Sea Time in the RNR

[dunkers]

What are your experiences of getting sea time while in the RNR? - particularly in branches other than GSSR.
I am MTO which is not primarily a sea-going branch but I am hoping to get some seatime at some point. The Torpoint Ferry is all I have had so far. :lol:
So how long did it take before you got any seatime and how did you arrange it?
I've heard stories of people taking matters into their own hands and contacting ships directly to arrange something but surely there is a better way.

Though my branch training does not require having been aboard ship I would hope that common sense would prevail in that it would be realised that it is ridiculous to spend years in a naval service but never go to sea, especially if you start climbing the ranks.

Also please include what RNR branch you are to give everyone a good idea about what opportunities there are in each branch. :smile:

 

[FlagWagger]

What are your experiences of getting sea time while in the RNR? - particularly in branches other than GSSR.

Very easy, just managed to attach myself to a regular crew and got more weekends and deployments than I could shake a stick at...... of course this was 20 years ago when the RNR had the MSFs of 10MCM!

:smile:

On a more serious note, talk to your PS, all of them - in my experience since the demise of 10MCM, they've been invaluable in arranging sea-time on - personally, I wouldn't contact a ship directly, but I'd be quite happy to use contacts on board a ship that PS may have.

 

[Uncle_Albert]

AWNIS regularly have sea billets during exercises, and the AWNIS SO2 is willing to take requests and work them in where they don't conflict with the greater training plan.

 

[Six_and_a_Half]

Actually, I know this is slightly off-topic, but what do the AWNIS actually do onboard ship? Would they be working in their cabin on their laptop? Just seems terribly not neccessarily to actually be at sea especially if AWNIS aren't actually seamanly-trained.

I expect I'm quite wrong on this matter, which is why I raised the point. What do AWNIS do onboard ship?

 

[trehorn2]

What are your experiences of getting sea time while in the RNR? - particularly in branches other than GSSR.
I am MTO which is not primarily a sea-going branch but I am hoping to get some seatime at some point. The Torpoint Ferry is all I have had so far. :lol:
So how long did it take before you got any seatime and how did you arrange it?
I've heard stories of people taking matters into their own hands and contacting ships directly to arrange something but surely there is a better way.

Though my branch training does not require having been aboard ship I would hope that common sense would prevail in that it would be realised that it is ridiculous to spend years in a naval service but never go to sea, especially if you start climbing the ranks.

Also please include what RNR branch you are to give everyone a good idea about what opportunities there are in each branch. :smile:

Unfortunately i feel that the RNR would look at it a different way. Just because you are a part time sailor and want to go to sea the very fact that, and you said it yourself, your branch does not require sea training would lead them to look at the reasons for sending you to sea. What would you do on board ship?

I personally don't agree with that but i'm trying to look at it from their point of view. I would love to go on the RIB course but since the command see no reason for me to undertake this course i have more chance of platting fog.

I have always made a special effort to get on well with the PSI's at our unit at (so far) i have managed to get the courses i wanted and the sea time i wanted. I know people who are not so friendly and do not put themselves forward. They are the people who are now trying to earn their bounty by recruiting for a week cos they habent got their arses into gear to get the right courses and get to trained strength.

It wouldnt hurt if you had a contact on board a ship to put the feelers out for oportunities and then make them known to your PSI's. That way they cannot say that there aren't any ships available.

Good Luck!

 

[Karma]

Unfortunately i feel that the RNR would look at it a different way. Just because you are a part time sailor and want to go to sea the very fact that, and you said it yourself, your branch does not require sea training would lead them to look at the reasons for sending you to sea. What would you do on board ship?

Dunkers, to follow on from these points:

Can I suggest that you turn your skillset round, it's not so much that MTO doesn't have an afloat role, although I'm sure when I served with COMUKTG afloat that we had an RNR NCAGS presence, but that you have broader skills that you could bring to an opportunity afloat? I say that from the position of not really being fully up to speed with the MTO employment, so there might not be any

I'm sure there are things that you could bring, possibly in the EW picture management field.

the other approach you could use is enthusiasm to experience things outside your core branch, from a mercenary perspective that does mark you out as advancement material

 

[dunkers]

Cheers guys.

trehorn2, you are quite right. The higher echelons of the RNR might see "no requirement" in me taking a sea billet for some duration of time since there might be no operational benefit in me doing so (i.e. the same reasons why you were refused a course). I understand this reasoning, but I feel that there is something a bit odd with a supposed reserve sailor not having served aboard ship. Presently, if I were to step aboard a pusser's grey as a member of her ship's company I would have no idea at all about what I was doing - how life at sea works, essentially. There would be something wrong, I think, if I were promoted to killick in the RNR without any sort of "sea sense" whatsoever. The MTO branch is an office job, not a seagoing one - I fully accept that and knew that when I entered the branch - but I'm sure you can see where I am coming from. A couple of weeks at sea onboard any warship to just get an idea of what it's like to serve aboard one (I realise how horribly selfish this sounds :neutral: ) would be, I think, very beneficial for anyone who aspires to serve in the Navy in a reserve capacity.

