FSA Navy postings

[rileythehuman]

Hello,

I'm applying as an FSA in the Navy, and I'm wondering how a ship posting works for purple trades. Are they sailing just as much as the other hard sea trades?

I'd appreciate if anyone could share their experience on this.

Thanks

 

[SeaKingTacco]

FSA does not belong to a specific element. It is what is know as a “purple” trade, meaning you can be assigned an Army, Navy or Air Force uniform, but are liable still for service anywhere in the CAF- ship, fighter squadron, infantry battalion, base or headquarters- without any real regard for uniform colour.

That said, if you make it known that you want to sail, the system is pretty good about making that happen.

As for how much you will be at sea: that is pretty variable. It depends what coast you are on; what is going on with the sailing schedule and what ship are posted to. It could be anywhere from zero days to well over 200 days in a given year.

 

[Halifax Tar]

FSA's sail as a S3-S1 and PO2.

 

[dapaterson]

FSA's sail as a S3-S1 and PO2.

Until we're short S1s and PO2s so you sail as a MS, either over-ranked or under-ranked, or both

 

[Halifax Tar]

Until we're short S1s and PO2s so you sail as a MS, either over-ranked or under-ranked, or both

We do do things with billets lol necessity if the mother of all invention.

 

[CountDC]

Until we're short S1s and PO2s so you sail as a MS, either over-ranked or under-ranked, or both

Short? Never!!

As for OP - if you are posted to a ship you sail when it sails. When they hit port and are given shore time if you are lucky you will also get some shore time.

 

[Navy_Pete]

Short? Never!!

As for OP - if you are posted to a ship you sail when it sails. When they hit port and are given shore time if you are lucky you will also get some shore time.

In general, the ship always tries to make sure everyone gets time ashore, even with duty watches etc, so only doesn't generally happen if it's a super short visit for fuel or something. They are pretty good about that, so unless you did something dumb previously and are confined to ship you are normally good.

 

[CountDC]

except the Fin often has to use that short period to deal with Fin stuff such as paying local bills and exchanging funds thus it is not uncommon for them to get a much smaller shore time and sometimes simply due to timings miss the chance to enjoy it. It is not a ship schedule issue; it is simply part of the trade. Same when the ship returns to home port and everyone is cut free, it is not uncommon for the fin to be the last to leave (besides the unlucky duty watch) as they have things that must be done. Worse case I saw was they didn't balance by a substantial amount and were confined to the ship until a full audit and investigation was completed which took a few days. Should mention this is not just a navy thing. Cashiers at bases also must balance or could find themself sitting at work long after everyone else has left.

 

[Halifax Tar]

except the Fin often has to use that short period to deal with Fin stuff such as paying local bills and exchanging funds thus it is not uncommon for them to get a much smaller shore time and sometimes simply due to timings miss the chance to enjoy it. It is not a ship schedule issue; it is simply part of the trade. Same when the ship returns to home port and everyone is cut free, it is not uncommon for the fin to be the last to leave (besides the unlucky duty watch) as they have things that must be done. Worse case I saw was they didn't balance by a substantial amount and were confined to the ship until a full audit and investigation was completed which took a few days. Should mention this is not just a navy thing. Cashiers at bases also must balance or could find themself sitting at work long after everyone else has left.

We have definitely experienced this differently.

 

[Navy_Pete]

We have definitely experienced this differently.

I was thinking the same; and flashing back to every time most of the MSED is still doing maintenance/repairs or fueling when most of the ship is gone. Not that other people in other departments don't also have similar requirements but in my experience if I saw other people working in port off duty it was the exception vice the norm.

Were usually some storsies as well (beyond just the duty storesman) due to the volume of things being delivered/shipped back. Even with FLS support it was a lot.

 

[CountDC]

I was thinking the same; and flashing back to every time most of the MSED is still doing maintenance/repairs or fueling when most of the ship is gone. Not that other people in other departments don't also have similar requirements but in my experience if I saw other people working in port off duty it was the exception vice the norm.

Were usually some storsies as well (beyond just the duty storesman) due to the volume of things being delivered/shipped back. Even with FLS support it was a lot.

