Thanks Poohbah for a reality check.I didn't then, and I don't know now too much about the naval fighting capabilties of the Melbourne (I was a 'Black Ganger',considered by 'Fish Heads'to be a lower form of animal life than themselves),however,I served on the Melbourne when it tragically collided with the Evans. Prior to the event, I hadn't slept for about a week due to a combination of action watches and British designed air conditioning which didn't work in the tropics. Like most Pommie ships, its showering and laundry facilities were a definite after thought. I also served on HMAS Vendetta, a Daring class British built destroyer. Once again, personal hygiene facilities were not a priority. I visited the old Victor Class Russian sub in Sydney a few years ago and it got me thinking that maybe there is a doctoral thesis here about the development of heads and bathing facilities on naval vessels. The thesis could end with a summary of which navies provide the most heads and showers per crew member and rank them in order from best to worst. There will be no prizes for guessing which navies end at the bottom of the list.