From Soldiers to Sailors

(Caption of photo above) ME1 Ch'ng Kai Jie (pictured right) journey at BSC1 also led to change in his life direction. During the course, he decided to join the Navy as a regular!

Looking back, ME1 Ch'ng recognised that BSC1 provided him and his batch mates with a good introduction to what it means to be in the navy, and equipped them with a solid foundation for their vocational skills. He fondly recalls his first sailing on board the training ship ST Polaris, which he thoroughly enjoyed.
BSC1 was also an opportunity to meet new friends and to listen to stories from his instructors. In fact, it was partly due to the stories and advice from two of his instructors - ME2 Heng Kah In and ME3 Eric Low - that inspired him to sign on!

When asked what advice he would give to someone embarking on the same journey as him, he said "Have an open mind, and a positive learning attitude!"

Remember back in April this year when you first watched them make the transition from soldiers to sailors? Despite the changes brought about by COVID-19, the 40/19 BSC1 batch took the challenges in their stride. Today, our young sailors have reached the end of their Basic Specialisation Course 1 (BSC1) and graduated as ready sailors! 

BZ to our young sailors! We know that one of the things that you enjoyed during BSC1 was to hear stories from your instructors' shipboard experience. As you continue your navy journey with the operational units, we trust that you will continue to grow and find stories of your own to share with your juniors one day! 

ME1 Nikos Chia Ze Ying's initial journey with the navy was at the Naval Diving Unit as an NSF diver. After completing his NS, ME1 Chia decided to sign on with the Navy to sail and expand his horizons!

BSC1 was initially challenging, ME1 Chia included, because there were so many lessons to absorb - from basic seamanship to firefighting and damage control actions, to his own vocational knowledge.

Reflecting back now, ME1 Chia is grateful for the help and guidance from his fellow batch mates and instructors. Without their help, completing BSC1 would have been harder. One of the instructors, ME3 Jake Tan, left a deep impression on ME1 Chia. He described ME3 Tan as a caring father to his batch mates.

"It feels great to have completed BSC1. I found it enjoyable and challenging, and I certainly made a lot of memories during this course." - ME1 Chia

ME1 Jeremiah Lim Shi Hong was initially apprehensive about the swimming test during BSC1 as he did not consider himself a strong swimmer. He also had reservations when it came to a particular test on morse code.

However, rather than let his doubts get the better of him, ME1 Lim rose to the challenges, with the encouragement of his batch mates, and trained hard - emerging victorious on both counts!

BSC1 for ME1 Lim was not only a course to equip him with a strong foundation and skills that every sailor needs, it was also a time to forge friendships in the navy family. Like many of his batch mates, he enjoyed the stories that his instructors shared - stories that gave them a love for the sea and the navy!