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April2017

QE Class FIT Programme delivers early resultsPreparations for the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers into Portsmouth ramped up last month with the start of Phase 2 of FIT trials.

The Familiarisation, Integration, Testing and Training (FIT) programme aims to make sure that when the first of the Navys Queen Elizabeth carriers arrives, our equipment, personnel and procedures all work in a slick, seamless and efficient manner.

The FIT methodology was originally used at Heathrow Airport to ensure the opening of Terminal 2 was without any of the teething problems experienced when Terminal 5 opened.

Phase 2 of the QE Class FIT programme has been centred on the use of a scaffold replica of parts of HMS Queen Elizabeth in the North Corner of the Naval Base, and nicknamed by staff as HMS Mock-up. The structure replicates one of the carriers huge aircraft lifts and various brow attachment points.

Many different teams within the Naval Base have taken part in these valuable exercises. Testing has included moving and attaching both large and small brows (gangways) at various tidal heights, safely and efficiently craning 20ft containers

and caged pallets on and off the ship using various types of mobile lifting equipment.

The teams have also been taking timings of mass people flows both on and off of the ship with the overall aim of making sure that delays are minimised.

The Naval Base security team has been using the opportunity to check their procedures and our Emergency Response Team has been holding casualty evacuation exercises in conjunction with Hampshire Fire and Rescue services.

The FIT programme has already yielded many valuable insights for the teams that have participated, not least of all, the timings taken for various activities on which future estimates will be based.

A good example of a FIT benefit is that the vehicle originally designated to manoeuvre the brows into position had slick tyres, which proved problematic in terms of having enough traction when the concrete surface was wet. As a result an alternative vehicle was tested and found to be far more suitable for the task.

There will be at least two further FIT phases over the coming months, so by the time the first of the two new carrier arrives, the teams here at Portsmouth Naval Base will be fully prepared.

QE Class FIT Programme delivers early results

2 Aircraft Carrier Alliance News

The Aircraft Carrier programme continues to drive forward at pace and in the last few weeks, weve seen the further testing of systems and software.

These will provide the critical safety, mission and platform operational capability for HMS Queen Elizabeth when she takes to the water under her own power this summer.

The Ships company is already working and eating on board full time and were focussed on completing this final stage of shore-side testing and finalising all of the required activities for them to start living on board in advance of her maiden sea trials. A key milestone in the route to the ships staff living on board was the recent successful first testing of the Inergen System, a key part in the ships fixed firefighting arrangements. The effort and performance of the team delivering this incredibly complex programme is no more essential now in this phase of the programme than ever before, but with the eyes of the Nation upon us and our Customers eagerly anticipating the delivery of the ship by the end of the year, the programme for HMS Queen Elizabeth is never more critical and reliant on the diverse skills, experience and expertise of the team.

In my last blog I talked about collaboration and the strength we find when we pool our collective knowledge to achieve our goals. Our achievements are a result of our people bringing

their individual talents to the table, solving challenges and delivering on our commitments to our customers, and its essential that we continue to foster an inclusive working environment where individuals all play a valuable part in achieving our shared success.

To me, diversity is about more than simply metricating our organisation or considering the gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation of the people we work with. Its about harnessing the collective strength of experience, skills, talent, perspectives and culture that each person brings to our organisation.

Occasions like our Alliance Leadership Conference, which we held last week, are great for reinforcing the value that this mix of experiences offers. Bringing together our most senior colleagues from across the programme, we really were able to share thoughts, challenges and opportunities to ultimately strengthen the way we lead the programme in the coming weeks and months. We focused on shared goals and creating the environment where our employees continue to be inspired by delivering the Nations Flagships and excited and motivated that together well play a critical part in shaping in the Year of the Navy and strengthening the UK defence capability beyond.

