More sailors needed for Canada's warships

[Marinero2008]

An update here. I finally got the call with an offer for NE Tech. Canadian Navy here I come!   

 

[CountDC]

An update here. I finally got the call with an offer for NE Tech. Canadian Navy here I come!   

That's it, I am quitting the Navy!!!  ;D

Congrats.

 

[Marinero2008]

Hey! Thanks!
And don't you dare be quitting now. I ain't pulling them mooring lines by myself!  ;D

 

[Occam]

I ain't pulling them mooring lines by myself!  ;D

That's "berthing hawsers" or "berthing lines". 

Let the learning begin. ;D

 

[CountDC]

Hey! Thanks!
And don't you dare be quitting now. I ain't pulling them mooring lines by myself!  ;D

Ok, I'll be the PO standing back telling you to "geetoititsnotdathard" and "hapsyaneedexercise" while balancing my coffee on my chief kit.  If I'm not conveniently in the office doing "required paperwork" that just has to be done now or the world will end.  ;D

 

[Marinero2008]

Ok, I'll be the PO standing back telling you to "geetoititsnotdathard" and "hapsyaneedexercise" while balancing my coffee on my chief kit.  ;D

I can live with that! So, you are staying? Great! 

 

[Marinero2008]

That's "berthing hawsers" or "berthing lines". 
Let the learning begin. ;D

I stand corrected. "Mooring lines", that's the merchant marine talk. I gotta lose that now.  ;D

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

I stand corrected. "Mooring lines", that's the merchant marine talk. I gotta lose that now.  ;D

Just some friendly advice....You may want to leave your past experience out altogether, because I can guarantee you will get razed for the rest of your career the first time you say anything like.."well in the merchant marine we do it this way"

 

[Marinero2008]

Just some friendly advice....You may want to leave your past experience out altogether, because I can guarantee you will get razed for the rest of your career the first time you say anything like.."well in the merchant marine we do it this way"

Yes, I do realize that. It's a totally new life now. Different ball game, as they say. Thanks for the tip Ex-Dragoon!

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Yes, I do realize that. It's a totally new life now. Different ball game, as they say. Thanks for the tip Ex-Dragoon!

Yea, you don't want any part of your former life to keep reminding people of your new one, just ask Ex-Dra......um,..hmm, never mind. :-*

 

[MARS]

Nothing earth shattering here but...

Reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from today’s Chronicle Herald
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Senator: Sailors needed

By Our Staff
Fri. Jul 3 - 4:46 AM

The chairman of the Senate committee on national security and defence says the navy needs more than a few good men and women.

"It’s a huge concern," Sen. Colin Kenny said in an interview Thursday. "It’s not just East Coast ships.

"The navy overall is light by about 10 per cent."

Earlier this week, Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden told The Chronicle Herald’s editorial board that the navy needs more sailors on East Coast ships. He said only about 2,200 of 2,463 East Coast naval positions are filled.

Mr. Kenny said he had assumed the numbers would pick up because economic times are tough and the navy provides steady work that pays well.

"One of the difficulties McFadden is also going to face is the people going out are going out with years of skill and experience, and the people coming in are going to be brand new and it will take them a while to acquire those skills," Mr. Kenny said.

"And so, even when they are recruited, it’s not a swap one for one because it takes 15 years to have 15 years’ experience."

The Senate committee is coming to Nova Scotia next week to meet with the ranks at 14 Wing Greenwood and 12 Wing Shearwater. They will also take part in a dinner at Dalhousie University.
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sorry, ever since the server upgrade I can't seem to change font sizes/styles or insert hyperlinks from my work computer.  But that is the entire article and is available at the Chronicle Herald website.

 

[freakerz]

I hope that means Comm Research recruits will have the possibility to serve on ships in 2010-2011..  ;D

 

[Stoker]

Nothing earth shattering here but...

Reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from today’s Chronicle Herald
-----------------------------------
Senator: Sailors needed

By Our Staff
Fri. Jul 3 - 4:46 AM

The chairman of the Senate committee on national security and defence says the navy needs more than a few good men and women.

"It’s a huge concern," Sen. Colin Kenny said in an interview Thursday. "It’s not just East Coast ships.

"The navy overall is light by about 10 per cent."

