The Bosn’s Call

Volume 23, No. 4, Winter 2017-18

A bus load of happy travelers prepares for the road trip to the Banff Springs Hotel for brunch. All that is, except for Ken Barche (far right), who looks like his puppy just died.

Calgary Naval Veterans Association • www.cnva.ca CALGARY NAVAL VETERANS ASSOCIATION www.cnva.ca Skipper’s Winter 2017-18

| Corvette Club: 2402 - 2A Street SE, Calgary, AB T2G 4Z2 [email protected] ~ 403-261-0530 ~ Fax 403-261-0540 Log

n EXECUTIVE Paris Sahlen, CNVA President The Bosn’s Call The Bosn’s F President • Paris SAHLEN – 403-252-4532 – RCNA, Stampede Board, HMCS Calgary Liaison, Club Manager. ere we are at the end of 2017. The Club has F Past President • Art JORGENSON – 403-281-2468 – had another busy year with Battle of the Atlan- [email protected]. tic and Remembrance Day. We had some very F VICE-President • Tom CONRICK – 403-251-4419 – Sick and Visiting/FOCB, Museum, Regalia, Navy League Liaison. Hsuccessful bus trips to Nanton, Banff and Navy Days.

F TREASURER • Anita VON – 403-240-1967. There will be an annual “Cowboy Up” in Victoria on May 11th, 2018. This includes a Day Sail aboard HMCS F secretary • Chuck VON – 403-240-1967. Calgary. There will be a sign-up list posted in April and n DIRECTORS submitted to the ship on May 1st for anyone interested F Cal ANNIS – 403-938-0955 • Regalia / Charities / Honours & Awards / Membership. in going. We will be staying at the Ramada on Gorge. I would like to extend a big thank you to the Direc- F Bill BETHELL – 403-276-4252 • Casino/Bingo. tors and all the many volunteers who do so much for F Chuck VON – 403-240-1967 • Entertainment / Special Events. the Club. F Ken MADRICK – 403-601-1715 • Ass’t Bar Manager / Honours & Awards. On behalf of the Directors I would like to wish ev- eryone a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! F Jim GOLBOURN – 403-281-4653 • Membership Chairman / Entertainment / Special Events. Don’t forget the Levee on January 1st at 1100. Food

F Dave MADRICK – Inventory / Entertainment / Special Events. and a glass of “milk” will be served.

F Tom SHIRLAW – 403-562-2474 • RCNA / Sick & Visiting. A retired Chief told me that a one to two hour nap every day keeps the doctor away ... I think I’ll try it now! n APPOINTMENTS

F Rev. Lloyd NORTHCOTT – 403-283-8455 • Padre. Cheers, Paris F Lorne BAIRD – 403-512-5838 • Editor, Bosn’s Call / Navy League Liaison / RCNA.

F Eric KAHLER • Master-at-Arms.

F John NORTH • Phone Committee – 403-226-0502. The

Updated 13 October 2016 Editor’s

The Bosn’s Call is published by the Calgary Naval Veterans Association. Items may be Cabin reprinted without permission but kindly give credit to the author and/or The Bosn’s Call. Contributions are always welcome and should be sent direct to the Editor, Lorne Baird c/o the address at the top of this column, or by email to [email protected]. The Editor is Lorne Baird, ‘Bosn’s Call’ Editor solely responsible for the content of The Bosn’s Call.

s we approach the festive season, I’m reminded Creative services and layout provided by ® of those for whom it brings no joy. I consider Cascade Creek Publishing LCdr (Ret’d) George A. Moore, President the families of the forty-four submariners who 1871 Primrose Crescent, Kamloops, BC V1S 0A5 A were recently lost off the Argentine coast. Those will Phone 250-314-1284 • Fax 250-314-1286 [email protected] struggle to find a reason to celebrate this year. It will be 2 The Bosn’s Call a test of their resolve to sort out the meaning of it all. About this time of year in 1960, I answered a phone Hands call. On the other end of the phone was an RCMP con- stable from Hazelton. He asked to speak to an adult.

