Navy at Vivo City
Last week, we were invited to the Navy Open House at Vivo City to go onboard the RSS Intrepid. We have been to open houses at a Naval Bases before, but a Navy Open House at Vivo, speaks about convenience and accessibility. After all, Naval Vassals are not designated tourist destinations for the everyday Singaporean.
Personally, I have been onboard an US Aircraft Carrier before, but never on one of Singapore’s very own frigates. Furthermore, RSS Intrepid was recently deployed for counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, so it was going to be a good opportunity to find out first hand about their gulf experience.
Only ticket holders are allowed up the RSS Intrepid, and tickets are available for FREE via balloting. The kids were thus overjoyed to get their own tickets with their names on it! With the Frigate berthed at Vivo City, access to the ship was also made easier, as we did not have to drive to Brani. 
One of the first things that we saw as we proceeded from the Helicopter hanger , were the famous harpoon missiles. These are anti-ship missiles with an estimated cost of US 1.2 million dollars per missile.
Next up was the Bridge! This is where the Captain commands the ship, and where all the navigation devices are placed. With the many buttons, telephones, microphones and high chairs, the kids had a whale of a time!
Generally, the kids loved exploring the ship. As there were many steep ladders that the kids had to carefully climb down, the trip was one where they had to be alert and slowly make their way around.
A main highlight of the tour was the Ceremonial Sunset. This is a naval tradition where the ship’s flags are lowered to the accompaniment of a bugle call and arms drill. We were blessed as we managed to get ringside seats to the whole ceremony. We were not the only people watching, as a large crowd had also gathered at the balcony of Vivo City to watch the whole ceremony.
But of course, the favourite Parenting Moment for the family, was when Daddy saw them wearing their No.1 Ceremonial Naval Uniforms at the Photo booth. The Navy had special children’s uniforms for the kids to put on for free, and we had a great time getting the kids all dressed up in ceremonial threads.
The Navy got all of us together in a group shot and provided all of us with a 4R print out of the whole day! It was certainly a fun way to remember the whole Open House. Do look out for the next Navy Open House, as I am sure that it will be great fun for your family as well!