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Ritchie Cunningham
Hi my name is LMEM(M) ‘Ritchie’ Cunningham, I’m 37 years old, I originally come from Edinburgh but I now live in Pompey.
Ritchie Cunningham
I’ve served in the Royal Navy for over 20 years now and have served in all sorts of ships from old steam Leanders, which had boilers to produce steam to drive the engines, to Offshore Fishery Protection vessels patrolling the UK waters making sure that every fishing vessel was abiding by the law and finally to the, crème de la crème, HMS ENDURANCE.
I perform a couple of tasks onboard HMS ENDURANCE; the first being a member of the ‘Standing Sea Emergency Party’. During an incident onboard I work from the bridge and advise HQ1 (head quarters) on any dangers and the ventilation systems relevant to the incident. My primary role onboard, however, is to help run the shipwrights section within the ship. Within this section I am responsible for the running and maintenance of the ventilation systems, the running and maintenance of the sewage system (that’s where all the poo goes!!), running and maintenance of the grey water systems (where all the shower and sink water goes!) and finally I look after all the ship’s fittings from the simplest shower to replacing a new window on one of the ship’s motor launches. So if you need some DIY doing then I’m your man!
Not a day goes by without something happening in the ‘Chippies’ world and it makes for an interesting work day but at the end of the day I like to leave work behind and look to some recreation. This comes in the form of fitness training whether it be running on the treadmill or karate training in the hold. Alas no one else onboard does my style of karate but I still like to keep my hand in because when I finally do go home it’s my two children who’ll pick on me to spar.
HMS Endurance in Antarctica
Finally I just want to say that HMS ENDURANCE has given me an experience of a lifetime that I would never have normally had and for this I am eternally grateful.
Ritchie Cunningham
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