OTTAWA BRANCH THE NAVAL OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF …P.11 HMCS Ottawa Report P.16 HMCS Carleton Report P.17 Salty Dips P.18 Erik Nielsen P.20 SLt on Down P.21 ALS March P.22 Remember

Soundings November 2008 1

PATRON H.R.H. THE PRINCE PHILIPDUKE OF EDINBURGH

OTTAWA BRANCHTHE NAVAL OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA

Box 505, Station B, Ottawa, ON K1P 5P6

“To make all levels of Government and the general public clearly aware of the vital need for, and value ofadequate and effective Maritime security forces to protect and further the interests of Canada.” (BranchConstitution, Article III.)

44.02 “Trying the depth of the water and the quality of the bottom line.…” November, 2008

MARITIME AIR

Image copyright Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Composite image of the new CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopter. See the cover story onMaritime Air starting on page 5.

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2 Soundings November 2008

From the PresidentBy Richard Gimblett

For a supposedly quiettime, the summer sure hasa way of passing all tooquickly, and there areseveral important Branchdevelopments to report. Appropriately enough, ourAnnual General Meeting inMay was the launch for acouple of the initiatives.The highlight of the eveningwas Russ Fowler’spresentation into Branchrenewal. For those whohave yet to read his report,I commend it to your reviewas having significantimplications for our futurecourse. Indeed, themembers present whole-heartedly accepted itsfundamental finding – thatour local progress is tiedinextricably to the future ofthe National organization –and recommended it for theconsideration of theNational AGM. Russ’ssubsequent presentation tothat body similarly was wellreceived, and NOACNational has taken on thewhole issue of renewal witha view to fairly rapidimplementation. BothRuss’s full report and theabbreviated PowerPoint

slide presentation can befound front-and-centre onthe National web-site homepage, at: http://www.noac-national.ca/ The AGM also was theopportunity to welcomesome new faces to theBoard of Directors.Traditionally the time for amajor turnover associatedwith the end of a sittingpresident’s two-yearmandate, that obviously didnot transpire, as I amsigning this note for thethird fall Soundings.Instead, your Boardrequested I stay on foranother year, due largely tothe increased short-termworkload VP Bob Bush isfinding with his day-job(OSI has been fortunate towin important bids on anumber of contracts), butalso to better position thebranch in successionplanning. To this latter end,we have established twonew positions of “director-at-large” on the Board, andthe membershipunanimously voted toconfirm the appointment ofGeorge Kolisnek and JimCarruthers in thosepositions. Although theyhave no specific portfoliosother than to generallyassist the workings of theBranch, they both alreadyhave proven to be valuableadditions in variousCentennial and Renewalactivities. Welcome aboardguys! In a related development,over the summer ourSecretary, Richard Mayne,had to tender his

In this edition…

P.2 President’s

Remarks

P.3 Editor’s Desk

P.3 New Director-at-

Large

P.3 Entertainment

P.4 National Director’s

Remarks

P.4 National Strategic

Business Plan

P.5 Maritime Air

P.8 Aurora Beginnings

P.11 HMCS OttawaReport

P.16 HMCS CarletonReport

P.17 Salty Dips

P.18 Erik Nielsen

P.20 SLt on Down

P.21 ALS March

P.22 Remember

P.22 Canadian Naval

Air Group

P.23 Seen in Passing

P.23 Up Periscope

P.24 KootenayMemories

P.25 Manfield Plate

P.26 Nautical Notes

P.27 Summer of ’64

Part 2

P.31 Officers and

Directors

P.32 Branch

Information

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resignation after a change of jobs to a newposition in the Vice Chief of Defence Staff“future concepts” cell made it difficult for himto get to Board meetings. Our sincere thanksgo out to Richard for his past efforts, and forbest wishes in the future. Thanks also toDenny Boyle for answering the call for areplacement, and to Don Whittemore forpicking up the slack at the October meetingwhile Denny was travelling abroad. The new season got off to a great start, withRuss Fowler back for a return engagement,this time making a presentation on theproject that he oversees in his day job – theHalifax Class Modernization (HCM) andFrigate Life Extension (FELEX). His will be atough act to follow, but as you will see fromthe Branch Programme posted elsewhere inthis newsletter and on the Branch web-site,we have a wonderful line-up for you. I look forward to seeing you there! S

From the Editor’s DeskBy Richard Archer

I like the look of thisedition of Soundings. Sothanks to all those whohave contributed suchgood material.

On page 5, as atheme cover story westart a section onmaritime air, an areathat’s received a lot of

interest lately as the Forces finally overcomethe legacy of the EH-101 cancellation.

If you like the idea of a theme forupcoming editions, please let me know withyour ideas. At the moment, I believe a themeaddressing the NOAC Strategic BusinessPlan has the inside track for the Spring 2009edition, but I’m open to suggestions. S

Entertainment News –Fall/Christmas ReceptionBy Ken Lait

The Fall/Christmas Reception isscheduled for Wednesday, December 3rdfrom 1700 to 1930 in the Main Lounge of

HMCS Bytown. This event will follow thesuccessful format from last year and willinclude Clam Chowder in addition to thenormal sandwiches, seafood and cheeseplatters, desserts and coffee. Kick-start yourholiday spirits with other NOAC memberswho have not yet flown south or who aregoing to brave yet another winter here inOttawa. I have it on good authority that theVolume 9 edition of Salty Dips will beavailable for purchase and, of course, FredHerrndorf will be there with his contributionbox for the Branch’s Sea Cadet Bursaryfund. Don’t forget – mark your calendars for

S

Jim CarruthersNew Director-at-Large

We welcome JimCarruthers to theOttawa Branch Boardof Directors as aDirector-at-Large. Anative of Drumheller,Alberta, Jim attendedRoyal Roads, receivedhis undergraduatedegree in ElectricalEngineering from RMCin 1965 and his Ph.D.in EE in 1974 from

Dalhousie (Tech). He was a member of theCanadian Armed Forces Command and StaffCollege class of 1977. Jim served as a general list officer andwas the prototype for the Combat SystemsEngineer (CSE) military occupation. Afterleaving the Navy in 1982 Capt(N) Carrutherswas CEO of Norpak Corporation until heretired in 2006.

He is the originator of the SHINPADSconcept of ship combat system integrationand the author of numerous papers oncombat system design, interactive televisionand data broadcast. S

Wednesday, 3rd December 2008Branch Fall/Christmas Reception1700 – 1930 in the Main Lounge

HMCS Bytown.

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From the Past President andNational DirectorBy Heather J. Armstrong

After a wonderfulsummer, a warm start tothe fall, and the thought ofwinter just around thecorner, I thought it timelyto update you on theNational AGM and some ofthe Naval Centennial plansin development.

First of all, with astrong contingent fromNOAC Ottawa, I attendedthe 63rd Annual GeneralMeeting in Quebec City 31

May 2008. To review the discussions anddecisions I would invite you to review theminutes on the NOAC National website. Oneof the key outcomes of the meeting was theacceptance and support of the “FowlerReport” and the endorsement of establishinga Renewal Committee. All agreed that theeffort had to be taken to address renewalnow or the future of the NOAC organizationwould soon be in jeopardy. Ottawa Branchplayed a key role is sponsoring this initiativeand preparing the roadmap that shows theway forward for the strategic business planfor presentation and approval at the AGM2009. The NOAC Renewal committee ischaired by the National President and iscomprised of all Branch Presidents plus theNational Treasurer and the ExecutiveDirector acting as Secretary.

NOAC Quebec City pulled out all thestops and hosted an outstanding number ofNOAC activities as well as showcasing theircity during her 400th anniversary. They setthe bar high for the organizers of the nextNational AGM, which will be hosted byNOABC and held in Vancouver late May,2009.

I know most of you are well aware ofthe Naval Centennial planning underway for2010. I would invite you to visit Chief ofMaritime Staff/Naval Centennial website toget the full picture of their planned activities,events and arrangements underway as thereare far too many to mention here. It is

worthy of note, however, that various NOACBranches are also contributing to the NavalCentennial. For example, our Branch isdeveloping a Centennial Edition of Salty Dipsand you all should note that they have beenawarded a $2,500 grant from the NOACEndowment Fund. NOAC NationalEndowment Fund is also sponsoring aNational Essay Contest for students ingrades 9-11 to write essays on designatednaval themes with the top 11 being awardeda scholarship. And NOAVI is sponsoring twoCentennial activities: a naval bronze statuedepicting a sailor returning home to hisfamily and a memorial window in St Paul’sChurch.

With the NOAC Renewal activities andthe Naval Centennial nearing, the NOAC iswell positioned to capitalize on the attentionthese activities will garner. I wouldencourage all of you to participate in any wayyou can as our Branch and NOAC Nationalmove forward into these exciting times.

NOAC Strategic Business PlanBy Richard Archer

As mentioned by Heather, I’ve beengiven the task of drafting the NOAC strategicbusiness plan on behalf of the RenewalCommittee for tabling at the VancouverAGM.

The committee has identified threefundamental pillars in which NOAC needs toraise its profile. The first is to build on thecamaraderie already inherent in theorganization, to be more attractive to the newgenerations of mariners, so as to providethem with a place for socializing andexpressing their support for a strong navy.The second is the acknowledgement andpreservation of Canada's maritimeheritage, for example in support of themaritime museums across the country. Andthe third is to raise NOAC's voice in supportof the promotion of a robust and capablefuture navy.

These three pillars are seen to benecessary to the increased Relevance ofNOAC…and Relevance is seen to be the keyto improved membership. S

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The Air Force and Maritime Air:A National ResponsibilityBy Lieutenant-General Angus WattChief of the Air Staff

CF Photo by MCpl Jill Cooper

The responsibility for monitoring andprotecting Canada’s coastal waters lies withCanada’s Air Force in cooperation with theCanadian Navy and Coast Guard. For acountry the size of Canada, this is indeed alarge responsibility and one that has evolvedover the years. In the Second World War, theRoyal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF’s) EasternAir Command, as part of Royal Air ForceCoastal Command, worked at home andoverseas to hunt down German U-Boats.After the war, the RCAF established MaritimeAir Command to continue to help protectCanadian shores from any incoming threats.In the intervening years, the Air Force hasflown the Lancaster, the CP-122 Neptune,the CP-107 Argus and the CP-140 Aurora toperform this vital function.

There is another side to maritime air,of course, and that is the role of the maritimehelicopters that are attached to Canadian

Navy ships at sea. The Royal Canadian Navy(RCN) has its own proud history of aviation,and when the CH-124 Sea King helicopterwas first delivered in 1963, it was deployedas an RCN aircraft. But with the unificationof the three services in 1968, this operationalrole was transferred to the Air Force. Todaythis duty continues to be performed by theSea King.

It is difficult to exaggerate just howsignificant maritime air operations are to athree-ocean country such as Canada. Withthe longest coastline in the world, ruggedterrain and a climate that ranges fromcontinuously temperate to permanentlyfrozen, Canada presents a formidablemaritime defence challenge. It is impossibleto monitor this vast coastline by ship alone,and surveillance of the seas from the air hasproven to be one of the most effective ways ofmonitoring and countering any threats to oursecurity, sovereignty and safety.

The importance of maritime airoperations was brought home to me duringmy years piloting the Sea King helicopter,which gave me a deep appreciation for thecapabilities, endurance and flexibility of thisremarkable aircraft and for the expertise andprofessionalism of its maintenance crews.

