164444 Monday, February 25, 2019 Volume 53, Issue 4 www.tridentnewspaper.com Training with the Spanish Armada A member of the Marine Boarding Party from the Spanish Armada’s ESPS Santa Maria, conducts a search on a crewmember playing a role in a train- ing scenario onboard HMCS Toronto during Op REASSURANCE, February 11, 2019. MCpl Manuela Berger, FIS HalIFax Wound stripe for HMCS Promotion ceremony HMCS Toronto on Op CAF Regional Squash Kootenay survivor Pg. 3 for new PO2s Pg. 5 REASSURANCE Pgs 12-13 Championship Pg. 21 We have all your shopping needs. VISIT WINDSOR PARK Now Open SUNDAYS 1200 - 1700 CANEX.ca 164445 2 TRIDENT NEWS FEBRUARY 25, 2019 Design chosen for future Canadian Surface Combatant fleet By Ryan Melanson, Trident Staff A winning design bid has been selected for the Canadian Surface Combatants, the future fleet of ships that will eventually replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s current Halifax- class frigates. The design will be based off the BAE Systems Type 26 Global Combat Ship, which was offered by a consor- tium known as Canada’s Combat Ship Team, led by Lockheed Martin Cana- da and also including BAE Systems, CAE, L3 Technologies, MDA and Ultra Electronics. The announcement was made on February 8 at Irving Shipbuilding’s Halifax Shipyard, where 15 Canadian Surface Combatants will eventually be built, following the completion of the Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) that are currently under construction. The initial design contract to Canada’s Combat Ship Team is worth $185 mil- lion, and is expected to increase as de- sign work progresses. The total value of the combat portion of Canada’s Na- tional Shipbuilding and Procurement Strategy will be roughly $60 billion. Federal Minister of Public Services An artist render- and Procurement Carla Qualtrough, ing of the Type 26 in announcing the awarding of the de- Global Combat sign contract, said the bidding process Ship, Lockheed for the design was done in an open Martin's proposal and transparent manner, yielding the that has been best design and design team possible selected as the de- for the project. sign for Canada’s “Our government is providing the fleet of Canadian Royal Canadian Navy with the ships Surface Combat- it needs to do its important work of ant Warships. protecting Canadians for many years lOCKHeeD MarTIn to come. As the largest procurement CanaDa project in Canadian history, these ships will form the backbone of the Navy and also contribute to fueling our economy,” she said, while high- lighting other shipbuilding mile- stones like last year’s launch of the Minister of future HMCS Harry DeWolf, to soon Public Services be followed by five more ships under and Procurement the AOPS program. Carla Qualtrough Construction on the Canadian speaks at Irving Surface Combatants is scheduled Shipbuilding in to begin in the early 2020s. A media Halifax on Febru- release from the winning design ary 8, at an event team touted the Type 26 ship design announcing the as being acoustically quiet, versatile, awarding of a highly survivable, and allowing for design contract significant growth margins for future for the Canadian modernizations. Surface Combat- In a message sent to members of the ant project. defence team following the announce- IrVIng SHIpBuIlDIng ment, VAdm Ron Lloyd, Commander RCN, described the awarding of the built into the future fleet, which will ciplines, crewed for sustained high-in- “The Canadian Surface Combat- contract as an exciting moment for mean plenty of close work with Irving tensity operations, able to contribute ant is a core component of a revital- the Navy. He added that work has Shipbuilding, Lockheed Martin and meaningfully to joint action ashore, ized Canadian Armed Forces that already begun across the RCN to their partners in the years ahead. highly interoperable with our allies will be strong at home, secure in ensure sailors will be ready for the “These warships will be combat- and defence partners, globally deploy- North America and engaged in the new technology and innovation being effective across all naval warfare dis- able, adaptable and agile,” he said. world.” FEBRUARY 25, 2019 TRIDENT NEWS 3 HMCS Kootenay survivor receives Wound Stripe 49 years after engine room explosion By Ryan Melanson, bureaucracy and challenges and Trident Staff obstacles to be able to recognize the service and sacrifice of one of our Nearly 50 years after being badly own in this way.” injured at sea as a result of the 1969 While the day was focused on HMCS Kootenay explosion, a mem- remembering his own sacrifice, AB ber of that ship’s company has been (Ret’d) Bell spoke mainly about his recognized for his sacrifice in service shipmates