I_.J

Vol. 9 No.6

1IICROWSNESTTHE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY'S MAGAZINE APRIL, 1957

LADY OF THE MONTH

CONTENTS

RCN News Review , ,., ..

Farewell to 'Maggie' .. , ff' ", ..

The New Skeena

Officers and Men

RCN Benevolent Fund " " "." " ..

Weddings and Births .. , .' , .

No History-No Steam Catapults ": ..

Maritime Warfare Sch,ool. ..

Afioat and Ashore ..

RCN Chief in Mayflower II : .

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2

4

5

9

11

18

19

22

The choice of subject on the oppositepage is not for herself alone but as a repre...sentative of a sterling band of young Cana-dian women, who sacrifice their spare timeand energy to serve Canada in the Wrensor who devote full time to a naval Career.

In the Reserve, the wrens are justifiablyproud of their record of attendance atdivisional drills. and the proportion of theirnumber who undergo summer training-records that are in both cases far ahead oftheir male opposite numbers.

This year most of the wrens will trainat Naden, where there will be four newentry courses and two leadership courses.Two of the new entry classes will train atCornwallis, while there will he classes forsupply wrens at both Naden and Hochelaga.

The courses offered to wrens are wide-ranging, covering training or medical as:-sistants, radio communicators, electricaltechnicians, air mechanics, supply assist-ants and so on. In attaining high standingin their chosen naval trades, they have areputation of making things very difficultfor the men.

The picture is of Wren Gwyneth Black-well, of Peterborough, anthropology studentat the University of Toronto, and \\'~s takenduring her summer training at Halifax lastyear. (HS-42861)

"The Navy Plays ; ,......... 24

'My Heart with Pleasure Fills' 25

Book Reviews , ,....................................... '26

Lower Deck Promotions 27

Naval Lore Corner No~ 46. , Inside Back Cover

The Cover-The day before the ship's commissioning at North

Vancouver, members of the ship's company moved on board the

Royal Canadian Navy's newest destroyer escort, 'HMes Skeena,

. and the first of her class to serve on the West Coast. AB Bruce

Hill, of Orillia, ant., greets his new home afloat with aSlnile of

happy anticipation, (E-40391 )

Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Department, ottawa.

Negative nUlnbers of HCN photographsreproduced in The Crowsnest are includedwith the caption for the benefit of personswishing to obtain prints of the photos.

This they luay do by sending an order tothe Naval Secretary, Naval Headquarters,ottawa, attention Photographic Section, quot-ing the negative number of the photograph,.giving the size and finish required; and en-closing a money order' for the full aluount,payable to the Receiver General of Canada.

Sizes, finish and the National Defencestandardized prices, folloW:

4 x 5 (or slnaller) glossy finish only .. $ .106% x 81/~ glossy finish only .408 x 10 glossy or matte finish .50

11 x 14 matte finish only ..•........... 1.0016 x 20 " • . • • • . . . • . • . . • • 3.0020 x 24 .......•....... 4.0030 x 40 . 8.00

SUBSCRIPTION RATEThe Crowsnest may be sub-

scribed for at the rate of $1 for12 issues. Orders, accompanied bycheque or money order IDade tothe Receiver General of Canada,should be sent to:

THE QUEEN'S PRINTER,Department of Public Printing

and Stationery,Ottawa, Onto

Page one

Members of the ship's company of HMCS' Skeena, ne.w West Coast d~stroyer escort, go on board the first time. (E·40378)

4 Ships to BeginCruise in June

The cruiser Ontario and the destroyer. escorts Skeena, Cayuga and Athabaskanare scheduled to sail from EsquimaltJune 12 on a two month training cruisefor cadets from the Canadian ServicesCollege, Royal Roads, which will takethem to the Hawaiian Islands and toports on the Pacific coast of the UnitedStates.

The Skeena will be a newcomer to thePacific coast and Hawaiian ports visited,having been commissioned on March 30at North Vancouver as the first of thenew anti-submarine destroyer escorts tojoin the RCN's West Coast fleet.

The Ontario will have returned to seaafter a little more than a month homefrom a training cruise to the Far Eastwith the frigates Jonquiere and Stettlerfor naval cadets from HMCS Venture,the RCN's junior officer training estab-lishment at Esquimalt. .

One of the many highlights of the FarEast cruise for the Ontario and the fri-gates was a visit to Hong Kong where aChinese banquet was arranged by theCanadian Club of Hong Kong.

Over 100 officers and men from theCanadian ships attended the dinner.The cruiser Ontario repaid this hospi-tality by entertaining about 30 Chineseorphans at a Canadian .Christmas-style

Page two

dinner, with turkey and all the trim-mings.

Many others visited the ships andsome idea of the impression made bythe Ontario can be judged from a letterto the ship by Teddy Bell, a six-year-old visitor: He wrote: "A cadet namedMike took me all round the ship. Wesaw some six-inch guns. They' werevery clean and looked like they wouldshoot very good. Mike brought me aCoke from a machine. We looked atthe three-inch guns. I think they arefor shooting down planes. They werealso very clean." The letter concluded:

Overseas FlightDraws Praise

The congratulations of Naval Head-quarters have gone out to the officersand men of the naval air detachmentwhose aircraft made that first trans-Atlantic flight ever carried out bythe Royal Canadian Navy.

"VX 10 Bonaventl,lre detachmentare to be congratulated, on their suc-cessfUl trans-Atlantic flight from Can-ada to U.K.... read the message to theFlag Officer Atlantic Coast.

The. four aircraft. two Banshee twin~jet fighters and two Tracker anti-sub-marine aircraft are now completingflight trials out of south England withCanada's new carrier, HMCS Bona-venture.

They made the historic flight duringMarch.

"Thank you very much for the nicetime I had."

In addition to sightseeing, shoppingand entertainment, the Canadian sail-ors participated in a complete sportsprogram.

Results . of the more outstandingevents were: softball-RCN 2-HongKong Softball Association 1, and USN4-RCN 1; boxing-RCN 5-RN 4; soccer,RN 4-RCN O.

Comox TransferredTo Atlantic Command

HMCS Comox, a Bay class mine-sweeper based at Esquimalt, B.C., withthe Second Canadian MinesweepingSquadron, has been transferred to theAtlantic Command.

The Comox sailed from EsquimaltApril 3 and proceeded via the PanamaCanal to Halifax, N.S., where she isscheduled to arrive May 4. En route,the minesweeper was to call at severalports including Long Beach, Calif.;Kingston, Jamaica, and Bermuda.

Safe Flying AwardWon by VC 922

VC 922, the reserve air squadron ofthe Victoria naval division, HMCS Ma-lahat, has been named the winner ofthe 1956 Safe Flying Award. Theaward is presented annually to the

Vice-Admiral H. G. DeWolf, Chief of the Naval Staff, was accorded honours during a visit tothe headquarters of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic, Admiral Jerauld Wright, USN,(left) during his visit to Saclont headquarters at Norfolk, Virginia, in March. Vice-Admiral Sir JohnEaton, Royal Navy, Deputy Supreme Allied Commandel' Atlantic, is shown at the right. (OfficialSaclant Photo)

naval reserve air squadron with thebest flight safety record.

The Malahat squadron, in competi-tion with the other four naval reservesquadrons in Canada, completed theyear without a flying accident.

VC-922 is commanded by Lt.-Cdr.A. M. Davidson, the resident flying in-structor is Lt.-Cdr. G. D. Westwood.

The award was to be presented inApril by Rear-Admiral K. F. Adams,Flag Officer Naval Divisions.

Nat,al MuseumChanges Name

The Naval Maritime Museum at Es-quimalt has been incorporated as theMaritime Museum of British Columbia.

The alteration, under the SOcletiesAct of British Columbia, became effec-tive on March 22.

lnst. Lt.-Cdr. Crawford Mahon, chair-man of the museum board, has pointedout that the purpose in having the namealtered was to remove the idea that themuseum authorities were' interestedpurely in naval exhibits.

"We are interested in all aspects ofthe maritime history of this coast, such·as the fishing, shipping and sealing in..,'dustries," he added. "Anything con-nected with the North Pacific Coast, orof British Columbia in general, whichhas a bearing on our maritime back-ground is of interest to us."

The museum, located at Signal Hill,Esquimalt, was officially opened onApril 18, 1955, by Colonel the Han.Clarence Wallace, then Lieutenant-Governor I'of British Columbia.

SailorlJ AshoreIn Venezuela

HMC Ships Algonquin and Micmac,'comprising a division of the First Can-adian Escort Squadron, made a mostsuccessful five day good-will visit. to .fabulous Venezuela in the course ofthis year's· spring exercises.

Upon arrival at La Guaira, normalcalls were made by the senior officersof the force on His Excellency R. P.Bower, the Canadian ambassador, andon the Venezuelan civil and militarydignitaries. An honour guard waslanded and a wreath was laid by Mr.Bower and the Senior Candian OfficerAfloat (Atlantic), Captain D. W. Piers,at the National Pantheon, a memorialto commemorate the life of Venezuelanliberator and founder of the republic,Simon Bolivar.

Warm hospitality and private enter-tainment was extended on every handto no less than 200 of the visiting Can-adian sailors daily both by the Vene-zuelan people and the residents of the

English-speaking community. One ofthe most exciting highlights was an or-ganized trip for the ships' companieson the recently-inaugurated Teleferico,an overhead cable railway which climbsin almost a straight line to a mountainpeak 8,000 feet in the clouds overlook-ing the beautiful city of Caracas.

At a picnic held by the Canadiancommunity, the visitors made many newfriends. A few men who had servedin HMCS Quebec when she visitedVenezuela three years ago were de-lighted to meet old acquaintances. Arifle and pistol match was held on an-other day with the team from the Vene-zuelan forces, and the Canadians be-came the possessors of a fine trophy tocarry back to Canada. The Poligonorifle range is probably the world'sfinest.

Donors were plentiful when a RedCross blood clinic visited the two ships.

Officers of the Canadian ships wereentertained at social functions held bythe commander-in-chief of the Vene-zuelan navy, by the Canadian ambassa-dor and the first secretary.

On the eve of departure, CaptainPiers, the commanding officers and offi-cers were hosts on board their ships toVenezuelan officers, the ambassadors ofmany countries accredited to Venezuela,and the many friends of the Canadiancommunity.

Sioux to JoinAtlantic Fleet

The transfer of HMCS Sioux to the.Atlantic Command and the 'proposedaddition to the Pacific Command of thenew destroyer-escort Margaree hasbeen announced.

The Margaree, built at Halifax Ship-yards, Ltd., Halifax, will be commis-sioned in early October.

The Sioux, scheduled to leave theWest Coast in mid-June, has been inservice in the Pacific Command sinceJanuary 1950. Arriving on the WestCoast in late December, 1945 she paidoff into the Reserve Fleet at that time.She remained there until re-commis-sioned five years later.

After completing three tours of dutyduring the Korean War, HMCS Siouxwas the last ship to return from the FarEast and duty with the United NationsForces. She returned to Esquimalt inSeptember, 1955.

Admiral DeWolfVisits SACLANT

Vice-Admiral H. G. DeWolf, Chiefof the Naval Staff, visited the head-quarters of NATO's Supreme Allied

. Commander Atlantic, Admiral JerauldWright, USN, March 13.