The Sea King was originally acquiredmainly for anti-submarine warfare (ASW),but has expanded its role since coming intoservice in 1963. Domestically, Sea Kingscontribute to search-and-rescue (SAR)operations, disaster relief, counter-narcoticoperations, and fisheries and pollutionpatrols. It also plays a vital role ininternational peacekeeping operations andhas been heavily committed to theinternational campaign against terrorism.Indeed, the Sea King remains one of thebusiest aircraft in Canada’s Air Force. [Ed.Note: See for example Ernie Cable’s article“Sand Kings Over Somalia” in the November2006 edition of Soundings.]

However, it has been evident forseveral years that a replacement for the SeaKing is needed and work towards that end isproceeding. The CH-148 Cyclonereplacement will be a formidable helicopter,replacing the Sea King as Canada’s mainship-borne maritime helicopter. This state-

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CF photo by Cpl Dany Veillette

Crew members from HMCS Ville de Québecare hoisted onboard a CH-124 Sea Kinghelicopter during an exercise in the IndianOcean.

of-the-art aircraft will fulfil the Air Force’soperational demands well into this century.

The Cyclone will conduct surface andsubsurface surveillance and control andsearch and rescue missions as well asprovide tactical transport for national andinternational security efforts. This twin-engine helicopter is compatible with ournaval frigates and includes several newsafety features such as an aluminium andcomposite airframe built with lightning strikeand high-intensity radio frequency pulseprotection.

The Cyclone has a day and night flyingcapability. It can fly in most weatherconditions, in temperatures ranging fromminus 51 degrees Celsius to 49 degreesCelsius. With a maximum cruise speed of250 km/h, the Cyclone is approximately 10per cent faster than a Sea King and can fly450 km without refuelling.

Earlier this year, Sikorsky AircraftCorporation indicated that there may bedelays in the delivery schedule of the 28Cyclones. We are working with Sikorsky tominimize the impact of the delay and toarrange for delivery as soon as possible. TheCyclone is definitely the maritime airhelicopter for the future, and I am eagerlylooking forward to the start of delivery.

In the meantime, the 27 Sea Kingscontinue to meet our maritime aviation needsand are as operationally active as ever. Thefleet met its yearly flying rate goal last yearand is on track to exceed it this year. We willensure it is sustained until the new maritimehelicopter fleet is fully operational. Untilthen, we are continuing to move ahead withpreparations for the Cyclone including thenecessary new infrastructure to support it at12 Wing Shearwater, N.S.

The CP-140 Aurora, which is in themidst of an upgrade program, also remains akey element of our maritime air mission. Our18 Auroras continue to demonstrate theirtactical skill and strategic importance frombases at 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S. and 19Wing Comox, B.C. Originally designed foranti-submarine warfare (ASW), the Aurora isstill able to detect and if necessary attacksubmarines. However, its 17-hour enduranceand 9,300 km range make the aircraft ideal

CH-148 CYCLONE AND THE HALIFAXCLASS FRIGATESBy Cdr Russ FowlerProject DirectorHalifax Class Modernization

While the CH-124 Sea King hasserved the navy well for over 40 years asCanada's main shipborne maritimehelicopter, commencing late 2010 it willreplaced by the CH-148 Cyclone.

Embarking the Cyclone howeverwill require modifications to theHALIFAX Class frigates, for it is 8,150lbs heavier at 28,650 lbs vice 20,500 lbsfor the Sea King. It also has a nose wheelwith probe aft of the wheel, vice tailwheel with probe forward of the wheel forthe Sea King. Duration to complete thesemodifications is estimated at fourmonths, with the largest modificationbeing a complete replacement of theship's RAST (Recovery Assist,Straightening and Traverse) system andits requisite deck reinforcement.

In addition, modifications to theship's deck markings, night lighting andhangar maintenance features (e.g.,deckhead crane) will also be required, aswill the interface between the ship'scombat control system (CCS) and thehelicopter's integrated mission planningand analysis (MPAS) system.

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for a wide variety of surveillance operations.The Aurora is frequently used to respond toillegal fishing and immigration, drugtrafficking and polluting along the coastline,as well as violations of Canadian territorialsovereignty above and below the ocean’ssurface and in the Arctic. With its air-droppable survival pods, the Aurora can alsoperform search-and-rescue duties.

In 1998, the Air Force launched theAurora Incremental Modernization Project(AIMP). AIMP was envisioned in severalphases, or blocks, as follows.

Block I replaced critical items on theaircraft, such as replacing or upgrading thehigh-frequency radio gear, cockpit voicerecorder, flight data recorder andantennae-associated components.

Block II involved upgrading thecommunications and navigationdevices aboard the Aurora, including anew horizontal situation indicator,flight direction indicator globalpositioning system, inertial navigationsystem, autopilot radar altimeter,transponder and aircraft collisionavoidance system.

Block III envisions the addingnew sensors and data managementsystems to 10 of the 18 Aurora aircraft.

Concurrently, it is planned thatthose 10 aircraft will also undergo theAurora Structural Life ExtensionProgram (ASLEP) to replace key structuralcomponents.

Together, AIMP and ASLEP willrecondition the Aurora internally andexternally. The entire program is expected tobe completed by 2014, extending the life ofthe Aurora to approximately 2020.

Furthermore, we recently announced aproject to add new overland intelligence,surveillance and reconnaissance equipmentand capabilities to the Aurora that willcomplement and augment the upgrades andmodernization efforts currently underway onthe fleet.

Looking to the future, we are workingwith the Navy to examine our options anddefine our requirements for a new long rangesurveillance aircraft, which we are calling the

“Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft”, to replacethe Aurora starting in 2018.

It has been seven years since theworld was shocked by the events of 9/11 andrealized that our notions of defence andsecurity would have to expand to meet thethreat of terrorism. This post-9/11 era hasgiven us new challenges and furtherexpanded our operational horizons. Today,maritime air operations are also involvedwith countering illegal immigration, armsshipments and the movements of suspectedterrorists. We have also evolved thesurveillance mission from predominantly off-shore operations to more flights over land insupport of ground forces.

CF photo by Pte Jax Kennedy

A CP-140 Aurora aircraft lands at KaneoheBay Marine Corps Base, Hawaii.

If anything, the future contains manychallenges for maritime air resources.However, the operational goal has essentiallyremained the same over the years: to seekout and expose people and activities who areattempting to remain undetected and thatpose a threat to our sovereignty and security.This mission was relevant yesterday, remainsrelevant today and shows no signs of losingits relevance for the future. Consequently,Canada’s Air Force remains firmly committedto a robust maritime air capability in supportof our defence needs for many years to come.S

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Aurora BeginningsBy Ernie CableFirst Aurora Squadron CO

The Aurora maritime patrol aircrafthad an uncertain beginning because thegovernment had to overcome difficulties inarranging bridge financing with the banksbefore the billion-plus dollar program couldbe approved. Also some governmentdepartments were reticent to lend theirapproval as this was the first program inDND’s history to exceed a billion dollars andthere was some doubt about the defencedepartment’s ability to manage such a largeprogram. Under the guidance of the Auroraproject’s first Program Manager, AdmiralDudley Allen, the program was eventuallyapproved and became the managementmodel for succeeding major capitalprograms. More importantly, the Aurora wasdelivered on budget, on schedule andexceeded most of its performance goals. Itwas at this point, in 1976, that I joined theAurora Program Office as the OperationalRequirements Manager where I wasresponsible for developing the aircraft’soperational requirements and coordinatingwith designers of the many other groundsupport systems to ensure they werecompatible with the Aurora. This was verygood planning by the career manager as Ihad just completed a three year exchangetour at the U.S. Navy’s Naval AirDevelopment Center (NADC) where as amember of the P-3C Update Project, I wasinvolved in the design and testing of theprototype aircraft and training the first U.S.Navy squadron to transition to theproduction P-3C Update aircraft. Since theAurora was derived from the P-3C myexperience was tailored to the needs of theAurora Program Office.

A DND fleet sizing study determinedthat 24 Auroras would be required toperform all of the tasks the governmentrequired. However, the Trudeau governmentunilaterally reduced the number to 18.Furthermore, the operating costs includingspares, repair and overhaul, could notexceed those of the Argus, the aircraft theAurora was replacing. But, with the Aurora

Ernie Cable at the Alexander Graham BellSilver Dart memorial in Badeck, NS.

being able to fly higher and faster weplanned to be able to spend more time at seawith the same operating budget as the Argus.We planned to maximize the operationalavailability of the Aurora by off-loading asmuch training as possible from the aircraft.Much more of the aircrew training would beperformed in two high fidelity flightsimulators, one for the pilots and flightengineers and the other for the navigatorsand sensor operators. A more innovativeapproach to reduce demands on aircraftavailability was the use of maintenancetraining devices (simulators for engines,propellers, flight controls, fuel systems etc.)to train the technicians which previously hadbeen carried out almost exclusively on theaircraft.

The Aurora was the Air Force’s firstheavily computerized aircraft with extensivesoftware support requirements. We made thedecision to maintain the Aurora softwarewithin the Air Force, as all of the Aurora’s

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operational doctrine, tactics and procedureswere imbedded in its software. Moreimportantly, software changes would not belimited by unaffordable costs if contractedout to industry, especially if there were asole-source contractor; this was a lessonlearned from the U.S. Navy. The AuroraSoftware Development Unit was formed tosupport all software related to the Aurora,including aircraft simulators, maintenancetraining devices and other ground supportsystems. One of the hurdles of introducingsoftware into a major weapon system waseducating the higher echelons about softwareand the costs of supporting it. In the mid-1970’s it was necessary to explain the newsoftware paradigm; software, unlikehardware, didn’t rust, shake, rattle or rolland when it broke it had to be restored tosomething other than the originalconfiguration.

To establish the Aurora maintenancepolicy a “Maintenance AppraisalTeam” was established. The teamanalyzed every component of theAurora and determined whether itwould be a throw-away part or bemaintained at first, second or thirdlevel. Once the maintenance conceptwas formulated the maintenancemanuals had to be written and thetraining program for each of theaircraft maintenance tradesestablished. Similarly, the “AircraftOperating Instructions” had to bewritten for the aircrew trades tostipulate the procedures to fly theAurora and delineate the operation ofall of the aircraft’s systems, includingthe hardware and software functionsof the avionics and sensor systems.For both the maintenance manualsand operating instructions there waspressure to just use the U.S. Navypublications to save time and money.However, the Canadian Air Force hasdifferent operating and maintenancephilosophies from the U.S. Navy. It wasimportant to maintain the well establishedCanadian ethos so that as personneltransitioned from a previous aircraft to theAurora there would be no change in Air Force

training, operating and maintenanceconcepts. Another major component of theAurora program was the Data Interpretationand Analysis Center (DIAC). The DIACtailored all of the Aurora operational programtapes to each mission and had the capabilityto retrieve and catalogue the data amassedfrom each sortie so that each mission couldbe replayed and analyzed minute by minute.Succeeding flights were planned on theintelligence gained from previous missions.The DIAC not only supported Auroramissions but also the training missions flownin the operational simulators. Also, theAurora operational programs had to becompatible with the U.S. Navy’s and theRAF’s maritime operations centers so thatthe Aurora would be interoperable with ourNATO allies. Similarly, the DIAC had to becapable of playing mission tapes from ourallies’ aircraft.

