Orford Ness: Former military site needs ferry operator

A "rare chance" to become the sole ferry operator for a former nuclear weapons testing island has become available.

Orford Ness, a spit located just off the Suffolk coast, was used as a secret military test site during the Cold War.

It is now a National Trust coastal nature reserve with testing site buildings people can visit.

The ferry operator role would involve operating the ferry, a powerboat and a rowing boat across the River Ore.

The National Trust said this "rare chance" was for an "experienced" sailor.

The National Trust said it was one of the few sites in the UK where facilities were built for the purpose of testing nuclear weapons' components.

However, the work that was carried out on the island by the military remains secret, it said.

Orford Ness was used by the military from 1918 to the 1980s, said Glen Pearce, property operations manager for the site.

The Atomic Weapons Research Establishment on the island used to test bomb casing for nuclear bombs, he said.

It is "quite a dangerous site", Guy Brown, Orford Ness boat supervisor, said.

He said Orford Ness was used for "environmental testing for the triggers for nuclear weapons, so making sure they didn't go off when they weren't supposed to".

"There's still a huge amount that we don't know about the site," Mr Brown said, and "we'll probably never know" the work that the buildings and infrastructure on the island were involved in.

The ferry operator would be expected to help maintain the listed buildings and scheduled monuments on the site during the winter.

"You've got to have a sense of humour to deal with the weather, keep morale up when waves are breaking into your face, but if you treat it like a rollercoaster then it's really not that bad," said Mr Brown.

The site required the new ferry operator to be an "all-rounder", Mr Pearce said.

"One day you could be operating the boat, the next day you could be chasing our rare breed sheep, you could be helping repairing some of the buildings.

"You have to be prepared to work here when the wind is blowing, it's -4C, and horizontal hail in your face.

"It's a privilege to work here," he added.

Applications for the role close on 27 March and the successful applicant will start work in April when Orford Ness reopens to visitors for the season.

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