Jim Perks – The importance of Gosport to the Submarine Service
Wow! What a journey. What a journey and Gosport’s been integral to that, not just housing MNS Dolphin but of course loads of Submariners ended up buying houses there. Chris is still there. Loads of my mates are still in Gosport.
My experience at Dolphin is one of, I think you’ve heard me mention it so many times, a fantastic place to be, fab place to work.
We had fun in the Town I got married just down the road in Alverstoke Church. It’s a part of out history, it just is and it always will be and the Tank … I think it’s staying isn’t it? I think it’s listed now, is an iconic, I won’t say beautiful ‘cos it isn’t but it is an iconic structure.
Very fond memories of going through that, again from being terrified at the beginning to popping out of the top wanting to do it immediately again.
Apparently a bit like parachuting which I’m not ever going to do. Yeah, amazing experience, but time moves on. You know it’s unfortunate we haven’t got any nuclear boats so yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. And having a School nowhere near submarines, probably not the right thing to do, so I understand it, I can’t say I’m happy about it but it’s happened.
Dolphin is our home you know we’ve had a number of Reunions from the Perisher Community to others at various stages and we thought Dolphin was going to go and the Chapel at Dolphin is hugely significant to the Submarine Service .
Some of the stories of submarines during the war in and out of … so yeah, I’ve hugely fond memories of … I haven’t got the greatest memories of trying to get out of Gosport on a Friday afternoon, trying to get home. That’s pretty tortuous.
So much has changed over nearly 40 years. Vernon’s gone, Dryad’s gone, Dolphin’s gone, bloody hell! It was just different and I hope something good happens to Dolphin.
Holding my wedding reception in the Dolphin Ward Room Bar there, right on the sea front, it was pretty special, pretty special, and is the home of the Submarine Service, wow! Great! So, let’s see what happens with it.
Hopefully something good, and of course the Museum, massively important to our story, always growing, always getting better and better. This process will provide another insight, getting the human story that is so brilliantly told by those that take you round, particularly Alliance, is all a part of the same journey so yeah, the more the merrier.
