An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir January/February 2021

An Cosantóir the official magazine of the Irish Defence Forces and Reserve Defence Forces.

Issue link: https://digital.jmpublishing.ie/i/1329016

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27 FLEET SUPPORT GROUP PART 2 and Maintenance Fitting in 2014, and he was promoted to PO/ERA in the summer of 2020. Currently he is due to rotate to sea in November to "…start my first full rotation as PO/ ERA and engineering watchkeeper." He is enjoying his time in FSG, as he says he finds "…working on the complicated mechanical systems is very interesting. The work with stern drives, gearboxes and larger engine jobs means that every day is a learning day. So, you get to broaden your knowledge base." Working side by side, both wearing COVID-19 PPE to protect each other within the tight confines of the engine bay of an MST 680, with PO/ERA Ahern is L/ERA Simon Murphy. L/ERA Murphy joined a year after PO/ERA Ahern in 2012. He started his career as a mechanician and, because he really enjoyed the more technical aspects of his role, he successfully competed for a TT scheme in 2016. He was promoted to Leading Hand just this October. He enjoys the time he has got to spend in FSG over his years of training "I find it very interesting; I like working with the RHIBs and smaller engines. There is such a great variety of different problems, and you have to devise the solutions." L/ERA Murphy is only passing through briefly as he waits for his standard NCOs course to begin shortly, after which he says he will "rotate to sea in January 2021. I will be going out to gain experience as an understudy watchkeeper. Then it will be back to the NMCI for my ERA 4 course in early summer." All artificers are not just trained in their off-the-job phase or college courses; they are also trained in-house on their professional course. Typically these are numbered 1-4 and course number 4 marks the transition from Able Rate to Leading Rate for all three crafts. For Engine Room artificers, after their extensive written examinations, ERA 4 culminates in their oral watchkeeping exam after which they will stand a watch at sea of their own, with all the responsibility that entails. For the Hull and Electrical Artificer, similar in-depth examinations wait, and they can then be entrusted with their own ship, sometimes as the sole practitioner and subject matter expert on-board. MST 4 enters the workshop Naval Service Divers exercise with a customs Dog unit Trainee Technicians Engine Room Articifer's working on a RHIB Naval Service Dive Team in a Polarcirkel boat

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