DND PhotoA CP-140 flies out over the Bay of Fundy

The career managers were verycooperative in pre-positioning people. Theyarranged for the aircrew and maintenance

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instructors on 404 Training Squadron to besent to Lockheed, the Aurora’s manufacturer,to train on the Aurora; they would in turntrain the remaining Argus squadrons on theAurora and its systems. It was at this pointthat I learned that I was to be the C.O. of 405Squadron the first operational squadron totransition to the Aurora. BGen Pickering, theDeputy Program Manager and the designateCommander of Maritime Air Group, told methat since I had headed up defining theAurora’s requirements, my job was to takethe aircraft into the field and make it work. Iconsulted with the career mangers to ensurethat the most experienced Argus aircrewwere posted to 405 Squadron. I wasconcerned that our crews flying the newAurora would be flying an aircraft that wasvery different from the Argus; the Aurora flewfaster and higher in a very different flightregime than the Argus and I wanted to haveexperienced aircrew to ameliorate potentialtransition difficulties.

Although, I knew the Aurora’stechnical aspects as well as anyone I stillwanted to lead my first four crews from 405Squadron, through the first 404 SquadronAurora conversion course. This not onlyallowed me to validate the course that we inthe Program Office had established but alsoto get to know my crews and refresh mytactical knowledge. Although, everyone wasenthusiastic about learning to fly a newaircraft there were always comments suchas, “Why did they ever design it this way?”Having been involved in the development ofthe aircraft I was able to explain the designand cost constraints and everyone seemedhappy to know that their questions had atleast been considered by the designers. Thepilots found the Aurora a delight to fly, fastand manoeuvrable like sports car and itsfour T-56 Allison turboprop engines providedlots of power. The navigators and airborneelectronic sensors operators were reallyimpressed with their new found capabilitiesand the computer centric, state-of-the-artavionics and sensors which represented atwo generation leap in technology over theArgus.

After the squadron crews had about3,000 flying hours under their collective belts

I felt comfortable that our aircrews’experience levels had avoided any safetyissues that might have been related totransitioning to a new aircraft. I had theopportunity to fly as the tactical coordinatorwith one my crews on the squadron’s firstmission to track a Soviet submarine in theLabrador Sea. It was a very complex tacticalsituation, successfully converting aconvergence zone detection to direct pathtracking. This was a tailor-made situation toestablish the credibility of a new C.O.; havingthe technical knowledge to introduce a newaircraft to the squadron and thendemonstrating how the aircraft should beused tactically. Indeed, all of the squadroncrews continued to experienceunprecedented success during their ASWmissions. The U.S. Navy and the RAF alsonoticed our successes; this openedintelligence doors that had been closed andwe were invited to participate in nationaloperations in which “non-nationals” hadpreviously been prohibited. The sterlingperformance of the Auroras and their crewssignalled to our NATO partners that Canadawas intent on making a first classcontribution to the alliance.

In 1981, I led our 405 Squadroncontingent, representing Canada, toAdelaide, Australia to compete in theFincastle competition which is emblematic ofASW supremacy among Commonwealthmaritime air forces. In its first appearancewith the Aurora our 405 Squadron crew wonthe competition, beating the top crews fromBritain, Australia and New Zealand. I wasvery proud of our 405 aircrew as they hadbeen flying the Aurora for only six months.However, I was especially proud of theground crew as they had to maintain theAurora away from home base for the firsttime and had some unusual and perplexingmaintenance problems; it was only throughtheir extraordinary dedication and innovationthat the aircrew got airborne to win thecompetition. After winning Fincastle theAurora was acknowledged as one the finestASW aircraft in the world. I had the privilegeof being part of the Aurora’s developmentand proud of leading one its first crews to aninternational victory. S

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HMCS OTTAWA Builds onCanada’s Relationships in theAsia-Pacific RegionBy Cdr Martin TeftCommanding Officer

Much of the work done by today’sCanadian Forces is viewed publicly throughthe prism of Afghanistan and our continuedstruggle against terror -- for good andobvious reasons. However, there are othersignificant efforts not as obvious but clearlytied to Canada's place in the world; andparticularly our future economic prosperity.The Navy's efforts to cultivate internationalrelations in a region widely considered amajor driver of economic growth in thetwenty-first century is a fine example. TheCommander of Maritime Forces Pacific andJoint Task Force Pacific, Rear-AdmiralTyrone Pile, speaks incessantly of theimportance of outreach activities with PacificRim nations and navies. The Pacific Rimregion is a rapidly changing patchwork ofdisparate elements; of enormous wealth anddebilitating poverty; capitalism andcommunism each with varying degrees ofsuccess, and governance regimes that areboth long-standing or on the verge ofcollapse. It is also an area that faces thethreat of natural disasters from typhoons,earthquakes, floods and drought. Connectedby commerce, a common trade route and thedrive to thrive, crises in this region willfrequently involve shared responses from theassociated nations. When these responsesinvolve maritime forces, and they frequentlydo, existing foundations of trust andconfidence built by sustained andmeaningful interaction are invaluable.

In April 2008, while HMC ShipsPROTECTEUR and CALGARY departed westcoast waters to participate in Combined TaskForce 150 (a naval coalition group currentlyoperating in the Middle East), HMC Ship’sOTTAWA and REGINA sailed for the WesternPacific. The mission of the two frigates wasto connect militarily, diplomatically, andculturally with Pacific nations who share acommon interest in maritime security. AsCommanding Officer of HMCS OTTAWA, I

can report that our multi-faceted missionsuccessfully rejuvenated the already positiveperception Pacific Rim nations have ofCanada. Whether it was operating with theUS Navy’s 7th Fleet, exercising with Chineseor South Korean units, or conductingoutreach visits to Japan, China, SouthKorea, or the Philippines, these instrumentsof force and influence did much to advanceCanada’s maritime capacity and effectivenessas a global maritime partner.

Although not considered a deploymentto an operational theatre, some of theactivities that focused our attention didmuch to blur the line between forcegeneration and the conduct of operations.Three examples come to mind. The firstoccurred during the transit from DutchHarbor, Alaska to Japan, when our JointOperations Centre was alerted to the locationof fishermen suspected of a litany of illegalactivity. Within minutes of notification,OTTAWA’s helicopter (Stinger 36) waslaunched and soon located, tracked andphotographed a vessel fitting the suspectvessel's description. The vessel, along withan accomplice, was later taken into custodyby the US Coast Guard. A message ofgratitude and praise received days later from

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a US Coast Guard Admiral did much tovalidate the commitment to readiness ofOTTAWA and her detachment of airpersonnel.

The second example occurred prior tothe commencement of the diplomaticoutreach portion of our deployment whenOTTAWA and REGINA assumed escort dutiesfor the USS KITTY HAWK Strike Group.Close protection of a forward deployedstrategic asset is no small task and indicativeof the high regard in which our Americanallies value our people and capabilities. Theflag officer in command of the Strike Group,Rear-Admiral Rick Wren, was very impressedwith the protective screen our ships offeredhis carrier group and the seamlessness withwhich he shifted duties from major US unitsto ours. This work paid dividends later whenKITTY HAWK requested that OTTAWA andREGINA accompany her from Guam toHawaii·i after she was, at short notice,tasked to replace USS GEORGEWASHINGTON for mid-Pacific duties aftersustaining damage from a widely publicizedfire.

HMC Ships OTTAWA and REGINA onescort duty with USS KITTY HAWK offthe coast of Okinawa, Japan.

Thirdly, while alongside Manila andwith the help of a personal visit by RAdmPyle, OTTAWA did much to progressCanada's relationship with the Filipino Navyand civil maritime authorities. As a result ofthese interactions OTTAWA was grantedpermission to conduct transit passage of thecountry’s archipelagic waters upon herdeparture. It is customary for foreignwarships to be limited to innocent passagewhich restricts their activities to theminimum required to proceed safely tointernational waters. Granted authority fortransit passage, OTTAWA was permitted toemploy Stinger 36 in a surveillance rolearound the ship, particularly in maritimechoke points known for pirate activity. Onlytwo weeks before our transit, and along thesame route, a piracy incident resulted in thedeath of six innocent people. The results ofour surface and air surveillance were fed intothe operations centre in Esquimalt to permitdata sharing and enhance maritime domainawareness. This activity was, in my opinion,evidence of tangible progress in a cooperativeeffort to contribute to global maritimesecurity.

As well as offeringCanada a reactive operationalasset far from home,warships are greatinstruments for outreach anddiplomatic engagement.OTTAWA’s diplomatic visitprogramme included stops inKagoshima, Incheon,Shanghai, and Manila.Embassy staffs and attachésin all locations wereunanimous in theirassessment of the positivestrategic effects created byour Navy’s presence in areasso closely bound to Canada’seconomic prosperity.Amongst the numerousofficial calls, cultural events,

VIP dinners, and historic tours; four eventsstood out as excellent examples of the Navy’sAsia-Pacific outreach activities:

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♦ OTTAWA’s visit to Incheon, South Koreawas fortuitously scheduled concurrentwith that of BC Premier GordonCampbell. There to conduct the officialopening of BC’s Trade Office in Seoul,Premier Campbell made room in hisschedule to pay a visit to OTTAWA tolearn more about our ship and hersailors. The commonality of ourrespective missions was certainly notlost on the Premier who gave arousing address to the ship’scompany praising our work in thatregion. Beyond hosting the Premier,the highlight of the visit for the crewwas a guided tour of theDemilitarized Zone along the borderof North and South Korea. It wasstunning to witness such a surrealsight of the Cold War's last vestige.

Cdr Martin Teft with The Honourable GordonCampbell onboard HMCS OTTAWA in Incheon,South Korea.

♦ Trade was the overarching theme toOTTAWA’s visit to Manila. In support ofCanada’s Trade Mission to the Philippinesand Foreign Affairs and InternationalTrade Canada, the ship's companytransformed the flight deck into aconvincing mock-up of a five-star bistroas the venue for a celebrity chef cook-off.

Ten executive chef’s from around theworld used Canadian agro-ingredients toartfully present five culinary courses to80 of Manila’s most influential business,political and media leaders. The messageof buy Canadian was well received byhotel, resort, and restaurant owners fromaround the Asia-Pacific region.

HMCS OTTAWA’s flight decktransformed into a fine diningestablishment for the charitydinner in Manila, Philippines.

♦ The ship's visit to Shanghaitook place just two weeks afterthe tragic and devastatingearthquake in China’s SichuanProvince that claimed nearly70,000 lives. That the nation wasin a state of shock was clearlypalpable during official calls andmedia interviews. The crew was

eager to lend a hand in tangible ways butdistance, culture, and politics wereinsurmountable barriers. As analternative, the crew contributed $3500 toassist the local chapter of the Red Cross,which was presented to the localchapter's president during an officialreception held onboard.