Admiral DeWolf visited the Norfolkarea for a general orientation and fa-

Page th.ree

FAREWELL TO· I MAGGIE I

First naval reservists to toke instruction at the Great. Lak..s Troining Command, Hamilton, Ontario,in 1957 are these three wrens from HMCS Unicorn, Saskato·on, Sask. They are the forerunners ofhundreds of men and women in the RCN(R) who will train at the Hamilton naval command thisyear. Shown, left to right, are Wren Shirley· Norris, Donalda Wynne, and Martha Neudorf.(COND·4201)

miliarization tour of U.S. naval activi-ties.

Upon his arrival at SACLANT'sheadquarters he received honours andreviewed the headquarters detachmentof the U.S. Marine Corps Honour Guard.

He then met with Admiral Wrightbefore attending a briefing by the SAC-LANT Strategic Presentation Team.

Following a luncheon in the SAC-LANT Flag Mess, Vice-Admiral DeWolfleft SACLANT's headquarters for a callon the Commander Norfolk Naval Ship-yard, Portsmouth, Virginia.

Admiral DeWolf was accompanied byCommodore O. C. S. Robertson, Cana.,dian naval attache in Washington, twoofficers of Admiral DeWolf's staff, andCaptain Paul B. Ryan, U.S. naval at-tache in Ottawa.

Officer Goes toPacific Command

The appointment of Cdr. (L) H. L.Crawford from the post of AssistantCommand Technical Officer to the FlagOfficer Atlantic Coast to the correspond-ing appointment under the Fiag OfficerPacific Coast was to be effective in mid-March.

Lt.-Cdr (L) F. W. Phillips, who hadbeen Deputy Manager Electrical Engin-eering, HMC Dockyard, Halifax, suc-ceeded Cdr. Crawford in the actingrank of commander (L) while holdingthe appointment. Cdr. Phillips tookover his new duties on March 4.

T HE ROYAL Canadian Navy badean official farewell to HMCSMagnificent in a message addressed tothe ship by Vice-Admiral H. G. De-Wolf, Chief of the Naval Staff, onApril 10, the day the aircraft carriersailed from Halifax for return to theRoyal Navy.

Admiral DeWolf's message said:"On April 7, 1948, I' reported that

HMCS Magnificent under my commandhad been commissioned into servicewith the RCN. Today, after nine yearsand more than a quarter of a millionmiles of steaming, the Magnificentleaves Canada for return to the RoyalNavy.

"During her service the RCN hasmore than doubled in manpower andnew ships and new weapons have beenintroduced. Her Sea Furies are givingway to Banshees; her Firefly IVs havebeen replaced by Avengers which, inturn, are giving way to Trackers.

"In these intervening years the Mag-gie, as she is affectionately known andwill be remembered, has had a majorshare in building the prestige of Can-ada and of the RCN. She is known inthe Arctic, the Atlantic and thePacifieand in many European and Mediter-ranean ports. Among the highlightsof her career, her role as flagship ofthe RCN Special Service Squadron in

the Baltic cruise in 1950, and as themajor unit in the RCN. CoronationSquadron in 1953 will be remembered.

"The .last but not the least, of hermany important duties was the trans-port of Canada's contribution to theUNEF. Our primary aim today is toprevent war, and this final mission onthe interests of preserving peace in theMiddle East was a fitting conclusionto a distinguished career.

"I speak for the Navy when I say:'Well done, Maggie.'''

From the commanding officer of theMagnificent, Captain A. B. Fraser-Har-ris, came the message to Naval Head-quarters:

"On sailing from Canada for the lasttime I would like to express our grati-tude to all the staff officers whose hardwork upon the many problems con-nected with the ship, particularly dur-ing the past year, has enabled us, hership's company successfully to ·com-plete all the missions to which she hasbeen assigned."

$250 Prize forMilitary Essay

An essay contest with a potentialvalue of as much as $400 to the win-ner has been announced by the RCAFStaff College Journal. The contest isopen to all serving or former membersof the Canadian armed forces or Civilservice.

A prize of $250, plus payment ofthree cents a wor.d if the essay. is pub-lished in the Journal, is offered for thebest unsolicited essay, not exceeding5,000 words, likely to stimulate thoughton military and particularly Air Forcematters.

The essay can deal with any militaryfield, including strategy, operationstraining, logistics, personnel admini-stration, technical, research, productionand so on.

All entries will be considered forpublication and those selected will bepaid for at the basic rate of three centsa word.

Writers are asked to avoid classifiedinformation or highly controversialviews. Manuscripts must reach theeditor of the RCAF Staff College Jour-nal by July 1 next.

Judges will be appointed by theboard of directors of the Journal andtheir decision will be final. If no essayreaches th.e standard of excellence setby the judges no award need be made.

Arrangements for the presentation ofthe award will be made known whenthe winner is announced.

Page fOUT

+!

Over-all view of the commissioning ceremony as HMCS Skeena entered the service of the RCN. (E.40325)

SKEENA: FIRST OF CLASS ON WEST COASTProud Record of Predecessor Recalled at Commissioning

T HE PACIFIC Command's first newanti-submarine destroyer escortwent into service March 30 with thecommissioning of HMCS Skeena atNorth Vancouver. She became the fifthof the class to join the Royal CanadianNavy and is the largest warship everbuilt in a British Columbia shipyard.

Guest of honour at the colourful com-missioning ceremony was the Hon.James Sinclair, Minister of Fisheries,who addressed the ship's company andguests. Other speakers were Rear-Admiral H. F. Pullen, Flag Officer At-lantic Coast, and Col. the Hon. ClarenceWallace, president of Burrard Dry DockCo., Ltd., builders of the warship. Mrs.Wallace was sponsor of the ship at thetime of its launching.

Just before the actual commissioningof the Skeena, the ship was accepted forthe Navy by Rear-Admiral (E) W. W.Porteous, Chief of Naval Technical Ser-vices.

Among the guests at the ceremonywere His Honour, Lieutenant Governorand Mrs. Frank M. Ross; B.C.'s PremierW. A. C. Bennett and Mrs. Bennett;Federal Minister of Finance WalterHarris and Mrs. Harris; Deputy Minis-ter of National Defence F. R. Miller andMrs. Miller; Mrs. Pullen and Mrs.Porteous; Maj. Gen. G. R. Pearkes andMrs. Pearkes; Mr. J. C. Rutledge,director of the shipbuilding branch ofthe Department of Defence Production,and Mrs. Rutledge.

B.C.'s Chief Justice Gordon Sloan andMrs. Sloan; Col. the Hon. E. W. Hamber

and Mrs. Hamber; B.C.'s Supreme CourtChief Justice Sherwood Lett and Mrs.Lett; B.C.'s Minister of Labor LyleWicks and Mrs. Wicks; Vancouver'sMayor F. J. Hume an.d Mrs. Hume, Vic-toria's Mayor Percy B. Scurrah and Mrs.Scurrah; Commodore P. D. Budge andMrs. Budge; Commodore (E) J. B.Caldwell and Mrs. Caldwell; Captain D.W. Groos and Mrs. Groos; Captain J.A. Charles and Mrs. Charles; Colonel E.T. Fairey and Mrs. Fairey.

Air Vice-Marshal K. G. Nairn andMrs. Nairn; Brigadier J. W. Bishop andMrs. Bishop; Air Commodore A. D.Ross and Mrs. Ross; Rear-Admiral V.G. Brodeur and Mrs. Brodeur; Mr. andMrs. H. A. Wallace; Mr. and Mrs. JohnWallace; Mrs. J. P. T. Dawson, wife of

Page five

The guest speaker at the commissioning of the Skeena was Hon. James Sinclair, Minister ofFisheries, who is shown here flanked by, Rear-Admiral H. F. Pullen, Flag Officer Pacific Coast andCdr. John P. T. Dawson, commanqing officer of the new destroyer escort. (E-40323)

About 62 press, radio and television representatives from Victoria, Vancouver and other B.C.centres attended "Press Day" on board the Skeena on March 22 and were setved luncheon in theseamen's mess. Two of the guests, Evelyn Caldwell (who signs her column "Penny Wise") andMyrtle Gregory are offered generous helpings. (E-40405)

SHIPBUILDING is of course an in-tegral part of the Navy, the mer-chant marine and the fishing industry.Shipbuilding did not come into its ownon this coast until the end of the lastcentury, and one of the real pioneers inthis field was the late Andy Wallace,father of the Hon. Clarence Wallace. Hestarted in 1894 building lifeboats for the

Foreign trade is the economic life-blood of Canada and the protection ,ofthis deep sea traffic and of our Canadianshores is the responsibility of the Cana-dian Navy., Our Navy particularly dis-tinguished itself in the last war in thisspecial field of protection of merchantshipping. It was the frigates, destroyersand corvettes of the Royal CanadianNavy which did a large part of the workprotecting the ,vast convoys of shipsladen with troops, war supplies, food,oil and gasoline across the North At-lantic to Great Britain, and Canadianships helped as well in the protectionof convoys from Britain to Murmanskand the Mediterranean.

Since the war we have been buildirtg ,a modern fleet to meet vastly: changeddefence requirements. Paramountamong these ships are our new des-troyer escorts-Canadian-designed andCanadian-built of which HMCS Skeenais a proud example. These are the out-growth of skills learned in the earlieryears of Canadian shipbuilding.

Columbia and of the vast sea bornetrade out of ports of this province. Thistrade last year saw a total of almost abillion and a quarter dollars in importsand exports flow through the B.C. ports.Over one quarter of the total deep seatonnage of all Canada is handled here.

the Skeena's commanding officer; Cap-tain (E) Erik Revfem and Mrs. Revfem,and Brigadier D. M. Clarke and Mrs.Clarke.

"I' feel highly honoured to be the, , representative of the Government

of Canada at the commissioning of HerMajesty's Canadian Ship Skeena, thelargest warship ever launched on thePacific Coast of Canada," Mr. Sinclairsaid.

"Naval vessels have had an historicconnection with, British Columbia, forit was Spanish and British naval vesselswhich first explored this coast towardsthe end of the eighteenth century, andthe names of the admirals and captainsof those early expeditions are remem-bered by place names along the wholecoast. Captain Cook of the R,oyal Navyfirst brought the British flag to ourshore, and it was Captain Vancouverwho signed the Nootka Convention in1790 which ended Spanish claim to thisarea."

Shipbuilding (the speaker continued)had preceded even this convention, forin 1788 a British captain built the firstsmall schooner, the North West Ameri-can, in Nootka Sound and started trans-Pacific trade by taking a cargo of seaotter skins across the Pacific to themandarins of Canton.

Her career was, short, but she never-theless represented the beginning bothof the shipbuilding industry in British

Pag,e six

The acceptance papers for the new Skeena were signed by Rear·Admiral (E) W. W. Porteous,Chief of Naval Technical Services, who turned the ship over to her commanding officer, Cdr. JohnP. T. Dawson (left). (E·40324)

Two retired admirals of the Royal Canadian Navy, now living in British Columbia, pause bythe battle honours won by the first HMCS Skeena which they commanded. Pictured are Rear-Admiral J. C. Hibbard and (right) Rear-Admiral V. G. Brodeur. (E·40387)

ships, on ships built on governmentaccount, on naval ships and on repairs,for a total of $112,500,000 since 1945.Today this yard employs about 2,000men, making it the most important em-ployer on the North Shore.

