Navy wants you for new recruit

YOUNG MEN no longer want to join the Royal Navy, leaving many British warships understaffed and overstretched.

According to the service's latest recruiting figures, the Navy and the Royal Marines are 4000 people short of their projected complement of 46,000.

The problem is so acute that some warships are being forced to complete operational duties with 8% crew shortages. A typical warship such as a Type 42 destroyer with a crew of 280 could be up to 20 members short.

The knock-on effect is equally serious. Ships are spending more time at sea, as a fleet of just over 30 frigates and destroyers struggles to meet increased global commitments, from the former Yugoslavia to the Gulf and East Timor, while the active fleet is less than half of that available 30 years ago.

"In theory a ship should spend around 40% of its time in its home port during any two year period," explained a senior naval source. "Ideally this time should include school holiday periods but our commitments make that impossible."

Another problem is the civilianisation of many shore posts. At certain points in their careers, this forces naval personnel to spend as much as 83% of their time in sea-going jobs. Senior officers believe this is affecting recruitment.

"Young people simply don't see us as a viable career and many of our middle-ranking personnel have opted for premature voluntary release," said the naval source.

In an attempt to improve things, the navy has introduced short service engagements of just two years, in the hope that many will wish to stay on. But this scheme does not help the shortage of highly trained specialists, including electronics, avionics and weapons experts.

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