A service which is never-at-sea-but-still-serves-the-RN? Where have we heard THAT one before?

Karma - thanks for that comment I see what you are saying - maybe I could use my "enthusiasm" to learn a skill that might be useful afloat, oh fcuk me that sounds like something you might read on a (pleasant) RORRS so I'm going to leave it there! :lol:

 

[Uncle_Albert]

Actually, I know this is slightly off-topic, but what do the AWNIS actually do onboard ship? Would they be working in their cabin on their laptop? Just seems terribly not neccessarily to actually be at sea especially if AWNIS aren't actually seamanly-trained.

I expect I'm quite wrong on this matter, which is why I raised the point. What do AWNIS do onboard ship?

Essentially, the same job they do everywhere else. The efficient collection and promulgation of nav safety information and a number of other aspects I won't go into for OPSEC reasons, and advising other trades on their specialist area. Obvious relevance when embarked with mine warfare vessels, for example.

Being seaman trained enables a crew to sail the vessel, but don't forget that the point of the vessel is not to simply steam from A to B.

 

[trehorn2]

Cheers guys.

trehorn2, you are quite right. The higher echelons of the RNR might see "no requirement" in me taking a sea billet for some duration of time since there might be no operational benefit in me doing so (i.e. the same reasons why you were refused a course). I understand this reasoning, but I feel that there is something a bit odd with a supposed reserve sailor not having served aboard ship. Presently, if I were to step aboard a pusser's grey as a member of her ship's company I would have no idea at all about what I was doing - how life at sea works, essentially. There would be something wrong, I think, if I were promoted to killick in the RNR without any sort of "sea sense" whatsoever. The MTO branch is an office job, not a seagoing one - I fully accept that and knew that when I entered the branch - but I'm sure you can see where I am coming from. A couple of weeks at sea onboard any warship to just get an idea of what it's like to serve aboard one (I realise how horribly selfish this sounds :neutral: ) would be, I think, very beneficial for anyone who aspires to serve in the Navy in a reserve capacity.

A service which is never-at-sea-but-still-serves-the-RN? Where have we heard THAT one before?

Karma - thanks for that comment I see what you are saying - maybe I could use my "enthusiasm" to learn a skill that might be useful afloat, oh fcuk me that sounds like something you might read on a (pleasant) RORRS so I'm going to leave it there! :lol:

Like i said shipmate (or should that be shoremate?) I dont agree with it but i'm just trying to inject a little reality into the thread.

I think everyone should go to sea at least once for a couple of weeks. Believe it or not a actually know people in the RNR who have absolutley no desire to go to sea at all!!! How weird is that?

Again, like i said, good luck with getting it.

 

[trehorn2]

Actually, I know this is slightly off-topic, but what do the AWNIS actually do onboard ship? Would they be working in their cabin on their laptop? Just seems terribly not neccessarily to actually be at sea especially if AWNIS aren't actually seamanly-trained.

I expect I'm quite wrong on this matter, which is why I raised the point. What do AWNIS do onboard ship?

Essentially, the same job they do everywhere else. The efficient collection and promulgation of nav safety information and a number of other aspects I won't go into for OPSEC reasons, and advising other trades on their specialist area. Obvious relevance when embarked with mine warfare vessels, for example. A decent comms link back to a parent AWNIS cell is pretty much essential.

Being seaman trained enables a crew to sail the vessel, but don't forget that the point of the vessel is not to simply steam from A to B.

Exactly, you have to do a few man overboard and fire Ex's on the way!

 

[Karma]

a few man overboard

Preferably at lunchtime

 

[Diesel_Transfusion]

Try enquiring at your Training Office for weekends away on various Mine Sweepers, there are regular billets for JRs every couple of months i think, and by the sounds of others who have been you dont necessarily need a specific specialisation to go aboard and experience it. BSSC and some seamanship skills would be more useful to you to take part in various serials that it might undertake however.