Recruiting Submariners on the Cheap

Since reading Steve Cohen's article in Proceedings and reading various handouts from recent Navy events, we find ourselves closely observing the way the Navy markets itself. There are a number of ways for a Navy to communicate with the public, but this method by the Royal Navy seems to always work. In this case the Royal Navy takes a couple of reporters for a ride on a submarine for a day and lets them simply tell the story.

Photographer Paul Edwards and I were invited to join HMS Talent on exercise off the UK’s South Coast after The Sun told how the Navy is tackling a submariner recruitment crisis by giving recruits a £1,000 “bounty” payment.

HMS Talent’s Commanding Officer David Lightfoot and his 121 brave crew are unsung heroes, working in cramped conditions, away from home for months on end, to gather top-secret defence data.

And the all-male crew - only men are allowed to serve on UK subs - can never discuss their missions. Not even with family.

Last year Talent underwent a £386MILLION upgrade and now bristles with the world’s most advanced sonar gear and weaponry.

Engineer Lt. David Cunningham, 42, said: “It makes the space shuttle look like a kids’ toy - and running a sub is one of the biggest challenges a man can face.

Emphasis in the original. You think those two media folks had a good time? By reading the article, they appear impressed. I'd bet Matt Lauer would excited to do it if he could, hell for that matter, I'd bet Whoopi Goldberg or the whole View Crew would do it in a heartbeat.

The point being, of all the things these rather public people do, riding a submarine, flying off an aircraft carrier, or sitting on the bridge of a warship during a live fire exercise off the coast would be one they would remember, and potentially discuss when the Navy discussion enters their world.