♦ During every port visit sailors rolledup their sleeves and eagerly volunteered theiroff-duty time to participate in charitableworks. Whether it was helping children withcerebral palsy in Shanghai; orphans who

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have lost their parents to HIV in Manila; orchildren whose families eke a living out of amassive dump site in the town of Tondonorth of Manila, OTTAWA's sailors wereeager to help. During one such occasion,several artists from the ship designed andpainted a mural to spruce up a make-shiftplayground at an NGO-run orphanage inManila, I was afforded the opportunity of aguided tour of the adjacent hospital anddescribed the experience in a letter home asfollows:

“Earlier that day, I was asked to 'approve' themural concept for some charity work 6 sailorswould do the following day at a children'shospital/orphanage. The "Precious JewelsMission" is an NGO run by an incredibleCanadian lady (saint!) that works theorphanage and child hospice care portion ofthe hospital. That lady came to the ship tohelp choose the design of the mural whichwould be painted on the wall of the little playground at the hospital. I told her that I wasgoing to swing by to check on mysailors/artists the following morning and she,for some reason, was over-the-moon that Iwould want to engage like that. She askedthat I arrive at just the right moment so that Icould be welcomed by the children and thehospital's director. When I got there, thehospital had made a huge welcoming bannerwith my name on it. I was warned by ourchaplain that this would be a heart wrenchingexperience and that I should come fullyprepared. Nothing could have prepared mefor what I saw. The hospital receives next tono funding from the government and relies ondonations. The Philippines, although quicklydeveloping, are still a have-not nation andsuffer from maladies that have long beeneradicated in our country. When theinfectious disease doctor took me through herward (and I'm not talking a ward that wewould be familiar with, but rather a corridor ofdilapidated rooms) I saw some terrible things.I tried to keep it together as long as I could -- Ieven got to visit with some kids dying of HIV.When she asked me if children in my country

died of TB, I said "No Ma'am" and then saw aroom with 6 kids in it. When she asked me ifchildren in our country died of diphtheria, Isaid "No Ma'am" and then saw two childrenwasting away. My eyes had swollen, mythroat almost closed and I could talk nomore.”

Sailors from HMCS OTTAWA volunteer topaint a local school in Tondo, Philippines.

These and other activities did much toachieve the Navy’s engagement mission onour Western Pacific deployment and will, as Iam frequently reminded by the sailors andair personnel onboard, remain as poignanthighlights in our careers.

OTTAWA garnered an impressiveamount of media interest in each of the portcities that we visited. At each stop, mediarepresentatives were enthusiastic andgenuinely curious about the statementCanada was making by dispatching awarship to their corner of the world. As anindicator of our effectiveness, the CanadianAmbassador to the Philippines quipped that“OTTAWA’s visit garnered more mediaattention in five days than the Embassy wasable to attract in a year.” Since Canada’sfuture economic prosperity has much to dowith this region, strong relationshipswrought from frequent engagement willbenefit all Canadians.

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NGO-Run child orphanage in Manila,Philippines.

With the outreach portion of the twofrigates complete, OTTAWA rejoined REGINAin Guam after she created similarly positiveeffects in Hong Kong, Singapore, andVietnam. After departing Guam, the twoship's companies shifted their collectivefocus to our significant participation in theworld’s largest maritime exercise. The Rim ofthe Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise held off ofHawaii is a biennial affair that features the

participation of multi-national navies of theAsia-Pacific region. It includes live missileand torpedo firings, gunnery exercises, airdefence, surface and undersea warfare,maritime interception operations,boardings, mine warfare, and amphibiousoperations. While Commodore NigelGreenwood, Commander of Canadian FleetPacific, assumed the leadership role of SeaCombat Commander with operationalcommand of 15 naval surface ships fromseven different countries, OTTAWAcommanded a surface action group of threeships which included destroyers from theUS and South Korea. REGINA andOTTAWA came together for a Canadian first,when the two ships coordinated a four-

missile attack on a real surface targetagainst the decommissioned Americandestroyer USS HORNE. RIMPAC provedeffective at enhancing militaryinteroperability between Pacific Rim nationsand promoting stability in a diverse andchanging region. OTTAWA’s and REGINA’srespective missions of outreach andconnection successfully achieved positiveand tangible effects in a region important toall Canadians. In crisis or calm – ready, ayeready. S

HMCS OTTAWA conducts a high speed maneuver following her harpoon

firing on USS HORNE.

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HMCS CARLETON

Meeting challenges, growing,deploying and hitting the groundrunning…By SLt Bettina McCulloch MordenPublic Affairs Officer, HMCS CARLETON

Facility Plans are Progressing

If 2008 is any indication, the next fourto five years will be challenging for HMCSCARLETON. But as our commanding officersays, “We are ready, aye, ready for it.”

Work has been ongoing since 19thMarch to obtain temporary shelter andstorage space at Canadian Forces ReserveBarracks Dow’s Lake for HMCS CARLETONand its lodger units. Now with colderweather on the horizon, setting upalternative shelter (e.g., ATCO trailers and asprung shelter) for a well-used facility is evenmore critical.

“We were expecting to have the sprungshelter in place before the training yearbegan,” says Commanding Officer DouglasBancroft. “Now, it looks like it will not be setup until the end of December, or later.”

Fortunately for our ship, sailors areadept in working in ever-changingenvironments. Times will be particularly

interesting once work commences on the newfacilities, which will take anywhere from fourto five years and close to 20 million dollars tobuild.

“Unfortunately, the new facilities willnot be in place in time for the Navy’sCentennial, but we hope to be able to turnsod on the new site at that time,” says CdrBancroft.

Growing the Navy

In the past year, CARLETON hasbecome the second largest NRD in Canadathanks in part to a total of 38 recruits in2007 and 37 in 2008. This year, an amazing12 of the 87 Basic Officer Training Programgraduates from Canada's twenty-five NavalReserve Divisions came from CARLETON,significantly increasing the size of ourwardroom.

Deploying our Sailors

While the summer months arerelatively quiet at CARLETON, our sailors areactive in the community and away fromhome. This past summer over 130 sailorswere employed in Afghanistan, in the Arctic,in HMC Ships and in a variety of other jobson the coasts, in Camp Borden in Ontarioand in Québec City.

Hitting the Ground Running

In keeping with the idea that a“fighting ship is a fit ship”, all members ofthe ship’s company can test their mettle byparticipating in the Commanding Officer’sChallenge. The Challenge combines push-ups, sit-ups and a run around Dow’s Lake.

Orca ClassTraining Ship

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Salty Dips – Volume 9“Carry On” Now AvailableBy Merv Cameron

“To spin a dip” isa sailor’sexpressionmeaning, “to tell astory”; “salty”because they are“of the veryessence of thesea”. Theprincipal aim ofthe Salty Dipscollection is to

print as many entertaining and informativestories as possible in the time and spaceavailable, based on the premise that thestories are inherently interesting andhistorically relevant.

The idea for Salty Dips came from HalLawrence, author of A Bloody War and Talesof the North Atlantic, who was convinced thatthe personal recollections of Canadianparticipants in the wars at sea during WW 1and WW II, and naval operations betweenwars are valuable to an understanding ofCanadian history. In 1979 it was decided toregularly gather small groups of navalveterans in the HMCS Bytown Mess to tape-record the reminiscences of a principalnarrator and make the recordings availableto the Directorate of History, Department ofNational Defence. Transcripts of therecordings were circulated and before long,the idea came to publish. Salty Dips Volume1- “When We Were Young and In Our Prime”was printed in 1983 and met withconsiderable approval by reviewers andsuccess in the marketplace.

Subsequent volumes appeared atirregular intervals. The “theme” concept ofthe early volumes—WW II or the yearsbetween the wars—was dropped in Volumes5 through 7, which attempted to includeinteresting “dips” from every period of theNavy’s history to give the reader an idea ofwhat service in the Navy was like, and how itchanged. Volume 8 marked a partial returnto a theme—Canadian naval participation inthe Korean War—to mark the 50th

anniversary of the beginning of thatinvolvement and pay special tribute to ourKorea veterans.

For the most part, the stories in SaltyDips are oral or personally written history,recounted by those who participated in theevents described. Although considerableeffort has been expended to make sure thatthe “hard historical” information is correct,Salty Dips accept the fact that memory andresearch are sometimes faulty, particularlydecades after the event. Yet there is much tobe learned from these stories, including anidea of the attitudes that allowed ratherordinary men and women to performextraordinarily under often difficultconditions.

Several gaps were filled in byresurrecting the series and publishing thisninth volume in 2008. As most of the storiesin Volumes 1 through 8 dealt with events thattook place before 1965, Volume 9 deliberatelyattempts to fill in the post-Korea years—morethan half of the Navy’s life—to demonstratethat, far from slipping into anonymousinactivity, the Navy, even with reducedresources, has fought other wars, cold andhot, and been involved in a variety of peace-keeping and humanitarian operationsaround the globe. Volume 9 contains dipsdemonstrating that the navy didn’t die withUnification and that, despite a reduction inthe number of ships and personnel, life inthe modern Naval Service could in fact bejust as exciting and challenging as it everhad been. As such, Volume 9 contains storiesfrom naval personnel who have participatedin modern wars, in multi-national and UNpeace-keeping or humanitarian operations,and who have toiled in exotic locations inAsia, Africa, Central America, the PersianGulf, and Eastern Europe—whereverhostilities or other extreme circumstancesdemanded.

Volume 9 addresses two other “gaps”in the Navy story that needed filling, and soit includes as prologue two “chapters” whichare not dips, although in the loosest sensethey might be considered as such. They dealwith pivotal periods and issues in the Navy’shistory that were inadequately dealt with inthe verbal accounts of the earlier volumes,

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yet are essential to an understanding of howthe navy evolved, and why it is what it is. Thefirst is Prologue Part 1, “Canada’s NeglectedNaval Service”, about the RCN’s difficult earlylife prior to World War II; the second,Prologue Part II, concerns the integration/unification of the Canadian forces in the1960s. Both are in fact essays reflectingevents and how the authors viewed them. Ifthe latter chapter seems strident in itsdistaste for unification and the architectthereof, the reader need only know that, eventoday, mention of either to many an old saltwill get nostrils flaring and the nauticalvocabulary flexing over the idea thatsomeone would mess with our Navy and ourtraditions.

To link the stories of the modern NavalService with the RCN of the wartime past,and to provide dramatic contrast betweenthen and now, Volume 9 also includes a half-dozen dips about events that took placebefore 1965: one from the earliest days of theNavy, and another that vividly recounts whatlife was like on the lower deck, in a smallship, on convoy duty in the North Atlanticduring the winter of 1942-3, reputedly theworst of the century. Of all the stories in thenine volumes of Salty Dips, none betterillustrates the extreme conditions underwhich men served, and none betterillustrates the pure terror which punctuatedthose seemingly endless, monotonous days.It goes to the very heart of the navyexperience.

Unique to the Salty Dips collection,Volume 9 - “Carry On” is available in bothhard cover as a table book and in soft coverto complete and complement your collectionand is available for order in time for yourChristmas giving. See the NOAC OttawaBranch website athttp//www.noac.ottawa.on.ca/SaltyDips fordetails on how to order and costs, or send arequest for an order form to NOAC SaltyDips, PO Box 505 Station B, Ottawa, ON,K1P 5P6. S

Erik Nielsen - A MemoryBy Richard Archer

I noted with interest the recentpassing of Erik Nielsen, politician and one-time MP for the Yukon. Our paths hadcrossed when in 1984-86 I was on exchangewith the USN at Commander Third FleetHeadquarters, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii as alieutenant commander. I was the “CurrentScheduler N351” on the staff, responsible forthe day-to-day scheduling of around 100ships, from nuclear super-carriers down toocean-going tugs, coordinated with thesubmarine and helicopter forces. In thosedays, basically what we were doing in ThirdFleet was to assemble and work up thecarrier battle groups in readiness fordeployment to West Pac and Seventh Fleet.But many other things were going on, suchas the time that “Brezhnev’s Response” to theUS deployment of short-range missiles inEurope brought extra Soviet SSBNs andSSNs into East Pac...but that’s another story.For Ottawa Branch members, the one whorelieved me in the exchange position was KenLait.

