Your Navy Today - Volume 4 Issue 6
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Delivery of the future HMCS Margaret Brooke was marked with a ceremony with the ship’s crew on July 15 in Halifax.
On July 15, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) accepted delivery of its second Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), the future Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Margaret Brooke, in Halifax. The event marked an important milestone for the RCN and for the ship’s crew.
Training in preparation for delivery has involved the ship’s company in both computer-based learning and a practical training program at various shore-based facilities, as well as on board HMCS Harry DeWolf, the first AOPS and the ship after which the entire class is named.
The delivery of Margaret Brooke, hull number 431, is a highly anticipated event, said the commanding officer of the ship Commander (Cdr) Nicole Robichaud.
“Not only is a new ship entering into service with the RCN, but a new capability is also being introduced and Margaret Brooke will directly contribute to achieving global Canadian objectives.”
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Departure of HMCS Fredericton from HMC Dockyard Halifax on July 24.
HMCS Halifax returned to Her Majesty’s Canadian (HMC) Dockyard Halifax on July 19, 2021, after serving as flag ship to Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) while deployed on Operation Reassurance. Over the course of the six-and-a-half-month deployment, Halifax participated in four joint multinational exercises with NATO partners and Allies. The serials conducted focused on naval task group interoperability, readiness, assurance and deterrence. The last of these NATO-led exercises was Dynamic Mongoose 21, which took place from June 28 to July 9, and focused on anti-submarine warfare.
On July 24, HMCS Fredericton set sail from HMC Dockyard Halifax to begin its own six-month deployment as flag ship for SNMG1. This is the fourth time Fredericton has deployed on Reassurance and the 16th time an RCN ship has supported NATO assurance and deterrence measures in Central and Eastern European waters since 2014.
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Crew members of HMCS Calgary in Australia preparing to participate in Exercise Talisman Sabre 21.
After completing its rotation on Op Artemis, HMCS Calgary is currently deployed on Op Projection in the Indo-Pacific region. On July 18, Calgary began its participation in Exercise Talisman Sabre 21, a joint exercise held every two years in Australia and its territorial waters.
During Talisman Sabre, Calgary worked closely with our Australian and American partners to ensure interoperability and to continue to improve security and stability in the region. Other participants in the maritime component of the exercise included the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force and the Republic of Korea Navy. Talisman Sabre concluded on July 31.
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HMCS Shawinigan in the background as members of the USCG finish loading seized narcotics onto their Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat after a successful drug interdiction in the Caribbean Basin.
Between July 12 and 21, Shawinigan and the U.S. Coast Guard (USGC) completed successful interdictions, seizing close to 2,800 kg of cocaine with an approximate street value of $70 million USD. Bravo Zulu!
Shawinigan has been conducting detection and monitoring duties in the Caribbean Basin since June 2.
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Rear-Admiral Antony Storrs
Antony Storrs did not expect to survive D-Day.
The Canadian naval officer, who led a critical minesweeping operation to clear the way for the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, later related to his son that he never thought he’d live through the dangerous assignment.
“He figured it would be a one-way trip and that the chances of coming out alive were fairly slim,” Andrew Storrs remembers his father telling him.
Storrs was the senior officer of the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla, a Canadian naval unit that cleared the waters before the Americans landed at Utah and Omaha beaches on D-Day.
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A participant in a recent Raven Program.
After a one-year shutdown, the RCN’s popular Raven Program is ready to soar again.
This outreach program is run by Naval Fleet School Pacific at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt, B.C., and blends Indigenous cultures with military training.
Candidates come from across Canada, enrol in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and are housed at CFB Esquimalt in July and August. This year, COVID-19 health and safety measures have also been put in place.
The overarching intention of the Raven Program is to bring together people from across Canada, both military and Indigenous, to start building relationships, experiences and connections to our nation’s Indigenous and military roots.
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The smoke was too thick for the ladder operator to see the woman trapped on her balcony, so S1 Massé went into the smoke to save her.
Photo: Jean-Philip Grenier, Tipou Productions.
Two Naval Reserve members from HMCS Joliett demonstrated courage, devotion, altruism, and perseverance—all crucial abilities for the two members of the CAF when they fought a fire in Sept-Iles on 16 April 2021.
