§ Mr. Alan JohnsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 2 December 1997,Official Report, column 171, if he will make a statement on the scheme whereby Royal Navy officers gained sea-going experience in deep sea trawlers. [20354]
§ Dr. ReidIt has been long standing practice to send junior RN officers to sea on Merchant ships. In the 1950s this was extended to include deep sea trawlers. The aim was to provide sea going experience and to foster good relationships between the fleets. While the Royal Navy/Merchant Navy Voyage Scheme continues to this day, available records indicate that the use of trawlers ceased in the mid-1970s.