I was the senior Canadian officer inthe islands, and was the nominal CO of thefive Canadian COMM RSCH hands located atthe USN’s intercept and DF station atSchofield Barracks up-island, and of theCanadian exchange officer with CommanderOceans Systems Pacific, the operator of thesound surveillance system. In a Canadiannational election I was the Deputy ReturningOfficer Hawaiian Islands. Jokingly, I referredto myself as CANCOMIDPAC. I was normallyinformed when any Canadian VIP wasscheduled to arrive on Oahu, and I usuallymanaged to meet the VIPs at the airport, andoften escorted them around . MND RobertCoates was the most embarrassing (butagain that’s another story), andNewfoundland Premier Brian Peckford wasamong the most intriguing.

One day I took a call from Bob Yanow,Commander MARPAC in Esquimalt. DeputyPrime Minister and MND Erik Nielsen wasarriving the next day at the Honolulu airport.Could I meet him and get him to hislodgings? Adm Yanow had made

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arrangements with the US Coast Guardadmiral in Hawaii to let Nielsen and his wifeuse the guest cottage located on the groundsof the CG admiral’s official residence, whichwas the house associated with the lighthouseat Diamond Head, down the road from wheremy family and I lived just off Waikiki Beach.Oh, and could I arrange for a bowl of fruitwith a card saying something like, “With thecompliments of RAdm Robert Yanow,Commander Maritime Forces Pacific”?

So next day I purchased and deliveredto the cottage the bowl of fruit, picking upMarilyn on the way. Together we made ourway to the airport, with me in my normalwhite tropical uniform. As usual I madearrangements with the US customs andimmigration officials for us to get through thesecurity to meet Nielsen as he came off theplane and to escort him through the specialand abbreviated processes reserved forsenior VIPs. As he came off the plane,accompanied by his young wife and dressedin a rumpled suit and tie, he appeared totallyexhausted, barely able to walk or respond toconversation. He looked like he’d beenplucked from his parliamentary office andbundled onto the plane. And from the wayhis wife was treating and handling him helooked like he was experiencing a nervousbreakdown. I gathered from conversationlater that my assessment wasn’t far off.Apparently this trip was arranged by his wifeat very short notice, less than 24 hours, inorder to get him out of Ottawa for a rest.Bob Yanow’s help had been called in.

We collected his one overnight bagfrom the trolley before it got to the carousel.As we walked back through the airport to ourcar, I could see that Nielsen was nervousabout being recognized in the state he wasin, amongst the thousands of Canadians whopass daily through Honolulu Airport. In thisregard, he was particularly unhappy aboutwalking beside a guy in a brilliant whiteuniform with Canada flashes on theshoulders.

But without incident we drove thecouple to the guest cottage, introduced themthe CG admiral, his wife and staff, and got

them settled in. Nielsen took me aside. “Ah,Richard,” he said, “I don’t have any moneywith me. Could you lend me some?”Fortunately I had $60 US in my wallet, and Iquietly passed it to him.

CP Photo

This wasn’t an official visit, so I didn’tsee any more of him until it was time for meto drive him and his wife to the airport. But Iwas told that the first night, the CG admiraland his wife had the Nielsens over to dinner.Erik’s brother, the actor Leslie Nielsen, flewin to join them.

In due course I picked them up fortransport to the airport. He looked and acteda lot better. The holiday had done the trick.Once again in the airport he was nervousabout being recognized, and unusually, Iwasn’t invited this time into the VIP loungefor a farewell drink or whatever. But yes,without me asking he did return to me the$60. S

Erik Nielsen MP

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From Sub-Lieutenant DownPart 11By Ted White

Fond memories of our formative years asyoung officers can be characterized in thegreat numbers of minor, mostly humourousincidents, that we all lived through, by merelygoing the 'nothing ventured--nothing gained'route. Herein are selected vignettes from the'fifties, reflecting our life and times.

Each is given a bag of toolsA shapeless mass,A book of rules:And each must make,Ere life is flown,A stumbling blockOr a stepping-stone. (R.L.Sharpe)

FACTORS AFFECTING THE ATTAINMENTOF THE AIM…or whatever

Situation:

All picks dropped in Bedford Basin,Maggie, HMCS Quebec (SOP), and 3destroyers (names withheld for litigativepurposes).

Promulgated was a few short day'sexercise off southern tip of Nova Scotia;thence SOP in Q would head for southernwarm waters with destroyer escort. Maggiewould turn the corner and head for SaintJohn dry-dock to remove and replace flightdeck surfacing. Off Hatteras two destroyerswould be detached and Q would head forextended South American cruise, painted inlight Med/Caribbean blue.

A quiet evening, normal riding lightsexcept for Q who had massive inboard floodlighting to wave the flag for all to see.

I and another Mid were on watch,under the command of a Lt. (P) brow watch-keeper. We Mids were given the laid-backtask of walking the upper decks to ensureship was bedding down as per protocol.

Into the early dark hours, a minordisturbance was reported on the flight deck,two Midshipmen, not of Ship's company, hadbeen apprehended, ostensibly attempting to

paint a typical 'Kilroy' graphic on the aftisland.

These two gentlemen, quite simplyhad rowed over from Q, boarded the gashladder, found the flight deck but becamedisoriented as to their route of egress.

All sorted, quiet pats and dispatchedback to mother ship.However…. A General Mid's War Committeewas immediately convened in the Gunroom.An immediate retaliatory attack was to bemounted, called 'Assault Q'.

The Aim:Penetrate tight destroyer screen, with

the appearance of a general boat outing, atthe advantageous moment, divert toapproach Q head on and secure to anchorcables, paint each link and shackle adifferent colour. Withdraw to Base Ops.

Factors Affecting Attainment of the Aim:

1) With the Lt. (P) on watch, requestlaunching (now secured astern) of 32 footcutter (kitchen gear) for general securitypurposes and leave him with a 'SergeantSchultz' advisement----"I see nothing, I hearnothing etc.”

2) Three hands from the hangar deckvolunteered to join crew with, at the time, aquiet statement that they had a secret boxedweapon to bring, as well as paint supplies.

3) The destroyer screen had to be monitored,we were justly concerned as to theirallegiances. (A continuing problem for allnaval aviation when dealing with fleet types.)

Complete success in securing andcompleting the pinking of 8 links andshackles, when suddenly a shout from thedeck, "Identify yourselves! What are youplaying at?"

All hell broke loose. To encapsulate.The nasty Q, as a precaution againstpotential skylarking, had high pressurewater hoses pumped and lying on deck.We were hit full blast, out came our warchest from the hangar deck, potatoes, rawand hard.

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We opened up a full barrage. HoratioNelson would have been proud-"Englandexpects etc." The "what are you playing at"Officer who, dressed in full mess kit, fromthe mess dinner being held, out for a freshair stroll received the full effects of ourultimate weapon. Out of box came two lightbulbs, intact and full of paint. He caught afull green in the breast-plates.

Rapid withdrawal at high speed andinto a zig-zag pattern, trying to shake the arclamps from the Q. Would you believe it? Thedestroyer screen opened up with same. Wewere fully boxed in. It looked like 20th

Century Fox on location.Straight for Maggie, clean ship and

retire to, in our Mid's case, luxury cabinsjust aft of paint and cable lockers andsomewhat below the catapult. The followingmorning, I was last to be retrieved and beinvited to join the Captain for a glass ofsherry.

Preceding this auspicious moment, thefollowing had taken place. Official messagefrom SOP, before our recovery, orderingresponsible commanding officer to report toQ at 0900. There had been no response asour Captain had not been timely informed.SOP then dressed in #1's boarded his bargeand arrived on board catching our skipper innight-dressing.

My invitation ended with summarypunishment of 30 days stoppers with OOWgetting seven. Mine to start upon enteringSaint John dry-dock.Life was hell in dry-dock, with chippinghammers going 24 hours.

Third day into this drill, I wassummoned to Commander's cabin where hechanged my place of duty to a tent, by thewater, occupied by our Lt.(P) at Saint JohnAirport. I was to be co-pilot under trainingfor a twin C-45 parked for and to be thetransport for senior officers requiring flightsto Halifax, Montreal, Lennoxville/Sherbrooke and Muskoka.

Finished off my 'stoppers' with ahealthy sun tan.

Altogether, it is something interestingto note that every officer who crossed mybows either during or subsequent to "AssaultQ" made it to flag rank.

My true first command came later inanother challenging environment.

I leave you with a somewhatthoughtful response by a WW II flag officer inresponse to questioning his soft approach indisciplining an officer for a boisterous caper:"Gentlemen, in every theatre of operationsthere is a requirement for the odd one-waytrip". S

ALS Walk D’Feet – 7 June, 2008By Fred Herrndorf

This year the ALS Society of Ontario(Champlain Region) organized again the ALSWalk the D’Feet. This was the eighth timethis event was held in Ottawa. The Walkstarted from the Aberdeen Pavilion atLandsdowne Park to Dow’s Lake and back (5km), in warm bright sunshine.

Allan and Pat Brookbank, CliffChaulk, Alec Douglas, Dick Duffield, BillFaire, Len Forrest, Andy Geddes, RichardGimblett, Ted White and Mike Youngsponsored Elizabeth and Fred Herrndorf toparticipate in the Walk.

Seven hundred participants and theirfriends and families raised $94,000 for ALSResearch and Patient Care. Bravo Zulu to theOttawa Branch Members for their continuedsupport. S

Fred Herrndorf

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REMEMBERBy Pat Barnhouse

Active Members

Ferguson Finlay, CD, Constructor Lieutenant Commander RCN(Ret’d). In Alexandria, VA 16 Jan08Edward Ralph Forster, CD, Commander(E) RCN(Ret’d). In Ottawa 06 May 08C. E. Hearn, Commander (CIC). In Ottawa 02 Jan 08Charles Patrick Nixon, DSC, GCLJ, Legion of Honour, MID*, CD* RCN(Ret’d). In Ottawa 16 Aug08 at 90John Tucker, CD** Rear Admiral(S) RCN(Ret’d). In Ottawa 01 May 08.

Others Known to Members

Peter John Ballard, OMM, CD, Commander RCN(Ret’d). In Ottawa 03 Aug 08 at 62Edward Arthur Burke, CD**, Lieutenant Commander RCN(Ret’d). In Ottawa 01 Aug 08 at 80.Templer Boyd Crosby, Lieutenant RCNVR(Ret’d). In Ottawa 06 May 08 at 85.Caroline Helen (née Cate) Evans, Lieutenant(S) WRCNS(Ret’d). In Ottawa 25 Jul 08 at 86.Gordon Martin Luther, Commander RCN(R)(Ret’d). In Ottawa 12 Aug 08 at 94.Wayne Reaume, CD**, Lieutenant Commander RCN(Ret’d). In Orleans 10 Sep 08 at 74.Ronald Noah Sauder, Instructor Lieutenant RCN(SSA). In Ottawa 28 Jun 08 at 84.Wingate Errol Snaith, Lieutenant Commander RCNVR(Ret’d). In Ottawa 02 Oct 08.Alfred Charles Wildsmith, CD* , Lieutenant-Commander(E). In Ottawa 23 Sep 08 at 89.