During the rescue operation, neither the intense heat nor the smoke stopped the two reservists from finishing the job and saving lives.
Sailor 1st Class (S1) Michaël Massé and Sailor 2nd Class Alpha Tall are both civilian fire fighters, but neither could have anticipated the events that transpired that day.
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On behalf of Team 15 from the RCN, champions of Cyber Flag 21-2, Canadian Cmdre Matthew Bowen (left), accepts a plaque from U.S. Army General Paul M. Nakasone (middle), U.S. Cyber Command Commander and National Security Agency Director, and Command Sergeant-Major Sheryl D. Lyon (right). Courtesy of U.S. Cyber Command.
Department of National Defence (DND) and the CAF swept the podium at the U.S. Cyber Command’s premier annual cyber training exercise, Cyber Flag 21-2 on June 25, 2021. They came in first, second and third in an exercise that included 17 international Cyber Protection Teams.
Team 15 from the RCN are the proud champions of this year’s exercise, with Canadian Commodore Matthew Bowen accepting the award on behalf of the team.
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LCdr Elizabeth Eldridge
Meet Lieutenant-Commander Elizabeth Eldridge. She is proud to share her experiences as a naval logistics officer while deployed as a Staff Officer Mentor for Exercise Sea Breeze 21 in Odesa, Ukraine from June 28 to July 10, 2021.
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PO1 Jason Boudreau
Meet Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Boudreau. He wanted to follow in his father’s steps as an electrical technician. But instead of working underground in a Manitoba mine like his father, he chose to go to sea with the RCN.
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S1 Jesse Gisborne
Meet S1 Jesse Gisborne. He is a Clearance Diver from Fleet Diving Unit (Pacific), who was deployed on Operation Unifier supporting Exercise Sea Breeze 21 in Odesa, Ukraine.
- On July 10, 1943, nearly 3,000 Allied ships participated in the invasion of Sicily, which began the Italian Campaign and helped secure the Mediterranean Sea for Allied shipping.
- Get an up-close and personal look at the Weapons Handling and Distribution System Trainer for our Victoria-class submarines!
- Exercise Sea Breeze 2021 was about transparency, interoperability and promoting partnerships in the Black Sea region.
Since August 1st, Navy Bike Ride participants have been encouraged to take on two new optional cycling challenges to help reach the goal of 30,000 rides in 2021!
The BMO Family Challenge has been available since August 7 and features non-competitive events designed for even the youngest rider. This challenge will end on August 28.
The Admiral’s Challenge presented by Thales features a different challenge each week for the first three weeks of August as riders head towards the finish line at the end of the month. With a new challenge each week, riders will be engaging in a bit of friendly competition to see who tops the leader board.
Haven’t signed up yet? You’re in luck! Registration is ongoing for this free virtual event on now until August 29. Visit our website to register now! With over $17,000 in prizes to be won throughout the summer, you won’t want to miss out on your opportunity to win!
While we cannot ride together, let’s connect over social media. Share photos as you and/or your family head out on the Harry DeWolf Challenge. Post your photos to your Instagram or Facebook accounts and tag #NavyBikeRide2021 to show how you are staying fit and charting the course for HMCS Harry DeWolf.
Together we make waves. Together we ride!
Canadian Naval Review (CNR) is holding its annual essay competition again in 2021. There will be a $1,000 prize for the best essay, provided by the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust. The winning essay will be published in CNR. Other non-winning essays will also be considered for publication, subject to editorial review.
Essays submitted to the contest should relate to the following topics:
- Canadian maritime security;
- Canadian naval policy;
- Canadian naval issues;
- Canadian naval operations;
- History/historical operations of the RCN;
- Global maritime issues (such as piracy, smuggling, fishing, environment);
- Canadian oceans policy and issues;
- Arctic maritime issues;
- Maritime transport and shipping.
Contest Guidelines and Judging
The essays will be assessed by a panel of judges on the basis of a number of criteria including readability, breadth, importance, accessibility and relevance. The decision of the judges is final. All authors will be notified of the judges’ decision within two months of the submission deadline.
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