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Submarines: Training

Volume 487: debated on Thursday 29 January 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel have received (a) wet training and (b) dry training at the submarine escape training tank at Gosport in (i) each year from 2005 to 2007 and (ii) each month since January 2008. (251646)

The numbers of armed forces personnel who completed wet and dry training at the submarine escape training tank at Gosport for the period requested are as follows:

UK wet qual.

UK wet requal.

UK dry qual.

UK dry requal.

Foreign wet

Year

2005

395

165

207

40

2006

363

278

218

90

2007

245

336

236

61

Month

January 2008

20

33

27

February 2008

39

17

45

March 2008

27

19

28

16

April 2008

34

18

19

May 2008

41

9

36

56

June 2008

29

17

32

40

July 2008

43

23

59

22

August 2008

September 2008

64

57

October 2008

87

33

November 2008

34

41

43

December 2008

35

29

14

January 2009

21

28

Wet training refers to those individuals who complete pressurised ascents during the training course. The figures given for dry training are for those trainees who only complete the non-pressurised elements of the course, this includes tower acquaint drills and surface survival.

Qualifying trainees would have undertaken, in order, 2 x 9 m buoyant exhaling ascents, 1 x 18 m buoyant exhaling ascent and 1 x 30 m suited ascent. Those trainees requalifying conducted, in order, 1 x 30 m suited ascent and 1 x 9 m buoyant exhaling ascent.

The information provided for foreign students undertaking wet training during November and December 2008 relates to training provided under a contract which had been agreed prior to the Royal Navy’s decision to suspend such training.