It is my great pleasure to tell you about my most exciting day at work in a long time.
Since I started working at Terma six months ago, I had been excitingly waiting for the opportunity to go aboard a ship equipped with both our C-Flex C2 and C-Guard decoy launching system. Finally, the opportunity came, and as if that was not exciting enough, I was told that the ship would not just stay in harbor, but also take us out sailing.
Arrival in Havnebyen
We arrived at Havnebyen in Odsherred (about an hour’s drive from Copenhagen) early in the morning, where a small transfer boat would pick us up and take us to the frigate. I started to feel a bit nervous, as it was the first time I had contact with any part of the military, and I was also afraid that I would become seasick.
Approaching the large ship that would take us sailing, our contact from The Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO), which were our host, and I were told that everyone was to board according to rank. Luckily, I could just tag along our contact. On ship I followed our contact trying not to get lost. Finally, we arrived in a staff room, where I could wait for two of my Terma colleagues, who were on different transfer boats.
Witnessing a drill
The crew had a drill planned; the last one before they would be tested in a Navy training center. Therefore, everyone took the drill very seriously, and everyone was absolutely focused. We were invited to enter the operations room as observers, but had to stay in the back, be quiet and not get in the way (which is very hard in a room that is not made for hosting additional observers). Every station was manned, and with additional observers from DALO, the room was very crowded.
For about 3 hours the crew were faced with several problems they had to solve, including navigation in dangerous waters, simulated contact with an enemy, defending themselves and repairing damages the ship had suffered. If a certain subsystem was not available due to damages it limited the options for counter measures, which resulted in the crew having to work with fewer and less optimal systems or come up with workarounds.
The drill felt so realistic that we even tried to get into a brace position when a simulated impact was about to happen, and someone shouted: “Brace! Brace!”.
Overall, there were two moments during the drill that I found very striking:
Firstly, after one and a half hours of intense work, one of the high-ranking crew members, who was in control in the operations room, left the room to get something to drink for everyone. His decision to also serve lower-ranking crew members was a great example of leadership. Secondly, by the end of the drill, while the crew was removing their safety equipment, a young crew member looked me in the eye and simply said: “Best job in the entire world”. Looking into his eyes, I could tell that he really believed what he said. His passion was something I had rarely seen in any other people.
Wrapping up the day
After lunch, we spent the afternoon on a tour of the ship, also witnessing a helicopter above the ship firing flares celebrating the successful drill. During the tour, I recognized all the systems that we had been discussing back at the office in Søborg. Seeing and touring a ship equipped with our C-Flex system provided sense to many of the problems that we discuss at the office, but which often can be hard to comprehend if you have not seen the ship in reality.
We also had some very informative and constructive meetings with the crew members working with the C-Guard decoy launching system. We discussed their experiences with the system and got some very positive feedback as well as some very valuable input for further improvement.
We ended the day with a meeting before it was abruptly interrupted by one of those calls you would normally experience at the airport – something like “Final call for passengers from Terma”. We quickly went down to a RIB boat and thanked the crew for an exciting and very educational day. Out of all the days, you could visit a ship, I am sure that this was one of the great days, and I hope to be back soon.
The day provided an insight into what our software is made for. I believe it is the best way to understand which situations C-Flex is meant to be used in and serves a great reminder of why we always strive to deliver the best product.
Best wishes,
Anne
