An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 19 "We are a very active unit," Dublin NSR's OC, Lt Cdr Steven Murphy, told us. "Our job is to support the Naval Service, to support DF operations on the East Coast, and to have a good working knowledge of the local area." The NSR's primary task is maintaining levels of properly trained personnel who can perform all the duties assigned to it, including augmenting the crews of Naval Service vessels at sea. The NSR is divided into two groups of two units: NSR Eastern Group (Dublin and Waterford), and NSR Southern Group (Cork and Limerick). Each unit is equipped with a motor training launch (MTL), and twin 40hp rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs). Training, administrative, and logistical support is provided by Naval Service cadre staff. "Personnel who join our unit have to be disciplined, dedicated, and flexible, in order to do the job," Lt Cdr Murphy told us. "One week you may be doing a guard of honour, the following you may be at sea." NSR personnel have to do maritime training in addition to their basic military training. "Personnel have to go through a progressive system of training both here and in the National Maritime College," explained Lt Conor Smyth. "In the college they do sea survival, fire-fighting, and damage control courses: this is compulsory for everyone going to sea. On the MTL they undergo helmsman's and deck operator's courses, and can then progress to navigation, day skipper, and coxswain courses. On the RHIBs they do bowman's and coxswain's courses." Forgive the pun but there is certainly a lot to take onboard. When you break it down for a reserv- ist it is even more demanding since all their time has to fit around their civilian commitments. Each unit is only allocated so many days a year and some of the courses take several weeks, which takes up a lot of man hours. The Global Maritime Distress Safety System course, for example, is seven days long. However, courses like this are vital for the NSR. "It is because we are so highly trained that we are in big demand both with the Naval Service and at a local level," Lt Cdr Murphy said. All of this training prepares NSR personnel to serve on NS vessels. "Our training launch may be small but the principles are the same as on a bigger naval vessel," said Lt Cdr Murphy. There is a great camaraderie between the NSR and their permanent colleagues and once at sea the reservists are treated no different to their full-time counterparts. The courses and training that both go through are also exactly the same. "Because our guys wouldn't have consistent experience on the bigger vessels or in bigger waters they may not necessarily be coxswains of the RHIBs when they go out with a naval vessel, but they would supplement the bowmen or boat crews on a fishery patrol boarding," Lt Cdr Murphy explained. "Onboard they would carry out duties such as look-out, helmsman, and general operative, all of which we would have taught them here." "As an officer when I go to sea I would generally be an understudy to the navigation officer, or the boarding officer, for example," Lt Smyth told us. "We carry out fishery boardings with the regular crews and observe the logs and the hold being checked. We bring back any knowledge that we gain and pass it on to our personnel here in the unit." All of the personnel we met love their unit and their job. A/Sea Reynolds typifies the enthusiasm displayed. "I didn't know what to expect coming to the NSR," he told us, "and now they can't get rid of me! The training and the unit are great. I did a RHIB coxswain course in the Naval Base with reservists and regulars: that's great because then when you go to sea you may already know some of the guys and you're confident because you know you have undergone the same level of training." Local knowledge is one of the key reasons the NSR is so important. We met L/Sea Brennan at the Tall Ships festival at which the unit had a major input. With MTL Niamh, two RHIBs, and several per- sonnel from other NSR units, under his command, he was co-ordinating with other agencies including Dublin Port, Dublin Fire Brigade and Civil Defence. "Our knowledge of the Bay and the harbour put us in a good position to help out in many ways," he told us. "We know the area extremely well; the currents, the tides, and how the harbour works. We are also used to working with Dublin Port and the other state agencies, which means that when it comes to an event like this we can slot in very quickly. The authorities also know the high standard of training we receive, which gives them great confi- dence in us." While the majority of the time reservists spend at sea with the NS is on routine patrols, a few re- servists have taken part in foreign visits. A/Sea O'Sullivan, for example, travelled to France. "I've been to sea five times," he told us, "and the best was with LÉ Aoife to Brest." If you are interested in a life at sea check out a unit near you on www.military.ie. Leaving Dublin Bay behind we next head west to Clifden, Co Galway, to meet members of C Coy, 1 Cn Cois, to find out how the most westerly post in the Defence Forces is adapting to the single-force concept.

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