An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir March 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 38 | rePort and Photos By cPl lee coyle RuaiRi de BaRRa LÉ SamueL Beckett cPO/eRa I am originally from castlebar, co Mayo, and my first taste of military life was with the fcÁ, when i enlisted into my local unit, B coy, 18 inf Bn. later i moved to cobh in cork and transferred to the 4 ad Bty then based there. I had family members in the Naval Service, and it was always my goal to follow that tradition, which I did when I enlisted on the 13th January 1998 as an appren- tice engine room artificer (ERA) in the first class to be enlisted directly to the Naval Base in many years. Over the next few years I worked on the ships and went to college for the different phases of my training, spending periods ranging from three to nine months with various units. While at sea I was training to become a watchkeep- er, while learning to repair and look after everything mechanical onboard, from pumps to generators and main engines. During those first few years I served on LÉs Deirdre, Ciara, Aoife, and Róisín, as well serving onboard LÉ Ais- ling as she made a UNIFIL resupply crossing to Lebanon in 1999, and with LÉ Eithne for her first visit to the US in over ten years. In 2002 I qualified as a fitter-turner and in 2004 as a leading hand, which meant I was now a fully trained watchkeeper. I completed my Standard NCO course in November 2005 and was promoted to petty officer and began do- ing two-year sea cycles on the ships as a fully trained engine room artificer. My first posting was on LÉ Emer, then the oldest ship in the fleet. My next two years were onshore, split between the Technical and Line Training colleges. In the Technical College I instructed the ERAs and mechanicians in marine engi- neering, watchkeeping and maritime safety subjects, while in the Line College I was involved with more tradi- tional military training such as Pot NCO courses. I spent another two years at sea, on LÉ Niamh, con- ducting standard MDSO (maritime defence and security operations) patrols and when I returned to base for my two years on shore, I spent some time in Fleet Support Group, involved with maintenance of the small boats. I also spent some time in the Dive Bay, were I was re- sponsible for inspecting and maintaining the hyperbaric chamber, diving life-support systems and the breath- able air compressors. I also had the opportunity to in- struct a direct entry ERA course in 2013, which was very intense, turning civilians into trained sailors and NCOs within 18 weeks. However, it was highly rewarding and I was very proud to be involved. I returned to sea at the end of 2013 on LÉ Eithne, spending 34 months on board, during which time I was promoted to CPO/ERA. Also during my time on board LÉ Eithne, we became the first NS vessel to be deployed to the Mediterranean on Operation Pontus, in the midst of the humanitarian crisis in 2015. This was the most chal- lenging operation I have done in the Naval Service, but it was also the most rewarding. When I returned I spent the next two years in FORST (Fleet Operational Readi- ness Standards and Training), the unit employed to conduct all training, assessments and exercises across the fleet. I have just recently returned to sea on LÉ Samuel Beckett as the Chief ERA, where my job is to supervise marine engineering, watchkeeping and maintenance. This includes planned and preventative maintenance of all engineering equipment, such as pumps, generators and engines. I am also the divisional NCO, which means I look after admin of the Engineering Branch. It's a huge responsibility to ensure the ship is seaworthy; but we can do it thanks to having a fantastic multidisciplinary crew on board. At the moment on board the LÉ Samuel Beckett we are preparing to go to operation Sophia later this year, and I am looking forward to facing this new challeng- ing operation.

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