Your Navy Today - Volume 3 Issue 2

Your Navy Today is a monthly newsletter highlighting your Royal Canadian Navy’s current Operations, stories about our sailors and historic naval heroes, new equipment and technology and the top photos and videos. Click here to subscribe to the monthly email.

Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Fredericton is currently on Op REASSURANCE as a member of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, supporting NATO assurance and deterrence measures.

Over the course of the deployment Fredericton will conduct security patrols and participate in cooperative engagements aimed at improving interoperability with allies, and will also conduct port visits in the region. HMCS Fredericton’s contributions will strengthen Canada’s relationships with allies, while enhancing NATO’s maritime presence.

HMC Ships Whitehorse and Nanaimo departed Esquimalt, B.C., February 10 for a three-month deployment on Operation CARIBBE, Canada’s contribution to the U.S.-led Operation MARTILLO, aimed at combatting international drug trafficking and organized crime in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea.

This is the 14th year that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has participated, and marks the first time maritime coastal defence vessels from the West Coast will deploy on Op CARIBBE for more than three months.

“By deploying our maritime coastal defence vessels further and for a longer duration than we have before, we are able to demonstrate our ships’ and crews’ capabilities in a new way,” said Rear-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie, Commander Maritime Forces Pacific.

“This increases our scope of operations and contributes further to enhancing the stability and security in the Pacific region.”

HMC Ships Glace Bay and Shawinigan are on Operation PROJECTION West Africa and their crews recently participated in some community relations activities in Porto Grande, Cape Verde. The ships departed Porto Grande February 21, heading for Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Operation PROJECTION West Africa represents Canada’s commitment to maritime security around the world. While deployed, the ships will participate in two cooperative deployments focused on capacity building, conduct security patrols and build and maintain relationships with regional partners.

A firefighter from Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt, B.C., has received official recognition for saving the life of a snorkeler while on a recent vacation in Hawaii, crediting his training for a quick reaction.

“You are always nervous in an incident like this, but the training you learn as a first responder is definitely crucial,” said Rob Minnick.

“The training takes over and you start performing all the steps without really realizing it, and in this case it saved a young man’s life.”

As the RCN continues to embrace innovative ways of doing things, an electronics technician at the dockyard in Esquimalt, B.C., is doing exactly that through his work on printed circuit boards (PCBs).

Since his arrival at Fleet Maintenance Facility (FMF), Dax Ryn has not only been creating custom circuit boards for the RCN, but has been teaching apprentices how to do the same.

“They (PCBs) are very useful if you want to diagnose problems in a system,” he said, adding that they are also a durable way to develop a test and measurement capability within FMF.

In 1942, Commander Clarence King assumed command of the corvette HMCS Oakville. On August 28, 1942, in the company of American warships and the corvettes Halifax and Snowberry, Oakville was escorting a convoy off Haiti when it was attacked by U-94.

Oakville dropped depth charges, forcing it to surface, and after bombarding it, rammed the submarine twice. Struck by another depth charge on the surface, U-94 gave up the fight.

King brought his ship alongside the badly damaged submarine and several of his crew boarded the boat to search for codebooks and other documents. For this action against U-94, King was awarded a Distinguished Service Order and the American Legion of Merit.

“When in the face of the enemy, he was a real fire-eater,” said one of his crew after the battle.

“But when that enemy was vanquished, he became a humanitarian and did more than was the minimum required to rescue any survivors.”

On November 25, 2019, the Federal Court of Canada approved a settlement for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Department of National Defence sexual misconduct class action. This settlement affects people who experienced sexual assault, sexual harassment, or discrimination based on gender, sex, gender identity or sexual orientation.

To learn more about the approved settlement, visit the class action website at www.caf-dndsexualmisconductclassaction.ca/ or call 1-888-626-2611.

The Department of National Defence and the RCN are currently trialling a new two-piece uniform, consisting of a long-sleeved shirt and pants.

This new uniform is known as the Naval Enhanced Combat Uniform and will replace the current operational dress. The new uniform will provide increased comfort, performance, and a better, more streamlined fit overall, while functioning in all operational environments.

Approximately 400 naval members are currently wearing the new operational dress uniform as part of the trial. The goal is to make sure that the views and opinions of members are factored into any final decisions.

The RCN has launched a Digital Navy initiative to augment our greatest strengths: our people, their knowledge and the sage judgment they apply to deliver and sustain ready naval forces.

Read more about our Strategy to Enable Canada’s Naval Team for the Digital Age and associated Action Plan.

Meet Master Seaman Keli Carneiro. She is the first Naval Reserve musician to be deployed with the Naval Security Team as a force operator, not once, but twice!

Meet Sub-Lieutenant Connor Parris! He recently earned his Bridge Watchkeeping Certificate and has some advice to those considering a career in the RCN.

After dealing with career-ending injuries, Leading Seaman (retired) Ron Cleroux has found a renewed passion for active living through his experiences with Soldier On.

“Road cycling clears my mind. I’m completely happy after every ride. It also helps me set goals for myself and keeps me motivated.”

Last year, support from donors and the Navy Bike Ride directly assisted four ill and injured members of the RCN. Money raised supported these sailors in adapting to their new normal and reintroducing an active lifestyle through recreational and sporting activities with the Soldier On program.

This family-friendly event is a great way to get active for a great cause that supports our military families. Sign up now at NavyBikeRide.ca.

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