The key there is off duty as opposed to remaining on duty. Home port it would be rare for the FSA to be on after hours once they are balanced. In foreign ports if the visit was short it was common for the FSA to be on duty for a good portion dealing with the finance including issuing cash to others heading ashore (maybe that doesn't happen anymore?), completing currency exchange and paying bills to the locals that would require cash payment. Sometimes that duty may entail doing things off the ship so it may not be noticed the shore visit is duty related and not free time. With only 2 staff members sometimes it is just hard to cut them both free. Then there is the door closed factor that some assumed meant that no one was in the office when it was actually to get work done without any disturbances.

maybe times have changed and the FSA are not dealing with what the finance used to do on the ship. Pay is now HRA so I could see that maybe the FSA doesn't issue cash against their pay accounts to the crew anymore. Acq Cards and invoicing have become more user friendly so maybe less need for cash payments and currency exchanges.

 

[Navy_Pete]

The key there is off duty as opposed to remaining on duty. Home port it would be rare for the FSA to be on after hours once they are balanced. In foreign ports if the visit was short it was common for the FSA to be on duty for a good portion dealing with the finance including issuing cash to others heading ashore (maybe that doesn't happen anymore?), completing currency exchange and paying bills to the locals that would require cash payment. Sometimes that duty may entail doing things off the ship so it may not be noticed the shore visit is duty related and not free time. With only 2 staff members sometimes it is just hard to cut them both free. Then there is the door closed factor that some assumed meant that no one was in the office when it was actually to get work done without any disturbances.

maybe times have changed and the FSA are not dealing with what the finance used to do on the ship. Pay is now HRA so I could see that maybe the FSA doesn't issue cash against their pay accounts to the crew anymore. Acq Cards and invoicing have become more user friendly so maybe less need for cash payments and currency exchanges.

I think a lot of that has changed, especially when FLS is supporting so the payments go through the chandler. Cash advances happen less often but usually done at sea before going alongside, or during normal working hours after arrival before dismissal after landing gash etc is done.

Fully understand the nuance between on duty and off duty but working; every time you see a fueling, maintenance etc it's generally the MSED on duty personnel supplemented by others from the department. Not so bad for a 2 hour fueling from a jetty hookup, but that's why the 8-10 hour fuelings 20 m3 a time from a pumper truck are such a piss off, as half the people there are supposed to be on a day off. Not so bad as a one off, but got old when it was almost every foreign port on a 7 month deployment. Did make going into places like Rota or Chania with shore hookups awesome, and really loved RASing a day before coming alongside.

 

[CountDC]

Yuck - sympathy there on pumper fuelling, that would suck. If it is anything like the civvy job I had that was the opposite (we were pumping water out of the ship into double tank truck) that would be horrible in a foreign port when everyone else is off having fun. Our shift was 12 hours doing nothing except halfway through move the hose from front tank to rear tank.

Good to see that they have made the changes so the crew is better able to take advantage of shore time. Nice to see a good change. Now if they could just get rid of the casualty clearing team aspect (I really hated that part, rather do firefighting drills all day)

 

[Halifax Tar]

The key there is off duty as opposed to remaining on duty. Home port it would be rare for the FSA to be on after hours once they are balanced. In foreign ports if the visit was short it was common for the FSA to be on duty for a good portion dealing with the finance including issuing cash to others heading ashore (maybe that doesn't happen anymore?), completing currency exchange and paying bills to the locals that would require cash payment. Sometimes that duty may entail doing things off the ship so it may not be noticed the shore visit is duty related and not free time. With only 2 staff members sometimes it is just hard to cut them both free. Then there is the door closed factor that some assumed meant that no one was in the office when it was actually to get work done without any disturbances.

maybe times have changed and the FSA are not dealing with what the finance used to do on the ship. Pay is now HRA so I could see that maybe the FSA doesn't issue cash against their pay accounts to the crew anymore. Acq Cards and invoicing have become more user friendly so maybe less need for cash payments and currency exchanges.

I've been doing this for 25 years. From OD to CPO2, in Logistics, and I have never seen what you're saying. But the argument can be made in my younger years my scope of the field wasn't as wide.

I have seen them called back to the ship to book a random flight. But that's about it.

 

[CountDC]

I've been doing this for 25 years. From OD to CPO2, in Logistics, and I have never seen what you're saying. But the argument can be made in my younger years my scope of the field wasn't as wide.

I have seen them called back to the ship to book a random flight. But that's about it.

It could also be that I am just too ancient with almost 40 years and remembering things from too far back. I was lucky enough not to have to go through them myself but knew others that did.