| Since there were no adults home, he had to speak to to Winter 2017-18 Winter me. It was his unfortunate duty to tell me that my Dad had been killed in a logging accident. After the call, I walked to the living room where my brothers and sis- Prayer ter were watching the Ed Sullivan Show. I recall Topo Rev. Lloyd Northcott, CNVA Padre Gigio begging Ed to “kiss me goodnight.” The lights were sparkling and the room seemed festive. I then any people are pessimistic about the future told my siblings that we were now officially, orphans. these days. Maybe it is worse for the long Those words seemed to draw the joy out of the room. nights and cold weather. To cheer ourselves We carried on and had some sort of Christmas a few Mup we string coloured lights and play Christmas music. days later. There is an ancient wisdom to the customs of the On December 15th, 1995, I came home from the season. The story of the Baby of Bethlehem is one of hospital and passed the word to my in-laws that our optimism for the future. daughter had died. My older daughter was 3-1/2 The angels sing of peace on earth and goodwill to- years old at the time. I made the decision to make wards all people. The holy family and the shepherds our Christmas as normal as possible. A few days and wise men briefly form a community. They dream later I took her to a tree farm and let her pick out a an impossible dream of Heaven on earth. It gives them Christmas tree. She took her time to find the one she courage to try despite the fearful odds. We need some thought was perfect and I helped her cut it down. of that courage to face the world we see about us. Bet- We carried it to the truck together then took it home ter cheerful than glum. Better try than give up. We are and decorated it together. not alone and together we can do miracles. That is the It was not my strength but the strength of the fam- message of Christmas. ily that helped me ride out the storm. During difficult times our shipmates are our lifeline in the storm. On another note, it is with sadness that I read of the Lest we forget... passing of Rear Admiral Bob Yanow and realized how many times our paths had crossed. When he was in command of HMCS Saguenay, he brought her along- side HMCS Kootenay and had the crew direct their hos- es on our port quarter to prevent our engine room fire from spreading. Later, he took four of our dead to sea for burial as Kootenay was not seaworthy. Many years later it would be Bob Yanow who presented me with my CD while on Ceremonial Divisions in Aldergrove. He was a gentleman who took the time to speak to everyone—never an air of arrogance about him. Fair Winds and Following Seas, Sir, you will be missed. Finally, I would like to extend my best wishes of the The crosses seem desolate in the pre-dawn atmosphere. season to everyone of you and hope to see you at the The Calgary Naval Veterans Association provided a colour Club over the holiday season. party for the Sunrise Ceremony this year as they have in the Lorne past. Their ranks grow thinner. 3 Service Honours Victims England on October 23rd, 1969. The fire and smoke from an explosion in a starboard gearbox left many of & Survivors of HMCS the survivors suffering from PTSD, although they didn’t Kootenay Disaster know it until years later. Three crew members took Winter 2017-18

their own lives sometime after the tragedy. Montague |

and Johnston recalled the heroics performed by Rei- ffenstein and Robichaud, who died three years ago of cancer. They didn’t make themselves out to be heroes, but their descriptions of the actions they took that day

The Bosn’s Call The Bosn’s leave little doubt. By Tom Ayers, Halifax Chronicle Herald

The Sailors of HMCS Kootenay

Capt(N) John Montague (Ret’d) CPO1 Vaino ‘Ski’ Partanen or four decades, retired Navy Captain John Mon- CPO2 William Alfred ‘Billy’ Boudreau tague did not speak about the tragedy that shook PO Eric George Harman Fthe Canadian Forces in 1969, when HMCS Koo- PO Lewis John Stringer tenay suffered an explosion and fire killing nine crew LS Pierre ‘Pete’ Bourrett members and wounding dozens of others. LS Thomas Gordon Crabbe But in a nationally broadcast interview on the 40th LS Gary Wayne Hutton anniversary of the disaster, Montague finally told a OS Michael Allen Hardy reporter about his experience as a 23-year old Sub- OS Nels Murray Galloway Lieutenant, and immediately broke down crying. He was overcome with memories again at a subsequent ith the exception of Petty Officer Stringer grave side ceremony and was told to go see a doc- who died in HMCS Bonaventure during the tor. After that he was diagnosed with post-traumatic Wreturn voyage and who as a result, was bur- stress disorder. Montague still gets emotional thinking ied in Canada, these were the last Canadian servicemen about the loss of lives and the horrific injuries inflicted killed overseas whose bodies were not repatriated. on his mates, and the aftermath that has affected each On October 23, 1969, one of the worst peacetime of the crew members—and their families—to this day. disasters in the history of the and “For 40 years I didn’t talk about it,” he said on Monday, the occurred. after a commemorative service at the Navy’s Disaster On the morning of October 23rd, 1969, HMCS Koo- Control Training Facility on Purcell’s Cove Road. “The tenay (DDE 258) was conducting naval training exercis- amazing thing is 48 years later I’m still going for coun- es in the English Channel with a Canadian Naval Task selling, which even shocks me, not to mention my wife Group including HMCS Saguenay. and my daughters and friends.” HMC Ships Kootenay and Saguenay surged ahead Montague and his shipmates, Cyril Johnston, Rob to conduct routine full-speed drills when suddenly and Robichaud and Clark Reiffenstein—all junior officers— without warning, a blast comes from Kootenay’s engine had come off watch when disaster struck the Kootenay, room and the room is a escort with about 240 men aboard, as she was performing high-speed power trials off the coast of 4 The Bosn’s Call LS Gary Wayne Hutton, 24, was buried at sea near Plymouth, England. His wife Carol, his parents, siblings, relatives and friends mourned his death. CPO Vaino Olavi Partanen, 41, was buried at Brook-

