Pete brought this picture round the other day - we both served on HMS Decoy but a different times - it was my first ship and I joined her at the ripe old age of 16 and a half at Devonport for sea training (1959) - my first seagoing ship.

She was one of the largest destroyers in the world at the time and was almost considered to be a light cruiser.

She had a full range of weapons - as well as the 4.5 inch turrets two forward and one aft, she also had Seacat Missiles and Anti Submarine Mortars on the quarterdeck, which fired over the top of the mast and landed in the water in a pattern of 3.

Midships was a Torpedo Tube setup which was never used when I was part of her crew, but looked pretty awesome.

Just below the flagdeck were anti aircraft guns which sounded worse than the 4.5s when they went off.

Strangely enough my last seagoing ship was HMS Daring which of course looked just like this but had the number D05 on her side - Known as the "Fighting D05".

The Decoy never got a nickname as far as I know but if I were to give her one I think it would be "The Deadly D106"

Not to mention these Destroyers also had "open bridges" so you got the full range of weather and the odd wave if you were a bridge watchkeeper, as I was at the time.

Happy Days.

George Davidson