My Naval History

     I arrived at CFB Cornwallis in Nova Scotia on 20 March 1987. It was a cold winter day in N.S. I flew from Dorval airport to Halifax International. From there  I took a Limousine from the airport to Halifax with 4 other recruits. I then boarded the train from Halifax to Cornwallis. I graduated from Cornwallis on the 22nd of May 1987 as an Ordinary Seaman. It wasn't until Sunday that I flew across the country to Victoria British Columbia. I arrived at CFB Esquimalt and awaited training for 5 days.

    I completed my first trades course here at CFB Esquimalt in Victoria, British Columbia. I joined the Navy as a Naval Combat Information Operator (NCIOP). This used to be known as the Radar Plotter (RP), but changed in 1985 with the introduction of MORPS. My initial course was the Qualification Level 3 (QL3) NCIOP course. It lasted 5 1/2 months. From There I was posted to HMCS ANNAPOLIS stationed in Halifax N.S.

        This was my first ship. I was posted to ANNAPOLIS in Nov 1987. It was quite the indoctrination to the Canadian Navy. The ANNAPOLIS was a steam driven ship. Being one of only two Towed Array Ships (TAS), we were very busy. I served aboard from 1987 until 1989. While on ANNAPOLIS I crossed the Artic Circle twice. Among the  19 visits to Bermuda and 17 visits to Puerto Rico, there were vists to the following Ports:

St. John's, Newfoundland        Boston, Massachusettes         Fort Lauderdale, Florida (2)    Charleston, North Carolina
Nassau, Bahamas (4)              Aruba                                    St Thomas, Virgin Islands         St. Croix, Virgin Islands
Portsmouth, England               Rekyavic, Iceland                   Amsterdam, Holland                Cardiff, Wales
Glasgow, Scotland                  Santo Domingo Dominican Replublic
Panama city, Panama              Puerto Vallarta, Mexico          San Diego, California               Victoria, B.C.

The highlight of my serving aboard ANNAPOLIS was the coastal transfer through the Panama Canal in 1989.

        On completion of the coastal transfer from Halifax to Victoria I was posted to HMCS PROTECTEUR. I served aboard PROTECTEUR from 1989 - 1991. During this time the Persian Gulf War occurred, however prior to our scheduled 6 month deployment I was nominated for, and attended my Trade Level Qualification 5 course. This lasted close to 6 months and once completed I returned to PROTECTEUR. While on PROTECTEUR I visited the following Ports:

St. Johns, Newfoundland        St. Thomas, Virgin Islands        Puerto Rico        Nassau, Bahamas
Bermuda                                Aruba

        Once I finished my Qualification Level 5 course in June 1991, I was posted to the West Coast. My first ship was HMCS YUKON. I served aboard YUKON from 1991-1994. This was another steam driven vessel. We were in 4 squadron which was essentially a training squadron. We therefore were at sea quite a lot. I also decommissioned YUKON. While on YUKON I visited the following Ports:

Vancouver, British Columbia    Gibsons Landing, British Columbia        Seattle, Washington        Portland, Oregon
Ketchikan, Alaska                    San Diego, California                            Hawaii, USA

        I was posted to HMCS REGINA from 1994-1996. I was part of the Commissioning Crew, and therefore have my name and rank engraved in the ships bell. Just prior to leaving YUKON I took the Air Controller course and successfully passed. My job on REGINA now was not only as a Naval Combat Information Operator, but also as a SAC (Ship borne Air Controller). One of the highlights of this posting was our visit to Vietnam. We were the first Western ship to visit Vietnam since the war. Another highlight was my second Trans Oceanic trip through the Panama Canal. While on REGINA I visited the following Ports:

Vancouver, British Columbia       San Francisco, California            San Diego California           Hawaii, USA
Seattle, Washington                    Yokosuka, Japan                        Osaka, Japan                      Hong Kong, China
Manila, Philipines                        Jakarta, Indonesia                       Pataya, Thailand                 Western Samoa
Darwin, Australia                        Saigon, Vietnam                         Singapore, Malaysia            Ketchikan, Alaska
Halifax N.S.                                St.John's, NFLD                        Boston, Massachusettes      Charleston S.C.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla                    Aruba                                        Mazatlan, Mexico               Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

   I was posted to Canadian Forces Fleet School from 1996 - 1999 as an Instructor for the Qualification level 3 NCIOP course. During this time I acheived the qualification of Ship Borne Advanced Air Controller. I was also attach posted to the Commodore's Staff as the Air Controller for RIMPAC 1999. While on Staff I served aboard HMCS HURON. I taught 11 course with 8 to 12 students per course.

        I was posted to HMCS OTTAWA from 1999 - 2001 as the Senior Naval Combat Information Operator. I had 16 persons in my section. While in OTTAWA  I visited the following Ports:

Vancouver, British Columbia           Portland, Oregan                San Diego, California                Hawaii, USA

   I am now at Sea Training Pacific. My primary job is to enforce the standards for the Fleet Air Controllers. Sea Training Pacific consists of 28 senior personel all highly trained and experienced in their respective fields of expertise. At Sea Training we conduct a "Work Up" aboard ships that are commencing their High Readiness Cycle. A typical Work Up lasts 4 weeks. During this time we exercise every possible scenario a ship could face during Peace time and War time. While at Sea Training I have worked up the following ships:

HMCS OTTAWA          HMCS VANCOUVER       HMCS NANAIMO

HMCS ALGONQUIN     HMCS PROTECTEUR          HMCS TORONTO          HMCS WINNIPEG