Thread: Navy artificers.

Just to confuse the issue further, senior sailors in the Tiffie branch had the opportunity to sit for a " Charge ' certificate.Briefly, this certificate is awarded to Senior Marine Technical personnel who have acquired the practical and technical expertise dealing with the construction , operation and maintenance of machinery and equipment fitted in steam powered ships , [ in my case], to enable him to take charge of the Marine Engineering Dept. in the absence of a Marine Engineering Officer. Needless to say, a Tiffie could not become a Chief ERA without the charge certificate.

Having said that, when I joined the Patrol boat stream, on the old Attack class boat, Ardent, I joined as the "Charge" Tiff. and until I left the navy, from the Fremantle boat Woolongong, I answered to nothing else but Charge. I was responsible to the C.O. for the administration and efficient running of the engineering branch on the boat. It was a credit to the high calibre of sailors in the Patrol boat stream, that my job was made easy by the fact the sailors were a cut above the norm, IMO. Best time of my career, working out of Darwin, not so good out of Sydney, in Bass Strait, but we were doing an essential job.

Originally Posted by pop058

I have several, but found (another) one at a flea market awhile ago.

Definitely a good read. However, a more informative read is a paperback written by L.G. "Sandy" Freeleagus, called MOBI, the original inhabitant of the RAN's training establishment. Larger than life , I can tell you every story is true, Sandy was not far ahead of me at Nirimba, I remember first hand most of the stories. If you read Skilled Hands at sea, and MOBI, you get a good idea of life in the RAN apprentice training establishment. MOBI used to be sold at the Maritime Museum, Brisbane.