...~._ •...:-.-.

Vol. 9 No. 1

1AICROWSNESTTHE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY'S MAGAZINE NOVEMBER, 1956

CONTENTS

RCN Netvs Review .... " ... " .. " .... " ....... """ .. "",,,.

First 'Tracleer' AccelJted "." ....... "."" .. " ..... " .. " ..

NORPA, C '56 ""., "."., " .. " .. , " ,.. ,..

Officel~S a./ld Mell ,.,."" " " ", ,' .

Through Fur)' an.d Hecla " " " .

Labrador's Busy Divers ., , , " ,..

C0l1l111a.nd Fire Cl1ief Retires , " 1 •••••

Afloat ll.n,d Ash.ore , ,.. , ,., "., .

Ch.ipparva an,d Self~Help

Page

2

5

8

9

13

14

16

18

20

LADY OF TIlE MONTHHJ¥e were the first that ever !Jurst

Into that silent sea."The words of Coleri<lge's ancient nlariner

are applicable to the scene on the oppositepage only in a limited degree. The Labra­dor is pictured as she made the first passageof a ship from east to west through Furyand Hecla Strait during her survey to de­termine the usefulness of the strait as anentrance fronl Hudson Bay to the North­west Passage. Eight years earlier the U.S.icebreakers Edisto and Eastwind had passedthrough the narrow waterway frolll west toeast.

The calm and uneventful passage of theLabrador, so well exenlplified in the ser­enity of the picture, was scarcely typical.The Edisto, attelnpting to follow the Lab...radar through, was trapped in the ice, losta propeller and had to be assisted back toFoxe Basin-thus providing two additionalunscheduled passages through the strait forthe Labrador. Alone, the Labrador con­tinued deep into the Arctic on her missionof research and discovery.

Now "the great white bathtub", as crewnlembers have lovingly dubbed her, hascompleted another useful season in the FarNorth-her third since her commissioningin 1954 and her successful navigation thatyear of the Northwest Passage. (LAB-18S7)

Lower Dec/e Prolnotions ." " " "........ 28

Tl,e Queen,'s Colour .. """"" Inside Back Cover

The Ne 1A ' Supply School ."."" .. ,., .. ,., .... ", ... ,..... ,. 23 Negative nUl1lbers of RCN photographs. ' n' , ." reproduced in The Crowsnest are included

with the caption for the benefit of personsTh.e Navy Plays , ,......... 25 wishing to obtain prints of the photos.

----I~~---;--~~-----------------------------l________!f...J.=l_i_S--t1:l~=l=l-a¥_d.Q~=l-din.g..--an----Ol~.er----to--

. I 27 the Naval Secretary, Naval Headquarters,-Boole RevielV : , ,.. , , '.... ottawa, attention Photographic Section, quot-

ing the negative nUl1lber of the photograph,giving the size and finish required, and en­closing a nl0ney order for the full aU10unt,payable to the Receiver General of Canada.

Sizes, finish and the new National Defencestandardized prices, follow:

4 x 5 (or s111aller) glossy finish only .. $ .1061/~ x 81/~ glossy finish only ...........• .408 x 10 glossy or 111atte finish .....•.... .50

11 x 14 111atte finish only 1.0016 x 20 •.....••.. ..•.• 3.0020 x 24 • , . . . . • . • . • . • •• 4.0030 x 40 ••......•••.••• 8.00

The Cover - The "Tracker" - otherwise the CS2F-l- has

joined the Fleet This painting of the Royal Canadian Navy's

new anti-subnlarine ·aircraft is the work of R. W. Bradford, who

is in charge of technical illustration at the de Havilland Aircraft

of Canada Ltd.,. and is from a portfolio of paintings of Canadian

aircraft published in Aircraft Inagazine, Toronto, last March. It

appears here through the courtesy of R. G. (Bob) Halford, editor

of Aircraft.

Authorized as Second Class Maii, Post Office Departluent, ottawa.

SUBSCRIPTION RATEThe Crowsnest may be sub­

scribed for at the rate of $·1 for12 issues.

Persons desirous of receivingtheir own private copies by mailshould send· their orders, accom­panied by cheque or money or­der made out to the ReceiverGeneral of Canada, to:-

THE QUEEN'S PRINTER,75 St. Patrick Street,

Ottawa, Ont.

page one

This is the first group of graduates from a familiarization program conducted by de Havilland Aircraft to familiarize naval flying personneland technicians with the new anti-submarine aircraft, the CS2f·l Tracker. (Photo courtesy The de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited.)

Aviation PersonnelStudy 'Tracker'

In preparation for the mid-Octoberdelivery to the RCN of three CS2F-1Trackers, de Havilland Aircra:ft of Can­ada Ltd., undertook an extensive pro­gram for the training of naval aviationpersonnel in the operation and main­tenance of these aircraft. The course'was also designed to familiarize thestudents with the electronic installation,radio and armaments.

On Friday, September 14, a group of20 officers and technical personnel suc­cessfully completed the first three-weekcourse of the program. On September17 a. second group of 25 started on thesecond three-week course. In additionto naval personnel, RCAF officers andtechnicians from the joint RCN-RCAFArctic experimental group participatedon the courses.

Organized on the pattern of the U1,;,AOtter familiarization courses for U.S.Army aviation personnel held earlierthis year, the de Havilland GrummanCS2F-1 courses combined intensive lec­ture-room instruction on theory withpractical shop application. The instruc­tional staff, de Havilland technicalrepresentatives and service personnel,brought to the courses, in addition toa more than a hundred years' pool ofpractical aircraft experience, expertknowledge of the specific requirementsof the American - designed CS2F-1.This knowledge was gained throughintensive study of Grumman methodsand shop practices in the plants of theAmerican Company.

