Apart from A Royal Navy Officer, What is a Useless Thing to have Onboard a Yacht?

Sandyman said:
Even when we went to Action Stations most of them had nothing to do except sit there and watch.
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When I went through my first BOST (and it was at Portland if that dates me a little..!) I asked why the FOST team didn't kill off the CO. "It wouldn't make much difference in the immediate fighting" was the immediate answer. The ship is fought by the PWO's and CHOPS(various). Now "killing off a few of them" in the practice or real life situations makes it much more interesting...

So I guess the real answer to why there are so many officers is that firstly the junior ones are learning the job and preparing for when they are HOD's and actually get to make decisions, and secondly there are layers of reserve capacity with hopefully some leadership and teamwork available if some losses occur.
 
I recall the other two items were a Hatstand and a waste paper basket. Generally quoted with a trapdoor on a submarine, an ashtray on a motorbike and a chocolate fire guard !

Interesting that whose ever list you consider the Royal Naval Officer is the common denominator, and a reputation well deserved IMHO and indeed direct experience !
 
Interesting that the current new item is about fixing a trial date for a naval officer - for ramming a tanker in a restricted area! Looking at the video again, I guess it's the foreshortening effect of a telephoto lens that explains why the entire fleet isn't being prosecuted.

I was always taught that everythinbg taken on board should have at least two uses, so spare ropes have hundreds. The most difficult useless item to deal with is a crew member who brings "plenty" of wine and beer for lunch - and I like a drink myself - but spending the afternoon effectively single -handed stepping over the slumbering drunks...

Rob.
 
Snow chains, you might imagine but last winter, we hired a car to go skiing in the mountains in Turkey and snow chains (carried on our friend's boat) were essential.
 
john_morris_uk said:
When I went through my first BOST (and it was at Portland if that dates me a little..!) I asked why the FOST team didn't kill off the CO. "It wouldn't make much difference in the immediate fighting" was the immediate answer. The ship is fought by the PWO's and CHOPS(various). Now "killing off a few of them" in the practice or real life situations makes it much more interesting...

So I guess the real answer to why there are so many officers is that firstly the junior ones are learning the job and preparing for when they are HOD's and actually get to make decisions, and secondly there are layers of reserve capacity with hopefully some leadership and teamwork available if some losses occur.
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Having spent 2 1/2 years on the Portland Work-up squadron in the early 70's I fully understand :D

Note that you use the word 'hopefully'. Not sure one of these hopefuls could replace a PWO.
 
john_morris_uk said:
When I went through my first BOST (and it was at Portland if that dates me a little..!) I asked why the FOST team didn't kill off the CO. "It wouldn't make much difference in the immediate fighting" was the immediate answer. The ship is fought by the PWO's and CHOPS(various). Now "killing off a few of them" in the practice or real life situations makes it much more interesting...

So I guess the real answer to why there are so many officers is that firstly the junior ones are learning the job and preparing for when they are HOD's and actually get to make decisions, and secondly there are layers of reserve capacity with hopefully some leadership and teamwork available if some losses occur.
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Of course the ship should continue seamlessly but the reality is that in general FOST is looking at drills and procedures, the proper operation of these drills and procedures allows the senior staff the thinking time to handle the big matters. This all goes back to before Nelson, and was one of the reasons we won Trafalgar. Yes some officers are pompous pigs who really should not be allowed out alone, but most are dedicated journeymen and some are just bl**dy brilliant.

I really enjoyed my time on FOST staff back in the mid 70s and sitting in on FOST Friday post mortem was a very interesting experience
 
Well off topic I know, but ho hey :D

We sailed to Tobermory a few years back & at the time I just happened to be reading 'The Terror of Tobermory' which was all about
how they trained the crew & worked-up the Frigates & Corvettes for convoy duty. Apparently Tobermory was the forerunner of Portland.
In the whole time the base was in operation during the war there was only one severe accident there in which a Chief died.
The book said he was buried in the graveyard there. My son & I, after much searching, found his grave & paid our respects.
 
Sandyman said:
Well off topic I know, but ho hey :D

We sailed to Tobermory a few years back & at the time I just happened to be reading 'The Terror of Tobermory' which was all about
how they trained the crew & worked-up the Frigates & Corvettes for convoy duty. Apparently Tobermory was the forerunner of Portland.
In the whole time the base was in operation during the war there was only one severe accident there in which a Chief died.
The book said he was buried in the graveyard there. My son & I, after much searching, found his grave & paid our respects.
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God make his journey one of peace.
 
maxi77 said:
Of course the ship should continue seamlessly but the reality is that in general FOST is looking at drills and procedures, the proper operation of these drills and procedures allows the senior staff the thinking time to handle the big matters. This all goes back to before Nelson, and was one of the reasons we won Trafalgar. Yes some officers are pompous pigs who really should not be allowed out alone, but most are dedicated journeymen and some are just bl**dy brilliant.

I really enjoyed my time on FOST staff back in the mid 70s and sitting in on FOST Friday post mortem was a very interesting experience
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I agree, and perhaps I should have admitted that years later in the very late 90's early 2000's I was on the FOST staff and was privy to some very interesting discussions about the way ships are run. It would not be appropriate for me to say more - except I get a little frustrated (as perhaps some can tell) by the wide of the mark assumptions people make about how a ship is run.

I got to meet a lot of CO's as I called on every CO that came through both foreign and RN. (The German and Dutch biscuits were the best...) With very few exceptions it made one realise that most senior officers had got there on well deserved merit. There may be the occasional prat who rises through the ranks, but usually there's a good reason why people have been promoted and given command.
 
Beadle said:
Perhaps its a case of main, reserve, and a spare in your back pocket sort of system.
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Yes, there will be attrition even without warfare, so the service has to start with an excess, because they can't just hire someone from the competition like civilian enterprises can.

There must be always someone left to take the blame
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There must, and I have personally seen a couple of situations where after a disaster, the consequences filter down to the lowest-ranking commissioned officer. The ORs are then happy with "The officers were in charge, crucify one of them".
 
john_morris_uk said:
The old commission lists of SD GL etc are long gone. Automatic promotion to Lt Cdr has also gone. All officers join on short commission and are only retained if they are any good. Its all on merit now.

However I note that here are still people with chips on their shoulders in the RN. (Some are balanced and have chips on both shoulders.)

Its also a truism that there are idiots and fools in all walks of life (and I suggest that means all ranks and rates).
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I observe the British Army has always had quite a short course for commissioning (Sandhurst). Am I right in assuming the RN and RAF and RM are the same? (Hope I didn't forget any services there wouldn't want to insult.

OTOH the USA has their service acadamies where regular officers were expected to climb over a very difficult hurdle and then had a job for life. Australia followed that model for a long time.

So I was surprised to read in one of the Tom Clancy books (not a novel) that for some time now a West Point graduate only gets a Reserve Officer's Commission. After a time, the officer will be made inactive unless they prove themselves suitable for advancement.
 
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