Officers of the Squadron Department were presented Bridge Watchkeeping certificates by Captain Coral Harbour, Captain Glenn McPhee accompanied by other officers during morning colors at Coral Harbour Base on November 15. Sub Lieutenant Lashonna Williams and Sub Lieutenant Tevin Williams successfully completed their Bridge Watchkeeping Training inclusive of 400-hour day and night watches, oral, written, and practical navigational exams on basic principles of safety at sea and navigational and ship handling skills, qualifying them as an Officer of the Watch (OOW) aboard His Majesty’s Bahamian Ships (HMBS). Areas of focus included anchoring, docking, slipping harbour, voyage planning, blind pilotage, officer of the watch maneuvers, towing, and sunset and radar reporting. Also, emergency and safety drills such as firefighting, damage control, abandon ship, man overboard, steering gear failure and pre sailing briefs were performed. Practical exams conducted in a ship simulator presented real life scenarios and tested the officer’s competency of their bridge resource management skills, rules of the road and maneuvers.This investment is a part of the Commander Defence Force, Commodore Raymond King’s vision to develop a professional and high-performance workforce focused on performance excellence. The Commander Defence Force, his Executive Command Team, Officers and Marines extend a heartfelt Bravo Zulu to Sub Lieutenant Lashonna Williams and Sub Lieutenant Tevin Williams on their achievement. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force continues to protect the territorial integrity of The Bahamas.(RBDF photos by Able Seaman Paull Rolle II)