Page two

Flying instruction is not an item onthe Grumman familiarization course,but instrumentation, electronics andradio come in for considerable at­tention.

In addition to the de Havilland staffof instructors, technical representativesfrom Pratt & Whitney, Wright aero­nautical and Enamel Heat Productslectured at the school.

Squallron Visitslrelantl, Continent

At the end of October, ships of theFirst Canadian Escort Squadron hadcompleted visits to Ireland and theUnited Kingdom and were scheduledto call at ports in France, Portugaland the Azores before returning toHalifax November 21.

They were to be accompanied by thenew destroyer escort, HMCS Assini­boine, which joined them in the U.K.following work-ups in Bermuda. Ear­lier the ALgonquin had rejoined the

Saguenay SeeksReturn of Trophies

Scattered across Canada are numer­ous trophies, gifts and relics whichbelonged to the destroyer Saguenayduring the Second World War.

The new Saguenay is commission­ing In December and it is greatly de­sired that any objects which have abearing on the ship's traditions be re­turned.

They should be addressed to theCommanding Officer, HMeS Saguen(!y,Fleet Mall Office, Halifax, N.S.

squadron following a delay at Halifaxfor repairs to damage suffered in Hur­ricane Carla early in September.

The other three ships of the squadronare the 11'Oquois, Micmac and Huron.

Three ships, the ALgonquin, HltrOnand Assiniboine, were scheduled to visitBrest from November 1 to November6, while the 11'Oquois and Micmac wereto call at Lorient during the sameperiod.

On departure from the French ports,the ships were to join company againto sail for Lisbon and Ponta Delgadabefore shaping course for home.

Thunder LaunchellAt Port Arthur

HMCS Thunder, a Bay class coastalminesweeper, was launched on Octo­ber 27 at Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co.,Port Arthur, Onto

She was the second to be launchedof six minesweepers being built for theNavy to replace those turned over toFrance in 1954 under the NATO MutualAid agreement.

The first launching under the pro­gram was that of the Fundy, scheduledto commission at Lauzon, P.Q., on No­vember 20. At present eight Bay classminesweepers are in service with theRCN and six are with the Ftench Navy.

Sponsor at the launching of theThunder was Mrs. G. F. McDougall,wife of the general manager of the firmbuilding the minesweeper.

The Thunder is the third ship tobear the n,'lme in the RCN. The firstThltnder was a Bangor class mine-

ond Canadian Escort Squadron in earlyOctober.

First report of a floating Inine son1efour miles southeast of Carmanah Pointwas received by naval intelligence atEsquiInalt at 11.25 a.ln. froln the De­partment of Transport, The Inine hadbeen reported by the fishing vesselBounty One.

Naval operations passed the reportto the Second Canadian Escort Squad­ron and the frigates Jonquie?'e, N etvGlasgow, Stet Therese, Stettlc7' andSussexvale were detached fron1 exer­cises to search for the mine and destroyit. At 3 p.m. the frigate Jonquie?'e in­forlned the Esquilnalt naval base thatthe mine had been detected and de­stroyed,

The ships carried on with their sched­uled exercises.

Naval authorities believe the Inineto have been a wartilne 11100red mine,vhich after years of corrosion hadbroken away from its anchorage, bobbedto the surface and drifted with the oceancurrents to the west coast of· VancouverIsland where it was finally noticed anddestroyed.

BCA CONTEST

HMCS Stadacona,Halifax, N.S.

14 Group I-Ieadquarters,RCAF Station Winnipeg,Stevenson Field,Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Personnel serving in Europe shouldsena their essays to Current AffairsAdviser, I-IQ, 2 Cdn. Inf. BrigadeGroup, Soest, Westfalen Germany,CAPO 5050. Those serving in othercountries should send their essays di­rect to the Bureau of Current Affairs,NDHQ, Ottawa.

JOl1.quiere DestroysDriftil1,g 111in,e

A barnacle - covered Second WorldWar Japanese Inine was hunted downand destroyed off the ,vest coast ofVancouver Island by ships of the Sec-

Cllurc.llill DefiesPoor Recelltioll

Poor radio conditions, attributed tosunspot activity, dogged the Lctbtado7'during her 1956 Inission in the watersof the Canadian Eastern Arctic.

Not only did the Lab1'ado7' and theU.S. ships serving \viih her find it hardto read the signals frOJn other shipsand shore stations, but the shore sta­tions also found it hard to untangleshjps' Inessages frOln the atnlospherics.

One shore station which stolidly set­tled dovln and dealt with this tangledtraffic was HMCS Chu1'chilL, the navalradio station at Churchill, Manitoba.

ChurchiLL, mTIong all the shore sta­tions handling traffic to Task Force6 in the eastern Arctic, \vas singledout for praise by Rear-Adlniral R.Mason, USN, C0l11111ander of the taskforce, who said Chu1'chiH had alwaysshown a readiness to put forth theextra effort required to receive andrelay weak signals.

Adlniral Mason said task group C0111­l11anders had praised "lnost highly"the services rendered by ChurchilL

sweeper constructed in 1940-41. Thesecond was one of the six Bay classIninesweepers turned over to France in1.954. She was renan1ed La Pa?-11~polaise.

