Crow's Nest Experience

After three years of toil and hard work, I graduated from the Indian Naval Academy in November 1996. Subsequently, I enjoyed a well-deserved term-break at home with family. However, before I could realize and enjoy the feeling of 'doing-nothing', twenty-eight (28) most precious days of my life had flown by. On 28 December 1996, I joined my comrades at Visakhapatnam railway station, anxiously waiting to embark the Training ship (INS Tir) for the 'sea-cadet' phase.

Visakhapatnam, aka 'Vizag' is a port city and industrial center in the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh, on the Bay of Bengal. It is the largest and most populous metropolitan city in the State. The Eastern Naval Command is Headquartered in Vizag. The Indian Naval Training Ships are based in Kochi (Kerala). However, INS Tir (A-86) was stationed in Vizag to undergo an extensive refit.

A little snippet on "A-86" - It is an indigenously built cadet training ship and it was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 21 February 1986. The ship can carry up to 300 people and can cover a distance of 6000 nautical miles (11,000 km) at an economical speed of 12 Knots (22 km/hr).

An Indian naval ship undergoes a refit as part of the Operational-cum-Refit Cycle (OCRC) to ensure the seaworthiness, combat efficiency and operational capability. Refit of a naval ship includes repairing, renewing, fixing, renovation of the systems onboard, re-design of interior spaces, modification or replacement of engines, hydraulic systems, electrical and electronic equipment etc. Refits are either major or minor and the duration depends on the scope of work.

We were given a warm welcome in the literal sense with the sultry and humid weather in Visakhapatnam. When we entered the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) Gate at around 10 pm and arrived at a dark and unlit area, I could see the ships silhouette. A young and smart Officer of the Day (OOD) welcomed us onboard the ship. We were mustered in the forecastle (forward area) of the ship and after a brief introduction by the OOD we were directed to the mess deck i.e our accommodation space.

First sight of the bunk without a mattress was unnerving and promptly I went up to re-confirm if I had entered the correct mess deck. This was to be our den for the next six months. Welcome to the real world of being the "lowest form of marine life". This new challenge to survive and get through the ordeal would be daunting and not for the faint hearted. Academy training for three years had made us rugged, and we were trained to be 'survival-specialists'.

The daily routine included an average of four to five hours of manual labour i.e chipping, painting, cleaning, sweeping followed by academic classes where I would be sleeping with my eyes wide-open and then the evening sessions with standard naval niceties for under-trainees i.e cream-rolling, haunching, frog jumps, duck-walk, star jumps, baby and buddy carry & the dreaded shell-lifting on both the shoulders (40/60 Naval Bofors Gun armament termed as a 'slow-killer' with its inherent weight). Once the 'sweat session' ended, we would sleep within seconds on the iron grilled bunks even with no air-condition, paint fumes, minimum air circulation and relatively high mercury levels.

Bathrooms are non-operational in ships under refit. Hence, using only one loo for sixty of us in an offshore refit center was the real challenge. Initially, it was tough but then I devised a way to finish my morning routine between 3 - 4 am every day when others were fast asleep. As they say "when the going gets tough the tough get going".

The routine remained constant from sunrise till sunset and beyond. However, after pain staking efforts of the ship's crew and able-bodied sea-cadets, the ship was ready to undertake the overseas deployment (foreign cruise) to South Africa and represent the Country in the International Fleet Review (IFR).

The experience of visiting the ports of Maputo (Mozambique), Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania), Cape Town (South Africa), Simon's Town, Durban and being part of the IFR to commemorate 75 years of the South African Navy was truly fascinating and memorable. 25 foreign naval ships participated in the IFR, and it lasted for over a week. There were a number of events, activities, seminars, sports fixtures and interactive sessions planned during the IFR. I had the proud privilege to visit a number of foreign naval ships and have meaningful interactive sessions with the crew. "Join the Navy and see the World" was for real.

After a mind-blowing and enjoyable experience of visiting multiple foreign ports, we were headed back to our base-port Kochi. In transit somewhere in the Indian Ocean, during the 'silent-hours' (0001-0400 hrs), my dear friend and I were on watch on the 'boat-deck'. Fresh sea breeze and with nothing interesting to keep us active it was the right recipe for deep slumber. However, the sudden silence was jolted when our instructor on rounds saw us in that state and I could hear his voice tearing through my eardrums - "Cadet you are sleeping".

Subsequently, we were summoned in the "Bridge" (ships nerve-center) and the Officer of the Watch (OOW) directed us to keep watch on the "Crow's Nest"- "A shelter or platform fixed at the masthead of a ship as a place for a lookout to stand".

As we were ascending the masthead, the OOW announced "Choke Crystal" - nautical term which refers to turning off the radar as microwave transmission emitted by the radar are hazardous. With limited place to manoeuvre and strong winds we found ourselves in a precarious position. After assessing the situation, we decided to continue with our sleep cycle in a roster with the one sleeping holding the others ankle for support.

I was soaking in the strong sea-breeze on watch, and I 'raised' the Seychelles light (A light is “raised” when it is first sighted by a ship as it approaches the light). Visibility varies according to the direction, angle of view, and the height of the observer. Hence, from a higher ground it was even better. After a little while, I had company, as an albatross perched itself on the yardarm of the masthead. It was a spectacular sight, and the bird was stationed for over an hour. I never had a dull moment while I was awake. It was now my turn to sleep and suddenly when I got up, I witnessed the "first light" and saw my friends in a shocked state on the forecastle mustered for "flashing exercise".

A little about the importance of Flashing exercise/'morse code' - It is a method used in tele-communication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called dots and dashes, or 'dits and dahs'. Morse code is usually transmitted by on-off keying of an information-carrying medium such as electric current, radio waves, visible light, or sound waves. It can be memorized and sent in a form perceptible to the human senses, e.g. via visible light or sound waves, such that it can be directly interpreted by persons trained in the skill. Hence, it's vital to be exercised, since a ship is able to pass/receive critical intentions of another ship in case of communication equipment failure.

We were directed to come down just after sunrise. Suddenly, we became the talk of the town in the mess decks. Every member onboard the ship would ask us about our experience on the "Crow's Nest". Whilst it's a rarity to climb up the main mast of a ship at sea, but we were exceptions to the rule. The lesson learnt during the few hours that I spent on the 'top-of' the ship was that where "there is a will there is a way". Human beings are designed to be extremely adaptable and as sea-cadets deprived of rest one finds a way in the most trying situations to stay calm and achieve the desired circadian rhythm.

The roller coaster ride as a sea-cadet - Contribution to get the ship out of refit, visit four foreign ports, participate in the IFR, interact with multiple foreign navies was all part of the learning curve, and to this date even after I have 'swallowed the anchor' (retired), these fond memories will stay with me forever.

As they say that its 'memories that make your life' and this was certainly an experience of a lifetime that I will always remember fondly. Because it's the bond and camaraderie between the course mates that helps you tide over the tough times. Crow's Nest episode is one such seminal experience that is etched in my memory and this piece deserves a place in the "Memoirs at Sea".