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Hms Western IslesHMS Western Isles was the name of a passenger ship in the Royal Navy. She was a passenger ship that had previously provided a service between the Western Isles of Scotland. She was taken into naval service during 1940 to serve as the command ship of the escort training school set up at Tobermory on the Isle of Mull under Vice Admiral Gilbert 'Puggy' Stevenson. From about July 1940 all escorts intended for the Atlantic battle went to Tobermorey to practice before joining the convoys. Stevenson had risen to Vice Admiral pre-war and been retired. When the war started he was accepted as a Commodore of Convoy and made several trips in that capacity before being called back to start the training school. He had the reputation of being a very hard taskmaster, with officers being replaced before the ship was allowed to leave (and even commanding officers being dismissed on occasion). Having said that he was very pleasant to those who matched his standards. A good pen-picture of the establishment and its commander is given (albeit in fictional form) in Nicholas Monsarrat's novel The Cruel Sea. The establishment was closed down following the end of the war in Europe. Western Isles
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