The first ThuHcler was cOlnluissionedin October 1941. During the next twoand one-half years she stealned nearly125,000 n1iles on Ininesweeping, escortand patrol duties in the ,vestern At­lantic.

In early 1944 she proceeded to theUnited }(ingdorn in preparation for theinvasion of Europe. Subsequently, as rrllE TI-IIRD annual essay contesta n1en1ber of the Royal Navy's 4th of the Bureau of Current AffairsIvrinesweeping Flotilla, she carried out has as its subject "What NATO MeansIninesweeping operations in English and to Canada". Prizes will total $175,French coastal waters, These included made up of a first prize of $100, secondthe pre-invasion sweep of the channel of $50 and third of $25.to the Norn1andy beachhead, The contest closes February 28, 1957.,

She went to Canada in August 1944 The rules are as follows.:for refit, returning overseas in Noveln- All n1en and women of the three ser-ber to join the all-Canadian 31st Mine- vice up to and including Chief Pettysweeping Flotilla. Officer and Warrant Officer (Regular

In April 1945 the Th11,nde?' helped Force) are eligible.clear the mouth of the Gironde River, Put your name, rank and serviceto allow Free Fre11ch warships to bOIn- nlunber at the top of the page. Makebard Bordeaux, your copy legible. It may be typewrit-

In COlnpany with the British de.... ten or written in ink. Your essay Inaystroyer Bulldog, the Thunde?' had the be written in English or in French,honour of being the first Canadian ship Write on one side of the paper onlyto put in to the Channel Islands andaid in· their repatriation. All entries become the property of Convoy 1956

the Crown. Judge's decision will bePrior to returning to Canada, the A Personal Inl-pression

final. You accept these rules when youThunde1', along with other ships of the enter the contest. It was 0415. They appeared as Slnall31st Minesweeping Flotilla, helped clear points of light on the face of the radara path for the Qlteen Elizabeth and the Send your essay to the nearest Cur- display. Bearing 1350, range 14 l11ilesQueen Mary when they returned to rent Affairs Adviser at one of the fol- -six ships. They would have beentheir home port of Southampton for lowing addresses: picked up earlier, but the radar had

been out of service. Allnost at thethe first time since the beginning of Headquarters, Quebec Command, sanle tinle, they were sighted visually,the war. 2530 Atwater Avenue, as slnudges on a dark horizon. "Sig-

rrhe Th1tnde1' was paid off in October Montreal. nahnan, Inake the challenge." (Down-------l-94-s--------and--t-l1rn-ed-o-ver-ter-wa1.~~f:l-----------------------1r------=:t:.::..:hc=e------!.v....::::o:.=;.;ic""-.:e~nt::'..::i::..L:ll)'-'==e~t=o~tl=l_"'_e~C~a~nta~i~n~:_H~S~ix'_""____1---­

ships in sight, sir. Bearing 135-14Corporation for disposal. Headquarters, Central Command, Iniles.")

Ortona Barracks, As I said these words Iny 111ind couldOakville, Ontario. not help but flash back to yester-

years, and wartinle convoys.I-Ieadquarters, Western Command,' There was a difference, of course;Kingsway l\..venue, the ships approaching our rendezvousEdmonton, Alberta. turned on their navigation lights. No

guns' crews closed up at dawn actionHeadquarters, B,C, Area, stations. No asdic pinging in search

.of an unseen enenlY. This was 19564050 West 4th Avenue, not 1944. The ships were, however,Vancouver, B.C. to fornl a convoy, though the escorts

were neither frigates or destroyers,but icebreakers. The enenlY was notthe U-boat, but ice.

This was a convoy fonning at thenorthern end of Hudson Strait to beescorted into Foxe Basin, where itwould land supplies for the DEW Line.It was the Lab1'adoT's responsibility,together with the USN's icebreakerEdisto, to escort the ships through anyice which l1light be encountered.

As we set about our task of forll1­ing up the ships into two COlUl1lnS,and getting theln under way I couldnot help thinking as I looked at thecollection of LSDs, Inerchant ships andsolitary tanker, how fal1liliar the sightseelned although the CirCUl1lstanceswere sOlnewhat different froln thosetwelve years ago.-W.B,H.

Page th1'ee

Members of HMCS Donnacona's ship's company are seen baarding an airliner before an aerialsightseeing tour of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The flight was arranged by TCA to show them theseaway, which will be so important to the Navy in future yeo rs, making it possible for large war­ships to cruise and exercise in the Great Lakes. (ML·5024)

Uniforms' of 1800, which in those days had a surproslng lack of uniformity, were featured bythe staff of the RCN recruiting affice during Navy Days;' October 6 and 7, in Quebec City. Left toright are PO .Patrick Pichette, Lieut. Allen D. Taylor, recruiting officer for the RCN, and CPO JosephR. Poirier. other displays included a Banshee jet fighter. large models of the St. Laurent and Lab·rador, and old·time gun drill, carried out on one of the six muzzle.loadlng cannon in Place GeorgesV, fronting 9n Grande Allee. (ML-4986)

Page foul'{~,

i

An eighth was turned over later bythe British as a training ship.

Taken over on September 24, 1940,by the RCN, the Columbi(! servedthrough most of the war on Atlanticconvoy duties. In 1943, she was oneof two Canadian naval vessels whichrescued the gale-battered and helplessBritish destroyer CeLldwell. The Cald­well, another ex-American destroyer,got into trouble when a tow-line partedas she was being towed from New­foundland to Boston for repairs todamage suffered in an earlier gale.

