MMUNICATOR Naval suprem acy Redifon's new Naval Radiotelephone equipment is Throughoutthe 1970'sthe Redifon 643 now in Senior Service. Selected by the Royal Navy, will play a key naval role; not only for the Royal the 643 transmitter is the product of private initiative Navy but also for all the most modern navies and development. With its companion CJP throughoutthe world. general-purpose receiver, this new radiotelephone has the vital responsibility of updating medium and long distance communications between redifonB British warships of all classes and shore bases. A Member Company of the Rediffusion Organisation. Despite its big task, the 643 can be ..t.. operated easily with minimum training. Operators Redifon Telecommunications Limited can set rapidly to pre-determined frequencies, Radio Communications Division search crowded bands or hunt for those elusive Broomhill Road coast stations. London SW18 4JQ T e l: 01-874 7281 THE COMMUNICATOR PUBLISHED AT HMS 'MERCURY' The Magazine of the Communications Branch, Royal Navy and the Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society SPRING 1973 VOL 21, No 4 CONTENTS page page Commissioning F orecast 153 Going the Rounds in M ercury ... 163 E ditorial ............................ 154 M ercury T heatre C lub ............... 164 Comprehensive Occupational 20 N autical Questions ............... 166 Analysis ............................ 155 The F leet Section ............................ 167 M r C lifford Ol i v e r ............... 157 Spring C rossword ............................ 195 Letters to the E ditor 157 Communications G azette ................ 196 The Old Order C hangeth ... 159 D rafting—P ull-a-Draft ............... 197 The Long Way H o m e ............... 161 Drafting ......................................... 198 RN Communication Ch iefs’ A ssociation ............... 162 Editor: Lieutenant-Commander J. H. E llis Assistant Editor: Lieutenant-Commander A. Banham Treasurer : Lieutenant A. E. K night Sales Director: Lieutenant M. Murphy Secretary : ROl(G) E. Parkinson Business, Production & Advertisement Manager: Mr Edgar Sercombe, 44, Abbots Ride, Farnham, Surrey COMMISSIONING FORECASTS Editor’s Notf. The following details are forecast only, changes may-well take place at short notice. Details are given in the order: Ship, Type, Date if known, Commitment. Types of service are as follows: GSS General Sea Service HSS Home Sea Service—Accompanied GSC General Commission PS Port Service FS Foreign Service Commission Ltandaff A/A Frigate, May, Commission at Chatham, GSS Home/E of Suez Ajax GP Frigate, June, Commission at Devonport, GSS Home/E of Suez Endurance Ice Patrol Ship, June, Recommission at Portsmouth, GSS Home/SASA Eskimo .. QP Frigate, June, Commission at Chatham, GSS/Home/WI Hermes LPH, June, Commission Devonport, GSS Gurkha . GP Frigate, June. Arethusa GP Frigate, June, C & M Party at Devonport, PS. Tartar . GP Frigate, July, Trials Crew at Portsmouth, PS (Trials). Falmouth AS Frigate, July, LEP Hampshire GM Destroyer, August, Commission at Portsmouth, GSS. Cleopatra GP Frigate, August, C and M party at Devonport, PS. Herald . Survey Ship, September, Reduced trials crew at Leith, PS (BLDG) Salisbury AD Frigate, September, Refit crew at Chatham, PS. Triumph SMS, September, Refit crew at Portsmouth, PS. Herald . Survey Ship, December, Trials crew at Chatham, PS (Trials). Zulu .. GP Frigate, December, Trials crew at Rosyth, PS. Penelope GP Frigate, December, C and M party at Devonport, PS Tartar . GP Frigate, Commission at Portsmouth, GSS Home/WI. 153 HALF-PRICE EDITORIAL It costs us 36Jp to produce one copy of our Our Gazette lists the latest promotions magazine The Communicator. But we sell it to and we offer them our congratulations. But our readers at half this price—18p. We are able if we select one of them for special men­ to do this for two main reasons. First, by using tion, we feel sure that they would agree the revenue we receive from our advertisers to and join all Communicators in congratula­ cut costs, and secondly, by using the subscriptions ting Lieutenant-Commander R. A. Thomp­ we get from our readers when they buy a copy. son (MACO, HMS Mercury) on his pro­ There is a third way but this is rarely used — and motion to Commander. This promotion from that is to reduce the number of pages in any boy telegraphist in 1942 to Commander in particular edition of the magazine. In the normal almost 31 years should prove an inspira­ course we endeavour to publish an edition of 52 tion to all Kellys in HMS Mercury, and to pages since this figure usually means that we all Junior ratings in the Communication ‘break even’. Branch. But sudh promotion does not come In the last edition of T he Communicator we easy. It needs — love of our Royal Navy, mentioned that, notwithstanding the selling price affection for our Communication Branch, of the magazine ought to be increased to 25p, no and a hell of a lot of hard work. But this increase would be made due to the freeze. This will not daunt the right men. still stands. But in order to keep any possible future losses to a minimum this edition, and pos­ sibly the next edition, has been reduced to 48 pages. We are confident that our readers will sup­ port this measure until the freeze clarifies itself. