We (RAN) take ownership of the ship in a couple of weeks.
Then we have FOST onboard to put us through our paces, then we sail for Australia.
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Then we have FOST onboard to put us through our paces, then we sail for Australia.
t68
Well-Known Member
Being ex Army and not really sure on navy slang, what does FOST stand for?
I gather its some sort of shakedown.
Means lots of drills and real hard yakka until the crew are fully familiar with the ship and all its systems to the FOST teams standards which are real tough. Can't remember what the acronym stands for but I know the crew will be on short kip. Fire alarms, collision alarms, action stations, man overboard, maneuvering in confined and hazardous spaces, away ships boats, launching and recovering craft, launching & recovering helos, helo crashes, etc. Everything that is to do with the sailing of a ship in all sorts of conditions. If there is a hard way of doing it the navy will find it and you will learn it.
Been there done that and we were absolutely bloody knackered after that. Jeez they even had us simulating an Iroquois crash on our quarter deck and the helo is bigger than the quarter deck. To make it worse the mongrels did it at 000 real dark & no lights, because they said the crash had killed our generators. which would have been a real possibility because the gennies and the main engines were the next deck below the quarter deck along with the magazine and fuel store for IRB engine.
"F"lag "O"fficer " "Sea" "T"raining which is the RN version of out on "Fleet" or Fleet Training Group of which there are three very different parts Majors, Minors, and Subs.
FOST is rather highly regarded as it trains and assess a lot of European navies as well as the RN.
In saying that when Ballerat went under FOST assessment a back in 05 FOST did not want to assess toxic hazards, where us in the RAN take toxic hazards VERY seriously ever since the Stalwart incident in the 80's where 3 of our sailors died. I guess the RN never had a serious T/H incident so they are blase about it.
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- #6,685
ive always loved the buzz that STG/FTG will become Fleet Assesment Group...
FOST is also the only unit of the Royal Navy that actually makes a profit for the service, as its work for euro navies is contracted and paid for...and the state the RNs its the only thing paying for the fleet
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hate to say it, but they PC Sea Training Group and now all work ups feel like an incconveniance more then assesment...theres no failing, theres failure to pass. No matter the result you pass in the end. your first major DCX is always a failure, and the last is a close pass.
STG dont even stay onboard anymore, they get landed in JB for sleep in the accomadation blocks while the ship either goes to anchor or sails off the coast waiting their morning pick up, so theres no surprise 3am DC...kinda sad now
For all the talk, it feels like we fight for failure and never succeed at our job. Many STG staff are a little displeased with they way it is now, but thats the way the fleet is going...im speaking from experience here and not anyone elses observation.
Everyone on Choules has completed BSSC (Basic Sea Survival Course) at Portsmouth. This is the RN version of our basic CS or SSSS that we do at Recruit School.
Yes we were not taught anything at all regarding TH, we were told they don't happen on RN/RFA ships.
That's pretty sad, I remember my last encounter with the STG was in the early 90's on Hobart, I think I got 8 hours sleep over a 4 day assesment, all hours of the day and night, they stayed on board in those days, not that they minded, we had the "Hobart Hilton" in those days, best flag accomodation in the fleet at the time, they even preferred it to Success.
You would just be settling into a nice little kip when at 0300 you hear "SMOKE SMOKE SMOKE, SMOKE IN 163 MESS" mongrells would swithc of the power and toss in their smoke grenades
Sucked at the time, but kinda miss it now
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Always got lucky when it came to DC during the off watch of a day, 3AFT on FFG for TH are a favourite...i was 3FWD, and Kilo on FFH while i was Echo, always good to hear the pipe and laugh when its not your compartment...That's pretty sad, I remember my last encounter with the STG was in the early 90's on Hobart, I think I got 8 hours sleep over a 4 day assesment, all hours of the day and night, they stayed on board in those days, not that they minded, we had the "Hobart Hilton" in those days, best flag accomodation in the fleet at the time, they even preferred it to Success.
You would just be settling into a nice little kip when at 0300 you hear "SMOKE SMOKE SMOKE, SMOKE IN 163 MESS" mongrells would swithc of the power and toss in their smoke grenades
nfloorl:This seems to be a new thing, started last year during our workups for the MEAO, which they shortened to 3 weeks due to poor planning. STG staying onboard always meant late nite DC and early starts, so sleep was optional.
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- #6,691
highly unlikely, with the LHDs incoming the govt. will argue theres no need, even though theres a two year gap and the 'renting' of ships is pathetic at best.
JP2048 does require post LHD that heavy lift is required, but the aim and description is a bay class, so we'll just keep it...at this stage, would not surprise me if someone decided to build a ship here in aus for industry...
StevoJH
The Bunker Group
Unlikely, even if the government wanted one, that would require the RN to declare a second ship surplus to requirements.
Which is has, a second Bay is going into ER...I,e the Brits cant afford to run it.
BTW "ER"or "Extended Readiness" means Mothballing
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They do this quite a bit but it does not mean the ships will be disposed of, rahter if they are needed they can be reactivated while the skills to run them are maintained on other vessels of the class. Suspect they will hold on to what they have and work on shave costs off the overheads.
Well BAE Williamstown will need something to keep them going, so long as they can find some one competent to fabricate the keel and fit all the pipe work for them. Sort of thing Forgacs would probably be able to knock out on schedule and below cost.highly unlikely, with the LHDs incoming the govt. will argue theres no need, even though theres a two year gap and the 'renting' of ships is pathetic at best.
JP2048 does require post LHD that heavy lift is required, but the aim and description is a bay class, so we'll just keep it...at this stage, would not surprise me if someone decided to build a ship here in aus for industry...
What!, the same Mob that turned out the LPA's years over schedule and tens of millions over cost, I would not trust "Four Jacks" to build a bath tub.
I work with a naval acrh who surveyed the LPAs back when they were delivered, he was surprised that Forgacs were able to get them seaworthy at all, let alone get a decades worth of lifel out of them. When delivered the only thing keeping them afloat was the concrete ballast in their bottoms, the keels had rusted away to nothing.
I used to be very dubious about Forgacs but have been surprised (in a good way) quite often over the last couple of years. At the same time I used to have a very high opinion of Williamstown, now I wouldn't trust them to fabricate a tinny. Things change, some get better some get worse, some just have better PR and legal departments than others.
funny that, Forgacs have turned around, BAE (esp Willy) has a lousy reputation.
their reputation is a bit like NGC's in the US when they were in the steel skimmer game...
I Admit it's been a long time since I have dealt with Forgacs, as I have been west for a decade. Agreed BAE/ TENDICKS have a lousy Rep.
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- #6,700
but i was told Arunta and now Stuart were going into ER pre upgrade...they would never mothball ships in the RAN to save money...
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