Researching information ( non classified stuff ) for a novel. Help needed please.

[HartleyHare]

Wrecker, amount of damage they cause
Along side we have a duty watch, those that stay onboard over night to look after ship, within that day it is split into watches
Forenoon 08:00 to 12:00
Afternoon 12:00 to 16:00
Dog watches
1st dog 16:00 to 18:00
2nd dog 18:00 to 20:00
1st watch 20:00 to 00:00
Middle 00:00 to 04:00
Morning 04:00

At sea we have 2 watches, forward will normally work 6 hours on 6 hours off, within these 6 hours you will be closed up on watch, the rest of the time stood down on watch

ME back aft may do something similar to alongside watches

. Thank you. I was about to ask WreckerL about this. Do the officers stand the same watches?

So, when the submarine is alongside do all the crew stay on board and takes turns at watch keeping or is there just a skeleton crew ?

How long are the crew given leave for when the boat alongside. I think it said in one of the YouTube videos I watched that after a 3 month deployment 3 weeks leave followed by another 3 months and another 3 weeks. Is this accurate?

 

[WreckerL]

At sea officers stand the same watches. When the boat is alongside only the duty watch stay onboard overnight, those that live locally go home, the others live in barracks (HMS Drake in Plymouth, HMS Neptune in Faslane).

As for leave, after a 3 month deployment some will take annual leave or sea leave but you don't get 3 weeks after every patrol, not on SSNs anyway. Bombers (SSBNs or Trident if you prefer) have 2 crews for the 2 boats in the patrol cycle who might work the routine you describe. Thankfully I never had a bomber.

 

[Perry]

Wrecker, amount of damage they cause
Along side we have a duty watch, those that stay onboard over night to look after ship, within that day it is split into watches
Forenoon 08:00 to 12:00
Afternoon 12:00 to 16:00
Dog watches
1st dog 16:00 to 18:00
2nd dog 18:00 to 20:00
1st watch 20:00 to 00:00
Middle 00:00 to 04:00
Morning 04:00

At sea we have 2 watches, forward will normally work 6 hours on 6 hours off, within these 6 hours you will be closed up on watch, the rest of the time stood down on watch

ME back aft may do something similar to alongside watches

In the real navy henceforth called General Service (standby for incoming ) the 2nd dog is actually called the last dog and the morning watch ends at 0800 when relieved by the forenoon watch keepers.

 

[dapperdunn]

In the real navy henceforth called General Service (standby for incoming ) the 2nd dog is actually called the last dog and the morning watch ends at 0800 when relieved by the forenoon watch keepers.

Or,
You have a long first. 20:00-02:00
And a long morning. 02:00-08:00
No Hey diddle diddle.
And one less watch to be kept. (Normally when duty alongside) Makes it fairer as everyone works 12 hours.

 

[Stirlin]

Or Afternoon....First......Morning......56 off then Dogs...Middle....Forenoon ....24 off and repeat.

Running auxilary.

 

[Sumo]

Horses for courses, more than one way to skin a cat, different ship's, different cap tally.
Skimmers called it defense watches, boat called it normal sea running fwd.

 

[WreckerL]

Back aft at sea we split the forenoon, 0700 - 1000, 1000 -1300, this then changed all the other watches by an hour so that we fell in with the fwd watch handovers and scran times.

On SSN's that is, I think bombers worked some weird routine.

 

[HartleyHare]

At sea officers stand the same watches. When the boat is alongside only the duty watch stay onboard overnight, those that live locally go home, the others live in barracks (HMS Drake in Plymouth, HMS Neptune in Faslane).

As for leave, after a 3 month deployment some will take annual leave or sea leave but you don't get 3 weeks after every patrol, not on SSNs anyway. Bombers (SSBNs or Trident if you prefer) have 2 crews for the 2 boats in the patrol cycle who might work the routine you describe. Thankfully I never had a bomber.

Do SSN's have permanent crews or do they change ? I think the bombers have crew changes all the time ?

Can the crews of SSN and SSBN transfer to surface ships?
Does the RN have facilities to treat PTSD ? I did a quick online search for thought couldn't find out much. I think there is a support group at Neptune, but couldn't find if there are treatment programs available for RN personnel.

 

[WreckerL]

Do SSN's have permanent crews or do they change ? I think the bombers have crew changes all the time ?

Can the crews of SSN and SSBN transfer to surface ships?
Does the RN have facilities to treat PTSD ? I did a quick online search for thought couldn't find out much. I think there is a support group at Neptune, but couldn't find if there are treatment programs available for RN personnel.

SSN's have permanent crews, each draft being anywhere between 2 - 4 years (my last one was 4 years), Bombers in the patrol cycle (2 of them) both have 2 permanent crews, same duration periods as SSNs i.e. 2 - 4 years, who cycle patrols, so you end up doing every other patrol.

Submariners can go to the surface fleet but it's difficult to do and not a common occurrence, easy for the logistics branch but more difficult for other branches due to the re-training required.

The MoD doesn't have facilities, as such, for PTSD but every base has a welfare branch in attendance (uniformed branch of the RN but they wear civilian clothing at work) and there are no treatment programmes that I'm aware of. There used to be a psychiatric hospital at Netley marsh in Hampshire but that closed years ago and I think there are psychiatric facilities at MDHU's (Ministry of Defence Hospital Units based in NHS Hospitals such as Derriford in Plymouth) but whether they have wards or facilities I have no idea. Google MDHU and see what pops up.

 

[dapperdunn]

every base has a welfare branch in attendance (uniformed branch of the RN but they wear civilian clothing

Just to stop them being called a waste of a set of No 4s.

 

[SONAR-BENDER]

Guests aren't searched when coming on board, they are the hosts responsibility and are escorted at all times.

We had a mess do in the States and one of the Chops brought down his new pash, who was Texan.

Turned out she was packing! A large pistol and a small pistol and it seems she had 5 more weapons in her car!

What could possibly have gone wrong...?

 

[47MLB]

We had a mess do in the States and one of the Chops brought down his new pash, who was Texan.

Turned out she was packing! A large pistol and a small pistol and it seems she had 5 more weapons in her car!

What could possibly have gone wrong...?

Not enough ammo.

Thats just a Date Night load.