Thirty-one subjects of the 5th year of the Naval Academy took part in a training cruise aboard the ORP “Waterman”. For over a week the ship was orbiting the Baltic Sea, and it besides went to the North Sea. During this time, students performed tasks as doubles of watch officers, and participated in exercises and lectures.
The cruise began on February 3. “After leaving Gdynia, we headed north towards Petrobaltic drilling platforms, after which we took a course for the Baltic Strait,” explains Lt. Adrian Rusek, commander, ORP Aquarius. The ship defeated the large Belt and went to the North Sea. From there, through Sund he returned to the Baltic and then briefly wrapped in the Świnoujście. After replenishing his supplies, he left the port. He spent respective days at sea, passing around Bornholm. He returned to Gdynia Friday morning.
As the students emphasize, they have an intense time. “For more than a week we have served as doubles of watch officers,” explains bsm. pchor. Adrian Borkowski, a V year student at the Navigation and Ship Weapons Department. The apprentices kept a navigation log, watched the ship's course, determined its position, applied data to the map. “We have practiced specified things before, even during 2 months of astronavigation practices. But then we besides had a number of another tasks. Now we were able to focus primarily on the service within the bridge – noted Bishop Borkowski. He admits that it frequently seems monotonous. In the long term, it comes down to repeating clearly defined activities. – You gotta make certain you don't fall into regular and stay focused. due to the fact that there could be an emergency at any moment, and then you gotta respond immediately. I myself have learned a lot by observing how officers of the watch act erstwhile the ship is on a collision course with another unit. What commands they then issue, in what order... – admits Bishop Borkowski. A major challenge was besides the passage through alleged shaded areas. Navigation in the straits or on the approach to the port requires quite a few attention. There's small area for maneuvering the ship, and there's quite a few traffic. The “Waterquake” march has been drawn so that the patients can practice and under specified conditions.
Meanwhile, the apprentices were not only honing skills on the bridge. any of them supplemented their cognition below deck. That's where the ship's mechanics came in. We worked in a four-shift system. Like colleagues from the navigation department, we doubled our positions at the gym control center. We kept a device journal, monitored the work of individual mechanisms, watched what officers of the watch were doing, although we did quite a few tasks ourselves, under their supervision," says Karolina Patlewicz from the 5th year of the mechanical and electrical department.
In addition to the watch, students besides took part in exercises and lectures conducted by AMW lecturers. These included navigation and astronavigation, radiolocation or floating unit management. For the cruisers, these were the last practices during the study. They had previously passed naval training on School sailboat ORP ‘Iskra’, an astro-navigation cruise in the Mediterranean on board the ORP “Water” and alleged weapons practices on both Polish fleets. “Now we have the chance to refresh and systematize the cognition we have acquired,” explains bsm pchor. Patlewicz. In March there is an officer's exam waiting, and a fewer months later – the defence of the master's thesis. After graduation, they will begin their service in navy. I would very much like to find 1 of the hydrographic or exploratory vessels. Especially as fresh "Delfin" kind units will shortly enter the line – admits Bishop Borkowski. Bsm. pchor. Patlewicz besides thinks about hydrographic service. But of course, it depends on the allowances we get. Everything will settle in a fewer months – he concludes.