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wood Cemetery in Surrey, England. His wife Ethel, Winter 2017-18 Winter his daughter Leslie, his parents, relatives and friends mourned his death. PO Lewis J. Stringer, 29, was buried at Fairview Cem- etery, Halifax, NS. His wife Christine, three daughters Jacqueline, Louise and Susan, his parents, relatives and friends mourned his death.

“We are as one” Lest We Forget

HMCS Saguenay departs Plymouth, England for the burial at sea. (Photo by George Damcyzk) Bob Yanow Passes Away

Today we Remember

LS Pierre S. Bourret, 24, was buried at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey, Eng. His wife Sandra, his par- ents, siblings, relatives and friends mourned his death. CPO William Alfred Boudreau, 40, was buried at sea near Plymouth, England. His wife Suzanne, sons Brian and Brad, his parents, siblings, relatives and friends mourned his death. LS Thomas Gordon Crabbe, 29, was buried at sea near Plymouth, England, his parents, siblings, rela- tives and friends mourned his death. ob Yanow passed away 19 November at the hos- OS Nelson Murray Galloway, 19, was buried at pice of the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, BC. Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey, England. His par- BHe is survived by his loving wife Valda, son Robert ents, sister Linda, his relatives and friends mourned and daughter-in-law Lynn of Nanaimo, daughter Debo- his death. rah and son-in-law Nigel of Victoria, granddaughters OS Michael Allen Hardy, 21, was buried at Brook- Jennifer and Sarah. wood Cemetery in Surrey, England. His wife Sandra, RAdm Yanow lived a life of thorough immersion and his parents, sisters Linda and Debbie, his relatives passionate dedication to the Navy. Having joined the and friends mourned his death. Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps Jervis Bay in 1946 PO Eric George Harman, 27, was buried at sea near in his home town of Saskatoon, he pursued his dream Plymouth, England. His wife Mary, daughters Anne, through Royal Roads Military College (1951) and HMCS Darlene and Susan, sons Frank, Eric and Shawn, his Unicorn (UNTD 1952), graduating from the University of mother, siblings, relatives and friends mourned his Saskatoon (BA Maths and Physics) in 1956. Following death. this he served in various frigates and of the 5 RCN on both east and west coasts of Canada, as well The National Shipbuilding as serving two years on exchange with HMS Sea Eagle in Londonderry and with the Far East Fleet. Procurement Strategy On return to Canada he advanced quickly through the Winter 2017-18

