Week 6 - Waller Division Intake 267
13 April 2009This week Waller Division participated in Sea Phase, Survival at Sea and Corrosion Control. Adelaide and Brisbane Classes travelled by bus to Stony Point where the recruits embarked on Seahorse Spirit for their first taste of life at sea. Boarding the vessel on Monday, the recruits were quickly put to work storing the ship with victuals for the week ahead. After a comprehensive safety brief and an introduction to the ship, Seahorse Spirit sailed for Wilson’s Promontory. The ship returned to Cerberus on Friday morning with all recruits having learned a little bit about life at sea and the different tasks required. All recruits indicated that they have a fantastic time during the week with many lessons learnt.
Canberra and Darwin classes participated in Survival at Sea and Corrosion Control. Survival at Sea teaches the aspects involved in surviving in a life raft should the need arise to abandon ship. Recruits are shown how to correctly use the lifejackets and thermal protective suits used by the Royal Australian Navy. Recruits then participate in an 'abandon ship' exercise which involves them jumping into the ocean, before clambering into their life raft. Recruits are then towed to a nearby buoy and left to practise survival techniques for a few hours prior to 'rescue'.
Melbourne and Newcastle classes participated in Combat Survivability this week which involved them being put through rigorous training for fire fighting and flood control. After theory and fire extinguisher lessons, recruits were put through our 'Fire' unit and our 'Leak Stop and Repair' unit. Our fully controlled fire training unit allows maximum realism for recruits to fight real fires and conduct both hatch and door entries into a burning compartment. Our Leak, Stop and Repair Unit allows recruits to attempt to 'shore' up leaking doors, hatches and holes before the compartment fills up with water.
Sydney Class learnt the correct handling techniques and usage of the F88 Austeyr Rifle. The F88 Steyr is the Australian Defence Force’s choice of small arms, and a week is dedicated to the correct methods of firing and safety procedures involved. The F88 Steyr course consists of hands-on training, and recruits become fully conversant in not only firing the weapon, but also assembling, disassembling and cleaning it.
Jack Speak
Barber’s Cat – An over-talkative sailor.
Recruit Comment
"This week we had Combat Survivability, I really liked the fire fighting especially my role as the water wall hose handler in the hatch entry component. I am looking forward to finishing my recruit school training so I can move on with my career in the Navy as a Cook."; RCTCK Shannon Lea Ellen Pettett aged 18 years from Cundletown, NSW.
