Charlie Atkinson 1 - The noise onboard a ship
Name: Charlie Atkinson
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Service: 1994 - present
Job: Warfare Officer
Charlie (Charlotte) Atkinson joined the Navy in 1994 after finishing university. She has served on 7 Warships. Her first job was Gunnery Officer on HMS Dunbarton Castle 1996 - 1998. For the first two years she was the only female onboard. In 2003 Charlie became the first female Commanding Officer of an operational warship - HMS Brecon 2003 - 2006.
In this clip she describes the noise on board a warship.
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Extract Text (Duration0.52)
The noise on board a ship, you probably only notice it because you get the air conditioning and any other noises from the engine, and any movement of the water and stuff through the pipes, which run next to your bunks. You very quickly get used to that and sometimes when you come off a ship and you lie in your own bed at home it's the silence which is almost more deafening. So I think you only notice the noise when you don't have it. If you're on board a ship or quite often during a fire exercise, or obviously a real fire, the first thing people do is they do what we call crash stop ventilation. So they shut down the ventilation to stop any smoke spreading throughout the ship and suddenly it goes really quiet, and then as soon as you get that you're going I'm waiting for the emergency pipe now, what's it going to be. So I think you notice when it isn't there rather than noticing the noise when it is.
The noise onboard a ship
0.52 mins - mp3 File
First female to command a warship
1.23 mins - mp3 File
Hunt Class Minesweepers weren't kitted out for women
0.43 mins - mp3 File
They trust you because you're the captain
0.46 mins - mp3 File
I was the only female on the ship
1.11 mins - mp3 File
Routine things can be tiring when it's rough
1.16 mins - mp3 File