The Columbia herself was damagedearly in 1944 off Newfoundland. Fol­lowing repairs she was finally allocatedto Liverpool, N.S., for magazine andfuel storage duties. She was turnedover to War Assets Corporation for dis­posal on August 7, 1945.

Darker WorkUniforms Chosen

Blue denim will be replaced by mid­night blue drill for the working garbof men of the Royal Canadian Navy,according to an announcement fromNaval Headquarters.

The annoucement observed that inthe transition period a certain lack ofuniformity in dress will have to beaccepted. Midnight blue (the colourof officers' uniforms) is almost blackand a decided contrast io blue denim,which, after a few washings, is con­siderably lighter in colour than sea­men's rig.

Dyer, who now is attending the Na­tional Defence College at Kingston.

The new Columbia will be the sec­ond of that name to serve in the RCN.The first .(ex-USS HeLreLden) was oneof seven destroyers turned over to Can­ada early in the Second World War.

Joint ExerciseHeld Off West Coast

A three-day combined fleet exerciseinvolving units of the Royal CanadianNavy, the United States Navy and theRoyal Canadian Air Force took placeoff the coast of British Columbia inearly October.

The exercise included the 'trainingcruiser Ontario; ships of the SecondCanadian Escort Squadron and the USNdestroyer Charles E. Brannon :fromSeattle. Participating aircraft includedRCN Avengers from 33 Squadron, Pa­tricia Bay; RCAF Lancasters from 407(M) Squadron, Comox, and USN air­craft from Whidby Island.

During the exercise the Ontarioplayed the role of an enemy ship whilethe remainder of sea and air forcessearched for her.

New ColumbiaLaunched in B.C.

Launching of the anti-submarine de­stroyer escort Columbia took place atBurrard Dry Dock Co. Ltd., North Van­vouver, on November 1. The Columbiawas the 11th to go down the ways of14 destroyer escorts ordered for theNavy.

Two of the warships, the St. Latt1'entand Assiniboine, are in commission anda third, HMCS' Ottawa, was scheduled

"to commission at Montreal Novem­ber 10.

Sponsor of the Columbia was Mrs.K. L". Dyer, wife of Commodore K. L.

Five Tracker (otherwise CS2F-l) aircraft, their wings folded in the strange criss-cross fashion of their kind, warm up on thetarmac at Downsview airport near Toronto. (COND-3046)

FIRST ITRACKER1 ACCEPTED FOR SERVICEAIS Aircraft Rolling off de Havilland Assembly Line

During acceptance ceremonies' for the RCN's new anti-submarine aircraft, the Tracker, the logbooks for the first plane off the assembly line were presented by Han. Ralph Campney, Minister ofNational Defence, to Vice-Admiral H. G. DeWolf, Chief of the Naval Staff. (COND-3045)

ing acceptance, carried out a low-levelformation flying demonstration.

In his acceptance speech, Mr. Camp­ney referred to the continuing serious­ness of the threat posed by the modernsubmarine.

THE FIRST anti-submarine aircraftto be built in Canada for the

Royal Canadian Navy was formallyaccepted by Defence Minister RalphCampney on October 12.

The ceremony took place at theDownsview, Ont., plant of The deHavilland Aircraft of Canada, Ltd.,

----prime-contra-etors-f.or-1:he-new-ah-eraf-t:-,--+------:I which has been named the "Tracker".

Making the official presentation wasP. C. Garratt, vice-president and man­aging director of the Canadian aircraftcompany, who l1anded over the air­craft's log books to mark the transfer.

Present at the ceremony were fed­eral, provincial and civic governmentofficials, leade'rs of the aircraft industryof both Canada and the United Statesand senior officers of the armed forcesof both countries.

Among those from Ottawa attendingthe ceremony were D. A. Golden, de­puty minister of the Department ofDefence Production; Vice-Admiral H.G. DeWolf, Chief of the Naval Staff;Commodore H. P. Sears, Assistant Chiefof the Naval Staff (Air); Commodore(S) C. J. Dillon, Supply Officer-in­Chief; Captain G. C. Edwards, Directorof Naval Aviation, and Captain PaulB. Ryan, U.S. Naval Attache.

Following the ceremony three of thenew aircraft, also completed and await-

"Let us not forget," he said, "that intwo great wars the submarine has comewithin an ace of bringing about ourdefeat."

He warned also against discountingthe possibility of the submarine being

Page five

used as a bombardment instrument,"launching missiles of tremendous de­structive power over, great distances."

"N0 man today can say with anycertainty that the nations of the worldwill never again resort to war-thatwe will not be forced to defend ourliberty, 01.11' dearly bought freedom, ourhomes and our families. And this not­withstanding 'the terrifying-the appal­ling-potentiality of the atomic andthermonuclear weapons which now con­front us.'

"One ,thing we do know," Mr. Camp­ney continued,','and' that is that Can­ada will never be the. aggressor in, anywar. We covet no riation's territory, nonation's wealth, no' mi.tion's people. Allwe desire is to live our' lives in peace,and to improve our lot and that of ourfellow men.

"And so the military effort of thiscountry is purely a defensive effort­not made with any thought of aggres­siveness or a desire to 'harm our fel­lows but solely in fulfilment of ourdesire to play 01.11' defensive part inthe effort-the joint effort-of the freeworld to make itself sb strong that nonation will ever dare, to 'attack.

