Submarines are for small people

Chatham offers the chance to tour one of the navy's old diesel subs, HMS Ocelot, the last boat built for the Navy here, although they built three more of these subs for the Canadians later. (Selling our old technology to the Canuks, as usual)

It's a long time since I was inside a sub - I vaguely remember touring the one in Gosport as a kid - and the living conditions make Ty Dewi feel like a palace. The captains quarters were literally a bunk, which he could sit up on and swing down a desk unit which also covered a washbasin. Very cramped.



Of course, our two small people were well suited to this size of vessel, and Issie swung easily through the hatches, rather like a hi-tech version of tumbletots with less soft padding. Daddy carelessly bumped Max's head off some of the fittings but he recovered to take a seat at the helm.

Ocelot saw plenty of action in the cold war, and apparently took part in many intelligence missions (spying, to you and I) and details of her missions remain classified today.