Earlier this week, Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden told The Chronicle Herald’s editorial board that the navy needs more sailors on East Coast ships. He said only about 2,200 of 2,463 East Coast naval positions are filled.

Mr. Kenny said he had assumed the numbers would pick up because economic times are tough and the navy provides steady work that pays well.

"One of the difficulties McFadden is also going to face is the people going out are going out with years of skill and experience, and the people coming in are going to be brand new and it will take them a while to acquire those skills," Mr. Kenny said.

"And so, even when they are recruited, it’s not a swap one for one because it takes 15 years to have 15 years’ experience."

The Senate committee is coming to Nova Scotia next week to meet with the ranks at 14 Wing Greenwood and 12 Wing Shearwater. They will also take part in a dinner at Dalhousie University.
----------------------------------------
Its not surprising, we're probally going down to a three MCDV's worth of manpower this fall. With the economy the way it is right now, its surprising that we don't get more people wanting to join.

 

[CountDC]

The Adm has made this his top priority - recruiting and retention.  Even if recruiting levels matched releases it is not enough as some of those recruits will not make it through the training system and some will only stick for the initial engagement.  Somehow the navy has to find a way to strike a balance between the two. I believe we are at a stage now where retention is just important as recruiting. We have to hold on to some of those looking at releasing for another 5 to 10 years to give the new recruits the time to learn from the old timers and to gain the experience.

 

[Larkvall]

Is one of the problems the fact that the Navy Reserves use very different equipment and thus drawing from this pool of people is limited?

 

[CountDC]

Is one of the problems the fact that the Navy Reserves use very different equipment and thus drawing from this pool of people is limited?

not from what I have heard.  My understanding is that the reg f is taking the new guys from the reserves and that a fair number of the "retiring" reg f guys are going over to the reserves.

the new navy - enrol p res, portion trans to reg f, smaller portion do 25 to get pension, smaller portion trans back to p res.

 

[Sailorwest]

What seems to happen is the 'grass is always greener' effect. The people on the KIN class see big ships that don't go to sea that often while they are in and out of the harbour regularly and think it would be better to do the job over there.  Problem is that there is very little available in the NRD's to send to the ships. It takes the better part of a year to get someone in through the recruiting system and get them onto their first courses before they are even trade qualified to go to sea.  The economy is already starting to rebound so I don't know if there will be that many people actually knocking on the door anyway.

 

[ltmaverick25]

The only way to resolve the problem is to seriously address the burnout issue.  If you keep driving guys into the ground, eventually they, or their spouses are going to pull the plug and get out.  The CLS kept talking about how the army needs a year long break ( I realize he has changed his tune on this as of today but..) however, I think the Navy needs one as well.  Our manpower cannot produce what is being asked of it, not without burning out our most valuable people.

 

[Stoker]

not from what I have heard.  My understanding is that the reg f is taking the new guys from the reserves and that a fair number of the "retiring" reg f guys are going over to the reserves.

the new navy - enrol p res, portion trans to reg f, smaller portion do 25 to get pension, smaller portion trans back to p res.

The amount of people transferring to the regs have slowed quite a bit, certainly because most pers who have wanted to go have gone. The majority of pers transferring now are pers with one or two years in.
As for the guys with 25 plus years in, yes there are some who are joining and "double dipping". Unfortunately a lot of those want the jammy shore positions that don't involve sailing and are taking these billets away from pers who do a lot of sailing and deserve those billets.

 

[Stoker]

What seems to happen is the 'grass is always greener' effect. The people on the KIN class see big ships that don't go to sea that often while they are in and out of the harbour regularly and think it would be better to do the job over there.  Problem is that there is very little available in the NRD's to send to the ships. It takes the better part of a year to get someone in through the recruiting system and get them onto their first courses before they are even trade qualified to go to sea.  The economy is already starting to rebound so I don't know if there will be that many people actually knocking on the door anyway.

I really think its going to get worst before it gets better. The home units have the bare minimum and a lot of that corporate knowledge is getting out and retiring. This year OJT on this haven't produced that many completed packages and is disorganized to say the least.
The good news is that class C for shore based and ship based positions are coming and will sweeten the pot a little and hopefully retain more pers.