Perisher and James Bond
I'm not sure what I can say about the Perisher. I never was part of the officer corps. However, this story is about the wardroom from my perspective looking up the chain of command.
What it Takes to Succeed
I was often part of the sound room team when doing Perisher Running. Sonar being the eyes and ears of the submarine underwater, most of what command does, submerged, is directly reliant upon the input provided by the sound room. And like any game, the coaches' success is largely a result of his team members' ability and understanding of what he expects of them. The best ones know that. Many of the Perisher hopefuls established a personal connection with the senior sonar man or sound room team in the boat they were being assessed in. The clever ones at least established their expectations with them.
Conducting an Underwater Look
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I recall a time I was I/C sonar, when we were conducting underwater looks for a group of five 'Perishers'. Teacher decided to run their individual assessment serials back to back. Once we closed the target for the first run we would open only far enough to change command and commence the next run.
When conducting an underwater look, the object is to get in close enough to the target vessel to take photos of her hull fittings with a camera mounted to a periscope. The Commanding Officer must maneuver the boat to within range of the contact then maintain position up one side and down the other, in order to photograph as much of the target hull as possible. |
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Constant input from the sound room is essential to maintain effective yet safe distance and position on the target which may be pitching and rolling and could alter course and/or speed at will. Operational procedure requires a constant flow of contact details and information from the various sonar receivers in the sound room. In my day, contact information was passed verbally and broadcast over speakers in the control room so the CO and all requiring it could hear. It was a continuous, non-stop report by the I/C sound room from the time the contact is designated until the submarine is well away and safe at the completion of the mission.
Taxing on the Crew as well as the Student Perisher
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Each underwater look serial lasted about an hour depending on how competent, cautious or perhaps bold the student was. So my sonar team operated and I reported their input continuously, slowing down a little for only a few minutes between serials, for about 5 hours that day, all under the pressure of a perilous operation commanded by new guys.
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Personalities of the Perisher Candidates Vary - to say the Least
We had been running a number of various serials over a 5 or 6 day period and had become familiar with the abilities and personalities of the participants. One of the significant differences that we could see was their connection with the sound room. There was one extremely arrogant gentleman who never once stuck his head in the sound room to say anything to us but was unrealistically demanding of us in the heat of the exercise.
The other extreme was the one who was very personable and got to know us well from the very beginning. He always stopped by to thank us for or commend us on our input to a serial he was being assessed on. On the day of the long underwater look he was # 3 or 4. He stopped by the sound room before his run and asked if we were OK, if we needed a break or if he could arrange drinks of water or coffee for us. And on completion of his run there was more of the same plus a lot of praise.
The other extreme was the one who was very personable and got to know us well from the very beginning. He always stopped by to thank us for or commend us on our input to a serial he was being assessed on. On the day of the long underwater look he was # 3 or 4. He stopped by the sound room before his run and asked if we were OK, if we needed a break or if he could arrange drinks of water or coffee for us. And on completion of his run there was more of the same plus a lot of praise.
Stand By Personnel Transfer - James Bond
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After the last run that day, we heard the pipe, "Stand-by to surface, casing party stand-by personnel transfer James Bond (really C!). James Bond, aka the fast boat, was a black Royal Navy motor launch used to transport personnel to and from Faslane Submarine Base and submarines at sea. That meant only one thing. One of them had failed. His career in submarines was over, and his career in the navy was no longer bright.
At the beginning of Perisher running we (the lower deck rabble) would evaluate the participants and wager who would make it and who would get the ride home on James Bond. Some we might even wish the ride for. Ruthless maybe but we understood the potential effect that those up and coming leaders could have on the lives and careers of all they lead. There was no shortage of satisfied nods that day when the arrogant one was heading to the casing with duffel bag in hand. |
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True Measure
That is not to say that only the nice guys made it or the tough impersonal ones always failed. Nor did the arrogant ones or the tyrants always make bad leaders or the friendliest be the ones make the best. In the end, the true measure was the self confidence they displayed in themselves and the faith they had for our competence under great pressure. They were the ones we would readily follow into battle.