In the last month, we have also hosted senior stakeholders, including the Secretary of State for Defence, the First Sea Lord and the Chief of the Air Staff. Each of our guests recognise that what were doing on this

programme is unprecedented in both scale and complexity, but have left Rosyth with a sense of just how HMS Queen Elizabeth is coming to life, and how HMS Prince of Wales, following only two-years behind her sister ship, is progressing well into her outfit phase. In the coming weeks shell achieve one of her key milestones when the Artisan 3D Radar is installed onto the ship another defining moment in her forming her iconic shape. The radar will be the Royal Navys main medium range surveillance and target designation radar for surface ships. The lessons being learned from HMS Queen Elizabeth are being captured and built into our plans and the approach were taking on HMS Prince of Wales. Our guests have been impressed with how our teams are transferring knowledge between the two ships thanks to the committed and talented people we employ across the programme, both in Rosyth and across the UK and in our wider supply chain.

In the coming weeks well be launching a refreshed ACA website, with specific micro-sites for each of the ships hosting new images and videos from the recent weeks and months. Look out for this and dont forget that you can continue to follow us on Twitter @QEClassCarriers.

Ian

Diversity - blog by Ian Booth

Get all the latest news and gossip on our twitter feed!@HMSPWLS@QEClassCarriers@HMSQnlz

Hes only gone and won it! Page 4

Deadweight survey and incline experiment Page 8

The Aft End Bullet - Tom Bird Page 11

HMS Prince of Wales Mission Systems Latest News Page 10

3 Aircraft Carrier Alliance News

In three short years, workers at the Aircraft Carrier Alliance have raised 20,000 to help a charity in Clackmannanshire.

Gillian Forsyth has been carrying out her day job as a Materials Supply Planning Lead while helping lead the programmes charitable and fundraising activity. Gillian has been involved in a variety of fundraising activities during her eight years with the Aircraft Carrier Alliance including two cycling challenges; one following an aircraft carrier block from its build hall in Govan to the construction site in Rosyth,

and the other following a block from Portsmouth to Rosyth.

As part of her charitable efforts Gillian set up a tuck shop in Building 102, Rosyth to provide tasty treats for her colleagues while raising much needed funds for Seagull Trust Cruises, a charity which runs free cruises on Scotlands canals for people with special needs.

Gillian spends a considerable amount of her own time, along with Mission Systems co-worker Brian Glennie, during the weekends collecting provisions for the tuck shop.

The 20,000 cheque donated is the largest single donation to a charity made by those in Building 102 and represents Gillians

hard work and commitment as well her colleagues appetites. On average this has equated to 49,000 chocolate bars, 20,000 bags of crisps, 30,000 cans of juice and 300 ice creams! Gillian has her regular customers; Drifter man, Mr Topic and Mr McCoy who has to have his daily supply of Ready Salted (no other flavour will do) Crisps. Bad boy is also a regular. His name relates a flavour of pot noodle (of course!).

Gillian presented the cheque for 20,000 to Seagull Trust Cruises at their AGM on Saturday 4 March. Gillian said: The response has been incredible and Id like to thank everyone who has contributed their money as well as their appetite to the cause. Im overwhelmed by the generosity of my colleagues and the support I have received to achieve this amazing target.

I have seen first-hand the difference our donation can make and being a Falkirk girl I have been able to visit the

team and wave at passing barges along the canal.

Charitable work has become a way of life for me, whether its organising a fundraising event or devoting time to help with projects. Meeting the people who benefit from donations, no matter how small or large, and seeing the difference we can make to those who are less fortunate makes it all worthwhile.

Jim McKellar of Seagull Trust Cruises said: We would like to thank Gillian and her colleagues at the Aircraft Carrier Alliance for this incredible donation, and for their continued support. Gillian has helped raise a substantial amount of money and has dedicated a significant amount of her own time to raising much needed funds for Seagull Trust Cruises. Her commitment to helping the cause means our volunteers can continue to support people with special needs.

A tasty sum indeed! - Gillian Forsyth handing Jim McKellar, Chairman of Seagull Trust Cruises, Falkirk Branch, a cheque for 20,000.