T HE MODERN Canadian. warships,however, are far more complexthan their predecessors of the SecondWorld War, and require even greatershipbuilding skills. The most outstand;..ing of these new warships are the des-troyer escorts. They are each equippedwith a vast array of electronic appara-tus and the most modern of anti-sub-marine weapons. Their design, con-struction and completion is somethingof which not only the naval architectsand shipbuilders, but all Canadians,can be proud.

Burrard Dry Dock is building three ofthese anti-submarine vessels for servicewith the Pacific Fleet.

Today's commissioning is one of par-ticular note, for not only is HerMajesty's Canadian Ship Skeena thefirst of the new destroyer escorts tocommission on the West Coast, but sheis also the largest warship ever built ina B.C. shipyard.

She brings back into Canadian navalservice an honoured name with a proudheritage, left to her by the first HMCSSkeena which was commissioned Ports-mouth, England, on June 10, 1931, as

the North Shore yards totalled 293 mil-lion dollars.

In the post-war period the Govern-ment of Canada has recognized thevalue and importance of this yard bothto our national defence effort and to theshipping of the port of Vancouver. Wehave allocated work on government

CPR, and formed the Wallace ShipyardCompany in the same year.

The First World War gave a realimpetus to B.C. shipbuilding. One ofmy earliest memories is being taken bymy father on what to a small boy wasa long and exciting journey, by streetcar from our home in South Vancouver,on a sea voyage across the harbour onthe North Van ferry to see the launch-ing of the MabeL Brown, first of six five-masted wooden schooners built duringthe war. It was a gala day, flags fly-ings, the Indians Qut in their canoes andall of us admiring this monster ship-a far cry from this ceremony today.

During the depression years in thethirties, world trade dwindled, and soof course did shipbuilding. Between1930 and 1940 less than half a milliondollars of government work was placedin this yard, and there was little otherwork. Despite this, however, the com-pany did manage to keep a skilled groupof workmen. These men were thenucleus around which was built thestaff which met the great challenge ofthe war years, when this yard becamean extremely important element of ournational war effort.

The men of Burrard Drydock Com-pany met this challenge in magnificentfashion, for in the war years, they builta total of 108 merchant ships of govern-ment account, ten naval vessels andtwenty-three naval conversions. Duringthe peak of the work over 14,000 menand women were employed by this yard,and government expenditures in both

Page seven

Hobbyists on. board HMCS Crusader, AB Robert Ford, left, Ottawa, and AB Peter Arnold,Toronto, put the finishing tou~hes on model aircraft. (HS.45917)

one of the first two destroyers ever builtspecifically for Canada.

From the beginning of the war, shesaw much hard service. She began thewar with tl¥! Halifax Escort Force,which carried the burden of local escortduties for North Atlantic convoys.Later, she was. one of the Canadian des-troyers which went overseas to

OFFICERS AND MEN

29 ApprenticesComplete Courses

The Royal Canadian Navy's technicalapprenticeship school graduated its sec-ond annual class of skilled tradesmenon Wednesday, April 3, at Halifax.

Twenty-nine engineering, air en-gineering, electrical, ordnance and ship-wright graduates from across Canadareceived certificates signifying theirsuccessful completion of the RCN's 39-month Technical Apprenticeship Courseand their promotion to petty officer sec-ond class.

Commodore E. W. Finch-Noyes, com-modore of the RCN barracks at Halifaxand Cdr. (E) Frank Harley, command-ing officer of HMCS Cape Breton, offi-ciated at the ceremony at HMC Dock-yard.

The apprentices were enrolled in1953 with the rank of ordinary seamen.They were between 16 and 19 years ofage. After taking basic naval trainingat Cornwallis, they moved on board theCape Breton, lO,OOO-ton former main-

At the Naval Supply Depot in San Diego,California, mementoes of visiting foreign war-ships are displayed on what has come to beknown as the "International Wall". Five Cana-dian ships have contributed copies of theirbadges. Here Rear Admiral W. W. Honaker,SC, USN, commanding officer of the depot, re-ceives HMCS Cayuga's badge from the captain.Cdr. P. C. Benson during the February visit ofthe Second Escort Squadron. (Official U.S. NavyPhotograph)

tenance ship berthed in the naval dock-yard at Halifax.

The Cape Breton serves as both schooland home for the apprentices. The shipis self-contained with living quarters,workshops, classrooms, recreation facili-ties and administrative offices.

The students have gone: on from basictechnical training to advanced work inspecialized trades and upon graduationwill take up their trades in ships andshore establishments of the RCN.

Of the graduates, five are from B.C.,two from Saskatchewan, four fromManitoba, 13 from Ontario, one fromNew Brunswick, three from Nova Scotiaand one from P.E.I.

They are:British Columbia: Petty Officers

Arthur E. Hayward, Robert Juulsen,Charles Gordon, Bruce H. SqUire, andJames R. Elton.

Saskatchewan: Petty Officers DavidS. Fitzgerald and Hugh A. Millman.

Manitoba: Petty· Officers Ronald J.Devlin, Harvey W. Henderson, RobertF. Irwin and Ronald Quick.

Ontario: Petty Officers Rex D. Beck-ett, William B. Fell, Michael J. Hill,Ronald P. Lindsay, Richard F. Quinn,Donald G. Sheehan, Philip H. Smith,James R. Burell, Michael G. Chorney,Rudolph J. Lauzon, Robert G. George,Andrew J. Black and Ronald P. Mc-Cormick.

New Brunswick: Petty Officer RobertU. Wheeler.

Nova Scotia: Petty Officers RichardM. Setterington, Ian A. Urquhart andJoseph R. Doucette.

Prince Edward Island: Petty OfficerCharles W. Prowse.

Senior OfficersTo Attend Parley

Ten senior officers of the RoyalCanadian Navy, including the Chief ofthe Naval Staff 'and three other officersof flag rank, are to attend the confer-encp. of Commonwealth navies at theRoyal Naval College, Greenwich, Eng-land, from April 29 to May 3.

The conference, announced in Londonin March by Christopher Soames, finan-cial secretary to the Admiralty, willenable the Commonwealth naval chiefsto attend an exercise called "Fairlead"and to study matters of common interest

Ex-Wren'a SpiritHolda in Peace

Bonds of friendship establishedthrough duty In wartime have beencontinued and strengthened In peace-time through a common Interest forthose women who belonged to theCanadian Navy.

Vancouver WRCNS Association wasformed shortly after the end of theSecond World War when 300 Wrensdecided to group together.

The main purpose was to keep aliveNavy friendships. provide contacts for"Ex-Wrens" coming to Vancouver, andto assist in worthy community pro-jects. There is a Wren association ineach province across Canada with eachone having their o;wn project.

Though 11 years have passed sinceorganization, Interest still remainshigh, with the group today having apaid-up membership of 75 . . . anumber of British Wrens being amongmembers. Many members have mar-ried and are raising families but stillattend social functions.

To raise funds for their projects aspring tea is held annually. This yeara spring dance was held on S,aturdayMarch 30 at HMCS Discovery in thePetty Officers' Mess.

For the first years after the war theex-Wrens mailed Christmas parcels toBritish families who befriended over-seas Wrens. Members also work atthe Red Cross canteen at ShaughnessyHospital.

The main project now is buyingwashing machines for B.C. HousingFoundation on Horley street, a SeniorCitizens' project. Three machines havealready been donated.

Welfare work accomplished havebeen sun umbrellas for ShaughnessyHospital; cheque to CARS; cheque toVancouver Rehabilitation Centre.

A Canada-wide reunion was held inToronto in 1950. It is hoped to haveanother in Vancouver during Centen-nial Year.-Tne Vancouver Province.

in naval strategy and tactics in the lightof current technical developments. Itwill examine implications of cold,limited and global war for navalstrategy, with the central purpose beingto maintain strong liaison between theCommonwealth navies.

In addition to Exercise Fairlead, theCanadian naval officers will attend afurther exercise with senior officers ofthe Royal Navy and the United StatesNavy to study naval problems relatedto the North Atlantic.

Vice-Admiral H. G. DeWolf, Chief ofthe Naval Staff, was to head the'Cana-

Page nine

dian delegation. The other officers offlag rank are Rear-Admiral R. E. S.Bidwell, Flag Officer Atlantic Coast;Rear-Admiral H. F. Pullen, Flag OfficerPacific Coast and Rear-Admiral' H. S.Rayner, Chief of Naval Personnel.

Among other officers of the RCN at-tending will be Commodore (L) H. G.Burchell, Deputy Chief of Naval Tech-nical Services; Captain W. M. Landy-more, Director of Naval Plans andOperations; Captain P. F. X. Russell,Director of Torpedo Anti-Submarineand Mine Warfare; Captain J. C.O'Brien, Director of Naval Training;Captain G. C. Edwards, Director ofNaval Aviation; and Captain (S) Don-ald McClure, Director of Naval ProgramControl.

USAF OfficersAt Royal Roads

Senior Officers of the United StatesAir Force Academy at Denver, Color-ado, visited the Canadian Services Col-lege, Royal Roads, during the week-end,March 15-17.

The purpose of the visit was to dis-cuss various aspects of the respectivetraining programs in the two establish-ments.

Members of the visiting party, headedby Major General James E. Briggs,Superintendent of the USAF Academy,were the guests at Royal Roads of Cap-tain John A. Charles, Commandant, andstaff officers at a dinner in their honour.

Other' members of the USAF Acad-emy party were: Brigadier General R.M. Stillman, Commandant of Cadets;Colonel R. F. McDermott, Dean of Fa-culty; Colonel P. H. Dane, Professor ofThermodynamics; Colonel M. B. Boyd,Director of Information Services; Col-onel B. B. Cassiday, Jr., Deputy Com-mand~nt of Cadets; Colonel C. H.Munch, Associate Professor of Law;Colonel W. B. Taylor, III, AssistantChief of Staff; Major Gordon P. Cul-ver, Special Assistant to Superintendent.

On the first evening of their visit thevisitors and their hosts were spectatorsat a hockey game at the MemorialArena between the Victoria Cougarsand the Seattle Americans.

Major General Briggs made officialcalls, Saturday morning, on the Hon.F,rankMcKenzie. Ross, Lieutenant Gov-ernor of British Columbia, and Rear-Admiral H. F. Pullen, Flag Officer Pa-cific Coast.

Later in the day, the visitors touredRoyal Roads and visited places of in-t.erest in Victoria.. '. . .

On Sunday morning, Major GeneralBriggs was the inspecting' officer at aceremonial parade of the Royal Roadscadets. . .

