MCDO Rendezvous in South Korea

23 Dec 2023 - MCDOA member David 'Topsy' Turner (front & centre in the photo below) joined the Royal Navy as a 16 year-old Junior Electrical Mechanic in 1974 and was commissioned as an officer in 1978. I was his course officer (far right) when he qualified as an MCD officer on LMCDO ‘83B at HMS VERNON (now Gunwharf Quays, the marina, retail & residential complex in Portsmouth) in 1984 and we worked together on the Saudi minehunter project circa 1990/91.

After commanding the Sandown class minehunter HMS CROMER and the Faslane-based Northern Diving Group, Topsy transferred to the RNZN in 2004 and, as chronicled in our old website, went on to command the amphibious and military sealift vessel HMNZS CANTERBURY and the stone frigate HMNZS PHILOMEL where he also acted as the Base Commander of the RNZN Naval Base at Devonport among other high profile posts. In January 2022, he was promoted to Captain RNZN and appointed as New Zealand’s Defence Attaché in South Korea.

In 1977, Martyn Allen (sitting third left in second row) was a midshipman in HMS WILTON, the world’s first GRP warship, where I (fifth right in second row) was serving successively as MHCO then First Lieutenant.

Martyn subsequently qualified as an MCDO on LMCDO ‘81 at HMS VERNON in 1981. He left the RN in 1986 after serving in HMS SHERATON and FOSNI’s Clearance Diving Team but later served in the RNR (HMS GRAHAM then HMS FLYING FOX) between 1988 and 1994 while working for BAe Systems. He was appointed an OBE in the 2003 New Year Honours “for services to British commercial interests in the Republic of Korea”.

This morning, I received this message from Topsy:

“Hi Rob

Look who I had dinner with last night. I bumped into Martyn (LMCDO Course of ‘81 I think) about six months ago at the Maritime Defence Expo here in Seoul. He was on a stand for the company he no longer works for, having elected to take retirement (he’s 67) and take it easy, I had no idea that he had been living and working in South Korea on and off for over 20 years. Anyway we managed to get an evening together the night after he flew in from the UK (he still has ‘interests’ here) and before I flew out to New Zealand.

I’m hoping to get back for the 2024 dinner which will be my last opportunity in uniform before I also take retirement, so Martyn pledged to get there too. He’ll have to rejoin the association first though!!

Aye

Topsy”

Topsy (far right in the photo below) also reminded me that he had served in HMS BIRMINGHAM in 1980 while Martyn (second left) was the DIVO.

Best you re-join the MCDOA, Martyn, if you wish to attend next year’s dinner. You can start the process here.