Deckies Recalling the old DEMs Gunners
The British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is roughly akin to the U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) in that they man naval auxiliaries with civilian mariners on contract.
While the MSC’s CIVMARs kinda “go native,” the RFA wears a very RN-like blueberry coverall complete with badges and patches, and they run their own ship’s defense. All RFA ships have a small arms locker, and many also have larger mounts as well.
Take these recent shots of the MNTS Gunnery Teams on RFA Mounts Bay (L3008) conducting quals on mounted FN MAG GPMGs into account.
The ship carries six GPMGs and has the weight and space to carry two CIWS, two 30mm guns, and two M2 50 cals as well.
The RFA’s “trigger pullers” are civilian Able Seamen (Deck), or “Deckies,” who are trained in the use of arms during their 12-month military-style apprenticeships, which include 11 weeks of classroom work ashore at HMS Raleigh in Torpoint.
While the RFA was only established in 1905, British merchantmen carried arms for self-defense going back centuries. During both world wars, the country had full-fledged initiatives to “stiffen up” merchies with the Defensively Armed Merchant Ships (DAMS) program in WWI and the Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship (DEMS) organization run by the Admiralty Trade Division.
DEMS (DEFENSIVELY EQUIPPED MERCHANT SHIPS AND SERVICE), GUNNERS TRAINING. LIVERPOOL, 14-16 OCTOBER 1942 A DEMS seaman-gunner arrives to join his first ship.IWM (A 12370)
The Lewis Gun Mark III DEMS was a specialized World War II British adaptation of the Lewis light machine gun. Allocated to Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (DEMS), it featured a .303 caliber setup, a crude skeleton stock, a wooden fore-stock, and an added pistol grip to allow free-standing shoulder firing from ship decks
The latter grew quite large, with over 3,400 merchant ships flying the “Red Duster” also festooned with not only small arms but deck guns up to 6 inches of bore, with “the regulars” shipping aboard to control the bigger guns.
DEMS guns were manned by 24,000 Royal Navy personnel and Royal Marines and 14,000 men of the Royal Artillery Maritime Regiment. 150,000 merchant sailors were trained to assist by passing ammunition, loading and replacing casualties. Initially, Royal Artillery personnel provided anti-aircraft protection by bringing their own machine-guns aboard ships operating close to the British Isles.
DEMS gunners were often retired military personnel and young Hostilities Only ratings, commanded by a petty officer or Royal Marine sergeant. Large ships sometimes embarked a junior naval officer to command the DEMS gunners.