Cartoon strip first published in Warships IFR magazine in May 2011.

Regular fans will recognise that ‘The Old Sarky’ refers to HMS Sardonique.  When sailors ‘swallow the anchor’ or ‘swallow the hook’ it means they are leaving the sea for good.  When Abie says “Nothing pressing – I hope” he obviously hopes to avoid the Press gang in the future.  Fiddler’s Green is the seaman’s name for as near to Heaven as he can expect to find.

Able Cat Emily, seen leaving with Abie and Os, is one leg better off than the real life Emily, who is watching me from her day bed even now, as I do this post (it was a car accident that cost her her larboard quarter).

This cartoon strip was always intended to be the last ever strip to be published.  Let’s hope the magazine publishers got it wrong – but this website will continue, whatever they do.