"The airplane which, on behalf ofthe Department of National Defenceand of the Royal Canadian Navy, I amaccepting here today, together withthose to follow, constitutes a very realcontribution to that defensive effort.These planes have ,been specifically de­signed, constructed and equipped forone purpose and one 'purpose only, tolocate and desb;oy hostile sUbm;uinesapproaching our shor.es or hauntingour seaways." , I

Mr. Carnpney pOInted out ,that theCS2F-l had,been chosen only aftercareful study and consideration andfollowing severe .tests.' .

"It is the best plane for its appointedtask which we know of," he said.'Potential new ,tactical uses of the

submarine "constitutes one of the newthreats which ordinary prudence de­mands that we must seek to meet,"Mr. Campney said.; "Therefore all pos­sible measures designed to counter itmust be considered and, developed andincorporated, into our defence system.

'IThese aircraft, are a part of thatdefence systein and,'that is one of thereasons why we are all here this after­noon, 'and. why this is'an important andsignificant, occaSic)ll,., . ,

"It marks, too; another step ,forwardin the develoPmen.f of.our Roy~il Can-adian NilVY." ':" , ' ,

The Defence Minister compared theCS2F-1 ,acceptance ceremony with thecommissioning of the destroyer escortSt. LUttrent, "the first ship in the

Page six'

Navy's current and most importantshipbuilding program".

In both these occasions Mr. Campneysaw "tangible expression of our deter­mination that the Navy shall be keptin a position to maintain its great tra­ditions and its glorious record and to'carry out our full obligations to ourowripeople and to our NATO partners".

'Mr;Campney concluded by express­ing the thanks and appreciation of theNavy and the Defence Department forthe efforts of the de Havilland companyand other elements of the Canadian air-,craft industry in the establishment andsmooth running of the CS2F-1 produc­tion program. ,

:The capabilities of the aircraft tocarry out' its anti-submarine role werelauded also by MI'. Garratt, who statedthat it was' one of the most complexmachines ever constructed by his firm.He paid tribute, too, to the work doneand assistance given by the sub, con­tractors on the construction program.

The Tracker is an all-weather, fwin­engined, high wing monoplane. De­signed for carrier-borne anti-submarineservice, it will be operated from theRCN's new aircraft carrier, the Bona­venture, which will commission. in Bel­fast, Northern Ireland, in mid-Janu­ary, 1957.

Successor of the Grumman Avenger,which has been in service in the anti­submarine role in the RCN since 1950,the new airctaft is being built in Can­ada by the de Havilland Aircraft ofCanada' Ltd.; under licence from theGrumman,Aircraft Engineering Cor­poration; Beth-Page, N.Y., which orig-

, inallydesigried the' m'achine for theUnited Stat~s Navy. .

The Tracker is both a search andstrike aircraft, combining in the onemachine the full capabilities of hunterand killer. It is designed and equippedto search out, identify, attack and de­stroy enemy submarines, whether sur­faced or submerged. It is highly man­ceuvrable, has a short take-off run andlow landing speed, making it admirablysuited for operation from an aircraftcarrier. Its versatility permits its usein a number of roles in addition to itsprimary anti-submarine duties. It maybe used for deck landing training, tar­get towing, aircrew training, instrumentflying training and carrier - to - shoretransport. The initial order of aircraftfor the RCN, however, will be fittedand equipped only for anti-submarineoperations.

The CS2F-1 was chosen after care­ful consideration of all,the factors in­volved. Because of the relatively smallnumber of aircraft required, it was con­sidered uneconomical to design andbuild in a Canadian aircraft to meetthe RCN's requirements. Of aircraftalready in production, the GrummanS2F best met all specifications.

The Canadian version has undergoneonly minor airframe modifications, al­though Royal Canadian Navy require­ments have resulted in installation ofsome equipment different from that ofits United States counterpart.

Some features of the new aircraftfollow:

Cockpit - To carry out its hunter­killer function the "Tracker" has ac­commodation for a crew of four. Thepilot and co-pilot have a wide rangeof vision. The radio and radar menare seated aft of the cockpit which

............

FROM THE NAVAL PHOTO SALON-This photogroph has not only action of its own but a certain historic interest. It shows a Firefly which haslanded on the Magnificent being directed forward to the parking position. The Firefly has been succeeded by the Avenger, which is in turn givingway to the Tracker, or CS2F·1. Some of the Fireflies have been sold to Ethiopia where, it is presumed, they need no longer come to rest withfolded wings. The picture, entitled "Aircraft Director", is the work of CPO Jan Salter, who is also known as an expert movie photographer, nowat Naval Headquarters.

features a folding control console giv­ing ready accessibility to the seats.Each member of the crew has an escapehatch fitted directly above his seat. Acontrol lock has been provided. Whenthis is in operation the engines cannotbe "revved" up sufficiently to raise theaircraft into the air. Also included isthe new hydraulic "rudder boost",which eliminates strain on the pilotduring single engine flying. It is oneof the first production aircraft to in­corporate this new feature.

Instruments-Included in the stand­ard instrument layout is a "safe speedindicator", the first military installationof the device in Canada. The indica­tor incorporates a dial and colouredlights which shows the pilot and thelanding safety officer the approximateapproach speed of the aircraft on land-

ing, whether it is too fast, too slow orjust right. Autopilot is fitted.

Anti-Sub?lW?'ine Equipment and Wea­pons-The latest equipment for the de­tection of submarines and the mostmodern anti-submarine weapons arecarried. This has been achieved with­out any sacrifice of speed or endurance.The aircraft is equipped with sono­buoys housed in a special compartmentaft of each engine, rock,ets, homing typetorpedoes released through fast open­ing and closing bomb bay doors, anda powerful searchlight controlled fromthe cockpit.

