LUCKY GUESS.       John Mills-Baker 

After a seafaring career as a Master Mariner, I joined London Division RNR as a list 3 officer.  The main function of the RNR at that time was to provide minesweeping crews for the 10th minesweeping squadron.  HMS Thames was the London Division’s ship and was based at Southampton.  She was a ton class minesweeper and our training aboard HMS President on the Embankment London prepared us for serving aboard Thames on our weekend and two week training periods.
Whilst in London Division, I was detailed to be Navigator in HMS Thames, for our annual summer cruise to the Med, where Admiral Commanding Reserves (ACR), was conducting fleet manoeuvers and minesweeping exercises with the 10th minesweeping squadron.  I quickly realized how precise navigation had to be when minesweeping and as navigator I was in the hot seat.  We were based in Gibraltar and went out on daily exercises and on this first day the Admiral was aboard HMS Thames and I would be in his shadow.  I had little experience of admirals as a reserve officer and had never met one until now.  On courses I had come up against gunnery officers with their black gaiters and they were something to be reckoned with and on a fire fighting course at HMS Phoenix, I found myself manning a hose with Prince Charles!  With ACR on board this added to the pressure and as navigator, I did not want to let the RNR down.  
 Once out into the Med, the Admiral had the squadron all steaming around in every direction, forming all manner of line abreast, columns and reverse manoeuvers with various minesweeping tasks for good measure.  As navigator I had to keep track on the chart of all these changes.  The visibility was poor with a haze that prevented us from seeing any land.  I had no satellite navigation or modern aids to navigation to help me and had to make do with radar bearings and dead reckoning positions.  After nearly four hours, I had covered the chart with alterations to courses, new courses and DR positions as I was unable to pick up any land I recognized from the radar. Added to this, I was finding, keeping station with other minesweepers at 2 cables, was a bit different from passing ships at 2 miles, which was my MN experience!   What was worrying me was that at that at any moment, I could be asked for our present position and I was far from sure where we were!  
       I set our radar on max range and could see traces of land to the north and suddenly I noticed an echo that stood out, which must be higher than the rest!  Was this the Rock, the Rock of Gibraltar?  I took a bearing and distance and checked the chart from our present position I had put on as a DR position.  It looked possible, but I was not sure!  At that moment I heard the voice of the Admiral out on the wing of the bridge and he was addressing me,” Pilot, give me an ETA Europa point, so my barge can meet us!”    I had no choice, but to take a chance with the radar echo! I calculated the ETA from the radar bearing and distance at 15 knots and told him ETA 1730.
We arrived at Europa point at 1722!  Before leaving the bridge, the Admiral turned to me and said, ‘I like a pilot who can guess well and give me a quick answer, well done!”