For many new sailors on board HMAS Toowoomba, leaving the southern hemisphere could be a daunting task.
Luckily for them, the ship's navigator Lieutenant Commander Brianna Webb knows the South China Sea like it was her own backyard.
"This is my third time navigating the South China Sea, which is beneficial, because I can assist in training newer officers, and being so familiar with the area helps in their training," Lieutenant Commander Webb said.
Tasked with training the next generation of maritime warfare officers, Lieutenant Commander Webb draws on her own experience, and the memories imparted by generations of Navy navigators before her.
"Royal Australian Navy ships have been here for decades and decades. So there's a wealth of institutional knowledge, because these are the same routes we operate in all the time, so our Navy knows how to operate in this area," Lieutenant Commander Webb said.
Since commissioning in 2009, Lieutenant Commander Webb has served on multiple operational deployments, working her way to the daunting position of navigator, where at any time, she is responsible for the safety of about 200 personnel on board.
"It's always in the back of your mind and it does cause a weight of responsibility, but it doesn't make you uncomfortable," Lieutenant Commander Webb said.
"Yes, you're the navigator, but you're not solely driving the ship, you have your officers of the watch and you are not alone, you have people who are there to help you."
'Royal Australian Navy ships have been here for decades and decades. So there's a wealth of institutional knowledge.'
Toowoomba is conducting a regional presence deployment throughout South-East and East Asia, conducting operations, exercises and other engagements with Australia's regional partners.
Lieutenant Commander Webb said it was not just a chance to improve cooperation, but to turbo-charge the training capabilities by transiting through busy, international waterways.
"There's been nothing out of the ordinary about our transits. The best part is, up here we get to carry out what most ships do over the course of a year, in a matter of three weeks," Lieutenant Commander Webb said.
"It's important to operate with our closest neighbours, and to do that, we need to do it in our own backyard and also in their backyard."
Lieutenant Commander Webb follows a family tradition of mariners, something she likes to reflect on in her spare moments on board.
"When I am having fun and have some mental capacity, it's a nice feeling to stop and think 'I am doing what my father did'," she said.
"My grandfather was a merchant mariner, my father was in the Royal Australian Navy, so I do think I'm carrying on a legacy and it makes me so proud to serve."
