Connor Johnson

Joined up in October 2020 as a phase 1 recruit then passed out Feb 2021, joined HMS Collingwood as a Engineering Technician (Weapon Engineer) for my career course and completed it in Nov 21.

after this I was at ETS (Engineering Technician Squadron) whilst waiting for a draft on a ship to become available.

I joined HMS Prince Of Wales in Feb 2022 and left Feb 2024, during my time onboard I became a fully qualified ETWE ready to be promoted to LET.

whilst onboard I was mainly part of the Aviation Facilities section and dealt with flight deck lighting, Guidance radars for aircraft and surveillance cameras.

The cameras I maintained are called EOS/GPC (Electro Optical System + Glide Path Camera)

these cameras are used for situational awareness during the day and night and can also be used for tracking surface and airborne targets. GPC is used to show the glide path of an aircraft landing on the ship.

The main Guidance radars I helped maintain were called SPN-41B and JPALS.

SPN-41B is a ship to air guidance radar for aircraft landing on the ship, it gives the azimuth and elevation of the ship to the pilots the help guide them on the ship during day and night time.

JPALS (Joint Precision Aproach Landing System) is ship to air guidance radar that transmits a UHF signal to the jet giving it precise GPS co-ordinates of a spot on the ship for where the pilot to land.

I also helped maintain the flight deck lighting system making sure that all relevant components were maintained to the highest standard to maintain operational capability.

As a duty WE roundsman I was tasked with conducting sets of rounds for all Weapon Engineering compartments onboard the ship. During these sets of rounds I would be looking for anything out of the ordinary like breakers tripping or an unusually high temperature inside the compartment. Another part of my duty is to monitor all node room temperatures on IPMS to make sure no compartments are heating up to the point either kit starts shutting down or sets on fire.

After my time on HMS Prince Of Wales I joined HMS Collingwood as a Victory Squadron able rating. My job role during this was to mentor phase 2 trainees in their relevant phase 2 courses whether they were Weapon Engineers or Warfare Specialists.

My current job role is ET Guns working at FSU B in HMNB Portsmouth.

my main role is to assist the job I/Cs in going onboard RN Ships that need extra personnel to help with maintenance and upkeep of WE systems onboard which ever ships require assistance.

All of these experiences have given me in depth knowledge on electrical systems, fire fighting and damage control systems, first aid when dealing with casualties and overall how to work in a team to make sure that all relevant jobs are conducted efficiently and to the highest standard.