ranks to command HMCS Saguenay (1969), during |

which he survived the crash and sinking of the ship’s By Jamie Carroll ~ iPolitics Sea King helicopter. He then commanded in quick succession the then he National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy brand-new HMCS Athabaskan (1972), and the First (NSPS) is a bad policy. Still, when it recently was The Bosn’s Call The Bosn’s Destroyer Squadron (1974). On promotion to Com- Toffered a lifeline off this sinking barge of a pro- modore he was appointed the Naval Attaché in Wash- gram, the government promptly rearranged the deck ington, DC (1977), after which he returned to Ottawa chairs and listened to the band play on. in several senior positions at the rank of Rear Admiral Look, I grew up in Nova Scotia and love the idea (1979-84). of shipbuilders across the country having a more or He concluded his naval career in Victoria as Com- less guaranteed stream of work for the next 50 years. mander Maritime Forces Pacific and Commander Pa- And watching the Irving yard in Halifax roll out the first cific Region (1984-87). two super-blocks of the first Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship In retirement Bob served as the VP for BC Transit (AOPS), HMCS Harry DeWolf this summer was unques- (1988-89), Managing Director for the 1994 Common- tionably impressive—and somehow seemed quite nat- wealth Games (1989-90) and Chairman of the Centen- ural. nial Stadium for the Games and as a member of the Sir John A. Macdonald’s National Policy—which ulti- Veterans Review and Appeal Board (1997-2002). He mately destroyed Atlantic Canada’s shipbuilding indus- was also President of the Victoria Rotary, Chairman of try—which developed on north/south rather than east/ the BC Press Council, Chairman of the Corps of Com- west trade—was about building a country, sure. But it missionaires (Victoria) and Chairman of the St. John was also about winning votes. It was a sort of panacea Ambulance (Victoria Branch). politics: a single solution to a range of problems across For his public service he was made a Knight of the the country, not unlike the NSPS of today. The two Order of St. John in 2009. He remained a great sup- policies ultimately will end up sharing the same fate— porter of Sea Cadets and Boy Scouts, giving his name of not living up to their authors’ advertisements. to the Parksville Navy League Cadet Corps, “NLCC Ad- The NSPS’s stated dual function was to replace the miral Yanow.” Royal Canadian Navy’s aging, nearly rusted-out fleet For many years he was the Chair of the annual God’s and to provide a steady work stream for shipyards Acre Memorial Service at the historic veteran’s cem- across the country (two large ones in particular) for a etery in Esquimalt. generation. Trouble is, it always seemed unlikely that Bob Dmytro Yarow will be dearly missed by his family both could be accomplished at the same time—cer- and friends. His last wish was that his ashes be scat- tainly not at the best price for taxpayers. tered at sea off Royal Roads. Call me Catholic, but as with most things, there A Memorial Service and Celebration of Life was held seems to be a trinity of issues here: domestic jobs, in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens in Victoria on building the fleet the navy needs, and the cost to December 2nd. taxpayers. It seems impossible that any one solution The family wish to thank the Victoria Hospice staff for could satisfy all three concerns. their very kind care and assistance to all of us in these In other words, you can build the fleet the navy past few weeks. needs as the best cost to taxpayers—but you can’t do In lieu of flowers, donations ay be made to the Hos- it while providing the number of domestic jobs—but pice at Royal Jubilee Hospital, Victoria. it’s going to cost a multiple of what it otherwise would. 6 The Bosn’s Call The latter course is the one the previous government they’re the backbone of the fleet; with them, other ves- chose to take. Two shipyards (Irving on the east coast, sels can’t deploy to far-off destinations. They’re also Seaspan on the west) were chosen as the official con- some of the simplest designs in the NSPS program, a tractors for the NSPS. Several other yards were select- floating gas can that’s nowhere near as complicated

| ed to do smaller projects around the country, including as the big prize in this scramble, the Canadian Surface Winter 2017-18 Winter on the Great Lakes. Combatant (CSC) intended to replace the destroyers But here’s the rub: governments suck both at build- and frigates of the fleet. ing and buying stuff. They call it ‘procurement;’ it’s There are a half dozen designs for AORs floating usually anything but. Remember the Sea King heli- around the world serving NATO allies. Each of them copters? The Mulroney government wanted to replace is in service, in production and currently fulfilling this them with EH-101s in 1992. The feds are more or less critical role with a friendly fleet. You would think that just getting around to it now. Efficiency at its finest. would make the process fairly easy: pick one, build it, One important thing that separates Canadian pro- give the fleet back an essential service. curements from the way it’s done by every other NATO But no, instead the process has taken so long (the ally is that in Canada, it’s completely divorced from the first boat is scheduled to be In service 2021-ish, the military itself. While every other NATO country (as well second in 2022 and even more ‘ish’) that earlier this as Australia, New Zealand, etc.) does its procurement year the government recognized the need to fill the ca- via a department within the military, Canada offloads pability gap immediately. A Liberian freighter has been the entire process (apart from the development of converted into what will be known as HMCS Resolve by specifications) to Public Works, which then basically the Davie yard in Québec. The expectation is that Re- uses the same process to buy fighter jets that it uses solve will be in service well into the 2020s—more than to buy staplers. a decade after the NSPS was announced and replacing Take the replacement of the fleet’s Auxiliary Oilers the AORs was identified as a top priority. and Replenishers (AORs), a critical part of the NSPS. As Again, the AORs might be the easy part. The com- the floating gas stations and grocery stores of the RCN, plexities of a modern war-fighting ship like the CSC will

“Hey folks... don't settle for the ordinary!”