Aircraft Carrier Alliance delivers a sweet result for Seagull Trust Cruises Charity

4 Aircraft Carrier Alliance News

In last months Carrier Waves we shared the news that Combat Systems Brian Onyiuke was participating in BBCs Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week programme. The programme came to an end on Sunday 5 March with Brian being named as the winner of the show!

Brian was competing against 20 others and was subjected to gruelling challenges from of six of the worlds toughest special forces teams, including US Army Special Forces and Frances GIGN, the elite law enforcement and special ops team of the French National Guard.

We caught up with Brian and asked him how it felt to be named as the winner of the show. The feeling is immense!

Its been almost a year since I returned from South Africa and I still cant seem to shake off the great sense of pride I have in my accomplishment. There is no greater feeling than having all your hard work rewarded especially when you pour your heart and soul into it. I honestly didnt think Id win it as I was up against some really impressive people with serious credentials. My only aim was to do my best in every challenge - to learn, adapt and push myself to complete each task, and hope it was enough to see me through...and it was!

I have taken away a great deal from the experience. From invaluable lessons on self-discipline, integrity, team work and leadership to indispensable life skills such as bush craft, survival, map reading, navigation/orienteering and weapons handling. Ive also come out of the process with a greater sense of self, a renewed perspective of what the human mind and body is capable of in the most extreme circumstances,

and an overwhelming boost in confidence in my ability to overcome any challenge I face in life, no matter how daunting. I am living proof that anyone, no matter who they are or what difficulties they face, can achieve anything they set their hearts on if they believe in themselves and work tirelessly towards their goals.This year I aim to combine my love for adventure with fund raising for charitable causes. It all kicks off in April when I aim

to complete the Isle of Wight Coastal Path Walk, a 63 mile trek round the island, in as little as 3 days. In June its all about the National Three Peaks challenge which involves climbing the three highest peaks in England, Wales and Scotland, all within 24 hours. And finally, Im off to Tanzania in August where I aim to complete a 10 day hike via the Machame route to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and back down again.

Hes only gone and won it!Mission Systems Brian Onyiuke wins BBCs

Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week programme

5 Aircraft Carrier Alliance News

Do you work with someone who does that little bit more than they need to? Someone who is always there to lend a helping hand? You can recognise people for their efforts through the ACA Recognition Scheme.

The recognition scheme is for everyone working on the ACA Programme, regardless of which company you work for or what uniform you wear. From Planning to Production, all can be recognised and that includes members of the Ships Companies on both ships. All thats required is the completion of a short recognition submission form and the recognition committee, consisting of people from across all companies on

the ACA Programme, including Trade Union representation, will review submissions every month.

Shown below are the categories of recognition that make up the ACA Values of how we work.

Health and Safety Quality Delivery Collaborative Working Ownership Respect and Valuing People

We all appreciate being recognised for what we do and knowing that we add value to our fellow ACA colleagues, so remember to give credit where credit is due and nominate a person or team for their efforts through the ACA recognition scheme.

Recognition scheme submission forms can be found in the following locations.

HMS Queen Elizabeth

J Berth Amenities & Workshop K Berth Amenities & Workshop Building 102 Building 1035 Building 2022 Building 2024

HMS Prince of Wales

PWLS Hangar Deck - Store and Key Hub

In compartment 5RX0 Outside compartment 5KD2 Stairwells of Buildings 101,

392N & S 392 North & South Amenities Yorkon Amenities Building 101

You can also make nominations via email to programmeaim@babcockinternational.com

Give credit where credit is due.

People are key to the delivery of the ships and everyones contribution matters. We need to value these contributions and the ACA recognition scheme allows us to do this.

Jon Pearson, HMS Queen Elizabeth Programme Director

ACA

REC O G N

ITIO

N

The ACA Recognition Scheme

We will support, value and reward colleagues who deliver above expectations.

