Do navy crews on long deployments get rotated?

Posted by LondonKiwi66@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 15 comments

Just been reading about the HMS Prince of Wales beginning an eight-month deployment and was wondering - is it the same crew for 8 months or do the crew get rotated during this period?

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15 Comments

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BritA83@reddit

14 years army, 8 years Navy. And no they don't, or at least not often. They recently have been talking about/trialling an A crew/B crew system where the ship can stay at sea for 12-24 months by rotating crews every 6 months, but generally and currently it's not a thing

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ComprehensiveCamp192@reddit

The Navy has been using a rotation system on a few ships for several years. It's odd simei e who claims to be in the Navy isn't aware of this fairly well established practice....

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BritA83@reddit

I'm not "in the Navy" and haven't been since been since before covid. Regardless, you'll be okay champ, keep fighting the good fight

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LondonKiwi66@reddit (OP)

Thanks for your answer. Sorry - another question if you don't mind - after a long deployment how much time do you get off before the next one?

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BritA83@reddit

Specifically before another deployment, or before having to go back to work in general?

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LondonKiwi66@reddit (OP)

Before having to go back to work.

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BritA83@reddit

Not long, typically whatever you can get out of your leave allowance (keep in mind if you're away for 8 months you're very likely to get some leave given as you'll be owed whatever is left of your annual allowance in those 4 months remaining around the deployment). If it's a qualifying operational tour you qualify for POTL which is 1 day's leave for every 9 days deployed, but alot of maritime deployments don't count for this

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Unable-Lime-2995@reddit

Same crew, you get assigned or drafted to a Ship for maybe 2/3 years and some may be due to leave the ship whilst on deployment so they will leave. There will be a maintenance period of a couple of weeks alongside somewhere where some might go home for a week or fly families out. There will be short port visits during the deployment, few days at a time for a bit of R&R...

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Exact_Setting9562@reddit

Mainly the same crew. Plenty of BBC documentaries on about ships like this and they follow the same people all the way through. It'd be a nightmare swapping the whole crew out.

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MushyBeans@reddit

Not sure about ships but boats rotate only a small percentage, if at all. I know there are not enough submariners for all drafts.

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juanito_f90@reddit

Rotations occur. A friend is an officer on HMS Prince of Wales who was present on the last deployment, but is shore-based for this one.

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tmr89@reddit

I think they mean rotations _within_ the eight month deployment of the ship

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Hefty_Lunchbox@reddit

Then the answer is no. Not unless something comes up where you’d require relief from your post. Think sickness, compassion, promotion etc.

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Bose82@reddit

Not always. I know someone who’s going to be away till Christmas. Rotations do happen, though. I think it’s mainly for Middle East deployments and survey vessels, could be wrong though. They weren’t really a thing when I was in, apart from the survey vessels and Falklands based ships

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