Page ten

Here the members of the No. 75 Chief and Petty Officers Leadership Course held In Cornwallisduring the months of January and February 1957. Front row, left to right: Petty Officers E. J.Partridge, I. E. Rogers, Chief Petty Officers E. A. DeWolfe, W. N. Goodwin, Lieut. W. R. Stebbings(course officer), PO R. H. Dykes (course petty officer), Petty Officers D. J. Rudolphe, E. J. Walsh, D.Tudor and T. B. Anderson. Back row: Petty officers R. Adolphe R. E. Morehouse, R. A. Aitken, P. F.Russell, M. P. Ridgway, Chief Petty Officer R. B. Pennington, Petty Officers F. ·M. Massie, G. V.Gregory, R. M. Roberison, P. Lesoway and B. R. Bone. (DB-B441)

These are members of the No. 76 Petty Officers Leadership Course held at Cornwallis duringJanuary and February 1957. Front row, left- to right: Petty Officers K. G. Kelbaugh, W. Billey, H. S.Gatensby, PO D. M. Adair (course petty officer), Lieut. P. J. Troves (course officer), Petty Officers C. D.Laming, C. J. Hutchings and J. C. de Salaberry. Centre row: Petty Officers R. J. MacLellan, T. Laugh.rane, W. D. Fawns, J. C. Thwaites, G. W. Little, D. W. Byer, G, W. Ackerman, A. Barry and J. B.Kehoe. Rear row: Petty Officers R R. Mcinnis, C. E. Mercer, R. L. Jackson, P. Poslak, oW. A. Kesler,D. J. Neill, G. W. Knight, G. W. Volker and F. Gibbons. (DB·8440)

----~--~-----,--.~_._ .. ·I;

Benevolent Fund directors of 1956 pose with the Minister of National Defence, Hon. Ralph Campney, just before he addressed the annual meetingFront row, left to right: Captain (5) T. F. T. Morland, RCN, Mr. Campney, and Vice-Admiral H. T. W. Grant, RCN, (Ret'd). Rear Row: Commodore PaulEarl, RCN(R); Lt.-Cdr.-At-Arms Wilfred Pember, RCN; MAA R. C. Crawford, RCN; Captain (5B) A. W. Baker, RCN, (Ret'd); CPO Griffith Jones, RCN (Ret'd);A. B. Coulter, Captain (5) Joseph Jeffrey, RCN(R), (Ret'd), Lt. (W) A. I. McPhee, RCN(R), (Ret'd); Rear Admiral H. 5. Rayner, RCN; Captain R. P. White,RCN(R), (Ret'd), Captain E. A. Thompson, RCN, (Ret'd), Captain P. Barry German, RCN, (Ret'd), and CPO D. H. Nelson, RCN. (0-9354)

BENEVOLENT FUND'S WORK REVIEWEDAdmiral Grant Elected President for Second Term

I

V ICE-ADMIRAL H. T. W. Grant,CBE, DSO, CD, RCN (Ret'd), wasre-elected president of the Royal Cana-dian Naval Benevolent Fund at the 12thannual general meeting at Naval Head-quarters on April 1. It is his secondterm in office.

Vice-presidents elected for two yearsare Captain (S) T. F. T. Morland, RCN,Halifax, and Griffith Jones, CPO,(Ret'd) of Victoria. Re-elected for one-year terms are Captain (SB) A. W.Baker, RCN(R), (Ret'd), Beaverton,Ont., and Lieut. (W) A. I. McPhee,RCN(R), (Ret'd).

Two changes were made in the boardof directors: Lt.-Cdr.-At-Arms WilfredPember, RCN, (Ret'd), of Victoria, whohas served since the inception of theFund, is succeeded by Lt.-Cdr. (S)William Woodward, RCN, of Victoria.Aubrey B. Campbell succeeds WillardMacKenzie, resigning after 11 years'service to the Fund at Halifax.

Lt.-Cdr. (S) Harry McClymont, RCN,was re-appointed general secretary andG. Arthur Ball, treasurer.

Other members of the board of direc-tors are:

A. B. Coulter, Ottawa; CPO R. C.Crawford, liCN, Halifax; CommodorePaul Earl, RCN(R), Montreal; CaptainP. Barry German, RCN, (Ret'd),

Ottawa; CPO D. H. Nelson, RCN, Ham-ilton; Rear-Admiral H. S. Rayner, RCN,Ottawa; Captain R. P. White, RCN(R),(Ret'd), Ottawa; Engineer Rear-Ad-miral G. L. Stephens, RCN, (Ret'd),Ottawa; Captain E. A. Thompson, RCN,(Ret'd), Halifax; Captain (S) JosephJeffrey, RCN (R), (Ret'd), London,Ont., and R. C. Stevenson, Montreal.

A total of 46 delegates attended themeeting, representing ships and estab-lishments from coast to coast or as in-terested citizens in various navalcentres.

A highlight of the meeting was thepresentation by CPO William B. Hirst ofa cheque for $4,000 to the Fund on behalfof his shipmates in HMCS Magnificent.

Admiral Grant welcomed the dele-gates and reported on the year's activi-ties as follows:

No major changes in Fund policywere recommended at last year's meet-ing nor did your directors see fit to calla further meeting for this purpose dur-ing the year. This is a tribute to theplanning and thought put into the or-ganization by our past presi!ient, Ad-miral Stephens, and his board of direc-tors, but this in no way suggests ourpolicy should be static, and all sugges-tions for improving the mechanics ofthe Fund are welcome.

Your Fund was audited in accordancewith the by-laws and from the financialstatement it will be seen that the CreditBalance at December 31, 1956, was$16,184.45 in excess of the balance atthe end of 1955. Once again we are mostgrateful to the Auditor General's De-partment in OttaWa, and to Messrs Leeand Martin of Halifax for having per-formed the auditing task free of charge.

During the year $50,000 was investedin 3 per cent Dominion of Canadabonds.

It is satisfactory to note that for thesixth year in succession it has beenfound unnecessary to draw on theFund's capital account in order to meetour obligations.

After study by a special committee ofthe executive committee salaries of thepaid staff at headquarters were revisedupwards to bring them in line withsalaries for comparable duties paid tocivil servants and civilian firms.

Notwithstanding an increase in theFund's credit balance your directorsconsidered it prudent to canvass servicepersonnel for subscriptions by assign-ment of pay. This was in accordancewith the minutes of the last annual gen-eral meeting and in addition to makingthe Navy "Fund conscious" is sound in-surance against further contingencies.

Page eleven

Analysis of Claims. Dealt with and .Assistance ApprovedJanuary Ito December 31, 1956

THE ROYAL'CANADIAN NAVAL BENEVOLENT FUNDFinancial Position of the Fund as at December 31, 1956

Discharged Servi'rl-g Dependents TotalsApplications dealt with 444 209 56 709,Applications approved 344 151 54 549Applications not app'd. 100 58 2 160Assistance approved:Grants $65,810.50 $15,970.95 $4,403.26 $ 91,184.72Loans $18,816.41 $28,315.28 '$1,310.50 ' $ 48,442.19

$84,626.91 $44,286.23 $5,7l3.76 $139,626.91

73,888.13

132,301.01

$ 83.035.0049,266.01

$ 58,412.88

99,048.79

2,822,391.41

$2,723,342.62

$61,537.302,237.06

10,113.77

$2,707,158.17

953.50 115,233.24

24,088.07

82,875.51

$30,349.,601.054.63

89.72

553'.6285.6712.17

. 122.13283.25

2,349.36325.18264.92

16,959.27574.83

2,467.9'5

$83,887.80

w,ith your approval it is proposed tocontinue publication. at a modest cost.

Your Fund is .still· called upon to dealwith many cases of distress occasioned

AdministrativeExpepsesBanking· chargesCivilian employees'· pension plan

. employer's contributionFidelity bond

,Fire insuranceMiscellaneousOffice equipmentOffice supplies and printingPostageProvision for uncollectible loansSalariesTelephone and telegraphTravelling

Balanc'e as at December 31, 1956

Analysis of Loans Receivable AccountDecember 31, 1956

Balance as at January 1, 1956Loans made during the year

Balance as at December 31, 1956

Deduct:Amount received in payment of loansLoans converted to grantsUncollectible loans written off to Reserve

And, decreased by,Grants

L'ess: Savings obtainedin settlement

Balance as at JanuaryJ, 1956During 1956 the Fund was increased by,

Sundry . donationsBank interest

. ~ .. Bond interest and amortization· ofdiscounts .and premiums

Payments on loanS previously writtenoff to Reserve for Uncollectible Loans

inaugurated the Quarterly Review ofFund . activities. It see,rns evident thatthe information cc;>ntained in thispamphlet is of gener~l interest and

It is a pleasure to report that underthe able chairmanship of Lt.-Cdr.-at-Arms . Pember and with the whole-hearted co-operation of the. Naval Staffat ottawa, this campaign, conducte'd todate ,pnly on the East Coast and atNSHQ, has been an unqualified success.Whereas .,prior to th~s appeal only 5· 3per ce:p.t of ~er:ving. officers and mencontr~buted:through'assignment of pay,as· of February 28, 1957: .wehave dona-tio:q.s from :no. tess than 20 percent.Individual,assignments range from 25cents to $10, per month ·Whic':h.in round~gures· totalsso~ne$27,OOO per annum.,r .. 1·wb'uld e~pres~ here 'o'n beh~lf· of thedirect9t$,and· campaign chairman, ourdeepest appreciation for thi~co.ncreteeyidencebf .inter,est and goodwill in theFund's· ·-work. .,.These,. indeed, .must be heartep.ing

figures . for those. who over the yearshave: worked steadfastly to build·· upconfidence in the Fund and to them goesthe credit for today's results~

Donations, for 195~ amounted to$30,349.60 which represents an increase'of $1,853.43 or about -6 per cent overthe previous year's donations.

These were made ·from the followingsources:

RCN Ships $18,558.96RCN Personnel 9,623.60Reserve Divisions 1,049.23Other sources 1,117.81

. 'We are very grateful to all who madethese donations and I must mentionpartic.vlarly the sum of $2,363.59 fromthe canteen and wardroom of HMCSQuebec·which is shown in the statementreferred· to, as held in suspense. Fail-ing commissioning of a ship of thatnan1e on or before June 14, 1959, thesemonies become the property of theBenevolent Fund but, in addition,

,HMCS Quebec canteen made a furtheroutright "donation of $2,000 at the timethe ',ship paid off.

An a~aiysls of the claims dealt withshows th'a't applications to' the FUhd forassista!lce were 11· 4' per cent less thanin, 1955" an~d assistgnce ~I>pro~edpywayof gtants· or .loans, showecj a correspond-,ing:re

,CPO William B. Hirst, left, presents a cheque for $4,000 to Vice-Admiral H. T. W. Grant, RCN,(Ret d~, president ~f the Royal Canadian Naval Benevolent Fund, on behalf of shipmates in theMaggIe. The carner, soon to pay o/I, also donated $3,500 each to the protestant and catholicchapels at Shannon Park naval married quarters. The Fund donation was the highlight of the 12thannual general meeting April 1 at Naval Headquarters. (0-9351)

LAST YEAR'S GIFTSTO BENEVOLENT FUND

Other Sources:Barr, Mr. Daniel W.Deane, J. Capt (L)Dodds, Mr. JacksonEstensen, A. C. LSPHEdwards, Rev. 1. R.Grant, I-I. T. W. VADM RCN (Ret'd)Johnson, Mr. B. D. L.Lay, I-I. N, RADMLe Geyt, J. LCDR (RN)MacDonald, Mrs. Margaret A.MacLachlan, K. S. CDRMiscellaneous ContributionsNaval Officers' Association, MontrealNaval Officers' Association, OttawaNaval Supply Depot, HMCDockyard

Halifax 'Nova Scotia Technical CollegeSherry, Mr. JohnSparks, F. W. LCDRStephens, G. L. RADM RCN (Ret'd)Stevenson, Mr. R. C.wren's Association, Vancouver, B.C.