Neil Holm, HMS Prince of Wales Programme Director

6

Leadership Spotlight - Neil Holm, HMS Prince of Wales Programme Director

On 13 February, Neil Holm became the new HMS Prince of Wales Programme Director with Angus Holt returning to the Clyde and re-joining BAEs Naval Ships in a new role as Business Improvement Director. Neil has moved from his previous role as Head of Programme on HMS Queen Elizabeth, where he was responsible for the overall programme management and operational delivery. Neil was also responsible for the aircraft carriers Programme Management organisation and was deputy to the Ship Delivery Director.

In previous roles, Neil managed the quad-nation contract for the delivery of Typhoon aircraft to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Eurofighter GmbH in Munich. Prior to this he managed the first flight and delivery of the Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 2 development aircraft.

We spoke to Neil to learn more about his previous role on HMS Queen Elizabeth and his plans and view on his new role.

There were some real challenges in how we drove the HMS Queen Elizabeth programme forward as an integrated team. I am massively proud of how we managed to achieve that

as a team. I am still 100% committed to

supporting the HMS Queen Elizabeth team

on successful Sea Trials and vessel

acceptance by the Royal Navy and

think there are many lessons

we can bring through

to HMS Prince of Wales.

The ability to understand how we move from volume outfit and undocking into the next phase of the programme is vital. Focus will be given to systems and area completion which will enable both the commissioning programme and the compartment completion and handover programme. The experiences, tools and techniques we created on HMS Queen Elizabeth will be applied and developed to ensure we deliver an outstanding ship which improves on what we achieved on HMS Queen Elizabeth, relative to schedule, cost and quality.

A big year lies ahead for HMS Prince of Wales. My first impression is that the team has made really great progress. The improvements made on quality standards, care and protection of work completed and cleanliness are very good. I believe that the people working on HMS Prince of Wales and the way in which they work are really good. We will have to fully utilise everyones abilities and bring across significant Learning from Experience from HMS Queen Elizabeth and potentially from outside the programme, to achieve the schedule and cost challenges the programme faces. This starts with flood up later this year, which Tom Niven and his team are driving hard to achieve. This is a key enabler for us. Completing all the work on the shaft line and the motors will allow us to drive forward with the Power & Propulsion schedule, one of the critical areas of the programme.

With such a capable team in place, I have no doubt we can achieve our targets but it will require everyone working together as one team, delivering one plan. What were delivering is incredibly complex incredibly significant for the Nation. Well need all of our good people working together to achieve it, and firmly believe we will achieve our goals.

Aircraft Carrier Alliance News

7

The adoption of mobile technology into our daily way of working is vital in remaining competitive and providing efficient support to the QE Class Carriers.

Known as Mobile Working, mobile technology has been developed to ensure In Serivce Support to HMS Queen Elizabeth

is not just faster but more accurate.

Simon Hunt, Head of Information Knowledge Management for BAE Systems said: As part of our Mobile Working programme, we have been trialling a LAN over Power technology on HMS Dauntless as a means of proving connectivity throughout a ship the size of a QE Class aircraft carrier.

Last year, our Project Manager, Ian Colvin took part in what we think is the first Skype call

using the technology from on-board HMS Dauntless.

Installing Wi-Fi on-board following the delivery of HMS Queen Elizabeth to Portsmouth means that Mobile Working can be enabled. This will provide support operations teams with smartphones, which will utilise a secure mobile service. On each smart phone a work order app, Ships and Various Vessel Information (SAVVI), will provide our teams with live data on all assigned work orders.

HMS Queen Elizabeth is a vast ship with 3,013 compartments, to ensure maintenance is carried out efficiently, it is vital that Wi-Fi can be enabled so the SAVVI app is fully functional.

Accessing Wi-Fi on-board the ship will mean that Operations teams can email, call or text their team leader or planner as and when they need to, helping deliver operational effectiveness and enhanced productivity.

