It was the Navy Open House during the weekend and being a “freebie” me, I decided to go to Changi Naval Base to pay a visit. At first I thought it was going to be very crowded but the number of people were manageable. I guess it is also quite out of the way as we had to take a shuttle bus from Expo to Changi Coast Drive area and also the same way back. Being a military base, no public cars were allowed unless they had already been allocated passes.I must admit that the crowd control and logistics by the Navy is extremely good – it was fuss-free and super orderly. Security was tight though, we had to go through sensors before boarding the buses and there were officers on hand to count the correct number of people for each chartered bus before letting them board. Surprisingly the navy officers were very polite and friendly. Something I find very amazing! More on their attitude later.
Anyway, thank God the weather was good as the sun was not scorching. Nonetheless I did a lot of walking. Showcased were the navy fleet, of which I have no idea what the different types of ships are. There was the frigates (RSS Formidable/ Intrepid/ Endurance, etc), missile corvettes, submarines, just to name a few. I had plenty of fun exploring the frigates (in simple English it means a big ship – yes, I made that up!), climbing up and down and seeing where the crew sleeps, what kind of kitchen and dining rooms they have, the engine rooms and their operation area. Oh yes, the navy officers were very courteous, addressing you as “Sir, Madam”, “Welcome on board”, etc. They even gave guided tours on the ships. And we could take pictures! Just no pictures of those sensitive equipment. In addition, there were officers at every nook and canny of those steep staircases (almost 90 deg) to look after you and make sure you don’t fall. Well, well well.
After the ship tours which were like a maze, we went on a ship ride. At first I thought it was just a short ride out to sea but it was not.
The navy officers helped us into life jackets and bundled us up to the barge ship. It was very fun and the sea breeze and spray was amazingly cool to the face. Basically the barge circled the deep seas at least 3km from Changi before heading back to shore. In between, the turbulent sea waves “engineered” by the movements of the barge sent us jumping slightly up and down but it was fun, kind of like a roller coaster ride! Hehe.
Well, after standing on the barge for about half an hour, my legs were wobbly and we made our way back but not before walking like 2km to the chartered buses! I was wondering how old people can take it if they have to walk so far but all in all, it was hassle free and a nice day near the sea.
Anyway, thank God the weather was good as the sun was not scorching. Nonetheless I did a lot of walking. Showcased were the navy fleet, of which I have no idea what the different types of ships are. There was the frigates (RSS Formidable/ Intrepid/ Endurance, etc), missile corvettes, submarines, just to name a few. I had plenty of fun exploring the frigates (in simple English it means a big ship – yes, I made that up!), climbing up and down and seeing where the crew sleeps, what kind of kitchen and dining rooms they have, the engine rooms and their operation area. Oh yes, the navy officers were very courteous, addressing you as “Sir, Madam”, “Welcome on board”, etc. They even gave guided tours on the ships. And we could take pictures! Just no pictures of those sensitive equipment. In addition, there were officers at every nook and canny of those steep staircases (almost 90 deg) to look after you and make sure you don’t fall. Well, well well.After the ship tours which were like a maze, we went on a ship ride. At first I thought it was just a short ride out to sea but it was not.
The navy officers helped us into life jackets and bundled us up to the barge ship. It was very fun and the sea breeze and spray was amazingly cool to the face. Basically the barge circled the deep seas at least 3km from Changi before heading back to shore. In between, the turbulent sea waves “engineered” by the movements of the barge sent us jumping slightly up and down but it was fun, kind of like a roller coaster ride! Hehe.Well, after standing on the barge for about half an hour, my legs were wobbly and we made our way back but not before walking like 2km to the chartered buses! I was wondering how old people can take it if they have to walk so far but all in all, it was hassle free and a nice day near the sea.
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