Senior Rate on the right track

The Royal Navy has welcomed its first warfare fast-track senior rate.

Petty Officer Underwater Warfare Ash Bayliss, 26, who three years ago was an able seaman, has joined the Warfare Training Group at HMS Collingwood, where he will be part of the Maritime Warfare School.

The fast-track scheme was introduced in May 2016 and was designed to advance suitably motivated ratings, with the necessary standards of leadership, warfare aptitude and ability through their career pipeline.

The scheme has two entry points AB-LH and LH-PO and is open to all Warfare Junior Rates including divers.

PO Bayliss, from Staffordshire, was identified as a candidate for the new scheme while on his Leading Hand Underwater Warfare professional qualifying course in November 2016 and, following selection, was assigned to HMS St Albans.

In less than two years he completed the scheme and was awarded the Commanding Officer’s recommendation for promotion.

Returning to HMS Collingwood he successfully completed an intense period of training which included his PO(UW) Promotion course and Senior Rates Leadership Course.

Ash has now joined the Underwater Training Element in a Defence Trainer role which will see him teaching S2087 to Phase 2 ratings before joining HMS Westminster at the end of the year.

“I’m extremely proud to be the first Warfare Fast Track Senior Rate, and I’m looking forward to teaching the next generation of UW ratings,” said Ash.