Letter to the Editor: Yantar Banter

Sir, – I enjoyed Lt Cdr Rob Garner’s account of the shadowing of the Yantar [114/1, p. 56]. In it he mentions Pompey revs which I guess is the equivalent of the homing revs of yore. They are, of course, largely a myth, as the ship usually arrives at its predetermined ETA irrespective of what one may hope for. Back in the days of steam they had some meaning in certain ships. In 1966 I spent an enjoyable six months as the Navigator of Striker, then the last naval manned LST, and I discovered the true meaning of homing revs. LSTs had two triple expansion engines powered by two Admiralty thr…