21.1250.003.00

25.0025.0020.0025.00

30,006.00

20.00500.00 .

10.0050.0025.0010.005.00

15.00100.00125.4327.2625.00

9,623.60

100.00101.50

8.30100.00174.89143.32101.22105.00100.0025.00

25.0050.0015.00

$ 40.0040.00

291.19203.87

96.8050.00

300.0081.478.00

3,289.7360.0050.0014.7089.83

144.4060.00

100.00493.50167.00100.00220.00600.00634.75200.00375.0025.3560.50

300.00

280.002,000.00

2;;0.005.00

2,568.4340.0050.0064.46

3,000.001,128,351,000.00

37.0010.0029.63

$30,349.60

Pa~e thirteen

Wardroom MessWardroom MessShip's Fund

Total Donations

AlgonquinAthabascanAvalon

CornwalIls

StettlerToronto

PortageQuebecResoluteSt. LaurentSte. ThereseShearwaterStadacona

BuckinghamBytownCedarwood

HMC Ships and Establis1tments:Aldergrove 5Ship's Fund

~Chief and PO's MessShip's FundShip's FundNfld. Area (AF)

Reg. FundShip's FundOfficers' Mess

{Ship's FundWardroom Mess

{

Ship's Fund 'Wardroom MessBlue Sky RevueBandShip's FundShip's FundShip's FundWardroom MessShip'sFundShip's FundShip's FundShip's FundShip's Fund

jShiP'S FundChief and PO's MessWard. Officer's MessScran Locker

New Liskea'rd Ship's FundNiobe {Men Serving in U.K.

Officers Serving inU.K.

Ontario fShip's Fund~WardroomMessShip's FundShip's FundShip's FundShip's FundShip's FundShip's Fund

{

Ship's FundWardroom MessScran LockerShip's FundShip's Fund

DigbyFort ErieGranbyHuronIroquoisJonquiereLabradorLauzonMagnificentNaden

Serving Naval Personnelby montltty assignments

Naval Divisions:Brunswicker, Ship's FundChatham " {Chief and PO's Mess

Wardroom MessChippawa Ship's FundGriffon Ship's FundHunter {ShiP'S Fund

Chief and PO's Messwardroom Mess

Nonsuch Ship's FpndQueen Ship's FundQueen

CharlotteScotianTecumseh

The following were delegates at the12th annual meeting of the BenevolentFund.

Captain (SB) A. W. Baker, RCN,(Ret'd), Beaverton, Onto Captain C. H.Bonnycastle, RCN (R), (Ret'd), Rothe-say, N.B.; A. B. Campell, C.L.U., Hali-fax; PO R. J. Carmichael, RCN, Assini-boine; CPO C. F. Coakes, RCN (R),Chippawa; A. B. Coulter, Ottawa.

CPO R. C. Crawford, RCN, Stada-cona; Mrs. B. Y. Crowther, Vancouver;Mrs. E. A. Dobson, Halifax; Cdr. T. R.Durley, RCN(R), (Ret'd), Montreal;Commodore Paul W. Earl, RCN(R),Montreal; Chap. (P) 1. R. Edwards,RCN, Ottawa.

Charles Emmerson, Saint John; Chap.(P) A. G. Faraday, RCN, Stadacona;R. E. Franklin, Ottawa; Captain P. B.German, RCN, (Ret'd), Ottawa; Cdr. C.S. Glassco, RCN, (Ret'd), Hamilton;Ldg. Sea. H. J. Hanson, RCN(R), York.

CPO F. R. Henderson, RCN, Shear-water; Lieut. Carl Hindle, RCN(R),(Ret'd), Fort William, Ont.; CPO Wil-liam B. Hoist, RCN, Magnificent; Cap-tain (S) Joseph Jeffrey, RCN (Ret'd) ,London, Ont.; CPO J. J. Jeffries, RCN,Cornwallis; CPO Griffith Jones, RCN,(Ret'd), Oak Bay, Victoria.

CPO M. H. Keeler, RCN, Cormorant;CPO G. A. Kilgour, RCN, Fort Erie;

DELEGATES ATFUND MEETING

by debts contracted prior to enli'Stmentand it is our recommendation that thisquestion be brought to the notice of re-cruiting authorities.

Your directors wish to record theirsincere thanks and appreciation for thegenerous assistance and co-operationextended by the Chief of the Naval Staffand Naval Headquarters as well as FlagOfficers Atlantic and Pacific .coasts,Flag Officers Naval Divisions, com-manding officers of ships, establish..,ments and reserve divisions.

We are also indebted to the Depart-ment of Veterans' Affairs who have,together with other social and welfareorganizations, such as the Red Cro.ss......Canadian Legion and provincial andmunicipal ·bureaux rendered invaluableco-operation and assistance in thecountless investigations necessary to ourwork. Co-operation and liaison withthe Army Benevolent Fund and the AirFor.ce Benevolent Fund was excellentduring the year.

I would personally like to thank ourstaff in head office and the secretariesof our claims committees for their con-tinuing good work.

In the final analysis, however, it isthe interest and spirit of today's Navywhich continues to make the Fund pos-sible. Their generosity may not comehome to roost, but it has earned theheartfelt gratitude of countless ship-mates and dependents, and the respectof all.

NEW SKEENA'S ILUXURIES'"-WELL EARNED BY OLD ON.E- . - - .. " ... .

CPO R. N. Langton, RCN, Naden; Lt.-Cdr. (S) D. L. Marcus, RCN, Cancom-cortron Two;'Captain (S) T. F. T. Mor-land, RCN, Stadacona; Lieut. (W) A. I.McPhee, RCN (R) , (Ret'd), Ottawa.

,CPO R. McWilliams, RCN(R), Don-nacona; CPO D. H. Nelson, RCN, Pat-riot; Lt.-Cdr. J. B. O'Brien, RCN,(Ret'd), Ottawa; Lt.-Cdr.-at-Arms Wil-liam Pember, HCN, Naden; Rear-Ad;..miral H. S. Rayner, RCN,. Bytown; Lt.-Cdr. (SB) J. A. H. Rector, RCN(R),(Ret'd), Ottawa.

Chap. (P) B. A. Silcox, RCN(R),Hunter; CPO Henry Silvester, RCN,Cancomcorton Four and CancominronTwo; Captain E. A. Thompson, RCN,(Ret'd), Halifax; Lt.-Cdr. R. M. Wal-lace, RCN(R), Discovery; Captain R. P.White, RCN (R), (Ret'd), Ottawa; Lt.-Cdr. (S) William Woodward, ReN,Naden; Lieut. W. W. Kinloch, Unicorn;PO Donald Rudolph, Athabaskan; Chap.(RC) J. E. Whelly, Halifax; Cdr.Norman Pickersgill, RCN (R), (Ret'd),Ottawa.

WEDDINGSLieutenant Commander Nicholas M. Ban...

ton, Shearwater, to Miss Dawn Devere Hunt,of London, England.

Ordinary Wren Helen Bestianich, Glouces...ter, to Ordinary Seaman R. C. Bosada,Gloucester.

Leading Wren Marion J. Davies, Glouces...ter, to Mr. Ralph B. Caughlin, of Bedford,N.S.

Ordinary Wren Jo-Anne Gow, Gloucester,to Ordinary Seaman J. A. Corbeil, Glouces..ter..

Ordinary Seaman R. L. Haynes, Sioux, toMis_s Arlette Marguerite Anne Bowning, ofVictoria. ,

Leading Seaman C. A. Moore, New Glas-ypw, to Miss Arlene Sloan, of Victoria.

Sub-Lieutenant (S) George D. Quirin,Tecumseh, to Miss Jeanne Marie McNamee,of Calgary.

BIRTHSTo Leading Seaman D. V. Comis, New

Glasgow, and Mrs. Corois, a daughter.To Petty Officer H. A. Deneau, Gloucester,

and Mrs. Deneau, a daughter.To Leading Seaman Joseph Ray Doucette,

Assiniboine, and Mrs. Doucette, a son.To Acting Commander· J. M. Favreau,

D'Iberville, and Mrs. Favreau, a daughter.Tb Petty Officer E. H. Gayda, Gloucester,

and. Mrs. Gayda, a son. 'To Chief Petty Officer. R. L. Johnson,

CornwaUis,and Mrs. Jdhnson, a. daughter.'To Lieutenant Commartder' M. K. Kelly,

Cornwallis, and Mrs. Kelly,· a Son.To Petty Officer J. G. Meadwell, Stadacona,

and Mrs. Meadwell, a son.To Leading Seaman EugenE! Mercer, As..

siniboine, and Mrs. Mercer; a son.To Chief Petty Officer C. .R. .Pattison,

D l 1berville, and Mrs. Pattison, a sort.To Lieutenant Commander C. 'G. Pratt,

Stadacona, and Mrs.. Pratt, a son..To Leading Seaman George Prokipczuk,

Cornwallis, and Mrs.' Prokipczuk, a son.To Chief Petty Officer C. D. Potvin,

D'Iberville, and Mrs. Potvin, a 'son.To Petty Officer y~ C. Thornton, D'Ibe1'-

ville, and Mrs. 'Thornton, a. sori., To Leading Seam~n M. T. Walsh, Bytown,and Mrs. Walsh, a daughter.

To Petty Officer W. F. Wickson, Corn...wallis, .and Mr~. Wickson, .a son.

Page fourteen

Fina,l acceptance trials for thenew destroyer escort Skeena tookplace off Vancouver, Friday, March23. One of press party aboardwas Victoria Times City Hall re-porter Pete Loudon, who made awartime cruise in the originalSkeena. Three of the crew of theold ship are serving in the new.Here are .Mr. Loudon'.s impressionsotthe Skeena's' rebirth:

ByPETE LOUDON

W E. USED· 'a toilet .plunger and a. . bucket for our "dhobey", nowthey have automatic washers.

We bad a' record player and now theyhave television, hi-fi and a piano inthe messdeck.

The reincarnation of HMCS Skeena,witnessed on a shakedown cruise Fri-day, couldn't have startled me more ifthe gunner's mate had served tea athigh noon in the seamen's mess.

They go to sea now with special seadutymen closed up on a breech-loadingice cream machine.

Where we used to de-spot our blueswith fluids filched from fire extin-guishers, now they have a dry-clean-ing unit-complete with steam press.

They've got bunks mattressed withfoam· rubber-each one with a readinglamp.

Once we slept' on the deck in the oldSkeena when there was no room leftto sling another hammock. Sea water,leaking into the messes, sloshed aroundus. We were as wet when we went onwatch as when we came off.

