Brian Wood – Joining SETT

One of my old Coxswains came down on the Jetty and he was going to do an Escape Inspection on the submarine because the SETT Staff we had 18 submarines in the Dolphin then, or running from Dolphin and every year the SETT Staff do what they call an Escape Inspection to go round and inspect all the suits, all the air systems, all the floods, all the tower systems and everything onboard a submarine.

He said, “What you doing over here then?” I said, “in charge of that lot now, I’m over here on AFD 26.” He said, “I’ll tell you what, how would you like to come and work at the Tank?” I said, “Sod that.” I wasn’t keen on that. When I first did it in ’65 it was quite an experience, and then you had to qualify every 3 ½ to 4 years during the submarine career to keep your submarine pay. If you didn’t do the Tank, you lost submarine pay. And every time I requaled, about 6 times I requaled.

I’ve got a record in there, there was always one of my old crew members as SETT Staff and of course it was a thing amongst SETT Staff, they could do various things and it didn’t make it that pleasant when you were doing the Tank. They wouldn’t do anything dangerous, but it was just a bit of fun really.

I thought, ‘bloody hell, I ain’t working with that lot.’ He said, “No, we’re short of a Maintainer” he said, “because a Chief Tiff who was maintaining, he’s gone on Draft. His relief didn’t pass a Medical because you still have to do a full submarine Medical and all the rest of it.” ‘Cos you have to get in the water to do certain underwater maintenance on some of the fittings then, and he failed his Medical so they were short of a Maintainer, and he said, “We’re really desperate.” I thought, I couldn’t face another winter over the Floating Dock anyway …

Simon: ‘Cos it’s damp. Is that why you couldn’t …?

Bloody damp, cold, I was always soaking wet, bloody feet rot. It wasn’t the most pleasant of jobs. So anyway, he says, “Come up and meet the Warrant Officer” or Fleet Chief as it was then, and I went up and he said, “Would you like to join?” I said, “Well, it depends” you know.

I said, “I’ll join as your Maintenance Staff but I ain’t doing any of that sort of underwater ballerina stuff” and he says, “Oh, you’ll have to pass out in the water, you’ll have to go in the water ‘cos there are parts that you need to get in to do maintenance from the Diving Bell and everything.”

I said, “Oh, that sounds a bit fun, I’ll have some of that” and at the time SETT Staff could really pick and choose who they wanted. I didn’t know it at the time, but he had like a ‘hot line’ to Drafty and if he wanted somebody, he’d phone up Drafty and they were put into the Tank. You have to do an interview to go in the Tank, and if they didn’t think you were suitable, they’d draft you. “You ain’t joining” and they’d get someone else.

So, I said, “Yeah, I’ll join.” So anyway, I went back to the Floating Dock and the next week there was a Draft Chit and the Warrant Officer over there wasn’t very happy and the two-ringer chip piece …. “Sorry, I’ve got to join the Tank” so off I went and joined the Tank.