Our Royal Navy Cadets arrived bright and early at Whale Island for the Damage Repair Instructional Unit trip. Upon arrival they were taught about what it’s like to work on board a ship and what is expected of everyone.
Cadets were shown what clothing is needed to be worn when fighting a fire on board a ship. Two Cadets competed to get the firefighting uniform and gear on the quickest. This was followed by a session on how to put out different kinds of fires.
All Cadets then donned on fire fighting uniforms and each had a chance to put out a fire. Cadets used special thermal imaging cameras to be able to see where the hottest part of the fire was.
Due to a mechanical fault cadets couldn’t go into the Phoenix Damage Repair and Instruction unit, instead Cadets were then taught how to use blocks of wood to plug gaps in the hull of a ship and given a talk about ship stability. They also got the chance to sink a model ship. It is surprising how much water a ship can hold before it sinks. They were then given time to make their own ships using wooden drink stirrers corks and sellotape. Cadets then got to see how many marbles were needed to sink each of the ships.