During anti-submarine operations thespun glass radar dome is telescopeddown from the inside automatically.The magnetic airborne detection boomis fitted below the tail. The sono­buoys, listening devices which aredropped into the water in the area of

a submarine and by radio transmis­sions reveal the submarine's positionto the aircraft, are released by controlslocated at the pilot's and co-pilot'sseats.

Pe?'fonnance - The aircraft has arange of approximately 1,000 miles andcan remain airborne for about eighthours. Its maximum speed is morethan 300 miles per hour. Landingspeed is 86 miles per hour.

Dimensions-Wing span is 69 feet,eight inches, and length 42 feet. Theall-up weight is more than 23,000pounds.

One of the most interesting featuresof the Tracker is the method of foldingthe wings. A cross fold system is usedwith one wing folding in front of theother, for close stowage of the aircrafton the flight deck, in the hangar andon the elevators.

Page seven

NEW GLASGOW ·CONDUCTSNORTH PACIFIC SURVEY

160·

D·. URING August, the frigate NewGlasgow acted as survey ship

for Norp'ac '56, the annual oceano­graphic survey of the North Pacificbetween 40° N. and 56° N. and 130 0 W.and 175° W., almost two-thirds of theway across the ocean.

The Department of Fisheries, throughthe Pacific Oceanographic Group at Na­nahno, B.C., originates these cruises todetermine, among other things, the Pa­cific areas frequented by various fishspecies. To carry out the necessarytests, involving casts into the sea, theNew Glasgow was fitted with a two­drum winch, each drum carrying 3,000fathoms of wire.

Seven scientists from Nanaimo wereon board, headed by A. J. Dodimead.The ship was stopped for casts aboutevery si~ hours or, 80. miles, with thescientists on each, occasion taking twowater bottle casts to 500 and 1,200fathoms, for water and temperaturesamples. A plankton net was alsostreamed for marine life at the sur­face. In between stops the ship's speedwas reduced for bathythermograph'casts for the sea's temperature gradient.

, The ship's only ports of call wereKodiak in the Gulf of Alaska, and Adakin the Aleutian Islands. The UnitedStates Navy displayed its usual hos­pitality to the ship's company in bothbases. The main attractions at the

CAPT. CROSS JOINSVETERANS' BOARD

Captain Paul B. Cross, OBE, HeN (R)(Ret'd), of Halifax has been appointeda member of the War Veteran's Allow­ance Board at Ottawa. He .succeedsThomas Fenton, also of Halifax, whohas retired.

Capt. Cross, a native of Saint John,N.B., went on active service with theRCNVR in August, 1939, in the ranklieutenant-commander. He first becameassociated with the Navy in 1923 whenhe entered the RCNVR, in the SaintJohn division as an acting sltb-lieuten­ant.

His first appointment at the outbreak ofthe Second World War was as staff offi­cer to the Naval Control Service Officerat Saint John and later he was in com­mand of the naval division, which hecon11nanc1ecl before the war.

In 1941 he was appointed to HMSRajp1Ltana and was among the survivorswhen the armed merchant cruiser wastorpedoed off Iceland in April of thatyear. Shortly after this he was assignedto HMS Ramillies (battleship) and then,following courses with the Royal Navy,went to lIMCS Rosthe'rn (corvette) incommand.

While in the Ros'the1'n, Captain Crosswas senior officer of the escort groupin several convoys and took part inseveral actions against submarines. Hisship also played a prominent part inrescue work and on one occasion :hewas mentioRed-in-despatches for "cour­age, skill, and whole-hearted devotionto duty while under conditions of greathardship."

Experiences while in the Rosthern ledCaptain Cross to devise what came tobe known as the "Rosthern Rescue Net",an oversized net swung from a boom,which reduced the time required to takeexhausted and oil-covered survivorsfrom sub-infested waters.

In late 1943 he was appointed Assist­ant Naval Officer-in-Charge and King's'Harbour Master at St. John's, Nfld., andin January, 1944, he was appointed toNaval Headquarters as Chief Staff Offi­cer Reserves and a member of theNaval Board.

Following the war Captain Cross re­turned to Saint John, N.B., first as East­ern Regional Administrator and later asRegional Administrator (Maritimes)with the Department of VeteransAffairs.

as "survey boat" and "fish packer",there can be no doubt as to the use­fulness of the New Glasgow's part inthe survey of the Northern Pacific.

5'0"

130"

HMes New GlasgowNOR-PAC '5<0.

ports proved to be fishing, and in thisfLsherman's paradise very few of theanglers were disappointed. Humpbacksalmon and sea trout were most plenti­ful.

On the final leg of the cruise a mem­ber of the ship's company, Ord. Sea.Neil Grill, developed acute appendicitisand required immediate surgery. At­tempts were made to obtain an airevacuation but this was not possible.

The U.S. Coast Guard arranged arendezvous with the USNS GeneralHugh J. Gaffey, a large transport withample medical facilities. The rendez­vous was effected and Ordinary Sea­man Grill was transferred to theGene'ral Gaffey in a Neil Robertsonstretcher via the Gaffey's motor cutter.Word was later received that Ord. Sea.Grill was successfully operated on andenjoying the trip to San Francisco.