Come on in and sample our variety of excellent sandwiches hot off the Cor-

vette Club grill in our new surroundings! The Galley is open on Saturdays

from 1200 until 1400 except during Stampede and October 1st during the

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7 be exponentially greater: sensors, weapons systems, We have been told that the proposal from FREMM helicopters, radar—all of which need to be compatible proponents (government-to-government, as opposed with allied fleets around the world, not to mention our to business-to-government) was that they would pro- own fleet’s other assets. vide Canada with the number of vessels required for a Winter 2017-18

| So with the budget for the program now more or fixed price of $32 billion. The FREMM is in service with

less doubled (as of November 2015 the government the French and Italian navies, as well as the Moroccans admitted the costs were 181% of the original budget) and Egyptians, with plans to compete in the United one assumes we’re well over 200% by now), the sub- States, Greece and Australia as well. This was a seri- missions for the CSC were supposed to be received by ous offer from a serious competitor with lots of experi- The Bosn’s Call The Bosn’s the government by the end of last month. ence—who judged the established process in Canada Industry has complained pretty loudly about the to be somewhere between inefficient and impossible. seemingly unnecessary bureaucratic complexities of So back to the virtuous triangle; as Canadian citizens the program for some time. But last month, a group and taxpayers we need to have a military that is prop- representing a French and Italian consortium produc- erly equipped for the job at a cost that isn’t being un- ing the FREMM frigate design decided to try and short- necessarily inflated by politics or bureaucracy. circuit the process by going directly to Defence Minis- As things stand right now, Seaspan has the AOR and ter Harjit Sajaan with the help of their home countries. a number of Coast Guard projects; the Irvings are well Disclosure: I did some work for DCNS—one of the along with two of the projected six Arctic Offshore Pa- companies involved in the FREMM design—many years trol Ships, Davie has managed to creatively insert itself ago on another project. But from that experience and by providing one temporary AOR (and should be com- others, I learned how other countries do their procure- missioned to provide a second as soon as possible) ment work and it completely explains this approach. and smaller boats are being built in yards around the In France, for example, the Direction générale de country. l’armement (the DGA) is not only a wing within the That’s expensive, but investments have been made French military, it’s also the agency that both buys and the work has begun, so let’s leave those programs product for the French military and sells to other coun- alone. CSC however, was always going to be the most tries offshore on behalf of French industry. Its authority costly piece of the program by a nautical mile. within and without government is absolute and it oper- Given the fact the budget has already been dou- ates abroad as an organ of the state in every French bled, the uncertainty of the timelines, the complexity embassy in the world. of the requirements and the risk (really, the certainty) Now, I’m not for a minute suggesting that Canada of further surprises between now and the time the first should adopt this model. Certainly the debacle sur- boat hits the water, the government had an obligation rounding the sale of light armoured vehicles to Saudi to give the FREMM offer more than the cursory consid- Arabia last year made it clear that Canadians have little eration it seems to have received. appetite for being in the international arms business. It might be popular politics and it might require But for those in the arms business in a serious way, some legal back-peddling with those who did follow spending too much to build boats that could be read- the procurement process, but leaving the existing pro- ily bought off the shelf for far less makes no sense; it’s grams in place for the smaller projects and securing the anathema to the international market. Countries like most expensive boats on a fixed price basis, is almost France almost certainly assumed Public Works wasn’t certainly the only way to cover all three sides of the serious about such a rigid arms-length process be- triangle. cause, in almost every other country in the world, when a government is spending billions of dollars on national Source: Jamie Carroll, iPolitics defence, it’s usually more interested in getting the best possible deal than in upholding a set of arbitrary rules. 8 The Bosn’s Call Canadian Navy; his contribution to the establishment Crossed the Bar of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary; his time spent with Loram; his role as an advocate for Jack Greenwood veterans and founder of the Friends of the Colonel

