TAKING TO THE HIGH SEAS
PHOTO // Chai Sian Liang
I grew up hearing my mom, Military Expert 3 Priscilla Lecthimi, who is Squadron Chief Supply of the Republic of Singapore Navy's 188 Squadron, tell me so many stories about the Navy that I couldn't wait to visit the naval base.
Stepping into the simulator, I was amazed at how realistic and huge it was.
Keeping a lookout
First, I got to try being the lookout. Major (MAJ) Daniel Chong taught me to watch for ships within my field of view and report back to the Officer of the Watch (OOW). Though warships have systems which can detect other ships, it is still important to have lookouts.
He then explained that the Navy uses different terms such as "port" for left and "starboard" for right. I was asked to make a report to the OOW. "Red 2-0, OOW," I called out, telling the OOW that I had spotted a ship on the port side at 20 degrees.
Steering and navigating
After that, I got to try steering the ship - my personal favourite! It was fun to see the ship turn!
The last thing that I got to try was plotting the ship's path, using navigational charts. MAJ Chong told me that although we have Global Positioning Satellites and other navigation technologies today, knowing how to use the charts was still important.
As my day at the FMSS drew to a close, I was sad because I was having so much fun and didn't want it to end.
I was amazed by the amount of teamwork and focus required to sail a ship in Singapore's crowded waters.
It's no easy task, but seeing the training that our sailors go through, I'm confident that our seas are in safe hands!