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE Since an extremely important Questionnaire will be despatched to about 3,500 Communicators within the next few months, your editor would like to highlight some of the features contained in the article ‘Comprehensive Occupational Analysis’ which appears on the opposite page. But first let me assure you that this new Ques­ tionnaire has nothing to do with the one issued Lt-Cdr Thompson (MACO) by the WIST Study Team last year. That one was Lieutenant-Commander Thompson joined confined to one aspect of a Communicator’s job HMS St George as a boy seaman on April — his use of books. This one is vastly different 2, 1942, at the age of 15|, from RHS since it seeks information not only about a man’s Holbrook. He became a boy telegraphist professional and technical employment, and his whilst at St George. He passed for a TO participation in ship and other general duties, but in London in November 1944; for LJg Tel also his opinion regarding certain aspects of his in QE in July 1945. Between 1947-49 he was service life. onboard London during the Yangtze Inci­ The Questionnaire itself comprises 80 pages, dent. In 1950 he passed for PO Tel and dur­ and is divided into the seven sections indicated in ing 1951-54 became a wireless instructor and the photograph opposite. It should take about two served in Cossack during the Korean War. hours to complete. You are being asked to give In 1956 he was rated CPO Tel and passed your own personal views to each of the ques­ for Commissioned Communicttion Officer. tions, rather than the views of your messmates, He became a Sub-Lieut(SD)(C) while serv­ and not to be fatuous. Without doubt Communi­ ing in Birmingham between 1957-58 and a cators will go along with this very sensible advice. Lieutenant(SD)(C) in Tiger (1958-61). Pro­ If you are in any doubt you are advised to con­ motion to Lieut-Commander(SD)(S) came sult your divisional officer before answering the when he served in Ganges between 1964-66. questions — but you do NOT have to show him He joined HMS Mercury as MACO in the answers you eventually make. The Question­ 1971. naire is confidential but you are not asked to It is of interest to note that in Boy Tele­ give your name, service number, ship or estab­ graphist Thompson’s class in St George lishment. were Boy Telegraphist Blackwell, now Now please read this important article on COA FCRS(W) Blackwell, and Signal Boy J. bearing in mind that the Communication Branch Riggs, now Lieut-Comdr J. Riggs. is being given the chance to play a part in help­ ing to shape the future of the Royal Navy. 154 THE COMPREHENSIVE OCCUPATIONAL ANALYSIS (COA) TEAM Z SECTIONS PACKED WITH INTERESTING QUESTIONS SECTION A - BACKGROUND DETAILS SECTION G - GENERAL COMMENTS ____ SECTION D - PUBLICATION'S SECTION F - SERVICE CONDITIONS 1 SAMPLE OF QUESTIONS gSECTION E - WORKER CHARACTERISTICS Accepting that pensions w ill increase 2. Given that there would be a continuity with length of service - what do you of naval jobs in any UK area - where 'think is the ideal retirement age? would you prefer to house your family? (from the Service). The Officer-in-Charge, Naval Manpower Utilisation Unit (NM UU), Comdr E. G. S. Walker, with mem­ bers of the COA Team who will be handling the Questionnaires referred to in the Editorial and article on the opposite page. Left to right: Inst Lieut-Comdr R. Hawketts, BSc; Comdr Walker; CPO (Coxswain) G. C. Spencer and CRS B. M. Oxborough. COMPREHENSIVE What does the N M UU do? Formed in 1967, and now located in HMS OCCUPATIONAL ANALYSIS Vernon, its task then was to analyse in depth the by Members of the Naval Manpower Utilisation complement of the Leander class. From then the Unit (NMUU) tasks of the Unit have developed into the two During the recent past a number of strange fields of Task Analysis and Job Analysis. In the faces have been seen in HMS Mercury, some of former area the Unit is currently writing Job In­ whom do not even belong to the Communication formation Cards for planned maintenance in the Branch. (See photograph above.) In fact they Leander class; the preparation of drills in Opera­ all belong to the newly-formed Comprehensive tional Sequence Diagrams format for certain new Occupational Analysis (COA) Team from the ASW and SAGW equipments, and studies in sup­ NMUU which itself in an outport of the Man­ port of the User/Maintainer manning concept and power and Training Department in the Ministry the possible Operations Branch of the future.