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Navy News mm MARCH
Jennies now able — haw many are willing?
WIVES'
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KB PROTESTS by some naval wives who oppose the decision that Wrens should serve at sea have taker! the form of forceful opinions in interviews and letters, and in petitions. In several naval areas petitions were received by senior officers, who met representatives of the wives to explain the reasons for the Navy decision and offer reassurances. Marches included those at Portsmouth and Plymouth — attended by between 20-30 people in each case — with banners in evidence bearing slogans such as "Higher divorce rate" and "Broken marriages". There have also been reports of letters to the Prime Minister and the Duchess of York. Some of the anxieties expressed by wives are outlined in the selection of letters published in this edition — which represent views both in favour of and against the decision.
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BY ALLOWING Wrens to serve in combat warships, probably the most emotive decision since abolition of the Tot 20 years ago, the Royal Navy has produced a diversity of strong opinions throughout the Fleet and beyond — not least among Service wives.
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First of the ships in line for boarding by the Wrens are the carriers HMS Invincible and Ark Royal, the assault ship Fearless, the navigation training ship Juno, and a number of Type 22 frigates. Some Wrens are expected to be afloat before the end of the year. Among the first at sea will be members of the Radio Operator, Radar, and some Supply and Secretariat and Air Engineering categories. An implementation team will also examine ways in which the policy can be extended to all the Operational and Engineering branches. Some QARNNS may also go to sea in due course. The plan is for the overall proportion of a ship's company to be about 10-15 per cent Wrens, with a single ship maximum of 20 per cent. In the first instance there may be about 50-60 Wrens serving in a carrier. Serving members of the WRNS will have the opportunity to volunteer and those selected will be given sea training. From a date to be announced all new recruits will be required to accept liability • Turn to page 16
Sights firmly set on the future as Wrens contemplate life at sea: pictured on board HMS Gloucester are, from left, RO1 Jason Pringle, and visitors Wren (Radio Operator) Crystal Simmonds (HMS Osprey) and Wren Caron Wallace, who has been serving at Northwood.
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Trident plans IT IS hoped to order the third of Britain's Trident submarines this spring and to issue the tender for the fourth later in the year, it was stated in the Commons Navy debate. The Navy's nuclear powered submarines are being inspected as they come alongside from their operational tasks "as a prudent precaution", it was also stated. This follows a defect discovered in one of the boats. The decision to keep submarines at sea on operational tasks pending inspection when they return to port, had been taken in the light of independent safety advice. "The Royal Navy's submarines operate within tried and tested safety margins and we regard the safety of submarine crews as of paramount importance." There had been no radiation leak or injury to anyone.
Ops. Room preview
The break with tradition, more radical and controversial than had been predicted, opens up a range of opportunities for women, not excluding eventual warship command and the highest ranks of the Service.
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1990
Reflecting a possible future Ops Room scene in a major RN warship, this mixed-manning shot, taken on board HMS Gloucester during a visit to the Thames, shows, from the left: LS(Radar) Simon Bailey, Wren(Radar) Claire Hughes, Ueut.-Cdr. Malcolm Sillars (Ops. officer), and Wren(Radar) Angela Hares. Pictures: PO<Phot) Stuart Antrobus, DPR(N).
'Women, sailors and Navy will benefit'
SEA service by Wrens — essential if the Navy is to avoid running into substantial manning difficulties and to give greater career opportunities for Wrens — represents a major change of policy rather than a trial or MORE news and views on experiment, it was made inside pages about Wrens at clear by the Second Sea Lord sea, including: (Admiral Sir Brian Brown) in an interview with Navy News. • Readers' letters and pictures — page 17 But he recognised the opposition and apprehension of some wives • Cartoons — pages 7 and said visits would be made to and 16 port areas, particularly by his own
Personnel Liaison Team, to talk to wives and listen to their concerns so that they could be taken into account as detailed plans were formulated for the first Wrens to go to sea. He believed the employment of Wrens at sea would work to the benefit of the women, the sailors and the Navy, and in a tribute to the professionalism of the WRNS in peace and war, said, "Anyone who had experience of what worn-
— Second Sea Lord
en have done in war will have no qualms about the operational implications." Admiral Brown said there would be a prolonged period of evolutionary change, as the number of Wrens and other women — female doctors and perhaps nurses and MAs and so on — slowly built up in various types of ships. Captain Alan West's report into the future employment of the
WRNS had represented the outcome of six months' intensive study, including visiting all the other navies which had women at sea; finding how they tackled the situation; and what were the problems. This had provided all the detailed information necessary before the recent decisions had been made. Admiral Brown said that from the manning point of view the need for the change was undisputed because of future reduced availability of young men to man the • Turn to page 16
STAGING FOR PAY AWARD THIS year's Services pay award is to be implemented in two stages — one involving a seven per cent increase operating from April 1 and the other effective from next Janu-
ary. The award also features increases in retention bonuses and an uprating of the X-factpr. For full details, including the new daily pay ra*es. see page 36.