The New Glasgow returned to sta­tion. A lew pumfer and salmon werecaught at stops and provided ampleexcitem'ent, A sockeye salmon wascaught by the supply officer, Lieut. (S)C. P. Ilsley. This species is rarelycaught by hook and is normally takenby seine or gill nets.

On Sunday, September 2, the Ne'l.vGlasgow, after having steamed 8,141miles, entered Esquimalt, her missioncompleted. Although certain jocularterms have been bandied about such

)600I'ac)"

o

Page eight

OFFICERS AND MEN

NATO Jou.rnalistsVisit West Coast

Seventeen European journalists fromeleven different NATO countries wereguests of the Royal Canadian Navy inthe Pacific Command September 13-14during a three-week visit to Canadaunder arrangement by the Departmentof External Affairs.

After arriving from Banff, Alta., thejournalists were taken to Naden wherethey were received by the commodore.Their tour of NCLden included a visit toNelles Block, the School of Music andthe gymnasium.

At HMC Doclcyard the visitors weregiven a close look at the electricalworkshops and a bus tour of the re­mainder of the yard.

A reception was held for the NATOjournalists in the Naden wardroom theevening of September 13 with membersof the local press and radio also inattendance. The following morning thegroup paid a brief visit to the Can­adian Services College, Royal Roads,prior to going to Nanaimo for a lookat a MacMillal1. & Bloedel mill. AtNanaimo the journalists boarded shipsof the Second Canadian MinesweepingSquadron for transport to Vancouver.

Lt.-Cdr. Stuart Soward models the illuminated suit he devised for use by "batsmen" guidingaircraft making night landings on the deck of the Magnificent. In the picture at the right onlyilluminated lucile rods are visible .

Officer DesignsIlluminated Su.it

A $200 cheque from the Departmentof National Defence and a letter of com­mendation from the Chief of the NavalStaff have been awarded to a navalpilot for inventing an illuminated suitused successfully by landing ·signalsofficers when guiding aircraft landingon the carrier Magnificent by night.

The awards were presented to the in­ventor, Lt.-Cdr. Stuart Edward Soward,at a ceremony September 7, at Sltem-­water.

Lt.-Cdr. Soward, who now serves atSltea1'water, developed the suit in 1954when he was a landing signals officerin the Magnificent.

The LSO or "batsman", guides air­craft safely onto the flight deck of thecarrier from a position near the sternand to one side of the deck. This is ne­cessary since the angle of approach forlanding on prevents the pilot from ob­taining a clear view of the flight deckon the final stage of his approach.

. Lt.':'Cdr. Soward attached several·lengths of half-inch lucite rods to ser­vice coveralls and designed paddleshaped bats to accompany the costume.When light from small bulbs is shonealong the rods, a neon-like illuminationresults which is clearly visible to anaircraft pilot more than 1,000 feet away.

Termed by appraising authorities as"the best available in any navy", theSoward suit has "probably requIted ina saving of lives and equipment throughits increased efficiency" over oldmethods.

His invention overcame a major prob­lem in illuminated suits. Hitherto lesssuccess was reali~ed in devising q light­ing system bright enough for pilots todetect at adequate ranges but not sobright as to mar the vision of the bats­man.

Lt.-Cdr. Soward, a native of Vancou­ver, took pilot training and served as aninstructor with the RCAF from 1943 tp1945, then transferred to the RoyalNaval Volunteer Reserve for service' inthe Fleet Air Arm.

He was among the first pilots to enterthe RCN when Canadian naval aviationwas officially constituted after the war.Since then he has served in the Warrior,Canada's first aircraft carrier; as a re­cruiting officer in Edmonton, a flyingcontrol officer at the naval air stationand as a landing signals officer in theMagnificent. He is now in ExperimentalSquadron 10 at Sltearwate1·.

Lieu.t. Saper WinsMackay Award

The Mackay Award was presented toLieut. B. M. Saper by Captain M. G.Stirling during ceremonial divisions atComwaHis or~ August 14. .

The award, which cpnsists of a tele­scope, is presented annually to the offi­cer who obtains the highest mark in theten-month Communication OfficersQualifying course at HMC .communica­tion School, during which the officersare introduced into the realm of com­munication theory ranging from sema­phore to radio-teletype.

Page nine

FRIGATES REPAIR COOK MONUMENT

The presentation was fnitiated bythe communication officers of the RCNin memory of Lt.-Cdr. T. C. Mackay,who "vas tragically killed in an auto­mobile accident in 1951 while on hisway to take an appointment on theWest Coast, thereby ending a distin­guished career in naval communications.

The other members of the coursewho qualified as specialist "C" officersat the same time "vere: Lieut. L. T.Blair, Lieut. R. J. K. Halnilton, Lieut.C. A. Stewart, and Lieut. P. E. Robin­son.

P1l'10 A1)IJoin,teclFor Bona'ventltre

New appointn1ents for two seniorofficers of the medical branch of theRoyal Canadian Navy have been an­nounced.

Surgeon Cdr. Walter J. Elliot willbecome Principal Medical Officer of theBonavent11/re when the new aircraft,carrier commissions at Belfast, North­ern. Ireland. He "vent to Belfast -toorganize the ship's medical departmentduring the final stages of construction.

Succeeding Cdr. Elliot as PrincipalMedi~al Officer of Staclacona, and -of theHCN hospital t~ere, is Surgeon Cdr.Richard A. G. Lane.

Navy'" Wives AielH os1Jital Bazaar

A few years ago "kermesse" wasrelatively unknown in the AtlanticCommand. Today it is an annual eventwhich comes in for a good deal of at­tention by the officers and men andtheir families.

