Overnight we ran a long way down to the south west to carry out Sea Dart missile firings today.
For some strange reason, it is considered Bad Form if you fire a missile which subsequently lands in the middle of Dorset, say, and so they push us way down where we can do no harm to anyone if we miss. The firings, of five weapons in all, were in the afternoon and early evening, and most proved quite satisfactory, which pleased us all. Work is still proceeding on the after Vulcan/Phalanx, which seems to be almost fixed now. I, for one, am very pleased about that, because my cabin is right underneath it, and I can’t think of a better bodyguard than that thing.
We are still working defence watches, which I am finding rather more restful than the watch system we were working before, and I’m certainly getting more sleep. We finish the present exercise serial tomorrow evening, I think, when we return to the Portland sea areas for a final couple of days before retiring to Portsmouth for a very brief rest before at last heading south into the Atlantic.