Stardate 2105.07. HMS Somerset. Off Portland. I won’t forget today in a hurry – it was the moment I’d been looking forward to since taking command.

Don’t worry, we haven’t gone all Star Trek on you (phew – Ed). It’s just an extract from the diary of Cdr Rob Wilson, Commanding Officer of HMS Somerset, who is recounting the trials and tribulations of bringing the frigate out of refit in an internet diary or ‘blog’.

Each vessel in the Senior Service has its own website, featuring news on recent episodes in the ship’s life.

But with web access across the Fleet becoming easier, personal diaries are likely to form an increasing part of life at sea, giving sailors a chance to air their stories, rather than relying on the media to highlight (or, sadly, often ignore) what the RN is doing.

Sailors on HMS Lancaster blogged their way around the Caribbean during the winter and HMS Albion has just begun one charting her work on Neptune Warrior exercises and her NATO deployment to the Baltic.

Cdr Wilson’s is probably the most comprehensive blog yet set up by a serving sailor, with almost daily updates on the goings on aboard the Devonport-based frigate.

Alongside the highs of command – letting rip with the 4.5in main gun when “our steel box had become a warship” and approving promotions – he charts some of the lows: such as having to hand over five sailors to another ship deploying to the Gulf to fill gaps aboard.

“No matelot likes to have his life re-arranged at short notice, but there is no option and no resistance for it is the right decision,” Cdr Wilson writes.

“The bottom line is that our country is heavily committed to two major military campaigns. Whilst the Navy appears infrequently in the headlines, our support to those campaigns is huge.”

And there’s the small matter of a “crunch”, clipping the dock wall in Devonport as Cdr Wilson brought his ship in which resulted in a small dent in the corner of the quarterdeck.

“I can tell you that the moment of impact, no matter how slight, is a sight and sound that I am not likely ever to forget,” he says.

“Whilst bumping one’s shiny new ship on first berthing her does no-one’s confidence or morale the power of good, there is absolutely nothing to do but put a brave face on it, deal with the fall-out and ‘get back on the horse’.”

Somerset has only just emerged from refit in Rosyth, where she spent a year receiving new sonar, a flight deck capable of operating Merlin helicopters, and general updates and improvements all round.

COs have the power to authorise blogs by members of their ship’s company – providing the diary is not contentious, reflects favourably on life in the Senior Service, and providing the CO can maintain oversight of the content.

“New technology is giving us an unprecedented opportunity to engage directly with the public,” said Capt Mark Windsor, head of the Fleet’s Media and Communications team.

“Both the First Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Fleet have seen these web blogs and are very encouraged.”

Commanding Officers looking to start their own blogs or approve diaries compiled by their team should inform Fleet HQ so they can spread the word and keep tabs on any media inquiries which might result from journalists reading the blogs (for they do read them, as regular users of the bulletin board Rum Ration know). Further advice has been provided in a circular on dealing with the media issued by Capt Windsor.

Cdr Wilson’s blog can be read here and Albion’s web diary is here.