22 |
Standards under
the
Microscope
by Wesley Bourke
Photos by A/Sea David Jones
I
magine yourself in a corridor so dark you can't even see
your hand, there is a taste of salt on your lips and the
smell of burning is assailing you nostrils. Added to this,
a rolling and pitching motion begins to hasten the onset
of claustrophobia and disorientation. With a fire spreading and killing the electrical power for the lights, the
dark interior of a ship is no place to be. A crackle from the
intercom is followed by a clear voice that instead of bringing relief announces: "Bandit red! Bandit red!" the code for
'intruder onboard'.
Thankfully for this journalist this was a Fleet Operational
Readiness Standards and Training (FORST) exercise and not
a real situation.
An Cosantóir June 2013 www.dfmagazine.ie
Naval Service ships patrol far out into the Atlantic and
occasionally undertake foreign trips as far as the southern
hemisphere. Consequently, NS crew members have to be
prepared for every eventuality they might face arising from
an operational tasking or from the elements. Possibilities
range through everything from hostile action during a
drugs interdiction operation, damage caused by hitting a
semi-submerged drifting container, a fire in the galley, or
civil disorder while alongside in a civilian port.
FORST, which comes under Naval Operations Command,
is responsible for assessing and ensuring the required standards are in place for all operational tasks, and that all ships
are ready to respond to any tasking they may receive.