and their families after to his country. receiving his award. He recalled his AB (Ret’d) Allan “Dinger” Bell was nine colleagues who died due to the awarded the Wound Stripe by VAdm explosion 1969, along with the eight Ron Lloyd, Commander RCN, during a wives who lost husbands, and the ceremony at Juno Tower on February 18 children who lost fathers on that 8, with his family and a number of day. Many of those who survived former Kootenay shipmates in atten- have struggled with PTSD for years dance. because of what they witnessed and AB (Ret’d) Bell was working inside went through in the ship. Kootenay’s engine room on October Those survivors, he added, are 23, 1969, when a gearbox explosion oc- also worthy of recognition for their curred during full power trials off the heroic actions in saving the ship and coast of England. He was one of only preventing an even greater tragedy three sailors inside the engine room from occurring. As the 50th anniver- who survived the blast; nine men sary of the Kootenay tragedy ap- were killed in total, and more than proaches, AB (Ret’d) Bell said it’s his 50 suffered burns or other injuries, hope for the former crew to receive as the explosion sent fire, smoke, hot the Unit Commendation for their oil and other dangerous substances actions. throughout the ship. AB (Ret’d) Bell “Hopefully that will happen, be- himself had burns on more than cause it’s not just about me, it’s about half of his body, and required three everybody. I would love to see the surgeries through a difficult recov- entire crew recognized officially for ery process. The Kootenay explosion what they did.” is now regarded as the RCN’s worst AB (Ret’d) Bell is the first Kootenay peacetime disaster. crew member to receive the Wound In thanking him for his sacrifice Stripe. His shipmate Al Kennedy, who and awarding him the Wound Stripe, was also in the engine room when the VAdm Lloyd did not shy away from blast took place, is set to receive the the fact the recognition has been long same award in the near future once overdue, and he described the presen- paperwork and other requirements tation as ‘righting a wrong.’ are complete. A third shipmate who “The good thing is that, as an or- escaped the engine room alive, John ganization, we’ve been able to make MacKinnon, died in 2008, and the great progress since the tragedy that Wound Stripe unfortunately can’t be took place in Kootenay,” VAdm Lloyd awarded posthumously. said, referencing the many changes A ceremony marking 50 years to safety designs and protocols that since the Kootenay explosion is being AB (Ret'd) Allan “Dinger” Bell, right a survivor of the 1969 HMCS Kootenay explo- came in the wake of the tragedy. planned to take place at the Bonaven- sion, was presented the Wound Stripe on February 9 by VAdm Ron Lloyd, Commander “But that doesn’t make up for the ture Anchor Memorial in Point Pleas- RCN. fact that it took nearly 50 years of ant Park on October 23 of this year. aB JOHn IgleSIaS, FIS Manitoba honours its HMCS Kootenay sailors By Virginia Beaton, located approximately 30 kilometres The nine sailors who lost their lives Harman, PO1 Lewis Stringer, LS Trident staff northwest of Lynn Lake. as a result of the Kootenay disaster Serge Bourret, LS Thomas Crabbe, Then in September 2018, a lake was are as follows: CPO2 Vaino Partanen, LS Gary Hutton, OS Nelson Galloway, The province of Manitoba has hon- named to commemorate PO1 Eric G. CPO2 William Boudreau, PO1 Eric and OS Michael Alan Hardy. oured two sailors, originally from that Harman, who was originally from province, who died in the explosion Winnipeg. Harman Lake is located at and fire aboard HMCS Kootenay on 57° 04’ 23” latitude / 101° 34’ 20” lon- October 23, 1969. gitude, approximately 45 kilometres In July 2018, an island was named northwest of Leaf Rapids. Harman to commemorate LS Thomas Gordon Lake is approximately 20 kilometres Crabbe, originally from Neepawa, west of Crabbe Island. who was one of the nine sailors to Manitoba has named geographi- lose their lives in the fire, considered cal features to honour of all of its to be the worst peacetime disaster Second World War, Korean War, and in the history of the Royal Canadian Afghanistan fatal casualties. As well, Navy. a feature has been named in honour Crabbe Island is located in Gold- of a casualty who lost his life serving sand Lake at 57° 06’ 19” latitude and with the UN Forces in 1996 in Bosnia- MILITARY & RCMP MOM! 101° 11’ 31” longitude. This island is Herzegovina. 164456 4 TRIDENT NEWS FEBRUARY 25, 2019 www.tridentnewspaper.com Community Calendar Publication Reunion and event notices must be submitted by email. Schedule [email protected] include the sender’s name and phone number.