The Skeena that's bringing the nameback to Esquimalt is a far cry from theSkeena that back-boned the West Coastfleet from 1931 to 1939, or prowled thewartime Atlantic ...

There were 10 of us, very ordinaryseamen, i,n ·HMCS Assiniboine. We gota "jetty-jump" to -the Skeena, a 'loandraft. for one trip, while the "Bones"was- being patched.

It was August', 1942--a black time inthe North Atlantic. We were in a blue

~-~._.~~ "--:::::::---' ". /":"- ~~ ..;p-, r--~.~ ..rr:·.,-:.~. :-".1 -0/ '.', ~;L:.-;\,

• :::' ',." ~I-' ~, • I l

's:i-,:.~ I' >'~;'~',-'b- .

funk. If the Skeena didn't return fromconvoy duty in time, the Assiniboinewould sail to Canada, for refit and leaveand we would be stuck for more monthsof escort.

But despite the discomforts of acramped ship, the leaky ventilators, anight "flap" with star shells and depthcharges, the Skeena proved to 'be a·"happy ship". Th3:t is the proudesttitle a ship can win. It's awarded byher severest critics-the men who sailin her.

She had a novel trick at the startthat brace¢t even the "scaredest"amongus. She cleared .harbour with Col.Bogey's- march cbooming from· her loudhailer, echoing back from the craggyrock gates of St. John's, NfId.

Her grub was good. Her crew wastops. And her captain made a gameof drills that would be tiresome onlesser ships.

In between the real actions, they'dpipe, ."A, B and X guns' crews throwall torpedomen down the lower mess-deck" or "repel boarders" and withhalf the crew playing enemy and drop-ping from the rigging, there were battlesNelson would have cheered.

We left the convoy with the Britishat 30 West and came home in companywith theSaguenay.The 10 of us weredrafted bg'ck to the. A'ssiniboine and theSheena went on with her war.

Her record shows she .rescued over300 men from the sea. She foughtwolf packs that se~t 16 of her merchantmen charges to the bottom in one en-gagement. She shared in sinking foursubs, three flak ships, three armedtrawlers.

Her battle honours were Atlantic1939-44, Normandy 1944, and Biscay1944. Twelve, of her captains rose toflag rank.

She died in a gale on the rocks of, Icela:p.d in October, 1944, and 15 of hermen ;rest there yet.

Now born again, she emerges as' a$23,OPO,OOO Buck Roger's fantasy, twiceas big and with a Sunday putlch thatmakes her one of the 'world's foremostpotential sub-smashers.

And if her men mostly will standtheir watches below decks~ h~r officersdirect her course from ,a bridge sealed'from the weather~ if they eat ice creamat sea, relax with TV and hi~fi, theseprivileges have been earned for them.

They go with the battle honours.-The VictoTia Times.

NO HISTORY NO STEAM CATAPULTSIn Which Sonle Dry Bones are Given a Good Rattle

Full ?1~any a gerlt of purest ray sereneThe dark unfathorn'd caves of ocean

bear . ..

T ROMAS GRAY did not have hismind on nautical affairs when hecomposed his "Elegy in a CountryChurchyard", but had he been versify,.ing naval history (surely an off-thebeaten~track subj ect for a poem ifthere ever was one), he might havebeen able to utilize the above two linesof verse and they would 'have met thesituation nicely.

History is often thought of and (outof school) spoken of as a subject that isas dryas dust-an assemblage of drybones disinterred from the arid desertsof the past. The fault may lie in theapproach to history as a duty ratherthan as a rewarding study of man's pastfailures and triumphs.

Now··that the age of the frogman andthe deep-sea diver is upon us, the "darkunfathom'd caves" may be expected toyield up their gems. However, nospecial expedition need be set up toexplore the past through the pages ofhistory and the rewards may sometimesextend beyond mere personal enlight-enment and entertainment.

Someone with a knowledge of historyof engineering in the British Isles re-called that the great engineer IsambardKingdom BruneI,' who died a hundredyears ago, had numbered among hisless successful accomplishments, theconstruction of Hatmospheric railways"in England and Ireland. The trainswere powered by a piston in a tube laidbetween the rails for the length of therail,\\Tay line. Pumps created a vacuumwhich drew the piston along and itspower was transmitted to th,e train by arod passing through a flap valve extend-ing along 'the pipe.

Although one ,of the atmospherictrains operated for 12 years, the power

, system ·was eventually adjudged a fail-ure. And why? Because rats and otherrodents kept gnawing away at theleather flaps which formed the valveand the repair crews 'could not keep upwith them.

So the atmospheric train passed intohistory', a work of genius undone byrats. The concept was forgotten for acentury, but not forever.

Today on the flight deck of HMCSBonaventure can be found a steam cata-pult for the launching of jet aircraft,

whose mechanical principles were de-rived from the device whichJ powered"the atmospheric train~ I. K. BruneI andhis predecessors, whose invention heapplied, have thus, via the pages of his-tory, contributed to aviation's Jet Era.

With this solemn thought, it is pos-sible to move on to the consideration ofanother of the rewards of history-namely that it can be the source ofgood, clean fun.

This was discovered by a naval offi-cer, who had immersed himself in mari-time history out of a sense of duty onlyto find, as he got more deeply into thesubject, that he was really enjoyinghimself. The pages, he found, werestudded with paragraphs that deal withthe quaint, the bizarre, the humorousand the informative.

It was a discovery which he felt im-pelled to pass on to others who stillmaintained the fallacious "dry bones'attitude towards history, and he jotteddown the following items for all -to readand, if so minded, to enj oy:

"I N DECEMBER, 1756 a. British squad.-ron commanded by Admiral Watson

with troops under Col. Clive was at-tacking the Fort of Budge-Budge todislodge a local Nabob who had seizedCalcutta. Troops were landed and latera detachment of seamen, including onenamed Strachan, who brought about thebloodless .conquest of the stronghold.With a full cargo' of grog aboard he

stumbled under the walls of the fort onenight and weaved in through a breachshouting noisily. This attracted notonly the Moorish soldiers on guard buthis celebrating friends and in the endthe whole body of troops who tookpossession with little trouhIe.

The Admiral sent for Strachan laterand said: "Strachan, what is this youhave been doing?"

"Why to be sure, sir, it was I whotook the fort; but I hope there was no..harm in it."

The Admiral pointed out that hemight have easily have lost his life andled his companions into danger. Stra-chan, disappointed at blame where hehad hoped for praise, left the Admiral'spresence muttering-"I! I am floggedfor this here action I will never takeanother fort as long as I Iive, by God."

W HEN ADMIRAL HAWKE wasblockading the French Atlanticports in 1759 his squadrons were at 'seafor long periods and supplies of freshprovisions, porter, vegetables, etc. werebrought regularly froIU England. It sohappened that, when the French underAdmiral Conflans had been decisivelydefeated at Quiberon Bay, the weatherturned foul (as it frequently does inNovember) and the supply ships wereunequal to their task. The British sailorhowever drew a different conclusionfrom these events as the followingverse will show:

Page fifteen

Ere Hawke did bangMonsieur ConflansYou sent us beef and beer;Now Monsieur's beat.WeJve nought to eatBecause youJve nought to fear.

I~N THE YEAR 1914 the ship's com-'. pany of HMCS Rainbow similarly

showed the sailor's proverbially goodhumour:

liMeS Rainbow, after capturing twoGerman-owned schooners, the Leonorand Oregon, was on her way home tow-ing the Leonor some 3,000 miles bac;k toEsquimalt. The Oregon went underher own power. This long trip underadverse weather conditions, resulted invery short rations' until home wasreached. This situation was the subjectof a cartoon depicting a skinny'·groupon the quarterdeck with the words:"Physical drill-all hands through thering-baIt'" .

I N OCTOBER 1779 a combined force, of British naval and land forces at-tacked and captured the Spanish fortOrooa in Honduras. One. of the sailorsclimbed over the wall with two cut-lasses and met a Spanish officer, whoin the darkness and confusion had for-gotten his sword. Instead of cuttingthe officer down the sailor gave him itcutlass and proposed to fight on equalterms.

This incident was received with greatadmiration by the Spaniards and byAdn1iral Sir Peter Parke who advanced

the hero to boatswain. Unfortunatelya few years later, in a fit of madnessor intoxication, he struck the lieutenantof the sloop Ferret. Discipline beingwhat it was in those days the boatswainwas tried by court-martial, condemnedto death and executed.

T HE PERILS of exploration andunknown enemies are well exem-plified by this extract from CaptainVancouver's "Voyage" dealing with hisexperiences near Toba Inlet, B.C. inJune, 1792:

"Whilst examining these abandoneddwellings, and admiring the rude cita-del proj ected for their defence, ourgentlemen· were suddenly assailed by anunexpected numerous enemy, whoselegions made so furious an attack uponeach of their .. persons, that unable tovanquish their foes or to sustain theconflict, .they rushed up to their necksin water. This expedient, however,proved ineffectual; nor was it until afterall their clothes were boiled, that they'were disengaged from an immensehorde of fleas ,which they had disturbed."

LADIES are not carried in HM .Shipsnowadays on the high seas but itmay well be that some of them woulddo their duty in a seamanlike manner.In any event here are the historicalfacts of a lady passenger in the Betsywhich was captured by the French inJuly 1794 after losing her convoy fromJamaica to England. The captors re-moved all the Britons except the mate,

the cook, the carpenter,· a boy seatnanand the lady, Mrs. Williams, and put onboard a prize crew 'consisting of alieutenant and 13 men.

Bad weather drove the vessel withinsight of Guernsey, so a plan was con-cocted to overpower the prize crew andregain possession. Exercising her femaleright Mrs. Williams fainted when shewas told of this plot but soon recoveredand volunteered her services. Her partwas to lock the lieutenant's cabin whilehe slept and to stand guard. The plansucceeded and the ship was sailed intoCowes Road some 27 hours after theFrenchmen 'had been secured.

When the ship was boarded Mrs.Williams was found still on guard witha loaded pistol in her hand. Havingsteeled herself to the task she would notgive up until it was completed.

A NYON.E who complains of the foodin the RCN may care to considerthe rations provided in 1622 by the firstvictualling contract in the Royal Navy:

Every mali's allowance was onepound of biscuit, one gallon of,beer,two pounds of beef with salt four daysin the week; or else instead of beef, fortwo of those four days, one pound ofbacon or pork, and one pint of pease, asheretofore hath been used and accus-tomed; and for the other three days inthe week, one quarter of stock-fish,pound of butter, and a quarter of apound of cheese. Saving for the Fridayto have a quantity of fish, butter, andcheese, but for one meal, or else instead

Page sixteen

CORNWALLIS PRESENTSSHOW BASED ON 02 TALE

I-I

I

of stock-fish, such quantity of other fishor herrings, as the time of the year shallafford.

I N OCTOBER 1799 four British fri-gates (Ethalion, ALcemene, Naiadand Triton) capt\lred two Spanish fri-gates (Thetis and Santa Brigida) in theBay of Biscay. The Spaniards were ontheir way home from Vera Cruz andwere carrying an immense fortune inmoney and in goods. After the victorsarrived in Plymouth a colourful pro-cession flanked by armed seamen,marines and midshipmen marked thetransfer of the treasure from the dock-yard gate to the citadel in the followingorder:A trumpeter of the SUl'rey dragoons,

sounding a charge.Two artillery conductors

An officer of the Surrey dragoons.An officer of Artillery.

