RN ship visits

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Graham_Wright

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Gone are Navy Days unfortunately.

I would like to encourage my grandson in his (declared) desire to join the Royal Navy.

Back in the old days, when I was a Sea Cadet officer and when I had contracts with various MOD departments and contacts with various RN officers, I managed to arrange visits occasionally. Memorable were to submarines (alongside) and even at sea during contractors proving trials on HMS Gloucester.

Those days are past.

Anyone know if it is still possible to make ship visits?

I know the Belfast and the Dolphin museum are a possibility but a serving vessel would be more appropriate.

I do have an ex SAS friend who could enlighten him about his opinions as a Marine.
 
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I have an old friend who as a Sea Cadet was flown to join HMS Belfast on her last passage back from Gibraltar. He went on to become a reactor officer on the first generation of nuclear submarines.

Such a thing would be unthinkable now.

An active duty Royal Navy warship laying on a show is far more impressive than any museum.

My two sons each joined the Sea Cadets at 11 and went through to 18. Since they are seven years apart that makes 16 years with a child in the Sea Cadets - in an active and well run unit. I recall one ship visit in that time.

I suppose there are simply not enough ships now.
 
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How about contacting the local Army, Navy and RAF recruitment office?

There is a chap at work applying to RFA, yes they do go through the same recruitment office, who said they are very helpful.
 
Graham_Wright said:
Gone are Navy Days unfortunately.

I would like to encourage my grandson in his (declared) desire to join the Royal Navy.

Back in the old days, when I was a Sea Cadet officer and when I had contracts with various MOD departments and contacts with various RN officers, I managed to arrange visits occasionally. Memorable were to submarines (alongside) and even at sea during contractors proving trials on HMS Gloucester.

Those days are past.

Anyone know if it is still possible to make ship visits?

I know the Belfast and the Dolphin museum are a possibility but a serving vessel would be more appropriate.

I do have an ex SAS friend who could enlighten him about his opinions as a Marine.
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I know that it its is pretty much impossible arrange any visit beyond the most trivial to an Army unit if the visitor is under 18 (excepting if visiting with and as part of an organisation such as cadets), mostly due to all the safeguarding legislation and regulations that are now in place. I'm afraid that I would assume that the same holds for the RN.
 
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Assuming the grandson is still a little boy, I would ask the local Sea Cadets. Perhaps he might want to join them as well!
( I've visited quite a few active warships but only on public open-days.)
 
Graham_Wright said:
Gone are Navy Days unfortunately.

Anyone know if it is still possible to make ship visits?.
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I'll do a short answer to what could be a very long one!
There are two issues these days:

1. The fleet is over stretched. Assets now spend very little time alongside. When they do the crews are frantically trying to get maintenance done/courses completed/leave and so forth. One ship may be designated as "duty visits ship" if it has time.

2. Ships in deep maintenance are not available for visits as H&S stuff now makes it difficult. Additionally a ship is often handed over to BAE/Babcock whilst alongside, and so the navy can't host a visit.

Your best bet is to find a crew member and get him/her to invite grandson on board as a private guest. Even this takes a heap of paperwork sometimes.

How old is said chap?
 
john_morris_uk said:
Presumably as a positive enlightenment as over 50% of SF are ex Marines (or they were a few years ago when I was serving)

I’ll ask an SBS officer who I’ll be seeing in a few weeks time what the latest stats are if you like.
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The claimed figure (from last year's 'SQ brochure') is 60%. Though how this is relevant to the point in question apart from 'I know Fiji Bob' willy waving I'm not sure. Though, that said, when I was cadet we did a course at Poole two days of which was with and run by the (then) SB Sqn, how times change.
 
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I remember navy days. One of which without Dad coming we got on the wrong train home and ended up God know where. It was in Britksh Rail days and the guard sorted it all out for us.

We have Fleet Week here but the ship visits are 'sold' out months in advance.

W.
 
If it were my son I would ask him to write to the Commanding Officers (by name) of three or four active RN vessels in UK waters requesting their help with a familiarisation visit. You may get a favourable response from one. You can get all the info for this from the RN website.
 
When I joined the Royal Navy in 1957 the only 'ships' I had ever set foot in were the Mersey ferries and a captured German U-boat that my father took me to see! None of my forebears had ever had anything to do with the sea.

Signing up for 10 years just seemed like a good idea at the time. And so it proved to be!
 
Another thing you might explore is attending a warship launch. I took my son to the launch of HMS Sutherland at what was then Yarrows in 1996. I think I just applied for tickets and although I'd left the Royal Navy in 1989 I don't think I called any favours.
It was a fun day out and might lead to more if you meet the right people there.
 
Poignard said:
When I joined the Royal Navy in 1957 the only 'ships' I had ever set foot in were the Mersey ferries and a captured German U-boat that my father took me to see! None of my forebears had ever had anything to do with the sea.

Signing up for 10 years just seemed like a good idea at the time. And so it proved to be!
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When I joined the Royal Navy in 1984 my first ship was the Gosport Ferry!:D
 
Presumably the Navy didn't want its potential recruits going anywhere near warships in case they realised what they were letting themselves in for and changed their minds. :D
 
A1Sailor said:
Another thing you might explore is attending a warship launch. I took my son to the launch of HMS Sutherland at what was then Yarrows in 1996. I think I just applied for tickets and although I'd left the Royal Navy in 1989 I don't think I called any favours.
It was a fun day out and might lead to more if you meet the right people there.
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Might be waiting a while. The type 31 is years off and will be cut back as costs overrun, the carriers aren't launched. Might see a type 26 or two.
 
Poignard said:
Presumably the Navy didn't want its potential recruits going anywhere near warships in case they realised what they were letting themselves in for and changed their minds. :D
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To which you may add the fact that part of the recruitment process is "managed" by Crapita who lost my son's medical results. The 2 ringer responsible for overseeing the process wasn't interested, resulting in my son taking stock of what he was getting into and promptly withdrawing his application to be a marine engineering officer of which the RN is desperately short of.

SWMBO was happy as she didn't want him to join anyway but the RN shot itself in the foot saving her the effort....
 
st599 said:
Might be waiting a while. The type 31 is years off and will be cut back as costs overrun, the carriers aren't launched. Might see a type 26 or two.
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Eh ? Have we got more carriers on the stocks then - great !

My knowledge of such things is peripheral - Dad volunteered for the FAA in WWII and we always attended Navy Days and the International Festival Of The Sea - I'd have thought a bit of research then writing to the skipper of an RN ship should do the trick - I think the Daring is in for a long refit but whether that makes her more or less handy for visits I don't know.
 
Hot Property said:
To which you may add the fact that part of the recruitment process is "managed" by Crapita who lost my son's medical results. The 2 ringer responsible for overseeing the process wasn't interested, resulting in my son taking stock of what he was getting into and promptly withdrawing his application to be a marine engineering officer of which the RN is desperately short of.

SWMBO was happy as she didn't want him to join anyway but the RN shot itself in the foot saving her the effort....
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That is disgraceful.

Mind you, it wasn't much better in the 1950s. I remember it took ages between my application and being signed on.
 
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