The principle of walking is simple, the execution, sometimes less so. In this instance you need to exit to the West and therefore: 1. Set bow-thruster to port (full) 2. Use a combination of main engines and rudders to provide counter-torque: 2a. Port ME ahead (slow) 2b. Stbd ME astern (half-ish) 2c. Rudders to stbd […]
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Sabering Seahorses
Yesterday, it was announced that there is to be Principal Warfare Officer badge. Noting that the crowd that care about this is small but passionate, here are my thoughts. Background. A Principal Warfare Officer (PWO), in very brief, is the person who fights the ship. They sit in the operations room and aggregate multiple sources […]
Good Mine Hunting
‘And e’en the Ranks of Treasury could scarce Forbear to Cheer’
This was written for the Naval Review in 1995 by Captain Richard Sharpe OBE when he was the editor of Jane’s Fighting Ships. It speaks to the ongoing debate about the military’s freedom to communicate, sparked yesterday (21 Apr 20) by the reissue of the MOD’s guidance on “Contact with the Media and Communicating in […]
Iranian response options after the death of Soleimani
The person. One of the most experienced and hardened military leaders in the world who rose to power during the Iran/Iraq war. Soleimani had a legendary status within Iran. His link to the Supreme Leader was well known as was his authority to act on his behalf. He was arguably the second most powerful man […]
A Matter of Balance and Mass
Why the Royal Navy needs both Max Hastings rather depressingly suggests here that the new aircraft carriers are an expensive white elephant that are both vulnerable and reflective of muddled defence thinking. Below are some of my thoughts that may or may not add to this debate. To deliver a sustainable range of naval capabilities; […]
Crisis Communications and ‘That’ Interview
“My reputation is under increasing and now unbearable pressure. I have a communications team but they don’t really understand the weight of my responsibility. I think I need their help, but they’re telling me in so many words to do….very little. (Why do I pay them?) I’m a natural leader and charismatic communicator. I can […]
LBC Interview
Transcript of LBC radio interview – Eddie Mair and Tom Sharpe. 13 Aug 19 at 5:20pm
Strait from the Hormuz’s Mouth
Communications Plan for HMS Montrose in the Strait of Hormuz By Commander Tom Sharpe OBE RN (Retd); freelance communications advisor and Partner at Special Project Partners. This plan is based on GCS OASIS[1] methodology which identifies the Objectives and the Target Audience before attempting a Strategy. Objectives Primary Promote the Royal Navy’s and HMS Montrose’s […]
Chokepoint Charlie
What it’s like to operate a warship in the Strait of Hormuz By Commander Tom Sharpe OBE RN (Retd) You’re the captain of one of Her Majesty’s warships and you’re on patrol in the Strait of Hormuz. The call you’ve been half-looking forward to and half-dreading comes through: there is a tanker under attack and […]