Canadian Naval Air Group (CNAG)By Gord Moyer

The Hampton Gray VC Chaptercompleted its’ winter/spring programme withvery successful BBQ at the Orléans Legion inJune with over 80 members and guests inattendance. The fall programme will havecommenced by the time this edition ispublished, with a General Meeting onSeptember 30th to select the executive for2009 and to confirm the Chapter’s positionon a number of items for the NationalDirectors meeting being held Thanksgivingweekend in Vancouver. A major item to bediscussed at that meeting will be the futureof CNAG post-2010. Following the Nationalmeeting, representatives, together with otherVeterans groups, will attend meetings withthe Royal Canadian Legion to discuss furtherthe proposal to join the Legion as aFederation of Veterans groups under theLegion banner.

CNAG has been represented on theNavy 2010 Centennial Working Group to

ensure that role played by Naval Air is notoverlooked. A small team of volunteers isworking to collect archived materials with theintent of producing a DVD about Canadianparticipation in Naval Air. The Hampton GrayVC Chapter is also working to obtain a modelof HMCS Bonaventure for use during theCentennial year and to then be displayed inthe Canada Aviation Museum. The builders’model presented by Harland & Wolfe, Belfast,resides in the Shearwater Aviation Museum.A model built for the Canadian War Museum,somehow found it’s way to the EngineersMuseum in Gagetown during the move of theCWM to its new site!

Wreaths were laid on behalf of CNAGat the Battle of Atlantic, the Merchant Navy,and the Battle of Britain ceremonies here inOttawa by Stan Conner, Gord Moyer and BobMurray respectively.

Anyone wishing information aboutCNAG and Hampton Gray VC Chapteractivities can [email protected], 613-824-0555.S

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Seen in PassingBy Cliff Chaulk

I’m still waiting for some impact from GlobalWarming, maybe we’ll enjoy a hot dry winter,I hope so. The summer season reduces thenumber of mates one sees around Bytownbut it was still a lively place. Seen aroundthat great institution were: Bruce Johnston(twice in one week) hosting his businessassociates; Denny Boyle showing properattention to fellow Admirals Dan Mainguyand Jock Allan: Seagulls inductingprobationary Birds Hal Pottle, Len Forrest& Bill Dziadyk, with visiting Seagull JackColgan officiating; the Round Table of RonWade, Wags Wagland, John Nash, JerryWynnyk, Len Forrest, Ted White and yourstruly maintaining an uninterruptedcontinuation of discussion on serious issuesin spite of the loss of stalwarts Clive Princeand GG Armstrong; Bruce Hayes makingoccasional visits from "Offshore"; HarryHarsch on leave from the UK taking time tocheck on his friends; Jennifer Lynch,gracing the Round Table with her presence,ringing the bell and with a smile on her facepaying the consequences; David Baird(NOANL) dropping in from the Rock duringhis Ottawa visit; Dick Morgan (NSNOA) atthe tender age of 91 driving up from NovaScotia to visit family and his friends atBytown: David Nowell & Hewat Richardsonmaking rare appearances; Jay Planteinterrupting his busy schedule to see hismates: Bill Van & Bill Edge in their usualcorner minus those who have passed on overthe last year. Cheers to all, see you atBytown. S

Up PeriscopeBy George Kolisnek

[Ed. Note: This is the first in what I hope is acontinuing series of reports from theintelligence front by George Kolisnek.]

The Bear Still Swims

There have been recent developmentsby the Russian military, other thanincursions into Georgia, that should remind

people that the Russian Bear still has thecapability to deploy forces around the world.From September 10th to 15th two RussianBackfire bombers deployed to Venezuelawhere the Venezuelan President HugoChavez used their presence to highlight histies with both Russia and other anti-USallies. This was the first ever deployment byBackfire bombers to airfields outside ofRussia and is reminiscent of the Cold Warera when Bear Bomber and Anti-SubmarineWarfare aircraft deployed to Cuba.

The visit of the Backfire Bombers toVenezuela was also used to announceupcoming joint naval exercises pending thearrival of the nuclear-powered Kirov Classcruiser PETER THE GREAT accompanied bya Udaloy Class destroyer and two supportships. PETER THE GREAT and the threeother ships left the Northern Fleet port ofSeveromorsk on September 22nd and mayvisit the Mediterranean either enroute or ontheir return voyage from Venezuela. Russiahas recently announced a new deal withSyria for the use of facilities in the port ofTartus and a ship visit there would be timely.Russia has also negotiated an arms deal withVenezuela that may include the sale ofsubmarines to replace ageing Germansubmarines that the Venezuelan Navycurrently operates.

While this naval deployment is still afar cry from the halcyon days of the Cold Warwhen the former USSR deployed significantnumbers of ships and submarines to theNorth Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea andIndian Ocean, it nevertheless represents anew aggressive foreign policy that willincreasingly leverage the advantages thatnaval forces have in being able to deploy toalmost all areas of interest. The recentannouncement in Russia of increaseddefence spending, up to 50% over the nextthree years, will significantly impact uponthe currently stalled ship and submarinebuilding programs. There are new classes ofSSBN and SSNs sitting on the ways inSeverodvinsk awaiting cash infusions toresume construction. There is a certainirony here in that Canada, under the GlobalPartnership program, has contributedmillions of dollars to help dismantle older

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classes of Russian nuclear submarines, suchas Victor III SSNs, and thereby spared theRussian government from using some of itsown money for that purpose.

And this just arrived: Russia isplanning on building a new class of 8 SSBNsby 2015 that will deploy the newly-developedBulava SLBM, which will likely employ someadvanced countermeasures to defeat anti-ballistic missile defences. S

Memories of theKootenay ExplosionBy Grenfell Morgan

[Ed. Note: Mr. Morgan came across thearticles on the Kootenay explosion in theNovember 2007 edition of Soundings, andrelates his own experiences.]

As a Sonarman, I joined Kootenayearly-1969 and just after her return from asouthern deployment where she engaged thefantail of a US naval ship, causingsubstantial damage to the Kootenay's bow.

On October 23rd I had stood theMorning Watch and after a hurried breakfastheaded aft along Burma Road to #10 Mess,to supervise Cleaning Stations already inprogress. Moments after my arrival there wasa violent change in air pressure and themess deck began to fill with smoke. Orderingeveryone to don respirators proved to beineffective. Securing an escape ladder to thedeck, we wrestled with opening the seizedescape hatch. Fortunately someone heardour banging a spanner against the deck headand helped with the escape hatch fromabove. Last to exit to the Mortar Well, I founda sizeable group of crew members alreadygathered. Unfortunately I never realized whoexactly opened that escape hatch for us; butwe owe him our lives.

Some of us helped Sub. Lt. ClarkRieffenstein don SCUBA gear and watchedhis attempts to penetrate along Burma Road.Soon I found myself assigned to the tillerflats (aft steering compartment) for whatseemed like an eternity. Eventually I wasreclaimed and deployed along Burma Roadflats, to flood the Engine Room through firefighting tubes in the deck; and later to help

with the evacuation of PO Stringer to theBonnie, by Pedro helicopter. Hats off to thepilot of that Pedro who made numerous runswith supplies and fire-fighting equipment.

Some time during the afternoon wewere allowed back to our Mess (#2) where Imanaged a feeble clean up from the soot andwater. At one point and along the forwardflats I was approached by, what I rememberas, a medical officer from the Bonnie. Inhindsight my mistake was to say I wasfeeling alright to his obvious question.Bolstered by the prospect of an unofficial totby this officer, we headed aft and I wasescorted down into the Engine Room. Therewas a small group already gathered and mytasking was quickly explained. (Possessing arather slight build at the time I must havebeen a perfect fit.) Being lowered to the levelbelow I was to tie a rope-end around several(three that I remember) corpses and guidethem through what then looked like animpossible opening in the grating above. Thesights and smell, especially from thefirefighting foam mixed with oil and watermade the tot less appealing - and the dutyone to execute as quickly as possible.

Soon we were under tow by theSaguenay and my next assignment was asBos'n Mate on the bridge. There I remaineduntil arrival Plymouth around midnight. Aquick change into Number 2 uniform and Icontinued by Bos'n Mate duty on the browuntil approximately 0600. I rememberstanding alongside a very sombre Cdr Nortonas senior British officers boarded. My two,primary charges that night was to see thatno persons unknown crossed the gangplank;and to check the corpses laid out in theWeapons Workshop every half hour. The onlyupside was being excused from CleaningStations that morning - not that I was in anyshape to make a contribution. Aftervolunteering for several funeral parties inPlymouth and at sea, I was part of the crewthat was flow home, via CFB Lahr. I was 19years old, and had lost my innocence.

Along with most of my crew mates Iwas transferred to Saskatchewan monthslater. There I remained for just over one yearand was then of to Naden (CFB Esquimalt) toengage a long awaited trade remuster to

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RadSea. Following some initial tradestraining and a short assignment to VU-33Squadron I was posted to HMCS Qu'Appelle;and would have been quite content had therenot been a coast-swap with the Kootenay(now an IRE). Suffering through endless seaduty, including RIMPAC and a deployment toAsian waters during the final days of theICCS (Operation Gallant or Westploy 2/73). Iwas anxious to part company with theKootenay.

Eventually I was recruited by the thenDepartment of External Affairs (Departmentof Foreign Affairs & International TradeCanada) and left the Navy; but not thememories, in 1975.

One would think the Kootenayconnection would end there. While onposting at the Canadian High Commission,Singapore 1979-1981 the Kootenay andGatineau - perhaps one other - paid anofficial visit. Half-heartedly I attended areception on board, but was somewhatimpressed the XO and I shared the samefamily name.

Finally, another ten years went bywhen it was discovered our daughter hadmade the acquaintance, here in Ottawa, witha young Bob Kennedy - son of Lt. AlKennedy, Engineer Officer of the Kootenay in'69. S

Manfield Plate 2008By Richard Archer

Five intrepid sailors set out that day,all of them experiencing the loneliness of

command.- Richard Gimblett

Saturday, September 13th dawned cool

and cloudy but otherwise fine. It was a quiet

start to what was going to be a momentous day.

Led by Coxswain Merv Cameron, the

NOAC Ottawa sailing whaler crew gathered at

the dockside of the Nepean Sailing Club. Rich

Gimblett, Mike Young, Fred Herrndorf and

yours truly, Richard Archer, rounded out the

team. We knew that the weight of the honour

of the Ottawa Branch NOAC rested on our

shoulders. Fortunately for us, the whaler was

already rigged. Only the sails needed to be

lashed on and hoisted.

The intrepid Manfield Plate crew: Mike Young,Fred Herrndorf, Coxswain Merv Cameron,

Richard Archer and Rich Gimblett.

The enemy was a whaler crew cox’d by

Cmdre Richard Greenwood, leading an

abbreviated team of experienced sailors from

the NDHQ naval staff. The NOAC team saw

the advantage of the naval staff crew being

only three, but nobly chose to ignore it.

After a sandwich lunch provided by

Bytown Mess, the time had come to slip the

surly bonds of the dock. Getting out of the

narrow confines of the boat harbour proved

tricky, but the Coxswain came to the rescue

with a timely use of the outboard motor. The

sun came out.

Out into Lac Deschenes we sailed,

strangely confident. But one enormous factor

was evident: the wind was virtually non-

existent.

We had been briefed that the whaler

course was to use two of the three buoys laid

for the ongoing Steiner Trophy dinghy races

between the Naval staff and the Royal Navy

staff resident in Ottawa. We were to make

two loops around the two buoys.

