Describing a typical day in the life of a Weapon Engineer Officer is quite difficult as the job is so varied!

With the ship currently deployed, the usual day begins at 7:00. Following breakfast work starts in earnest at 8:00, usually with a comprehensive check of all the weapon, sensor and communications systems on board to check that everything is working correctly should it be needed.

The middle of the day will depend on the ship's programme. Every warfare serial will require support from the Weapon Engineers, and it's the WEO's job to ensure that this happens.

Typical serials might be aircraft tracking exercises, close range weapon firings or damage control exercises, where the WEO has a pivotal role as the principle advisor to the Captain.

If any equipment is undergoing major maintenance or repair, the WEO will also keep an eye on this in order to monitor progress and request the appropriate assistance from the engineering authorities in the UK if necessary.

Some paperwork is inevitable in any job, and generally gets done in the early evening. Fortunately this is also fairly varied, including staff reports on the members of the departments and, currently, preparations for the next maintenance period when the ship returns to the UK.

Much of this is streamlined now the ship has 24-hour access to both the internet and the Navy's intranet - email is taking over as the primary means of communication these days.

There is always organised sport or circuit training in the evening, with a number of other alternatives for filling in time such as the ship's new interactive learning centre.

The later evening is dominated by the Command Brief, where all departments bring the Captain up to date with what has been going on during the day. This is followed by dinner in the Wardroom, and often a film via the DVD player which we now have fitted with a projector and surround sound.

Unless there is a particular problem with a piece of equipment, the WEO generally retires around 11:00, often following a check with the Officer of the Watch on the bridge to ensure that he or she is happy with the equipment they will need overnight.