Book Description
Richard Gough was just 23 years old when the Falklands conflict took place in 1982. He was the youngest Royal Navy weapon director to take part in the conflict, seeing combat onboard the Type 21 frigate, HMS Ardent. Six years later as a Chief Petty Officer (Missile) he helped protect British shipping in the Iran and Iraq tanker war that disrupted the Gulf region for nearly ten years. Add to this the authors encounter with Far East pirates and his time in the jungle and it becomes clear that he was no ordinary sailor!
His final work with the Royal Navy was to direct the acceptance firings of the fleets latest missile system, Vertical Launch SeaWolf, onboard the Type 23 frigate HMS Norfolk. His book explores the role of the weapon director in the fleet as well as revealing what it’s really like to be a sailor in the modern Royal Navy.
From the Author
I was looking at the shelves in the Military section of Foyle’s in London one day when it dawned on me there were no books about the Royal Navy written by ratings. The shelves were full of the adventures of land-based forces and the memories of senior Naval Officers, but what of the ordinary sailor’s story? This made me put pen to paper and this book is the result.
During my career with the Royal Navy I witnessed and took part in key events that have helped shape the modern navy currently serving us in the 21st century. As an avid photographer I also collected a set of unique images from my time at sea. Where possible, I share these pictures with you as you progress through my story.
If you’re not sure what a weapon director is then think of the glue keeping a book bound together. Without it, a book would just be a disorganised collection of paper with no order or reason. A good weapon director makes the weapons team on a warship a fighting force, one that can cope with the stress and confusion of battle. Good weapon directors continue to be needed by the Royal Navy to make up for the limitations in the design and equipment fitted to some of the current service fleet.