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The last of the dinghy races was

started, and our five-minute warning flag was

hoisted by the race marshal’s boat. Given the

lack of wind, the coxswain wisely gave a squirt

towards the start line with the motor. But he

may have gone too fast! As the countdown to

the start was called out the crew did

everything to take the way off. Fortunately,

the other whaler was on the windward side, and

they took what little remained of the wind

from our sails. NOAC crossed with a second to

spare. But the other whaler wasn’t so lucky.

They had to do a loop around the start buoy

before heading down the course.

So NOAC had a great head start, and

nervous smiles made an appearance. But in the

very light winds it soon became evident the

advantage that the enemy’s abbreviated crew

bestowed on their speed. About half way down

the leg they passed us.

The wind died even further, and it was a

matter of luck to find yourself either in

complete doldrums or blessed by a minimal cat’s

paw breeze. Eventually we got to the first

buoy and the coxswain, through some

legerdemain, got us around it. But the enemy

had found some wind on the return leg and by

this time they were seen in the distance,

approaching the start buoy. It looked grim.

On our run back to the start buoy we

too picked up some wind. We noticed that

strange things were happening with the other

crew. They were in a patch of still air and were

drifting down on the buoy. If they touched it

they would be disqualified. They had to back

and fill and eventually they reversed the drift,

but ended up going slowly backwards. They

struggled mightily to get themselves going

forward again.

We ourselves passed into the still air

pocket, but our momentum kept us going, Merv

put the helm over and we rounded the buoy and

crossed the start line for the beginning of the

second loop, just ahead of the other crew. Out

of the blue, the race marshal shrilled his

whistle. In the boat were dead silence and

querying looks. Merv Cameron called across the

water to the marshal with the question of the

ages: “We won?” “Yes,” came the reply floating

back over the water, “too little wind to

continue.” Dazed looks, back slaps and high

fives all round. S

Code’s Nautical NotesBy Dave Code

M is for…

MAGAZINE – The special hold, existingearlier in virtually all ocean-going ships, andnow in naval vessels, in which ammunition isstowed. From Old French magazine,storehouse or storeroom. Appears to comefrom Arabic.

MAKE FAST – To fasten a line, especially toa cleat or to bitts. 13th

Century. Fast is from the same word inAnglo-Saxon.

MARLIN SPIKE – A tapered and pointedmetal tool used in rope working, especiallyfor splicing. Earlier it was known as amaling spike. 17th C.

MIND YOUR Ps AND Qs – Possibly anexpression that originated in the oldinnkeeper’s custom of keeping track of theamount of ale or liquor consumed by acustomer in Ps (pints) and Qs (quarts). Toavoid an expensive mix-up the customerneeded to keep track of the costs, ensuringthat the innkeeper had not changed the Psand Qs or the 1s to 4s.

MONKEY’S BLOOD – British Navy wardroomnickname for red wine.

Principal Sources: Origins of Sea Terms, byJohn J. Rogers; Scuttlebutt, by T. Degler;Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea;Jackspeak, by Rick Jolly and Tugg Wilson. S

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The Summer of ’64, Part 2By Richard Archer

In the last Soundings, I recounted my1964 summer training expedition in HMCSYukon, which took me from Amsterdam toLondonderry (Northern Ireland), Belfast,Plymouth, Las Palmas (Canary Islands), andfinally to Halifax before returning home toNewmarket, just north of Toronto. But asfull as it was, that expedition was only half ofmy summer that year, the summer betweenmy third and fourth years at RMC.

In early August I was restingpeacefully at home when the door bell rang.Who should be at the door but DallasMowat, Roger Chiasson, John Dodd andTom Bailey. In the driveway were two cars, alate model Ford Thunderbird convertible anda full-size (ie, huge) ’59 Pontiac convertible.The Thunderbird looked glorious, but thePontiac looked a little the worse for wear,with four thoroughly bald tires. “Are youready to go?” asked Dallas. In a flash itcame back to me, even if vaguely. Justbefore breaking up at school and heading outto summer training, I had agreed to helpthese guys drive used cars being deliveredfrom a Toronto wholesaler to dealers inWinnipeg (the Thunderbird) and Vancouver(the Pontiac). It had been brave beer talk onmy part, and I thought it over…for about fiveseconds. “Sure”, I said, “just let me pack.”

After my sojourn around the Atlantic Iwas used to travelling light, but thankfully Idid remember to throw in my khaki navaluniform and cap. “Oops,” I thought to myselfjust before I went out the door, “Mom andDad aren’t here.” So I quickly penned a note,which said, “Gone to the west coast. Back ina week or so.” Ah, selfish, callow andunthinking youth!

I hopped into the back seat of thePontiac. Tom Bailey was driving while JohnDodd was in the passenger seat. With Roger,Dallas and the Thunderbird following, wedrove down Newmarket’s Eagle Streettowards the stop sign on north-south YongeStreet, which was also Highway 11. At thestop sign, Tom asks me, “Well, which way,left or right?” “That all depends,” I reply, “onwhether you want to go south or north of the

Great Lakes.” There was some mulling ofthis over in the front seats while theThunderbird behind us beeped its horn inimpatience. Finally, John observed that thecar wholesaler in Toronto had insisted thatthe Pontiac pass through Moosomin,Saskatchewan on the Trans-CanadaHighway. Indeed, Dallas had been given aform to be stamped by the truck weighstation there. Must have been something todo with the wholesaler’s insurance. TheThunderbird beeped again.

“If we’re going to be staying inCanada,” I said, “then turn right”. Tom didso, and we were off.

John quickly brought me up to date.“These two cars are to be delivered toVancouver and Winnipeg respectively. Twodeposits of $60 [a fair whack of money inthose days, especially to those paid ascadets] have been left with the wholesaler,which will be reimbursed by the receivingdealers on safe arrival. The plan is to gonon-stop to Winnipeg, drop off theThunderbird, and then all five of us will usethe Pontiac to go on. Tom and Dallas aregoing to Calgary, while I’m heading home tothe BC Interior. After dropping the car off inVancouver, Roger is heading to Victoria.”

John then asked me an obviousquestion. “How far are you headed?”

“Victoria too”, I replied. But I didn’thave the same incentive as the others –neither home nor girlfriend. After my year inthe Venture program and two years at RoyalRoads I liked Victoria, but I hadn’tmaintained contact with any girlfriendsthere. I suppose I was just taking advantageof the opportunity for adventure. It of coursedawned on me that I hadn’t yet thoughtabout how I was going to get back…. Imentally shrugged my shoulders. If therewas anything the Navy (especially foreignports) had taught me was that where there’sa will there’s a way…and that sailors like meseemed to have charmed lives

At the first gas stop, the five ofus put our heads together. Rather thanmaintain constant contact between the twocars we decided to proceed independently.We agreed to rendezvous next outside themain post office in downtown Sudbury. We

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put both tops down and headed off, and inthe Pontiac we soon lost sight of theThunderbird. Roger has told me recentlythat in the Thunderbird, the wind draft withthe top down was quite severe and so theyexperimented with different speeds. Theyfound the wind died down nicely at about100 mph.

Needless to say, Roger andDallas arrived in Sudbury well before us, butwe made contact and set out again. I can’trecall whether we established furtherrendezvous points, say in Sault Ste Marieand what is now called Thunder Bay, but thethree of us in the Pontiac fell into a routinethat saw a driver on for two hours, sitting inthe passenger seat ostensibly to keep thedriver alert for two hours, and sleeping in theback for two hours. By this time it was themiddle of the night, and seeing very littleother traffic we pushed the speed on thepitch black highway.

By next morning we were northof Thunder Bay, and it was raining. It wasmy turn to drive. On a curve, the car startedto slide – the bald tires had finally lost theirgrip and were making a horrendousscreeching noise. In a flash we werespinning around, and the car tipped up ontwo wheels at about a 45 degree angle. Tomand John, tumbled against the dashboardand window, woke up sleepily to ask whatwas going on. Finally the two wheels on theground hit the gravel shoulder and the carslammed down heavily in the ditch.Fortunately for us – this was a convertible,remember, and in the days before seat belts –the car landed upright.

We got out shakily and had alook at the car, steaming and tickinginnocently in the rain. It looked like we haddodged another bullet in that the car hadmissed landing on any of the numerous treestumps that were in the ditch. However, arumple in the bodywork suggested that theframe might be bent. This wasn’t the onlynear-death experience I had in my 36 yearsin the navy, but I believe it was the closestcall.

A local came running out of his house,asking if everyone was alright and sayingthat he’d called a tow truck. As we stood

there, another car, this time filled with ayoung family, started to slide and spin at thesame spot we had. We scattered…but unlikeme the driver managed to get his car backunder control.

The tow truck arrived, and pulled thecar out of the ditch. It started up just fine,and the only after-effect seemed to be a slightwobble in the right front wheel, which welater changed for the spare. We pressed on.

I don’t recall how we again met upwith Roger and Dallas, but it was probably atthe Winnipeg dealership. They were ofcourse worried about us, as we were very latein arriving.

The five of us piled into the Pontiac,and headed west to our date with the truckweigh station in Moosomin, just over theSaskatchewan border from Manitoba.

But just before we got there, thePontiac’s engine announced, with a severeclanking and blue smoke, that it had hadenough. We crept into the village ofMoosomin, and located the one and onlygarage.

This of course forced a decision on us.Tom, Dallas and John were all headinghome. We decided that they should go on,while Roger and I would stand by the car, getit fixed, and drive it the rest of the way toVancouver. The three of them gratefullywent out to the Trans-Canada Highway andflagged down the first Greyhound busheading west, while Roger and I talked to thegarage mechanic.

An estimate for repairs was made andthis info was cabled to the dealer inVancouver, who thankfully cabled back therequired funds. But it would be at least twodays to make the repairs, so the two of uscanvassed the local motels and settled on avery comfortable room for $6 a night.

The next morning I was looking at themap and noticed that the next town up thehighway was Broadview, Saskatchewan.This I knew to be the home town of fellowRoyal Roads cadet, Don Rask. (At RoyalRoads, we were such a close-knitcommunity, we seemed to know everythingabout each other.) I looked in the telephonedirectory and there was the family name. Icalled and identified myself as a fellow cadet

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of Don’s, and we were invited to drop by.Roger and I hitch-hiked to Broadview, whichunlike two-elevator Moosomin, was a three-elevator town, and found our way to theRasks. It turned out they were theproprietors of the local cinema, and besides anice meal they treated us to a free film. Thiswas a pleasant interlude for us, for which wewere very appreciative. When we made ourway out the Trans-Canada to hitch-hikeback, we were picked up by the local Mountiein his police car, who said he had had anolder brother some years before at RMC. Hegave us a ride back all the way to the motel.

In due course the Pontiac was ready,and after our call at the truck weigh stationwe set off. 24 hours later we were inVancouver. The trip was reasonablyuneventful, thankfully, with only theoccasional hitch-hiker to make a change inthe routine. Instead of the dealership weactually delivered the car to the dealer’shome, got the returned $60 deposit cheque,and headed for the bus terminal in order tocatch the next bus that travelled by ferryover to Victoria.

On arrival at the Victoria busterminal, Roger said farewell and headed off.I contemplated my next move.

* * *When I was at Venture I had been

introduced to a family that lived in a bighouse in Victoria, near the border with OakBay. A friend of mine who had failed out ofVenture had boarded there. The familyinvited me to stay with them any time Iwished, and I took advantage of thiswelcoming offer at every opportunity, such asstand-down weekends in my two years atRoyal Roads. All I had to do in return washandle some chores around the house, liketrimming the shrubs. The husband hadunfortunately died during my second year atRoyal Roads, leaving the widow with twoyoung children. I didn’t know how I wouldbe received, but I gave her a call. Noproblem; I was invited right over.

