NAVY NEWS, OCTOBER 2011


17 The Martians have landed! AT HMS Collingwood no


less... Rather than fleeing for the hills, the local populace of warfare trainees are flocking to get to know the new visitors. The ‘martians’


are, in fact,


modular computer blocks – more akin in appearance to Pixar’s Wall-E than anything out of War of the Worlds – and are a key element of the new Maritime Composite Training System (MCTS). The blocks can be swiftly


rearranged, refitted with different keyboards, and with screens that represent accurately the different panels within various operation rooms, even down to digital bolts.


So within an hour the ops room of HMS Daring can become that of HMS Ocean; or perhaps HMS Kent and HMS Argyll could join forces with veteran destroyer HMS York. On the day the new complex


was formally unveiled, Yorks’ crew were in full flow in an exercise. For anyone familiar with the interior of a Type 42’s ops room, the set-up seems somewhat


spacious and bright


in comparison, but all the units are arranged in the appropriate sequence and it doesn’t take long for the mind to adjust to the immersive environment. As the lights lifted for end of exercise, headsets were pulled off


and voices are heard: “That was emotional, that was”; “That was bang on.”


It is impressive as you see a


bulkhead depicted on an overhead screen, with the physical switches, lights and readouts that are characteristic of ops rooms life, there to be switched on in a touch. The MCTS, designed and built by defence firm BAE Systems, can be found at Cunningham Building in HMS Collingwood, and in Discovery Building in HMNB Devonport. But don’t let the distance fool


you.


A ship’s company in Devonport can be tackling the same exercise in the same virtual battlespace as


the crew of a destroyer Tim Lowe, in


Collingwood – and indeed with allies and coalition partners as needed. Cdre


the


commodore of the Maritime Warfare School, introduced the new training system stressing: “This is a revolution in the way we do our Naval training. “With this system, we are premier


delivering league


footballers – the best striker, the best defender, the best goalkeeper – to the Fleet.” Of course, the arrival of the MCTS martians at Collingwood mean a farewell to the Cook simulators at the former HMS Dryad.


Cook Building in Southwick


Park closed its doors to the last training course at the end of July. During its almost four-decade some 50,000 trainees


lifespan,


ventured into the ship simulators within. For many the final closure of the Cook simulators may seem like the end of an era, but Cdr Bill Evans,


the officer commanding


l A petty officer from Type 23 HMS Argyll uses a training unit in the simulated ops room with MCTS


Pictures: BAE Systems


the Warfare Training Group, admits that he is “very impressed” by the MCTS. He said: “Cook looked and felt right, but it was not that complex.


l Sailors from Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond training in the simulated ops room with MCTS “There is real operational


software behind these systems, we can rehearse missions, tactics and procedures.” He praised the flexibility and adaptability of the new system, and the improvement in training capability offered by the new facilities. As well as different ships


operating in the same scenario in


the same room, or even in different counties, there are a team of roleplayers who can take up a variety of supporting roles in the exercises, whether filling missing billets or bringing a whole new vessel into the mix. For anyone who remembers Dryad, the Warspite debriefing


room in Collingwood will seem somewhat familiar, although – of course – it is somewhat higher tech.


Ian Carter explained: “We can


playback what people have done in the trainers.” He admitted: “In MCTS, the wind is always spookily in the worst direction, driving you towards the submarine. “Funnily enough – wind, tides, the whole of the environment, it’s never in their favour...” There are five Warfare Team


Trainers – three at Collingwood and two in Devonport nine


– and Electronic Classroom


Trainers (ECT) – the majority in Collingwood.


The trainers array the martians – the staff’s name for the consoles, not ours before anyone asks – into the appropriate layout for any of the major classes of current Naval ship.


The ECTs mirror the expected


form of classroom-based training, although again networking offers flexibility in classroom usage and set-up. Last words


to


“When I first joined Collingwood there were a lot of questions from the team about losing the Cook facility at Dryad.


“But once put into the training


here, and once they realised the versatility of what they can do here – they wouldn’t go back.”


Cdre Lowe:


Set in 200 acres of stunning Suffolk countryside the Royal Hospital School provides exceptional academic and extra-curricular education for boys and girls aged 11 to 18 years


Scholarships, Bursaries and Discounts for Services families. Open Morning 12th November 9.00am - 12.30pm


For details contact Admissions on 01473 326210 or admissions@royalhospitalschool.org and visit www.royalhospitalschool.org


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