Our Navy Today - Volume 6 Issue 8

His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Ottawa started the month alongside in Sattahip, Thailand before its trip to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The ship came alongside on October 11^th and became the first Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) ship to visit Eastern Malaysia.

While there, about 30 sailors including Commander Sam Patchell joined High Commissioner Wayne Robson of the High Commission of Canada in Malaysia for a visit to Kampung Nagasiba Donggongon, an indigenous Kadazan village where a donation from Boomer’s Legacy was made to help fund equipment and furniture purchases for the local kindergarten and community centre.

Some sailors spent the day with the local children and competed in a colouring contest, while others took time to paint the community centre’s walls and clean the nearby grounds.

On October 17^th the ship came alongside in Singapore for a rest and maintenance period before the next portion of their deployment.

HMCS Vancouver is currently participating in Operation Neon, Canada’s contribution to the multinational effort to implement United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea.

On September 29^th, the ship arrived in the Philippines to participate in the latest iteration of Exercise Sama Sama, a bilateral exercise between the United States Navy (USN) and the Philippine Navy (PN).

The training focused on improving maritime integration and interoperability between the RCN and the PN, the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Navy with a specific focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster response scenarios.

On October 4^th, while alongside in Manila, sailors from Vancouver made a goodwill visit to the Sen Benigno Aquino Elementary School and donated school supplies and sports equipment. The next day, it was Hockey Night in Manila as the Philippines Men’s National Team clashed sticks with the Vancouver hockey team in a friendly exhibition.

After concluding their participation in Sama Sama on October 16^th, the ship began the journey to White Beach Naval Facility for a port visit in Okinawa, Japan.

After taking part in Exercise Sandy Coast in the North Sea, HMC Ships Shawinigan and Summerside continued their work on Op Reassurance as part of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1), currently under the command of the Polish Navy. The task group is tasked with searching for and clearing historical ordinance in French territorial waters.

During a visit in Cherbourg, France representatives from SNMCMG1 were welcomed by the French Navy’s Vice Admiral Marc Véran, Commander for the Channel and North Sea. While alongside in Cherbourg, France members participated in a 300m sea swim and a 2km run in honour of Petty Officer 2^nd Class Craig Blake who died after an improvised explosive device detonated in Afghanistan in 2010.

On October 8^th, the Commander RCN, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee and RCN Command Chief Petty Officer, Chief Petty Officer 1^st Class Thomas Lizotte visited the ships to meet and congratulate the crews on their successes throughout the deployment.

The ships returned home to Halifax on November 5^th.

HMCS Moncton departed their home port of Halifax, Nova Scotia on October 24^th for a six-week deployment on Operation Caribbe in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

Operation Caribbe is Canada’s contribution to U.S.-led Enhanced Counternarcotics Operations under Joint Interagency Task Force South, responsible for conducting detection and monitoring operations and facilitating the interdiction of illicit trafficking. This operation is to improve the safety and security of North America, the Caribbean and South America.

The first sailor to successfully join the RCN’s new Naval Experience Program (NEP) says the concept is a “huge win” for those who decide to apply.

The NEP, which got under way in April, provides prospective sailors with enough exposure to life in the Navy to decide if it’s right for them.

After one year, participants can either choose to continue to serve with the Navy or leave if it isn’t a good fit for them. The program also allows the Navy to assess the suitability of new recruits with the Canadian Armed Forces Ethos and Code of Conduct.

The longest ship ever built in Canada will soon sustain Canada’s fleet while away from home ports. A keel-laying ceremony was held on October 27^th for the future HMCS Preserver, the second of two Joint Support Ships (JSS) being built at Seaspan shipyards.

A keel-laying event represents a significant milestone in the construction of a ship as it marks the “birth” of the vessel. As part of the ceremonial event, a newly minted coin is laid near the keel where it remains for the life of the vessel and is thought to bring the ship and crew good luck.

The new support ships will be referred to as the Protecteur-class as a tribute to the dedication and sacrifices of generations of sailors who served in the former Protecteur-class auxiliary oiler replenishment vessels. This enables the new JSS to carry on the legacy and battle honours of the ships that came before them.