A key feature of SAVVI is the ability to review each work order upon completion with a red or green rating, alongside a box to type additional queries or feedback. BAE Systems Operations teams will have a digital voice, which will feed directly back to the support team who will use this data to drive out recurring issues and drive up efficiency. This will be achieved by analysing the results and monitoring wrench time, thanks to the accurate time capture feature within the app.

Les Gregory, BAE Systems Product and Training Services Director, explained the next steps to be taken, The next stage of work to integrate this technology on-board QE Class is now in progress.

This is a big step forward, as we seek to provide more information based services to the Royal Navy.

HMS Queen Elizabeth News

Sunrise at Rosyth The Islands of HMS Queen Elizabeth stand out against the morning sky with the current and new Forth Road Bridges behind her.

Mobile working takes a step closer on HMS Queen Elizabeth

8 HMS Queen Elizabeth News

The Naval Architect Team. From Left to Right - Mark Way, Alex Headrick, Finlay Robertson, Lindsey Kinsella, Robert Haynes, Nick Brophy, Chris McNair.

Naval Architects based in Rosyth will shortly commence a deadweight survey of HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The small team of highly trained specialists visit every compartment on the vessel; over 3000 compartments or tanks. They will record the weight and position of every piece of equipment that is not part of the lightship condition and any equipment still to be fitted. The objective is to produce an accurate record of the vessel condition. Due to the sheer number of compartments, the activity will take over three weeks and needs to account for other production and commissioning activities that will also be underway.

An Incline Experiment will then take place to determine the vessels actual weight and corresponding centre of gravity. These are key parameters to determine the vessels stability, a key measure to allow her to proceed safely to sea.

The incline experiment itself is a one day operation which involves

conducting a series of controlled weight movements across the ship, to and from fixed positions. This happens on the Flight Deck with a forklift moving multiple eight tonne ballast blocks for each measurement. After each weight movement, the change of the vessels position in the water is recorded manually using a traditional pendulum arrangement. This information is needed to determine the ships metacentre (GM) and then, with other data, the position of the ships vertical centre of gravity.

As well as this, the team will record the draught marks before and after the trial to ensure any changes that affect the recording

can be accounted for which includes the consumption of diesel during the trial.

The team will take seawater density readings at the water surface as the ships draught can be different in fresh water compared to salt, due to the density of the water. In fresh water a greater volume of water needs to be displaced due to the lower density of the water and thereby the ship sits lower in the water even though the weight hasnt changed. This needs to be accounted for by the team.

A similar operation was undertaken at the undocking of the ship. That deadweight

survey resulted in over 100,000 separate entries. From this baseline, the condition of the ship has changed throughout the last two years due to continued outfitting and commissioning of the tanks and systems. Due to critical safety limits surrounding the ship trim, heel and under-keel clearance, these changes to the ships condition are monitored on a daily basis. The Naval Architect team depends on a close working relationship with the production and commissioning teams and most recently with the ships staff, to understand and maintain the ship in an upright condition with adequate clearance under the keel.

One of the Naval Architect team assessing the material at the Fwd End of HMS Queen Elizabeths Hangar Deck in preparation for the incline experiment.

Naval architects carry out deadweight survey and incline experiment

9 HMS Prince of Wales News

ACA Recognition Spotlight HMS Prince of Wales Hoist & Safety Response Team

The Hoist and Safety Response (HSR) Team from HMS Prince of Wales has been recognised through the ACA Recognition Scheme against the value of Health and Safety

Mick Graham, the Health and Safety Officer on HMS Prince of Wales, explained why he nominated the team for recognition. The HSR Team shows good support to all employees on-board when issues arise which require immediate attention. From covering open penetrations/cable glands to putting yellow mushrooms and insulation caps on pins, the guys always produce a high level of support.

We spoke with Tam MacInnes, one of the team, to ask how he felt about being recognised and how he approaches his working day. Im actually quite chuffed.

Its nice to be recognised and to feel like Im making a difference. Our working day is very reactive. Every issue we deal with is different and the way we need to deal with each often requires a bespoke solution.

