An aerial photograph featured upon the front page the Portsmouth Navy News edition of October 1954 complete with the caption "Ships of the Reserve Fleet are dispersed throughout all parts of Britain. Here is an unusual view of some of the ships at Penarth." The orderly lines of ships moored up alongside each other in 'trots' (I also recall the phrase!) three or four abreast have by this date been mothballed according to the procedure detailed in the article that follows. [262]

The Penarth Times published Mr Don Coslett's memories of his time working on the fleet (presumably at the Penarth Pontoon, Slipway & Shiprepairing Company) as an apprentice fitter.

More Mothball memories! - "With reference to Bob Chick's query about the mothballed fleet (Penarth Times, October 4). As John Jennings would know, they were moored in what I believe were called "trots" (tied alongside each other) mostly in threes. There were no cruisers. They were mostly frigates and corvettes with a couple of destroyers. On and off I spent the first couple of years of my apprenticeship working on them. The best of them were sold off to African and South American countries and the rest scrapped. At that time we thought it tragic - all the electronics, even down to the fabulous long-range radios we would have given our eye teeth for, were ripped out and smashed up by matelots using sledge hammers. It was all supervised by Petty Officers, so although we begged, nothing fell over the side. The mothballing itself was done by covering all doors, portholes and vents with a gauze like material then sprayed with plastic. Very innovative for the 1950s!

As ever with dockers, it wasn't very long before innumerable ways of using the plastic were discovered. If you oiled a surface and then sprayed it you could peel it off and roll it up. Sheds were roofed in it. Car and boat covers were made. Greenhouses, damp courses - the ideas went on and on. I even had a ground sheet made for my scout blanket roll (no sleeping bags in Cogan then). I doubt if many people now living on the site of the dock could imagine the numbers of workmen involved and the hives of activity that went on.

Every department had its "perks". For example blacksmiths' families had things like pokers and toasting forks made. Round metal plates to make Welsh cakes on were a favourite. So was pinching a cake then running out of the kitchen tossing them constantly in the air as they were too hot to handle, at the same time ducking to miss the backhander. Barry John had nothing on me - but then maybe his mother didn't have the backhander my mother had! Frowned upon today but that's the way it was. If your department didn't make it you bartered for it with the things you did have. Funnily enough, this wasn't thought of as stealing. The management turned a blind eye to this - although I'm sure if you were caught, a sacking would have occurred. However, their houses no doubt had "goodies" too. Hard days, but good days. Don Coslett, Myrtle Close, Penarth." Penarth Times [101] 11th October 2007.