It turned out that the lady of thehouse now had a live-in nanny plus a youngEnglishman immigrant as a boarder. Not to

worry, however; I was put into the samesmall room under the eaves that the kids stillcalled “Richard’s room”.

I wasn’t asked to do any chores, butmore or less out of tradition I tidied up thegarden and so on. I also caught up on mysleep and wandered the back roads of OakBay, especially the beautiful sea fronts. Aftera couple of days, though, I knew it was timeto head home.

I dressed in my navy khakiuniform, made my farewells to my hostessand family, caught the city bus to the busterminal, caught the ferry bus to Vancouver,disembarked from the bus and ferry atTsawwassen, and took a taxi to the air force’sair movements unit on the edge of VancouverInternational Airport. At this point I lookedin my wallet. These were the days beforecredit cards and ATMs, you’ll recall.Remaining in my wallet I had only $5.

At the AMU I was lucky.Actually it was the beginning of a luckystreak that took me all the way home. Theguy behind the counter at the AMU said hecould get me on the east-bound service flightonly as far as Edmonton. There was noguarantee after that. “I’ll take it,” I said.Why was I lucky? Well I wasn’t in possessionof either one of the essential documentsneeded for service air – a travel order or aleave form – and the guy forgot to ask forone.

But in Edmonton I was bumped.There was a special flight later that dayheading east, but unfortunately the guybehind the counter this time asked for adocument. With me without one he refusedto give me a boarding pass.

“Hmmm”, I thought to myself, “whatnow?” The only solution seemed to be hitch-hiking from Edmonton back to Newmarket.This idea didn’t daunt me as much as mightbe expected - after all it would be anotheradventure, and I had heard of some RoyalRoads cadets who had hitch-hiked from theirhomes to Victoria.

But it was lunch time and the firstorder of business was to get some food in me.With my suitcase I set out on foot for theofficers mess. Unfortunately, there were afew rain showers around and enroute to the

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mess my uniform became a little the worsefor wear. After picking up my meal, which inthose days was gratis, I sat with a flightlieutenant and a pilot officer with the aim ofasking if I could borrow an iron for theuniform. The pilot officer graciously gave methe key to his room in the mess. During themeal, I told my story and asked directions tothe Trans-Canada highway. I confess that Iembellished my story only slightly: I said thatI had lost my leave pass, and was headingback to RMC directly.

“Come with me,” said the flightlieutenant, “I’m the Squadron Duty Officer.”He took me over to the bar where there was atelephone. He called the dispatcher at theAMU. “Can I authorize the embarkation ofCadet Archer on the flight leaving latertoday?…. Okay, make it so.”

So after pressing my uniform andreturning the key, I headed back to the AMU.The aircraft was a 60-seater VIP Yukon,mostly empty, heading east to Ottawa afterdelivering some politicians to Alberta. Istretched out in first class.

At the Ottawa AMU, they were justclosing up shop in the early hours of themorning and I asked how to get to thehighway to start hitch-hiking to Newmarket.A corporal said he was headed that way andgave me a ride on his way home. He droppedme off in the west end where the Queenswaythen ended and Highway 7 started. I stuckout my thumb, and largely because of theuniform, I believe, I didn’t have muchdifficulty catching rides, including a coupleof large gravel trucks that had notices saying“No Riders” stuck to the windshields.

Just southwest of Peterborough I waspicked up by an American family who hadbeen vacationing in the Haliburton region.Besides the father and mother, the familyincluded an early teenage son and a good-looking girl more my age. The father and Iexchanged information, with me telling himthat I was naval cadet at the Canadianequivalent of the US Naval Academy andWest Point. The family, he said, was fromCincinnati.

We stopped for gas and got out tostretch our legs. The girl and I went into thestation itself, and she put some coins in the

old-fashioned red Coca Cola machine. TheCoke bottle that emerged was the originalpinch-waist type. She sat on a metal foldingchair, stretched out and languidly laid thebottle to rest on her belly and between herbreasts…. Message received.

As we approached the outskirts ofToronto, the father said, “Why don’t youcome with us to Cincinnati?” My mindflittered between the coke bottle, the $5 billstill in my wallet, and my obligation to spendsome time with my parents. Although sorelytempted, I had to respectfully decline thekind offer. But they generously drove meright to the front door of my parents’ home inNewmarket.

* * *I had been gone about a week,

and I don’t know what my parents made ofmy strange comings and goings. Theycertainly seemed to take it in stride. I stillhad more than two weeks to go before I hadto report to RMC, and my Dad, who was atechnical officer for the Toronto DNDTechnical Services Detachment, and thendoing some on-loan inspection work for theDepartment of Indian and Northern Affairs,found me a job where I helped manufacturepre-fabricated houses for the Inuit.

Finally in early September I reportedin at RMC (where I learned from Dallas that,not surprisingly, the $60 deposit refundcheque from the Vancouver dealer had beencancelled – we fellow travellers shared in hisreimbursement). My Summer of ‘64 wasover. After the experiences of my summertraining in HMCS Yukon and the road andair trip to the west coast and back, I was like(and admittedly about as mature as) a kid ina candy shop – I could see adventure in everydirection.

Nonetheless looking back on it now,there was a downside: I couldn’t wait to getRMC out of the way and get back to sea andfurther adventure. Truth be told, I workedonly just hard enough at the fourth-yearacademics to get me through.

But at least initially, I also couldn’twait for a fellow cadet to ask me, “And whatdid you do, Richard, over the summer?” S

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Officers and Directors 2008-2009

PRESIDENTGimblett, R. (Rich) H: 613 590-950849 Southpark DriveOttawa ON K1B 3B8Email: [email protected]

VICE-PRESIDENTBush, R. (Bob) H: 613 839-3860108 Sierra Woods DriveKanata, ON K2M 2T3Email: [email protected]

PAST PRESIDENTAND NATIONAL DIRECTORArmstrong, H. (Heather) H: 613 841-32036053 Ridgelea PlaceOrleans ON K1C 5R1Email: [email protected]

SECRETARYBoyle D.R. (Denny)35 Rockfield CrescentNepean ON K2E 5L6613 225-0646Email: [email protected]

TREASURERGuitar, R. (Rick) H: 613 834-2171185 Lacroix AvenueOrleans, ON K1E 1K2Office: 613 945-0617Email: [email protected]

DIRECTOR – LIBRARYGagnon, JAC (Carl)SO Naval Centennial 2010101 Colonel By DriveOttawa ON K1A 0K2Office: 819 997-2658Email: [email protected]

DIRECTOR – MEMBERSHIPBell, J. (John) H: 613 729-8835598 Westview AvenueOttawa ON K1Z 6E3Email: [email protected]

DIRECTOR – SALTY DIPSCameron, M.D. (Merv) H: 613 237-5908260 Metcalfe St., Apt 8FOttawa ON K2P 1R6Email: [email protected]

DIRECTOR – HISTORYHerrndorf, F.W.K. (Fred) H: 613 226-296433 Mapleview CrescentOttawa ON K2G 5J7Fax: 613 226-6850Email: [email protected]

DIRECTOR – SOUNDINGSArcher, R.F. (Richard) H: 613 270-959712 Zokol CrescentKanata ON K2K 2K5Email: [email protected]

DIRECTOR NAVAL CENTENNIALParker, I. (Ian) H: 613 257-8942191 McLaren StreetCarleton Place, ON K7C 3C2Email: [email protected]

DIRECTOR – ENTERTAINMENTLait, K. (Ken) H: 613 841-4358308 Kennedy Lane EastOttawa, ON K1E3M4Email: [email protected]

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGEKolisnek, G. (George) H: 613 837-04631447 Boucier DriveOttawa, ON K1E 3K1Email: [email protected]

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGECarruthers, J.F. H: 613 832-4533304 Bayview DriveWoodlawn ON K0A 3M0Email: [email protected]

EX-OFFICIO DIRECTORSHONORARY DIRECTORChaulk, C.G. (Cliff) H/Fax: 613 838-588817 McBean Street, Box 566Richmond ON K0A 2Z0Email: [email protected]

HONORARY COUNSELGrant, D. (Don) H: 613 236-484816 Glen AvenueOttawa ON K1S 3A3Office: 613 235-2212 ext 227Email: [email protected]

WEBMASTEREdwards, G.L. (Gord) H: 902 444-45596770 Jubilee Road, Unit 18Halifax, NS B3H 2H8Mobile: 902 412-3116Email: [email protected]

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Membership

Annual Dues Payable January 1st Annually:

Ordinary & Associate MembersLocal: $70.00Out-of-Town: $60.00Serving Officers:$35.00

“Out-of-town” is defined as residing morethan 40km “as the crow flies” from HMCSBytown.

Membership includes a membershipDirectory, delivery of Starshell andSoundings, and other mailings throughoutthe year. Our Members reside acrossCanada, in the United States, and overseas.

Fellow Members of NOAC Ottawa Branch

Your Membership Chair needs recruiters!Our Branch is slowly diminishing, as of thistime we number about 360, but we are stillthe largest of the lot.

The difficulty is that your Membership Chairdoes not know the majority of the people onthe lists; hence there is no personalapproach.

Full details respecting membership areavailable on our Website:

www.noac.ottawa.on.ca.

Membership Directory

A Directory is enclosed with each issue as anaid to our membership. However, itsaccuracy depends on how we are advisedabout errors, changes and additions. We nowhave most members who are on the Internetand with whom the Branch cancommunicate with ease -- a magnificentmedium for the rapid movement ofinformation. Think about it! Please adviseyour Membership Chair, John Bell, of

changes to your email address. Whenmessages are bounced you are removed fromthe network.

Soundings

This newsletter was founded in 1982. It ispublished twice a year, normally in May andNovember, reporting on NOAC OttawaBranch programs and activities, trends andother matters of interest to its members. It isposted on the branch web site.

The Editor is solely responsible for thecontents. Items from Soundings may bereproduced by other publications providingcredit is given to Soundings, NOAC OttawaBranch, or any by-lined author.

Contributions, input, feedback, ideas,anecdotes, naval signals, trivia,reminiscences, humour, salty dips, good andbad news items, comments and letters to theEditor are welcome and invited.

Contributions by telephone, mail, fax, email,CD or disk are welcome. Electronic filesshould be converted to Word 97 formatbefore transmission to the Editor. Pleaseremove all automatic formatting!

Soundings returns in May 2009. Please sendcontributions to the Editor by April 3rd,2009.

Mailing Address: Richard Archer, EditorSoundings, 12 Zokol Crescent, Ottawa,Ontario, K2K 2K5. Phone: (613) 270-9597, orpreferably by email:

[email protected].

Production Notes: Soundings is produced bythe Editor using his personal computer wordprocessor. It is printed commercially byPostLink Corporation, Unit 8, 1475 StartopRoad, Ottawa, ON K1B 3W5. Phone 613 521-1864, Fax: 521-3015 or email to LeonardMandel at [email protected].

Return undeliverable address blocks to: CanadaPublications MailThe Ottawa Branch 40947048Naval Officers Association of CanadaBox 505, Station B, Ottawa, ON K1P 5P6

Documents

OTTAWA BRANCH THE NAVAL OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF …P.11 HMCS Ottawa Report P.16 HMCS Carleton Report P.17 Salty Dips P.18 Erik Nielsen P.20 SLt on Down P.21 ALS March P.22 Remember