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AB
David Scilipoti protects himself well as he works with the
some blasting equipment at the Ships’ Husbandry Section
at HMAS Stirling.
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LS
Mark Smith takes aim with his sandblaster
Photos: ABPH Kade Rogers
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ABPH
Kade Rogers begins the first in a series of profiles on units
based in WA
They
make up a small but industrious team and they look after their
ships with the same care as a husband should look after his family.
Operating under the FIMA banner, the aptly-named Ships’ Husbandry
Section at HMAS Stirling provides vital support to all classes
of West Australian based ships during busy maintenance periods.
No task is too great, or too small for the 29 skilled sailors
who work for the CO FIMA, LCDR Greg Laxton.
“If it can be unbolted and craned off a ship, we can fix
it,” the officer in charge of Ships’ Husbandry, CPO
Graeme Body said.
If you were to venture onto the floor of PO Mal Yeardley’s
workshop, you would witness the expert sandblasting and painting
of huge shipping containers and submarine propellers, the repair
of whip aerials or the delicate manufacture and finishing of ships’
crests.
The sailors who work here have the opportunity to undergo civilian
accredited training such as industrial blasting and surface finishing,
which equips them with the specialist skills needed to apply polyurethane
coatings and marine finishes to their product.
