Navy People: East Fremantle Local on Navy Mission in Middle East
3 September 2009
East Fremantle local, Able Seaman Kane Turco, is experiencing his first operational deployment onboard Royal Australian Navy ship, HMAS Toowoomba. The Anzac Class Frigate is currently serving at sea in the Middle East Area of Operations as part of Australia's military contribution to coalition efforts against international terrorism, countering piracy in the Gulf of Aden, and maritime security.
Joining the Navy three years ago as a marine technician, Kane is currently an Able Seaman who works in a team of people looking after HMAS Toowoomba's hull structure, auxiliary units and engines.
Not only is Kane an important member of the marine technician department, but he is also part of the boarding team who are required to board vessels of interest who may be carrying illegal narcotics or weapons. One minute Kane might be fixing or maintaining a piece of ship's equipment, the next he is moving at short notice to get ready to conduct a boarding.
"We kit up with weapons, jackets and helmet, climb into the ship's rigid-hulled inflatable boat and go and board the vessel of interest. Sometimes if we can't board the vessel by boat we fast rope out of the ship's helicopter and onto their deck," Kane said.
"My job in the boarding team is to do an 'engineering sweep', so once we are successfully onboard the vessel I go down to the engineering compartment to check the status of the machinery and systems onboard and report that information to the Boarding Officer via radio," he said.
Kane likes the variety in his job and also the structured training that the Navy provides.
"On this deployment we finally get to put all our training into practice for the first time. We do something new and rewarding each day so there is never a dull moment at work," he said.
In his relatively short time in the Navy, Kane has visited Pusan, South Korea, Singapore and now a range of different Middle Eastern countries.
Kane grew up playing junior football at the East Fremantle Junior Football Club and the Amateur Football Club as well as rowing with the Fremantle Rowing Club and even though he's onboard a ship he continues to maintain his high level of fitness.
"I train up to three times per day, the physical trainer onboard runs a morning and afternoon physical training class which could be circuits, or weights or even a team game," Kane said.
Kane is looking forward to getting home from the ship's six month deployment and plans to catch up with family and friends in East Fremantle and kick up his feet for a while after a long and demanding deployment.
HMAS Toowoomba continues her patrols in the Middle East Area of Operations, contributing to maritime security operations in the Arabian Gulf and to undertake anti-piracy and counter-terrorist activities in the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman and off the Horn of Africa.
