By Alex Clarke
Bilge Pumps, Episode 21… and this is special…this is one of those times that the Bilge Pumps team just gets amazed! We just cannot believe how lucky we are to have this person come on our podcast. This is Stephen George, Commander, Royal Navy (ret.), an aero engineer the likes of which you will rarely get to speak in public.
Commander George was a part of the unprecedented effort which went into achieving over 80 percent availability from nine aircraft for nearly 120 days during the 1982 Falklands War. It was a marathon engineering effort, involving HMS Invincible, their aircraft carrier under the leadership of Captain J.J. Black, a forward operating base, working on a really intricate engine while rotors were still turning and heli-taxiing through Port Stanley. Unsurprisingly, this is two parts, and we haven’t even started on Steve’s role and knowledge of the F-35 or Queen Elizabeth-class projects.
#Bilgepumps is still a newish series and new avenue, which may no longer boast the new car smell, in fact decidedly more of pineapple/irn bru smell with a hint of jaffa cake and the faintest whiff of cork– but we’re getting the impression it’s liked, so we’d very much like any comments, topic suggestions or ideas for artwork to be tweeted to us, the #Bilgepump crew (with #Bilgepumps), at Alex (@AC_NavalHistory), Drach (@Drachinifel), and Jamie (@Armouredcarrier). Or you can comment on our Youtube channels (listed down below).
Links
1. Dr. Alex Clarke’s Youtube Channel
2. Drachinifel’s Youtube Channel
3. Jamie Seidel’s Youtube Channel
Alex Clarke is the producer of The Bilge Pumps podcast.
Contact the CIMSEC podcast team at Seacontrol@cimsec.org.