31 January 2025
An Air Force chef got a literal sea change when he put his hand up to join the crew of HMAS Brisbane on an interchangeability deployment to the United States.
Leading Aircraftman Jin Seo spent almost three months living and working like a Navy chef onboard Brisbane as she test-fired a Tomahawk missile – a first for Australia – and conducted exercises with the US Navy near San Diego.
It was the aviator’s first time on a Navy ship and his first visit to the US.
“Cooking on the ship was quite different, but all the basics were similar,” Leading Aircraftman Seo said.
“It wasn’t as hard as I [expected] – Navy chefs have really nice teamwork and everyone puts in when called over the pipes for a spare hand.”
Although life in the kitchen had a familiar rhythm for the award-winning chef, who is currently posted to the Australian Federation Guard in Canberra, it took some time before he got his sea legs.
HMAS Brisbane, a Hobart-class guided missile destroyer, is almost 150 metres long, with a crew of about 180.
“I’m quite a small man but I struggled to sleep in the tiny bed,” Leading Aircraftman Seo said.
“We had nine people in our room. It was cramped but big enough for operations.”
Leading Aircraftman Seo said the work roster gave him time to get off the ship and explore San Diego and beyond.
But the highlight of his trip was when he served VIPs who visited the ship.
“When I got there, they [had] already organised all the stuff so I just started cooking with the other chefs,” he said.
“I can't believe how high the quality of the food was. We were working in a small team and kitchen. It was a really great experience.”
With that unique experience under his belt, it will be some time before Leading Aircraftman Seo is back in the kitchen.
He is now preparing to deploy to the Korean DMZ as part of Operation Linesman, the ADF contribution to the UN mission to ensure peace between North and South Korea.
