Orkney Image Library

Not HMS Bulwark. She was an aircraft carrier converted to a marine assault ship and helicopter carrier

Perhaps the tanker A78 - Plumleaf.

Looks like an RFA Oil tanker, most likely a name ending with...????? Rover

Another thought on the tanker, the poor quality of the pic hinders it a bit, but think it is the PLUM LEAF........My best guess

If this picture had been clearer I might have been surer as to who the people are but here goes with my thoughts: L to R - my dad, Jimmy Wylie, Mrs Upfold and Tommy Shand.

I got your dad and Tommy Mabel but wasnt sure aboot the woman - good one.

The oiler Plumleaf was chartered by the Admiralty, she was owned by Wm. Cory & Son and built by the Blyth DD & SB Co., Blyth, in 1968; returned after charter, she was broken up at Kaohsiung (Taiwan) in 1986.
It could also perhaps be the Orangeleaf (duplicate construction to Plumleaf) Fleet Support Tanker, built by Cammell Laird, Birkenhead 1979, capable of 15 Kts, 40,870 grt designated A110

I think this picture is dated 1973 but centainly no later than 1974. Rab & Shiela Wilson came to Lyness 1974 so Tommy wid be gone.The ORANGELEAF A110. only got her pennant no A110 in 1979 having been named twice before that. MV BALDER LONDON & HUDSON PROGRESS.So I dont think she would have ever been at Lyness as an RFA. The last oil went out of Lyness in 1976 and the slops were taken away by a smaller commercial tanker in the spring of 1977. I think the last tankers would have been the BLACK & BLUE ROVER and the last navy ship HMS PENELOPE.

I remember we were working creels in the flow at the time and went around Bulwark. I believe during the exercise a landrover was crashed in Hoy and was conveniently dropped in the sea off Cava from a helicopter. it was said that sometimes when they were being slung beloy a chopper they would start to swing and had to be dumped.

Re Willie Watters' comment, the cause of the fatal Bolkow helicopter crash off the Brough of Birsay, 24 May 2002, was the underslung load swinging into contact with the tail rotor. As one who has been an 'underslung load' many times - on the winch cable of a SAR chopper - I can affirm that too much swinging is bad. (Knowing the winchman will fire the cable-cutter if things go badly wrong isn't a huge comfort.) The unfortunate pilot of the Bolkow was on his own when the fatal accident occurred; I don't know whether one can drop the load single-handed.

The choppers on the Bulwark would not have been one man crew, I think they were Wessex type as you would know Ian.

I'm no authority on Bulwark Willie. When I took picture #2613 she probably had Whirlwind helicopters embarked, but as these were 'phased out' Wessexes would no doubt be 'phased in'. Both types normally operated with a crew of 3 (not counting extras like me picked up for special tasks). But I'm really out of my depth here, having been noncombatant RAF rather than combatant RN or RNAS. As far as I know, the pilot of both types couldn't directly control winch action - but maybe the cartridge-fired emergency cable-cutting blade could be operated from the cockpit. Some other OIL viewer is bound to know more than me.

Mabel Besant was right about who the people were. I took the picture in 1970 but with a simple cheap camera!

Charles Corbett's comment drew my attention to this thread again, and to two bloopers on my part: the old Bulwark pic is picture #26143, not 2613, and the choppers plainly visible on deck are Wessexes, not Whirlwinds. (It's true what they say: doctors make more mistakes through not looking than through not knowing.)

I think it was the Plumleaf tanker. Bulwark was a commando carrier or some other similar warship. It arrived in the Flow too, we saw it and two or three other ships sailing up the firth and into Scapa from Cantick. The helicopters from Bulwark we borrowed by Jackie to move fencing material to the hill in exchange for their using his land for an exercise.

I remember Plumleaf in at Lyness in the early to mid 70s so this is probably her.

Was this not the USNS Pioneer Valley which came in to Lyness to remove the last of the NATO oil that remained in the tanks inside Wee fea? I think this was in around 1971.

NO