UK: Royal Naval Sailor Teaching Foreign Navies

A senior Royal Naval sailor who teaches foreign navies safe engineering at sea off the South West Coast of England has been promoted. Warrant Officer Steve Campbell, 43, originally from Cheadle, is savouring the delights of foreign ships during his latest role at Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) based in Plymouth.

Steve (43) has been promoted to Warrant Officer 1 and is serving at FOST as a weapon engineering instructor for foreign navies undertaking operational sea training.

He embarks on warships off the SW coast daily to ensure safe working practices are observed whilst maintaining high standards of engineering amongst ships from Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Portugal.

Steve passes on his experience gained throughout his career whilst continuing to also learn himself from foreign navies and their differing routines.

He enjoys visiting the different types of ships involved and although the foreign crews generally speak a good standard of English, bridging the language gap does require patience and a sense of humour when occasional misunderstandings occur.

Steve said:

”Many foreign personnel spend up to ten years onboard one ship and take huge pride in the way they ‘own’ their ships, whereas the Royal Navy normally spend about three years in one position before moving on.”

He added:

“Another unexpected side to my current job is the opportunity to sample the different foods on offer.

“Within my present post I have tasted reindeer with the Norwegians, octopus with the Portuguese, who also like red wine with their meals and more types of Bratwurst than I could imagine!”

Steve attended Cheadle High School, prior to joining the Royal Navy in 1986. His long career has seen him serve on HMS Battleaxe and HMS Chatham in the Gulf, HMS Amazon in the Falkland Islands and the West Indies. Most recently he deployed in HMS Somerset to the Far East.

He is married to Joanne, a mental health worker and lives with their two daughters Holly and Kelsey in Plymouth.  His parents John and Doreen and other close family members remain local within Stoke-on-Trent and he still visits them regularly.

Throughout his career Steve raised money for Help for Heroes and the Royal Navy and Royal Marine Charity by charity events such as rowing, running, cycling and the Three Peaks challenge. In July he will trek Hadrian’s Wall.  A keen sportsman, he remains an avid follower of Stoke City and plays golf.

Flag Officer Sea Training delivers collective training to ships of the Royal Navy and foreign navies which involves a variety of packages from basic safety training to mission-specific training, to full operational sea training, which moulds a crew into a cohesive team, able to fight using every aspect of their ship’s capability.

[mappress]
Press Release, July 2, 2013; Image: Royal Navy