Surrey dragoons, two and two, withdrawn sabres.

Music, drums, and fifes,Playing Rule Britannia and God Save

the King;Sixty-three waggons with dollars, in

nineDivisions of seven waggons.

On the first waggon, a seamanCarrying the British over the Spanish

Jack;Two officers of marines, armed.

On the centre waggon,A Seaman carrying the British Ensign

over the Spanish Pendant;Midshipmen armed with cutlasses.

On the last waggon,A seaman with a British Pendant over

a Spanish Ensign;Armed marines and seamen two and

two;Music, drums, fifes, playirl,9

Britons Strike Home;Armed seamen with cutlasses;

.An artillery officer;Two officers of marines armed;

Surrey Dragoons, two and two, withdrawn sabres;

Two Trumpeters of Surrey Dragoons,Sounding a charge, closed

the procession.

Near the end of November the pro-cession reached London, where it wasmet by a captain's guard of the Grena-dier Battalion of the Guards, and theprocession moved along Piccadilly, St.James' Street, Pall-Mall, Strand, FleetStreet, and Cheapside, to the Bank inthe following order:

Military band of music;A detachment of the Guards;

A Commissioner of the Customs, and aLieutenant of the Navy on horseback;

Six Waggons with the T?'easure, eac1td?'awn by eigltt horses, deC07'ated

with ?'ibbons;The waggon decorated, with the English

coloU7:s OVC?' those of Spain;Sailors rode on the outside of the

Waggons;A detachment of tlw 16th Light Drag-

oons closed (he Procession.

F OR THE SECOND year in a rowthe Cornwallis Concert Companyhas written, produced and presented anoriginal musical production based on awell-known fairy story. Styled afterthe English pantomime, with its livelymusic, topical story and colourful cos-tumes, this year's extravaganza broughtto life all the characters of the famousstory, the Wizard of Oz.

Written by Lieut. (8) D. B. Payne,produced by Lt,-Cdr. G. Bower, RN, anddirected by Lieut. J. Gates, USN, theshow established a new high in the en-tertainment field in Cornwallis. Weeksof hard work went into the productionwith no less than seven scene changesand as many costume changes in thetwo-and-a-half hour presentation.

The costumes were original designsby Nursing Sisters Joyce Green andMarg Willet. Stage settings and stag-ing were handled by Miss Enid Webber

When the cavalcade reached theMansion-house, the Lord Mayor, theLady Mayoress, and several gentlemencame out in front of the house, anddrank from out of a gold cup' "Successto the British Navy," the band playing"Rule Britannia," while the honest tars,who were regaled at the same time,gave his Lordship three cheers.-C.H.L.

and Lieut. D, Steele respectively. Themusic, which was especially adaptedfor the production, was ably directedby Chief Bandmaster W. Stitt.

From the opening curtain throughthree acts to the closing curtain theaudience, whether naval personnel, ci-vilians or children, were joyfully en-tertained by the antics of the lion,scarecrow and tin man. The WickedWitch of the North, vividly portrayedby Mrs. June Bandy, kept the suspenseat a high level throughout the wholeshow.

The leading role of Dorothy, takenby Miss Shirley Cameron, daughter ofCol. Cameron of the Army Dental Corpsin Cornwallis, was enthusiastically re-ceived by the audiences.

All in all, the second effort by theCornwallis Concert Company kept thestandard high for what it is hoped willbe an annual event in Cornwallis.-RC.

Page seventeen

MARITIME WARFARESCHOOL IN NEW HOME

A N IMPRESSIVE new building hasthis spring been added to the pan-orama of Stadacona's maze of schools,and training establishm.ents. It has,of course, been the subject .of manyinquisitive looks from passersby, as theinscription over the door, "MaritimeWarfare School", has an unfamiliarring to most men in the Atlantic Com-mand.. The title lacks familiarity on the

lower 'deck because the'· former schoolwas, as the new one will be, mostly de-voted to training in anti"'subtnarinewarfare tactics of officers of the RCNand the RCAF, Only a few men, mostlyradar plotters, torpedo detectors andobservers' mates,.· have ever crossed itsthreshold. However, the facilities ofthe· ·new school may do much to spreadfamiliarity with the school ,and its ob-jectives.

One of the great lessons of' the ·'con-voy, battles of the Second World Warwas the tremendous value of long-range shore-based aircraft in combat-ting German U-boats. A further asso-ciated lesson was the realization thatunfamiliarity with aircraft capabilitiesand limitations of ships, and vice versa,had· often ·led to unsatisfactory co...op-eration.

The evident need for a cornbinedtactical .doctrine was the father ofthe present "Joint Maritime WarfareSchool", which in turn is responsiblefor the latest addition to Stadacona'sbuilding program.

It was decided soon after the SecondWorld War that some joint effortmust be made to maintain theneces-sary liaison between the RCN, whose

'prime role is readiness to prosecute anAIS war in the defence, of trade, andthe RCAF, which will provide, allocate,control and fly the shore-based aircraftin co-operation and with the identicalobjective. It was therefore decided toinstitute a combined school where RCNand RCAF tactics could be studied, de-veloped and promulgated side by side,and 'with the principle that the instruc-tion provided each service should ac-quaint the students with the other ser-vice's viewpoint, so as to de,!elop anappreciation of mutual and peculiarproblems.

The school came into being in No-vember 1950 with parallel integratedstaffs from the two· services under· thecomma~d of two directors of equalstatus, one RCN and' one RCAF, jointly

Page eighteen

and directly responsible to the FlagOfficer Atlantic Coast and the Air Offi-cer Commanding, Maritime Air Com-mand.

Maritime A/S Warfare is the fieldfor only one .command of the RCAF,whereas, it ~s the primary raison d'et'reof the ReN. Consequently, the pro-portion of students passing through isbiased'slightly on the side of the HeN,as is the nu~erical strength of theschool staff. However, wheneverpos-sible, the specialist officers of b

1_-~~_A~F~L~O_A_T~A_N__D~A_S~D_O~R~E~~_I

Model ships make model sailors at Cornwallis where new entries get a good grasp of Rules ofthe Road at a miniature anchorage in the Seamanship School. Left to right are Ordinary SeamenMartin A. Eastmen, Merril E. Slater, Charles M. Holland, William A. Bates and Willis H. Dyer, allfrom British Columbian cities. Their class graduated in March. (DB·8311)

ATLANTIC COMMAND

HU-21The versatility of Helicopter Utility

Squadron 21 was again demonstratedwhen a helicopter from the squadronassisted in the freeing of the CGSSaurd from the ice in the Strait ofBelle Isle. The Saurel, an icebreaker,became trapped while attempting toreach Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

Less than three hours after the re-quest for assistance was placed, a de-tachment was formed consisting of Lt.-Cdr. G. J. Laurie, Lieut. L. T. Zbitnew,PO D. A. Bruce, PO J. C. Brooker, Ldg.Sea. C. Vales and AB D. W. Pickrell,with one HTL helicopter. The detach-ment embarked in CGS Baffin, hydro-graphic ship, on February 2 and pro-ceeded to sea. The Baffin is equippedfor helicopter operations, but her air-craft were under modification at thetime.

The first ice reconnaissances wereflown on February 4, with Captain D.M. Snellgrove of the Baffin. February

5 found the Ba'ffin in solid ice off thecoast of Corner Brook, Newfoundland,and unable to proceed further. In themeantime the Willia.m Cal'son, the Can-adian National Steamship ferry, hadsailed from Halifax February 2, reach-ing the Saul'el on February 4 and trans-ferring some much-needed fresh water.An ice reconnaissance was flown forthe William Carson but high windskept the ice under pressure and noleads could be found. A casual~y onboard the Baffin, ship's carpenter J.Munro, necessitated a flight to CornerBrook Hospital.

On February 6 two members of theRCN demolition team were flown the15 miles to the William Carson andSaurel, where 120 pounds of explosivewere detonated in the ice. As the icepressure eased the William Carson freedthe Saurd, the two ships proceedingsouthward towards the Baffin, joiningforces at sunset, and proceeding toHalifax.

Three flights were flown on Febru-ary 7, two for ice reconnaissance and

one to carry radar spares to WilliamCarson. The detachment disembarkedto Shearwater February 8.

The following is an excerpt from alet~er of appreciation which was re-ceived from Marc Boyer, deputy min-ister, Department of Mines and Techni-cal Surveys:

"The promptness with which thenaval personnel and equipment wereprovided, particularly as it was neces-sary to recall a number of men fromleave, enabled the Baffin to be dis-patched without delay.

"The Naval Service con tribu tedgreatly to the success of the operation."

HMCS D'Iberville

D'Ibel'ville's commanding officer, Cdr.J. M. Favreau, gave a lecture to mem-bers of the Quebec Kiwanis Club atthe Chateau Frontenac on February 14on the subject "New Entry Training inthe Royal Canadian Navy".

HMCS Labrador paid an unexpectedvisit to Quebec City on February 28,thereby becoming the first vessel ofdeep-sea draught to enter the Port ofQuebec in 1957.

PO L. W. Geddes reported on Febru-ary 4 from the Haida to become a divi-sional petty officer and PO R A. Rob-ertson arrived from the Gunnery Schoolon February 11 to augment the instruc-tional staff.

The new block petty officer, PO G.F. Cook, came to D'Iberville from theLabrador on February 20.

VF-870Throughout the month of February,

while Nova Scotia was the prey ofwinter storms, 870 Squadron operatedfrom NAS Key West. Agreed, we werelucky to be in warmer climates, butit was not all fun and no work.

It started on January 31, to be exact,when three RCAF North Stars loadedwith 83 officers, men and stores tookoff from Shearwater for the nine-hour-long trip to Key West. Shortly after-wards our eight Banshees were off,heading south.

The readiness of all-weather fightersquadron depends a lot upon the pilot'sability to work the aircraft's radarequipment. Most of our flying wasdone at night and the squadron flew

Page nineteen

more hours in February than it hadever done before.

FAWTU, short for "Fleet All WeatherTraining Unit Atlantic" is the unitwhere the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleetfighter squadrons go to practise radarintercepts. It was from FAWTU's Lieut.(jg) J. Moore, USN, that our pilots "gotthe word" on intercepts and by the endof the month everyone felt he had ac·complished something. As a matter offact, VF-870 is the first F2H-3 equippedsquadron to complete the syllabus andall hands can be proud of it.

During our stay in Florida, we foundthat the Squadron had its unknownheroes in the persons of PO NormanEllison and PO E. R. Cant who savedtwo youths from drowning at FortMyers, Florida.

Some of our men went fishing andone group brought back a huge nine-.foot, 310-pound white shark. This isa real fisherman's story!

After a month of fruitful efforts tokeep the aircraft "serviceable", VF-870left Key West happy to return homeand thankful for the very co-operativehand received from all U.S. Navy per- -sonnel at FAWTULANT.-L.J.V.

