RCN marine systems engineers receive unique training in England

Twenty Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) marine systems engineering officers spent over three months at Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Sultan in Gosport, England, in a unique training environment with their British counterparts.

In early 2022, the Canadian sailors attended the Systems Engineering Management course at Sultan, providing students with theoretical knowledge and practical exercises.

Sultan gives these Canadian officers a unique opportunity to get hands on training, maintaining and operating full-scale equipment including diesel engines and gas turbines, steering gear systems, air compressors and other auxiliary equipment found on board ships. This is currently not available within the Canadian Armed Forces training system.

Beyond core engineering principles, the students also learned how another naval service approaches management of the marine engineering plant.

One of the course participants, Sub-Lieutenant (SLt) Daniel Puritt, says it was interesting and informative to work with their British colleagues and those from other naval services.

“We were able to discuss the differences in our experiences within our respective navies. Some of these differences included training, types of ships, career progression paths and benefits offered to serving members. We were also able to learn how being in the navy affects their lives outside of work and how that differs from ourselves in Canada.”

Since the RCN does not have a similar facility for engineers and technicians, the course provided several large workshops that have the many different systems normally located on a ship separated and spaced out on the shop floor.

“This meant that we could take time learning individual systems one at a time, without being distracted or confused by adjacent systems,” says SLt Puritt. “They also ensured there was training machinery available for the students, including things like a gas turbine motor, diesel generators, hydraulic systems, lubricating oil systems and other systems.”

During the latter part of the course, daily drills called “flash ups” simulated getting a ship ready for sea. During these flash ups, students worked in teams of eight, with each member having a specific role. Most students were in charge of starting different pieces of equipment throughout the different workshops and buildings on the base, while two were in a control room managing the overall picture and in charge of communications. All the students tried each of the eight positions at least once.

Getting to know sailors from other navies on a personal level was also beneficial, according to SLt Puritt. While on the course they lived and ate together, and used the same gym facilities.

 “We spent a lot of time discussing and learning about their ships, while also talking to them about our own ships and their similar constructions and equipment choices,” SLt Puritt says.

His course-mate, SLt Reece Cramer, agrees.

“Training with the British allowed us to compare and contrast practices and perspectives, and there was a sense of wanting to leave a positive impression and represent our country well in such an international setting,” he says.

He adds that this helped strengthen ties between navies.

“HMS Sultan provides unique training opportunities to our Marine Systems Engineering officers,” notes Ryan Ward-Hall, Assistant Head of Department – Current Operations for Naval Personnel and Training Group. “The quality of training, training aides and experience that our sailors receive at HMS Sultan are of the highest quality and generates quality officers for the RCN. HMS Sultan also exposes our young sailors to what life in other Navies is truly like and they are able to bring that experience back to Canada to help improve the RCN throughout their careers.”

All the sailors on the course were able to experience England in their free time, travelling by train and visiting places such as London, Bath, Dover, Canterbury and Portsmouth.

SLt Puritt and SLt Cramer are now at Naval Fleet School Pacific in Esquimalt, B.C., where they are undergoing further training before being posted to ships.

The Systems Engineering Management course at Sultan is managed on behalf of the RCN by Naval Personnel and Training Group.