Navy artificers.

[bob10]

I joined in 1964, as an Engine Room Artificer Apprentice. After a number of name changes, ended up a CPOMTP. [ Marine technical propulsion.] However, my mates and I will always be ERA'S. Our apprentice system mirrored the RN's.

[ame]https://youtu.be/KM5kzGSWJIY[/ame]

[carlschmid2002]

Pillow Fights?

[bob10]

Pillow Fights?

They are English. The video is an R.N. video.

[pop058]

Pillow Fights?

Stokers. what else can you say

[bob10]

Stokers. what else can you say

That part of the video is meant to represent the cross section of Artificers in the RN at the time. The only pillow fight stokers have is with seamans girlfriends. [ place smily face here. for some reason, it's not working.] For the record, Artificers are not, and never have been, stokers.

[pop058]

I joined in 1964, as an Engine Room Artificer Apprentice. After a number of name changes, ended up a CPOMTP. [ Marine technical propulsion.] However, my mates and I will always be ERA'S. Our apprentice system mirrored the RN's.

https://youtu.be/KM5kzGSWJIY

That part of the video is meant to represent the cross section of Artificers in the RN at the time. The only pillow fight stokers have is with seamans girlfriends. [ place smily face here. for some reason, it's not working.] For the record, Artificers are not, and never have been, stokers.

All the MTP's I knew were referred to as stokers

[bob10]

All the MTP's I knew were referred to as stokers

Stokers carry Artificers tool bags. A stoker used to be able to progress to a mechanician , via a fast tracked course at the apprentice school, Quakers hill [ shut down now]. I've known some excellent mechanicians, who gave nothing away to any tiffie. Another avenue was the direct entry tiffie, a qualified tradesman who, if selected, came in at the rank of ERA2.

Stokers came in as general entry sailors, via HMAS Cerberus. Artificers entered via HMAS Nirimba, as apprentices aged 15 to 16. after 4 years apprenticeship, they joined the fleet as ERA3 [ leading seaman] where practical training began in learning the operation of every type of machine on the ship, eg evaporators, turbo generators, boilers , steam turbines. At this point, the training mirrored the stokers training in the operation of the machinery. Also, young Tiffies participated in boiler cleans, bilge cleans, and every other dirty job Stokers did, to keep them grounded. Tiffies had to get every machinery watchkeeping certificate before they could progress in the Artificer stream.

While getting the mwc's, young ERA3's worked with ERA2's, & ERA1's, learning the finer points of maintaining all the machinery they had on board.
I guess the fundamental difference between Stokers & Tiffies was the Stokers operated the machinery, Tiffies operated and maintained it. As mentioned, motivated stokers could enter the Tiffie mainstream by being selected for mechanician training. I've never met a bad mechanician. No sailor in the old navy ever called a Tiffie a stoker.

[pop058]

So as a CPOMTP, you were never referred to as a Chief Stoker ??

[bob10]

Interested members could find out more by reading 'Skilled Hands at Sea ".

SKILLED HANDS AT SEA - HMAS Nirimba Story

Engineering training

http://www.ran-skilledhands.org/libr...nds_at_sea.htm

[bob10]

So as a CPOMTP, you were never referred to as a Chief Stoker ??

Never. You were a Tiffie, or Chief Tiffie. There was always only one Chief Tiffie, and one Chief Stoker. Woe betide any ERA1 who allowed himself to be called Chief Stoker, if the real Chief heard.