As a team, we ensure all the Alimak lifts and Scot Hoists are operational and safe as this machinery is vital for getting equipment and materials on-board the ship. We also deal with any on the spot health and safety issues reported to us by our colleagues on HMS Prince Wales, then take steps to resolve them as quickly as possible.

Talking about his biggest challenge, Tam said We are a relatively new team, having been formed in September 2016, and we have to get the message out to those working on HMS Prince of Wales why we are here and ensure we keep people safe.

Making something work that didnt previously gives me the most satisfaction. I really

enjoy problem solving. In my spare time I work a lot on old engines and I just love making broken ones work again.

For example, I really enjoyed sorting out an earth cable issue we had on HMS Queen Elizabeth. Earth cables were being run from the dockside to the ship but kept burning out. I built an earthed plate at the side of the dog kennels, from which

I ran the earth cables onto the ship which solved the problem.

I would like to thank everyone working on HMS Prince of Wales for coming forward with their safety concerns so we can get them resolved. Please keep these coming. Thanks also to Mick Graham for recognising us and to Tom Niven for getting the HSR team set up last year.

Stacy Gager promoted to WO1

CPO Stacy Gager was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer 1 in February. He joined the RN in November 1993 as an aircraft handler and has served on HMS Fearless (twice), HMS Ocean, HMS Illustrious (three times) and HMS Ark Royal.

Up until 2012, when not at sea, Stacy worked at RNAS Yeoviltons Fire Station, being employed from fire fighter to watch manager, as well as the Fire Training Manager.

In 2013 he was a part of the first Air Handler Tranche to go on the Long Lead Specialist

Skills programme, where he was deployed for nine months on the US Navy Aircraft Carriers USS EISENHOWER and TRUMAN. On return to the UK, he was one of the chief instructors at the School of Flight Deck Operations, followed by working at Carrier Strike aviation capability at Navy Command HQ, before joining HMS Prince of Wales in Nov 2016.

On HMS Prince of Wales WO1 Gager is the Air departmental co-ordinator and is working on the build-up of the department personnel in support of the ships build.

Stacy lives in Yeovil, Somerset, has two children and enjoys spending as much time as possible with them when home. His other interests include going to the gym, cycling and generally spending time outdoors.

10

Billy McEvoy, a Transit Blocker, has been recognised through the ACA Recognition Scheme against the value of Health and Safety.

Stewart Weir, a Safety Coach on HMS Prince of Wales, explained why he nominated Billy for recognition. Billy takes consideration in his work to ensure it doesnt put himself or others at risk. He chooses the correct PPE and addresses his POWSA whenever his task takes him to a different location. Billy also frequently attends the Level 4 Safety forum and offers good input.

We spoke to Billy to hear about his role and how he feels about being recognised

Its fantastic. Its good to be recognised for my working practices and getting on with the job in hand in a safe manner.

I try my best to work as safely as I can. In terms of my approach, I always try and make my working environment safe and use common sense. To me, its all about assessing the situation before you go to work. I learned this from my time in the Army we were educated to assess the situation before moving forward.

I am a Transit Blocker. I make sure there arent too many cables in the transit, trying and sort them by size and make sure the banks look tidy. The biggest challenge lies in working up in the racks and trying to get between the ducts, racks and pipes to do my job. Its a tight squeeze to get in some of these positions!

I appreciate being noticed for the work I do and doing my

work to the best of my abilities. Having worked on both ships, I really enjoyed when HMS Queen Elizabeth moved from No.1 Dock to J/K Berth. I was sure she was going to fit over there!

Keith Benson, Babcock Network Engineerings Operations Manager, also shared his views on Billy. Billy started working with us in November 2012 at the commencement of cable installation works on HMS Queen Elizabeth. From the outset, it was recognised

that Billy demonstrated an aptitude for the task and quickly developed the necessary skills for the packing of penetrations. Billy has proven to be an asset to both the business and the project. Over time he has also shown a positive attitude towards Working Safely and has provided valuable contributions to the Level 4 Safety Forums which he has attended. Well done Billy, a most deserved Recognition. Take pride in this award and keep up the good work!

