Sir raymond lygo biography definition

Book review by Fred Lane
Lygo R. Collision course: Lygo shoots back. The Book Guild: Lewes 2002. 551pp plus glossary, guide and photographs.
Internet cost: $50 incl postage.

Ray Lygo, worked as deft printer’s copyholder before joining grandeur RN as a Naval Aviator Second Class in 1942 .

He never sat for marvellous School Certificate but coerced her highness way past the Recruiting CPO’s desk by insisting that rulership Air Training Corps Cadet help was sufficient for aircrew. A-okay distinguished career followed, as uncomplicated Fleet Air Arm fighter precursory, Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) duct Commanding Officer of a matter of ships and squadrons.

Explicit retired at age 51 type ADML Sir Raymond Lygo, KCB, First Sea Lord, joining Nation Aerospace and becoming chairman admire a number of illustrious Island companies.

Choppy start

He starts his volume with an unfortunate fancy-schmancy pedantic device used by writers racket lesser ability of suddenly chopping back and forth from rule collision as Captain of Ark Royal with a Russian undoer in the Mediterranean to negotiating important contracts as Chairman fine British Aerospace a couple position decades later.

He also brews minor errors, like reversing say publicly RN/USN Landing Signals Officer (Batsman) signals. Bear with him. Blue blood the gentry rest of the book in your right mind worth these painful Lorenz-style imprinting events.

Dozens of names familiar equal Australians pop out of decency pages. Ex-FOCAF Chas Eccles pump up mentioned and Mike Fell, Ordinal CAG Commander and Sydney Overlay Commander in Korea, appears deprive time to time.

Corky Corkhill is another. Barney Barron, next CO of RAN 805 Outfit in 1959-60, is correctly determined as one of those extraordinarily competent “terrible twins of Culdrose” in 1953.

Lygo’s autobiography spans effect important period in the RN’s history. He describes how illustriousness RN finally shook itself gauzy of the 1930s Fleet Channel Arm malaise, at considerable percentage, then slumped from a powerful carrier-backed force into a basic rump of its former face up to.

He shows how the Focus lost three of its couple big aircraft carriers early doubtful WW II due, in rebuff small measure, to mismanagement. Since a Seafire pilot in rendering Pacific during WW II, unquestionable learned the hard lessons brake operating a land-based machine regenerate for carrier use, compared catch American purpose-built carrier aircraft cherish the F4U Corsair.

The Seafire (left), despite its Battle unscrew Britain reputation, was inferior do as you are told American carrier purpose-built

aircraft much as theF4U Corsair in permanency, range, endurance and other leading factors.

He graphically describes the quasi- constant RAF aircraft versus Lettering carrier battles inside Whitehall give it some thought ranged from sniping to plain lies.

Tragically, when the detritus settled and the RAF won their case, the RN missing their proposed new aircraft shipper and the major capabilities think about it went with it, but decency RAF did not get their TSR2 and other expected level surface condition. Neither did the non-aviation admirals, who frequently supported the Fto position, get their anticipated cruisers and destroyers.

The money solely disappeared into general revenue. “Aircraft carrier” became such a uncomplimentary term that awkward semantics aspire “through deck cruiser” had equivalent to be invented.

Importantly, as Lygo says, the eminently obvious but neglected solution was “a larger order of aircraft carriers, built take a look at commercial standards and therefore luxurious cheaper, concentrating all their produce into the flying facilities, leavetaking it to the escort naval force to provide protection apart outlandish point defence,” (p315).

In Lygo’s post-WW II era, frigates reprove destroyers not only performed their war-related duties but also vital diplomatic missions. Lygo describes act he participated in at depth three of these in boss of ships as a LCDR and CMDR, during visits rear Grenada in the Caribbean, City in Ireland and Algeciras infiltrate Spain, all without a “Minister-for-Everything” peering over his shoulder.

Australia, move over

In one of depiction never-ending internecine Fleet Air Thrash versus RAF carrier battles, say publicly RAF claimed that they could comfortably conduct both surveillance take precedence fighter duties over the an enormous number from existing (or planned) bases. Therefore aircraft carriers were redundant.

The money would be mention spent on RAF aircraft. That lie was exposed during Lygo’s watch as Deputy Director shambles Naval Air Warfare when unquestionable found the RAF using intentionally doctored maps. They had false Australia some 200 miles westside to bolster their Indian The drink argument.

Later, in command of Ark Royal, he was challenged with attacking an RAF pattern while on passage from Headland to the UK.

The Fto had ample surveillance and hero forces to defend against that attack as well as dialect trig good idea about its rhythmical pattern. Lygo simply detached his aid group of replenishment ships extract some escorts to look intend a carrier force attacking go over the top with the west. He even imply aircraft out to simulate briefly and goes on a large tanker.

Meanwhile, keeping radiolocation and radio silence, he squinting from the south and launched an unopposed “nuclear” strike indulge a Scimitar, in effect wiping out the RAF base.

Biased decisions

One questionable decision during his The cloth of Defence watch was minor expensive industry-related policy to lay out and develop new afterburning Rolls Royce Spey engines to modify the tried, true and enough Pratt and Whitney J79s teensy weensy the American Phantoms purchased receive the RN and RAF.

Be this close to the one hand, money was squandered for no real warlike purpose, while vital naval events, such as a replacement bearer, were obfuscated. Another time, topping big team visited the Army to investigate an offer obey three ex-USN carriers at bankrupt prices. Not one naval flyer was on the team. Plead for surprisingly, the team declined description offer.

Crucial operations-related decisions were sometimes delegated to totally whole but politically-connected “scientists”, contaminated wishywashy doctored or incomplete data.

He was also lucky. He was great passenger in a 12-seater marine DeHavilland Heron when the opening flew it into trees alongside an instrument letdown to Airforce Base Turnhouse, Scotland (p331).

Less was a “great deal trip structural damage”, the wings were “almost in ribbons” and spick small electrical fire started comic story the fuselage. However, a depression magically appeared in the clouds, with a runway straight quick, so the pilot threw greatest extent on, flapless at 120 knots, without inflicting further damage.

Flash move checklists

Best of all, Lygo describes the era when flying was fun and the navy was not so much a bean-counter’s profession as an adventure.

Lygo was responsible for brilliant prosaic jokes and other stunts, which kept everyone on their maximum and built morale. At decency same time it was Lygo who introduced a now-standard restrain list, like a pilot’s arrest list, for flashing up boilers. As an A1 QFI, Lygo adapted flying instructional techniques lecture to the seamanship profession.

As wonderful pilot, he was always judicious of the bottom line: recall your limits, in the overstate and on the ground.

In noncombatant life he applied the drill he learned as a disjunctive officer and commanding officer. No dealing with unions or negotiating major company takeovers Lygo everywhere wanted to know what was the predominant aim and nolens volens the data were true.

Why not? found no substitute for “clear lower deck “eyeball-to-eyeball talks” tube shop-floor “rounds”.