G'day all.
I must differ from all the other guys who are advising you by saying that you should change to the stokers branch. Allthough there is nothing wrong with being a stoker, the "cream-de-la creme" in the "Andrew" is, and always will be, in the what is now called " the mine warfare branch", if you have the ears and the brains like you mentioned you have, surely you don't need any-one to tell you, surely you can see the advantages of becoming a "Ping Bosun".
You wont get past Scotland !!! some-one said, if you are good at your job, then the world is your oyster mate as a UC. I travelled every where in the world, without exception, and you aren't stuck to small ships as some-one said either, You certainly will get onto frigates, and below, but even the "few big ships" that we have left, still need UC ratings to operate the "Sonar" (as it's now called, it was asdic when I was in)You also have the option of going "Air Crew" once you become a UC 2. The helicopters flying on anti submarine duties, have an asdic operator on them. You can also go on submarines, as all of them need UC's and UW ratings to run their control systems and the-weapons
Anyhow mate, the smaller the ship, the slacker the routine, and in the good old days, The smaller the ship was, the neater the rum was, so that was indeed a nice incentive to being on a small ship. But like "Aggie Weston" both have been forgotten and are only heard about in "Old time stories" ha ha ha.
Where else will you get the opportunity to "TELL" the Captain, where to steer his ship (Steer I said , not where to stick it-!!) and he does what you have told him immediately i.e.. when you hear a torpedo fired at you and you are the guy who knows which way the ship has to turn to have the best opportunity of the torpedo missing the ship.
As I said before mate, make up your own mind, don't be paused by every-one else, as I am quite sure that all the guys who gave you this advise were from the engine room branch, like I am from the "Asdic Branch", and telling you about being an "Under-water Control rating.
When you pick up a contact at some distance, that no-one else can hear, you will get all the excitement that you seem to crave for, even pinging for mines, seems boring doesn't it, well you are listening so intently that the time just flashes in.
There is a wee bit of a down side to it as well though, if you are good enough and you are part of the "Action ACR crew", you will be in two watches, but even if you have just finished your four hours, and have only settled down for a cup-pa in the mess, if some-one classified a contact as a "sub" you are straight back up there in the "ACR" (asdic Control Room" and take over from the crew that has the contact, until it's time for you watch to take over again,then you have to start your own watch. Though this usually only happens when the ship is doing her work up trials.
Even after you have become a civvi again, if you hear a metallic noise, like the ping sound, that you have heard a million times, as the quartz sends it's pulse and it reverberates through the crap that is in the ocean, (that's what the ping actually is, it's the reverberations coming back from the minute particles that are stationary in the water making up the sea or ocean) you will still imagine that you are back at a set listening for the elusive echo.
