An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir April 2014 www.dfmagazine.ie 40 | Seán Kennedy Able SeAmAn (A/SeA) lÉ Aoife I joined the Naval Service just over two years. I'm part of the Seaman's Division and I'm on LÉ Aoife for a year-and-a-half now. The seaman's job is extremely varied, depending whether we are at sea or alongside. When alongside we generally carry out ship's maintenance. One of the core maintenance tasks is de-rusting and repainting because, as you can imagine, salt water eats away at a metal ship. Our division also has to look after all the rollers and capstans for the mooring lines, which need to be greased and dirt free. In addition, we make sure the ship is cleaned from top to bottom. The gunnery department is also the responsibility of the Seaman's Division, so when we are alongside we strip all the weapons down, and clean and grease all the parts to ensure the guns are fit to fire when we go to sea. At sea, life is completely differ- ent. Our patrol plan generally takes us to sea for four weeks at a time, during which we operate a watch system, so for the best part of the day you'll know what you will be doing. Watches are four hours long and follow a set pattern. For example, if you are on watch from 0800-1200hrs you will also be on from 2000-2359hrs. You will also be working on deck, or doing a gunnery shoot, or working in the RIBs (rigid inflatable boats), dur- ing and after your watch. The watches continue whether you are steaming or at anchor. During a patrol everything on deck is essentially our job. As ships' patrols are mainly for fish- ery protection there is generally a lot of boarding and inspecting of vessels being carried out. The seamen are responsible for the launching, driving and recovery of the RIBs that are used in these operations. RIBs are also used for armed boarding teams and search-and-rescue, so working with the RIBs is part of your daily routine at sea. If we are towing another ship or conducting a RAS (replenish- ment at sea) we are on deck controlling the lines and doing all the rope work. Other duties include manning the helm (steering the ship) and conducting lookout on the bridge, keeping an eye out to sea and reporting any sightings to the officer of the watch. Life at sea is very different to the sort of work my civilian friends do and although it is demanding and has its ups and downs, I really enjoy it. "The gunnery department is also the responsibility of the Seaman's Division, so when we are alongside we strip all the weapons down, and clean and grease all the parts to ensure the guns are fit to fire when we go to sea. "

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