Ex-Royal Navy commander praised for saving lives after New Zealand naval ship sinks
A former Royal Navy officer who now serves in the Royal New Zealand Navy has been praised for her decision to evacuate everyone aboard the stricken HMNZS Manawanui.
Refer: https://tinyurl.com/s7z6zk7v
The author of the story below, John Littlefield is an ex-RCI 1/73 classmate of Neal Catley at HMS Mercury. John was one of the elite Royal Navy Warrant Officer Radio Communication Instructors. Even though John is retired, he remains highly respected by his peers and communication senior officers.
I see that a lot of silliness has erupted on social media (where else) over the sinking of the Manawanui because a woman was in command. I had left the Navy before women went to sea, but there is much (good) publicity about women at sea with the RN today, including commanding major warships. Of course there have been problems, what do you expect when you put boys and girls together, especially in submarines. A recent fly on the wall documentary about the Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond was well received. Her female captain was most impressive, especially when fronting up to Russians in Crimean waters.
I think it’s true, even today, that for a woman to succeed, she needs to be at least twice as good as a man. In my experience, most of them are. I think it’s due to them being equipped with two brains, whereas we have to make do with one largely defective one. I detest social media. While much of it is a blessing, most of it is a curse. The next time these clowns travel by air, they might look at who is sat in the left seat up front. End of rant.
Wonderful to hear some real men actually approve of women in command of our ships and respect their value. Great to read. Thanks.