Blog is navy life 'warts and all'

By Jo Irving
BBC news, Devon

Cdr Wilson has been writing his blog since June 2007

For the first time the commander of a Plymouth-based Royal Navy frigate is writing a ship's blog.

The 185 service personnel deployed on Devonport-based HMS Somerset as well as their families back home can now follow its progress day-by-day.

Cdr Rob Wilson said: "It's vital, the more families know about what we're doing, the more I get out of them on board as a result."

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed it is behind the move.

'Warts and all'

Cdr Wilson's blog began in June 2007 after he had approached his navy bosses with a potential draft of entries covering a week at sea.

He said he was to "go for it", but "exercise your judgement in what you write and what you don't".

And that is what his ship's blog has been like ever since.

He describes it as a "warts and all" account about time spent on board the vessel.

HMS Somerset Type-23 frigate Length: 133m (436ft) Weight: 4,900 tonnes Carries MK 8 Lynx helicopters 185 service personnel

Cdr Wilson joined the Type 23 frigate in January 2007 and came up with the idea of writing a blog as a way of communicating with families of the ship's company.

"(It was) so they could know what was going on in our lives and what I was putting their loved ones through," he said.

But in an age where most people have e-mail access aren't most families already up to date with the latest on Somerset's movements?

"I work them so hard there's no time to give families the detail that perhaps I can give," said Cdr Wilson.

The only time when the ship's blog might not be written is when the vessel is in "active combat", but that is not something Cdr Wilson is losing sleep over.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, " he said.

"It's working for us at the moment, not a week goes by when I don't get some form of contact with one of the family members of my ship's company which encourages me to keep on."