The recent restructure and re-focus of Fleet Support Unit – Australia under the watchful eye of General Manager Jason Aquilina has led to a renewed sense of purpose for the technical sailors at Fleet Support Unit – West.
In addition to providing vital routine maintenance support to the ships, submarines and tankers that call Fleet Base West home, every so often a work request comes across the desk at FSU-W that is out of the ordinary, and recently one such request was received.
On her way to Sydney to participate in the International Fleet Review the tall ship Lord Nelson called into Fremantle. Whilst alongside, the Master of the Lord Nelson approached FSU-W to request their assistance in the rectification of a number of defects.
Jumping at the opportunity to assist, personnel from a number of the FSU System Element Groups (SEGS) stepped up and undertook repairs to a number of navigation, broadcast, alarm, battery charging, diesels and switchboard systems.
“The big attraction was not so much the equipment itself but a desire to help out a good cause. The Lord Nelson is operated by the Jubilee Sailing Trust to give people with disabilities an opportunity to sail, so we were pretty keen to do our bit to help, and, of course, it’s a very different environment to an RAN major fleet unit,” said the Production Manager, FSU-W, Lieutenant Brian Gall.