We regret to report that longtime member, Jack Green- |

Belcher Society; his achievement as a Knight in the Or- Winter 2017-18 Winter wood crossed the bar just weeks short of his 100th der of St. John and his participation on several provin- birthday. Jack was a veteran of World War Two and cial committees. a strong supporter of the Calgary Naval Veterans As- Sid was honoured to have served his country, prov- sociation. ince and city. His was a life well lived in service to oth- ers. Ready-Aye-Ready! Sid Wallace Sid is survived by his loving family, Beverley (Black- We also regret to report the passing of one of our most burn) Wallace, his wife of thirty-four years, sons Bob prominent and active members of the Calgary naval (Mary Ann) and Laury (Lily), daughter Carolyn (Steve), community, Sid Wallace. Sid passed peacefully in his his six grandchildren: Philip (Melissa), Bradley, Natalie, 94th year at the Colonel Belcher Long Term Care Resi- Jonathan, Nathan and Graham; and his stepson Scott dence on August 21st. Sid was proud of his service in Stockell (Cindy, Stacey). In loving memory of Sid Wal- WWII and his ensuing career as an officer in the Royal lace a tree will be planted in Fish Creek Provincial Park.

Robert I Hendy Award Tom Conrick Honoured

e are very pleased to announce that the Royal Canadian Legion’s Grand President, WVice-Admiral (Ret’d) Larry Murray, CM, CMM, CD, Ret’d., is receiving the Navy League of Canada’s Robert I. Hendy Award for his outstanding achievements in the area of maritime affairs. Admiral Murray retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in 1997 as Acting Chief of the Defence Staff af- ter 33 years with the Royal Canadian Navy. He is also the former Chair of the Board of Directors of the Public Tom Conrick (left) is presented with his Branch Service Policy Forum and a past president of the Nova Sco- Medal by Executive Vice-President of the Calgary Na- tia Mainland Division of the Navy League of Canada, val Veterans Association, Ken Madrick. La Ligue navale du Canada. He was the first chair of Canada’s Veterans Ombudsman Advisory Committee CONGRATULATIONS TOM ... WELL DESERVED! and Honorary Commandant of the Chaplain Branch of the CAF for five years. 9 10 The Bosn’s Call | Winter 2017-18 tle Honour. North Cape forwhichBelfastwasawarded aBat- the RoyalCanadianNavy (RCN)intheBattleof Christmas weektocelebrate theparticipationof over ship museum the of mast the at fly flag dian HMS in officer Fleet Lord Terence Lewin, was a junior Thornton the ImperialWar Museum. Thames nexttoTower Bridgeandoperatedby mooredNavy (RN),ispermanently ontheRiver ship originally built as a light cruiser for the Royal ery chancehegot...BravoZuluAll! Hudock waseverywhere signingupnewmembersev- around $400.00worthofmerchandise! Meanwhile,Al Throughout thetwodayeventtheymanagedtosell during “NavyDays”attheNavalMuseumofAlberta. Cal Annis (left) and Tom Conrick man the Regalia Kiosk T Tim Lewin,whoselatefather, Admiralof the holiday season. The ship, now a museum Ship (HMS)BelfastinLondon,Englandthis Majesty’s Her over fly will flag Canadian he at theNavalMuseum By DarleneBlakely HMS Belfast NAVY DAYS Belfast, proposed thattheCana- lantic! with enough beertoseethemback across theAt- wardroom compensated their Canadian friends presented theirprizedpianotoAshanti,whose wardroom its refit, a for Halifax to home sailed Nazi forces tryingtohinderD-Day. WhenHuron battles betweenthe10thDestroyer Flotillaand the Arctic convoystoRussiaandlaterthedramatic ularly linked was developed. TheshiptowhichAshantiwaspartic - ron RCN Tribals [HMC Ships HMS from 1943through 1944,”heexplains.“Hisship, the Canadianflagovership. tion andtheHMSBelfast Association agreed to fly tion, wasinspired tomake agesture ofapprecia- War. Europeanern watersduringtheSecondWorld ed anARCTICBattleHonourforserviceinnorth- ipated inmore thanhalfof theRussianconvoys.” teen monthsofthewar, Canadianwarshipspartic- field at the Battle of North Cape. In the final eigh- company—fought inthecruisersBelfastandShef- served inBritishships—about10%ofeachship’s war,” Mr. Whitby says. “Eighty Canadian sailors British shipsoperatinginthenorththroughout the 1943, butitssailorswere involvedbefore then. duties ontheRussianconvoysinautumnof Naval Historian,Canadianwarshipsbeganescort Kingdom, theUnitedStates,CanadaandRussia. ties thatexistedatthetimebetweenUnited raise awareness ofthose operations and the close War. Hehasintroduced anumberofinitiativesto that were undertakenduringtheSecondWorld tion, hasadeepinterest intheRussianconvoys “My latefatherservedinaTribal-class destroyer Mr. Lewin,recognizing the profound contribu- In all,eighteen Canadian warships were award - “In fact,hundreds ofCanadiansailorsservedin According toMichaelWhitby, theRCN’s Senior Mr. Lewin, Vice-President ofthe Belfast Associa- and Ashanti, wasinconstantcompanywiththe Iroquois] and many personal friendships Huron, with which they covered Athabaskan, Haida, Hu- The Bosn’s Call Mr. Lewin recently found out about the 80 the close relationship and historical military bond Canadians who served in HMS Belfast during the that Canada and the United Kingdom continue to Battle of the North Cape through his friendship enjoy.” with Mr. Whitby. “In this year of Canada 150,” he says, “this initia-

