Publication:Sea Talk Summer 2006/Living it up in Anzac

By CMDR John Chandler

You will all have seen photographs of the improvements to the chief's mess in several Anzac class ships from the Winter 2006 issue of Seatalk.

That article also mentioned improvements including the introduction of dedicated briefing areas, and enhancements to accommodation arrangements for all ranks.

These upgrades were undertaken during HMAS Anzac's recent refit; however, they were not the only habitability improvements completed during that maintenance period.

Anzac is currently deployed, having recently completed workup. Now that the hectic pace of workup has eased, we have been able to enjoy the benefits of some of our other recent 'lifestyle enhancements'.

Internet café

Anzac now has a dedicated Internet café, with three computer terminals. This facility significantly improves general crew 'connectivity' as these are the only terminals throughout the ship that are dedicated to recreational use.

Previously, although all terminals throughout the ship were capable of Internet access, they all had a primary operational or administrative function.

Consequently, requests to access terminals for personal or recreational use often received low priority.

The terminals are recessed into enclosed work areas, providing the desired degree of privacy for those sending emails to loved ones while they are also proving a boon for those looking to 'surf the net' to plan their social and recreational activities at our next port of call.

Junior officers' accommodation

Accommodation has long been at a premium in Anzac class ships, and often seariders and additional personnel have had to sleep on stretchers in working spaces and flats.

As part of a range of initiatives to increase the number of bunks, two of the officers' two-berth cabins and a passageway have been merged to form a six-berth junior officers' cabin. While only providing a modest increase in accommodation capacity, it has also created additional desk space for those 'extra duties' that junior officers sometimes attract.

Following Naval tradition, the six-berth cabin has quickly become known as the gunroom, or even more colloquially as 'the grot'. It has also quickly become the accommodation of choice for the male junior officers in Anzac.

It is unclear whether this is because of the cameraderie fostered by the larger accommodation space, or simply because it is the officers' accommodation farthest away from the heads of department and therefore farthest away from those 'extra duties'!

2L Junior sailors' rec space

Although the junior sailors have recreational areas within their messdecks it is not always practical to use these, particularly when watchkeepers living in the mess are trying to get some sleep.

Up to now, the alternative for junior sailors has been to go to the café, although the café's furnishings are set up more for 'dining' than 'reclining', and there is only one screen so there is only one choice of movie to watch.

The introduction of an additional recreational space in 2L solves all of these problems by providing an additional space for junior sailors to relax and watch movies (or play X-box, cards or the traditional favourite, uckers) in comfort away from their messdecks.

So there you have it - Anzac's current crew do have it better: we have better connectivity, accommodation and recreational facilities.

Of course, although not specifically mentioned above, by far the most popular habitability improvement in Anzac has been the installation of a 42-inch plasma flat screen television and a surround-sound stereo system in the junior sailors' cafe.

Now (as I write this article from sea while the footy finals are on) all we need is Foxtel ™ to plug into it!