had been instructed to carry this until the battery went flat and then record the time.  Can you imagine going ashore with this bright flash coming from inside your jacket regularly??  We went straight to the flat (Yep the one 3 doors down from the cross in Bayswater road, known to Bubblies) that night and did not venture forth into the public eye.</div> <div> There was one occasion when we were doing a dome change on one of the frigates in Williamston, the job went smoothly, but socially we had some times.  Peter Lofts had had an encounter with a not terribly attractive lady and she would not give up, The QM in the frigate finally piped “Any sailor requiring a date, Quarter deck now”.  Lofty never lived that one down.</div> <div> Another time aboard one of the Sweepers (maybe Hawk) heading to do Ikara Target work and for once we worked the ship as well.  I was one the wheel when suddenly the gyro alarm triggered.  I reported the fact to the bridge and they gave me a magnetic course to steer.  Well I don't know who was supposed to see the magnetic compass, but it was far too high for me.  I tried kneeling on a stool, but the weather was too rough and I had to report that I was too short.</div> <div> On the Ikara job with Subby Green in charge (early 1967 I think)  the buoyancy device on the missile failed and it was sinking.  We rushed over in the zodiac and Greenie told me to get a rope on the missile.  I had geared up on Gerzat on the way over.  Greenie made me go back down and do stops as he said I had touched 255 ft on that dive.  I just knew I was going to get the rope on the missile.  It was the most amazing dive ever, all I saw was water, but it was like swimming through air, and there was little or no loss of light at that depth.  Bluey and I also refused a dive on that trip.</div> <div> The sweeper's stern was rising and falling a hell of a long way, and every time it came down, it hit the water with a crash.  There was a very short length of rope draped over the rudder and Subby Green told the CO of the sweeper that he would have one of his men remove it.  Greenie said “Get it Nord”, I took one look and said “I have a wife, no way”.  Greenie then asked Blue, and he said “Not me either”.  Greenie then told the CO there was a change of plan and he would get it.  To this day I swear it would have done no harm and would have washed out by itself and it was crazy to go under a ship that was behaving like that one was.</div> <div> Possibly late 1966 a part of the team was dispatched to Cairns to join a motor-sailer that was chartered to deal with a number of reported mines on the coast from Cairns north.  We discovered 4 cases in the reefs around Green Island, but the decision was made to leave them as they were.  The explosive had been removed and to destroy them or move them would have damaged the resort's resources.  (Those who were there will remember this fact being used as leverage with the pub at one point).</div> <div> We called in at Cooktown some time later and were very welcome.  The family of a diver who had died in a shooting accident on leave took great care of us while we were in Cooktown and we wanted for nothing.</div> <div> We visited Lizard Island at one point and the civilian crew of the boat told us the history of the place.  Another sidelight on this trip and I have no idea if it was official or not, is that we spent some time searching what must have been Endeavour Passage looking for Captain Cook's Cannons.  It was the only time I ever saw a shark in the wild so to speak.  Many years late I swam with some big ones at Sea World on the Gold Coast as part of a job interview.  We all arrived well tanned and rested after our little holiday.  The detachment was Lt Parker, CPO Dollar, LSCD Mick Currie, LSBA Doc Robbie Roberts, Allen Ingham , Skull Boden and myself.</div> <div> I was interested to read elsewhere on this site of the fate of 2009, back in 66/67 she was the fastest workboat in Sydney Harbour.  Team members would often don gear and scrub her bottom clean in an effort to gain more speed.  Our berth was between two jetties and the were two boats opposite us and one ahead.  When we were returning to the berth, if one used more than one or two gear changes, we copped ridicule from all and sundry, often including a radio call asking “2009, do you need a tug?”</div> <div> The ship attacks in JB were another highlight and many a pleasant night was spent at the wets at Creswell if we happened to get the attack done early.  I recall one night when we attacked Melbourne.  She had floodlights slung at 55 feet and we were on O2.  Every team went under the lights that night and Magoo suffered a case of O2 poisoning if memory serves me correctly.</div> <div> I do not recall more than one case where we did not sink the target ship, whether the attack was in JB or in Sydney Harbour.  There was one night in Sydney that Zeke and I recalled a year or so back.  We were carrying homemade mines and at the time we used to load them with increasingly larger payloads of black powder to scare the cuff rates. This night, Zeke and Jacko swam away from the ship (Zeke is happy to admit he had the compass) and attacked nothing, and Shenton and I were “blown up” by the mine Ray had built. </div> <div> The tragic night when Blue and Jeff were lost was just after I had left the team, I was on the train to Melbourne to join Kimbla that night.  Until a day or so earlier, Bluey had been my partner for ship attacks and he was also in my intake of JRs.  The Exec of Kimbla would not allow any of us to attend Bluey's funeral and I know I felt it hard that day.  So many memories, mostly great times, will write some more when I get the urge.</div> <div> Thanks to all my old Team Mates for the memories.  RIP those who have departed this life and Skull, get them ready for me too mate.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> *************************</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>