The prettiest costumes on the ice at the recent carnival at HMCS Cornwallis Were those of HazelMarie and Elizabeth Dawn Obendorf, who are shown receiving their prizes from Captain M. J. A. T.Jette, commanding officer of the training base. (08-8535)

HMCS CornwallisEverything that goes toward making

a winter carnival a gay, happy andcolorful affair highlighted such an eventat Cornwallis. The carnival was heldin the big arena and attended by an en-thusiastic crowd of navymen, parentsand friends.

The program, with Lt.-Cdr. (E) J.Mackintosh as master of ceremonies, in-cluded figure skating, novelty dressparade, skating races, clowns, a hockeygame and a grand finale. Present wasthe famed Cornwallis band under direc-tion of CPO W. Stitt.

Prize winners were: best costume,(red, white and blue duo), Hazel Marieand Elizabeth Dawn Obendorf; mosthumorous, (clown) Gary Hart; mostoriginal, (chain gang and guard), BethFreeman, Margaret Adams, TeddyStrickland, Noreen Gold and GrantBingham. The door prize was won byMrs. G. F. Kinch.

The peewee hockey game between theMaple Leafs and the Red Wings waswon by the former, 3-1. The 1956-57Peewee hockey championship shieldwas presented to the winners by Cap-tain M. J. A. T. Jette.

Officials for the races were Ldg. Sea.J. Carruthers and CPO W. M. Grahame.

In charge of the carnival's variousfeatures, co-ordinated by Instr. Lt.-Cdr.D. J. Hamilton, wer~ program directorLt. R. Coen; program committee Lt.-

Page twenty

---_._._. --------

Cdr. A. H. M. Slater, Lieut. Jim Arnott,Joan McDormand, PO R. Sallis; PO 1.J. Barron, publicity PO W. C. Shaw,tickets, Cd. Wtr. Off. W. A. Wolfe; light-ing, sound and decorations, J. Pimen-off, Lieut. Albert Shirley, Cd. Comm.Off. S. Iscoe; costumes, Mrs. A. H.Slater; Mrs. D. Taylor, Mrs. D. Lockyer;refreshments, Lieut. W. A. Stebbings;program illustrations, PO Paul Coade;clowns, Ld,g. Sea. J. R. Perron and Ldg.Sea. K. C. Batchelor.

Navigation Direction SchoolThree RP classes completed at the

Navigation Direction School duringFebruary and March and w:ere followedby drafts to the fleet. PO E. Welshtook top honours in the RPI "L" course.Top honours also went to Ldg. Sea. D.B. Pantridge of RP2 "AF" course andto Ord. Sea. K. J. Riebe of RP3 "BX"course.

The first Navigation Direction coursefor Midshipmen of ex-Venture execu-tive officers completed' March 1 andwas followed by a second course com-mencing March 25.

One RP2, two RP3 and one QM2class are now under instruction in theSchool.

Preparations are being made fot theincrease of scheduled courses to be runduring the summer months for RCN(R)personnel.

HMCS StadaconaA concert by the band of HMCS

Stadacona, under the direction of theBandmaster CPO T. Milner, and theArmdale Chorus directed by Mary Dee-Gerroir, was held in the Stadaconagymnasium on Sunday, March 17.

Lt.-Cdr. (SB) H. G. Cuthbert was theconductor, with Lieut. C. H. Humbleacting as master of ceremonies.

Invited guests inclUded the Hon. Alis-tair Fraser, Lieutenant-Governor; Hon.R. L. Stanfield, Premier ·of Nova Scotia;His Worsh:ip Mayor L. A. Kitz, of Hali-fax and senior members of the provin-cial and civic governments and religiousorganizations.

The band appeared through the kindpermission of Commodore E.W. Finch-Noyes, commanding officer of Stadacona.

PACIFIC COMMAND

HMCS New Glasgow. In February, the New Glasgow cir-

cumnavigated Vancouver Island. Dur-ing this cruise inclement weathertroubled some of the junior membersof' the. ship's company-na~ely the or-dinary seamen on their first regularsea duty.

At mid-month the ship was in Van-couver assisting the .recruiting drivefor the RCN(R). The New Glasgowwas' ancho:red off HMCS Discovery and

Here are the winners at the annual awards night held on March 18, at Unicorn, the navaldivision in Saskatoon. Left to right are: Cadet R. K. Wood, Ldg. Sea. Fred Morrison, Cadet OscarHanson, RCN, Wren Martha Neudorf, Cadet A. W. Selby, PO W. F. Duke, Cadet Julian MichayJuk,and Cadet Marshall Pollock.

The usually immaculate gun battery at HMCS Donnacona, the Montreal naval division, becamea clutter of cables al)d unaccustomed gear on the night of March 11. That was the occasion of ahalf-hour "live" television program devoted to the training of UNTD cadets in the Montreal area-one of a CBC French-language series ent.itled "Rapportage", seen each Monday evening overCBFT, Montreal. (ML-5496)

, Page twenty-one

RADIO SlAliONSHMCS 'Gloucester

Naval firefighters from HMCSGloucester, naval radio station just out-side Ottawa, helped fight a fire thatthreatened a small farm communityabout 10 miles east of the capital, onApril 15.

The civilian fire marshal at Glouces-ter, Earl McDerby, spotted the fire sixor seven miles way near CarlsbadSprings. With the clerk of works, hewent there to offer assistance. Theysoon returned to the station for volun-teers and set off again with eight sailorsand the station portable pump mountedon a jeep.

The. Gloucester township fire depart-ment found the naval apparatus p'ar-ticularly handy, for it was able to getat wells which big fire trucks were un-able to use.

The fire, fanned by a brisk wind, lev-elled a large rambling farmhouse andnearby barn and shed, burned throughhayfield stubble and hay stacks' andignited a shed of a neighbour a quarter-mile away. The firefighters were ableto save other buildings there, includingthe farmhouse, and eventually to quellthe blaze.

consciously seeks recognition. Somepeople do things better than others,and the purpose of awards night is toprovide a realization of this desire forrecognition".

'Cadet Marshall Pollock and the firstyear seamanship award by Cadet JulianMichayluk.

The commanding officer of Unicorn,Lt.-Cdr. C. L. McLeod, commented thatthe annual awards night has becomequite an institution. He said "it is asimple fact that each one of us, in hisor her own way, consciously or un-

prospective reservists were brought outto the ship. They were shown differentaspects of naval life, including lower-ing of the sea-boat, gun drill, etc.

From information received from Dis-cove1'y the recruiting program was asuccess in spite of bad weather.--I.R.M.

NAVAL DIVISIONSHMCS Unicorn

Annual awards night at Unicorn, theSaskatoon naval division, was held onMarch 18. Honour was paid to themembers of the ship's company judgedbest in their individual classes.

The General Proficiency Award-tothe person who in the opinion of theofficers is the best all-round memberof the company-was won by Ldg. Sea.Fred Morrison. The best new entry(male) was PO W. F. Duke. The bestnew entry (female) was Wren MarthaNeudorf. Wren Neudorf also won the

'Rowney Trophy as the competitor withthe best aggregate score in inter-divi-sional small-bore shooting events.

UNTD awards were also presented.A silver stein went to Cadet (E) OscarHanson, RCN, in recognition Of his be-ing selected as the. most proficient cadetin three years of 'naval training whileattending university. The third yearproficiency award went to Cadet R. K.Wood and the second year proficiencyaward to Cadet A. W. Selby. The firstyear navigation award was won by

RCNSA REPRESENTED IN MAYFLOWER IICPO Church Joins Square-Rigger for Voyage to u. s.

CPO Charles Church ... over in the Mayflgwer. (HS.42602)

T wo CANADIAN girls were lookingforward in April to the momentwhen they could tell their friends: "MyDaddy came over in the Mayflower",and thus match the boasts of thousandsof Americans who make' a similar claimwith regard to their forefathers.

They are the daughters or CPOCharles Church, of Dartmouth, N.S., and

'their claiIl). to fame is that their fatherwas chosen as a crew member of theMayflower II, which underwent trialsin United Kingdom waters in earlyApril before attempting to duplicatethe voyage of the Mayflower thatbrought the Pilgrim Fathers to NewEngland in 1620.

CPO Church was selected as a repre-sentative of the Royal Canadian NavalSailing Association, of which he hasbeen an active member since 1951. Lastyear he was commodore of the fIalifaxsquadron of the association.

The MaYflower II, a gift from thepeople of Britain to the people of ,America, was to sail in mid-April forPlymouth, Massachusetts, under thecommand of Captain Alan Villiers,noted Australian square-rigger captainand author.

CPO Church joined the ship as anable seaman at the prevailing rate of ashilling a day. He gladly sacrificed hisannual leave for the opportunity ofmaking the trip.

Chart Shows SeaWithout a Shore

A navigation chart with no landshown?

Among the 3,700 or more charts pro-duced by the Admiralty for surfacenavigation there is just one suchchart-although it may seem strangethat even" one landless chart shouldexist, since navigational charts areusually thought of as showing the seain relation to the land.

This solitary interloper in the Ad-miralty's collection of charts does notshow blank ocean wastes in some re-mote portion of the globe, such as thePacific Ocean or Indian Ocean. Onthe contrary, it depicts a, portion ofthe world's busiest waterways-theThames 'estuary and, says AdmiraltyBulletin No. 82, which deals withAdmiralty's chart activities, "even inthis case a proper geographical loca-tion is assured from the buoys (whichare moored to the bottom and main-tained in their correct position),beacons and banks of shingle whichsometimes uncover."

Page twenty-two

His early sailing experience began 22years ago when he became interestedin boats and sails. Having lived inSydney, Nova Scotia, for a few yearsbefore the outbreak of the SecondWorld War he sailed in the harbourthere, and upon moving to Halifax, heobtained a Morse type dinghy. He sailedthis boat in the Halifax area for twoyears successfully, having collected 12firsts out of 18 starts in the first year.

Later, he built a 21-foot sloop himself,which he sailed in Dartmouth Lakesand Halifax Harbour. Later, he soldthe yacht and, having, become acquain-

ted with members of the Royal NovaScotia Yacht Squadron, he .was invitedto crew in the sloop Highlander, ownedand sailed by the late W. R. C. Mac-

'Askill, noted marine photographer. Hesailed in this yacht for three years.

After this, CPO Church ,sailed regu-larly in the two RCN 50-square-metreyachts the GrUse and Tuna. In 1951 hewas crew in the GrUse in the Marble-head ocean race. In 1952 he skipperedthe same yacht in local and off-shoreraces, taking a number of wins and fairplacings. In 1955 he skippered theGrUse in the Manchester to Haiifax

ocean race and won the Colonel Jones'Trophy, the G"ilse being the first Cana-dian yacht to finish.

In 1956 CPO Church was a crewmember in the yawl Pickle, whichsailed in the Newport to Bermuda raceand later in the same year skipperedthis yacht in various races and cruises.The Pickle is a 60-footer.

On three different occasions CPOChurch has been chosen as one of theRCNSA skippers in the annual Dragonseries. races sailed at the Royal Cana-dian Yacht Club at Toronto. He wasalso one of those representing the As-sociation in the Royal Regatta atToronto when the Duke of Edinburgh'syacht Blue Bottle took part.

CPO Church has also sailed regularlyin service dinghies,