HMS Prince of WalesMission Systems Latest News

The Mission Systems team has been hard at work on HMS Prince of Wales and is making great progress.

Mission System compartments, in particular node rooms, now have Integrated Network Electronics (INE) equipment installed ahead of the DCZ 1-4 set-to-work activity planned for early April.

The underwater sensor installation for Integrated

Navigation Bridge System (INBS) is progressing well in line with the undocking programme. With the staged scaffolding programme having commenced in March, key Mission System equipment such as Navigation Lights Signals and Shapes (NLSS) Navigation Lights are to be installed.

In the Bridge, the Balfour Beatty and Babcock Networks team is continuing to install cabling and conduit as part of the INBS installation.

33 out of 38 console desks in the Ops Room have now been mechanically built with 27 of these permanently in position. The Tween Desk frames have arrived and both the Principle Warfare Officer (PWO) and Surface Picture Supervisor (SPS) Tween Desks have been fully assembled.

Mechanically completed console desks within the Ops Room.

HMS Prince of Wales News

ACA Recognition Spotlight Billy McEvoy

11 HMS Prince of Wales News

April 2017

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The Aft End Bullet-Tom BirdAn HMS Prince of Wales Aft End Project Manager has just returned from competing in the British Army Ice Sports Championship, held in Innsbruck, Austria.

Tom Bird, a Royal Engineer Reservist, was participating in his third consecutive championship and we spoke to Tom about the event and experience.

I was asked to organise Royal Engineer participation in the event a few years ago and wanted to understand the sport first hand. Various branches of the Army are invited to compete in each of the three disciplines: Luge, Skeleton or Bobsleigh. I competed for the Royal Engineers at Luge.

There were about 50 male and female competitors from the Regular and Reserves Services.

With luge, there isnt a lot of preparation required at this level; actually sliding is the only real practice you can do for race day. Getting the best line is what will win you the race. The bobsleigh and skeleton have a more intensive training regime as the faster they can start at the top of the track the faster they will go.

I came back in one piece albeit slightly bruised! I was up against some great sliders and lost out by a couple of seconds. I set no personal speed records but had a great time. My top speed at the event was 103kph.

Apart from thinking about next years Championships, I continue to work towards undocking and HV/LV set to work in DCZ5. It was nice to come

back after two

weeks away

and see some of

the progress towards our

milestones.

Ships Company Technical Cell opens on board HMS Prince of Wales

On Thursday 2 March, Rear Admiral Keith Blount OBE (Assistant Chief of Naval Staff, Aviation, Amphibious Capability and Carriers) opened the Ships Company technical cell on-board HMS Prince of Wales in 2RY0. HMS Prince of Wales Ships Company is employed in the quality management process as part of Support to Build working alongside their Industrial colleagues and focusing on improving quality and reducing cost.

Compartment 2RY0 is a permanent office for Ships Company on-board during the build process. This office provides Wi-Fi access to IT, telephones and secure storage. The 2QB2 office will become the focal point of the quality observation activities after some collaborative working and engagement between Alliance Industrial Partners and Royal Navy personnel. It will and be manned by Royal Navy personnel daily in the working week. In addition, 2QB2 will shortly become a training room for both the Ships Company and ACA personnel.

HMS Prince of Wales high visibility vests have been commissioned so that Ships Company will be recognisable when on-board and these have been kindly paid for by one of the Ships affiliates, Greenwich Hospital. This is a major part of the Ships Company taking shared ownership of the Ship and becoming rightly proud of the vessel theyll take to sea.

Senior Naval Officer, Capt Ian Groom commented: We look forward to further playing our role in bringing a ship out of build and working closely with our industrial partners to achieve this.

RAdm Blount and Capt Groom in 2RY0 with members of the Ships Company

Ships Company showing how the new

high visibility vest makes her stand out

in the workplace.

April 2017

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