| “In recognition of these Canadians and of the tive serves as a strong reminder for both the RCN Winter 2017-18 Winter 700 or so in the Tribals covering the nearby con- and the RN of the continued importance of the voy, it occurred to me that somebody needed to transatlantic link and the key role Canada played make a gesture of appreciation for these specific in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Arctic convoys actions and on a wider note, for the war-winning during the Second World War, and of our ongoing contribution of the RCN to the Atlantic and Arc- naval commitment to the North Atlantic.” tic convoy campaigns and the landings on D-Day An event to launch the initiative will be held on- when HMS Belfast had the honour of firing the board HMS Belfast on December 18, 2017. The symbolic opening salvo onto the beaches. “We Canadian Deputy High Commissioner to the Unit- are very proud of our friendship with Canada and ed Kingdom, Sarah Fountain Smith, and Capt(N) our bonds with the RCN, today and yesterday.” AuCoin will be the guests of honour, with nearly Captain (Navy) Maurice AuCoin, RCN Naval Ad- forty international invitees at the diplomatic mili- visor with the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff in tary attaché level expected to be in attendance. London says the gesture “speaks volumes about

Photo: Maritime Quest

11 CNVA

Winter 2017-18 Regalia Sales

| Messages

Cal Annis

The annual LEVEE is on Monday,

The Bosn’s Call The Bosn’s January 1st beginning at 1100. While they last! The next DIRECTOR’S MEETING is on Saturday, February 3rd at 1800.

Belts (with new RCN The next General Meeting is on Ensign) @ $30. Saturday, February 10th at 1100.

©LBJ

Summer Shirts @ $15. There are no DIRECTOR OR GENERAL meetings during July and August! CNVA T-Shirts $32.00 Sizes S to 2XL Corvette Club Saturdays!

The CNVA Corvette Club is now open at our new location on the Stampede Grounds at 2402 - 2A Street SE (about 100 yards due east from the Erl- ton Stampede LRT station) every Saturday (except during Stampede and this year, October 1st) from 1100 to 1600 (Galley service from 1200 to 1400). Come out and join your Shipmates! Royal Canadian Legion Things Military Ltd. CENTENNIAL CALGARY BRANCH 285 #616, 3208 - 8TH AVENUE, N.E., CALGARY, AB, CANADA T2A 7V8 Telephone: 403-235-4713 Fax: 403-569-1460 SPECIALIZING IN ALL SIZES AND Cellular: 403-617-4713 Toll Free: 1-866-336-0103 TYPES OF CATERING FOR ANY FUNCTION THAT YOU NEED Captain W. (Bill) Treleaven CD Store Hours GREAT FOOD AT REASONABLE PRICES Mon. - Fri. 9:30 am to 5:00 pm Sat. - 10:00 am to 4:00 pm 9202 Horton Road, SW Branch: 403-255-5772 www.thingsmilitary.com Calgary, Alberta T2V 2X4 Fax: 403-255-0331 Email: [email protected] 12