Kermesse is an annual bazaar spon­sored by the women's auxiliary of theChildren's Hospital of Halifax to raisefunds for the provisions of specialequipment and facilities for the hos­pital which otherwise would not b~

available. Incidentally the word "ker­messe" also spelled "kermis", is· fromthe Dutch and means "village fair".

A few years ago some of the wivesof the officers and men of the commandfelt they could contribute to this worth­while cause and from a rather smallbeginning the Navy's contribution nowadds no little part to the festivities.Stadacona's band is always a highlightand . the merry-go-round and hobbyhorses provide great amusement for allthe children. Three stalls are set upand offer for sale all articles that have ­been made and donated by the wivesin the command.

Naval wives have proved themselvesto be capable saleswomen as few ar­ticles are left unsold. In addition tothese activities the naval wives also

Page ten

sponsor a raffle of a painting, kindlydonated by Cdr. Anthony Law.

The Kermesse this year was held onJune 20 and drew a record attendanceof over 2,000, netting the auxiliary ap­proximately $5,200. The naval wiveswere responsible for $1,450 of thisamount.

The money will be used to endowtwo beds in- the newly enlarged hos­pital.

The active effort of navy men andtheir wives in a community project suchas this is an excellent example of thespirit of co-operation which makes ser­vice personnel a part of any community.

Co1nlnenclatioliFor Communicatol·

Commendation by Vice-Admiral F.C. Denebrin~, USN, Commander of thelVIilitary Sea Transport Service, andendorsed by Admiral Arleigh Burke,USN, Chief of US Naval Operations,.and by the Naval Board of Canada,has been awarded to CPO Gerald J.Dufour, CO'l'nwallis, for his communica­tions work while in the Lab1'ador dur­ing the 1955 Arctic operations.

CPO Dufour was paid tribute .for theoutstanding services he performed inkeeping the communications of theArctic Task Group working efficientlyunder extremely adverse conditions.

In particular, the commendationstated, "His technical skill and willing­ness to devote his time and talent un­ceasingly, enabled all traffic to bepassed with a minimum of time lag."

The memory of a humble Englishfarm boy, who became one of theworld's great navigators and contri­buted greatly to the opening up of thePacific coast of North America, washonoured recently by two frigates ofthe Royal Canadian Navy which landeda party to restore the monument erectedto him on the shores of HawaiL

The man who rose from lowly be­ginnings to greatness as both a scien­tist and naval officer was Captain JamesCook, who was slain when the nativestragically misinterpreted his intentionsat Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii, in 1779.During their recent training cruise tothe Hawaiian Islands, the frigates Ste.Therese and Stettler landed workparties to restore the monument whichstands near the spot where CaptainCook was slain.. The monument itself was in fairlygood concHtion, but its surroundings re­<1uired attention. The vegetation aroundthe plot was weeded and trimmed anda new concrete walk was laid. Badges

Born in Windsor, Ont., 36 years ago,CPO Dufour entered the RCNVR asan ordinary seaman in September 1940.He served during the war in a num­ber of ships and establishments, amongthem the corvettes Sorel, Napanee andStim-merside.

Demobilized in July 1945 he re-en­tered the navy, this time in the regularforce, in December 1946. He has sinceserved in the destroyers Iroquois and­Haida, at Albro Lake Naval Radio Sta­tion, and in the coastal escort Portage,as well as in C01'n'l..vallis and the Lab­(rador.

The presentation of the commenda­tion was made at Cornwallis recentlyby Cdr. W. H. Howe, Officer-in-ChargeCommunications School, where CPODufour is now serving.

227 Wrens TakeSummer TrainillJg

The wrens are back in the Navy, itwas obvious at Cornwallis this pastsummer. There were five" classes ofreserve new entry wrens with an aver­age of 40 a class, plus 19 reserve wrenson branch training in the Communica­tion School and seven doing on-the-jobtraining in. their respective branches.

This gave a total of approximately227 wrens, with the last one complet­ing her training 0t?- August 31.

The girls came from naval divisionsacross Canada, including Chippawa,Y01'k, Disco'l..'e1'y, Cabot and many more.For some of the wrens it was their firsttrip away from home and, after a

from each ship were imbedded -in theconcrete to commemo~ate the visit ofthe Canadian frigates.

On completion of the repair work aguard was paraded and the command­ing officer of the Stettler, Lt.-Cdr. G.R. MacFarlane, of Edmonton and Vic­toria, laid a wreath at 'the base of themonume~t.

The Ste. The1'ese, whose personnelshared in the renovation of the monu­ment and the ceremony, is commandedby Lt.-Cdr. P. J. Pratley, of Westmount,Que.

Their respects paid to an honouredsailor of old, the frigates weighed an­chor and proceeded to Pearl Harbourto resume their exercises.

Captain Cook discovered the Ha­waiian Islands, which he named the"Sandwich Islands", on January 18,1778, and was slain there during a re­turn voyage 13 months later. A bronzeplate below high tide marks the "exactspot where he fell.

York lied with Chippawa this year for the Inter·Divisional Efficiency Trophy, which is shownbeing presented to Captain Leonard Stupart, commanding officer of York, by Rear-Admiral K. f.Adams, flag Officer Naval Divisions. (COND-3031)

couple of lonesome days, they settleddown to navy Toutine and really en­joyed themselves.

While in new entry training thewrens were instructed in parade train­ing, had lectures on naval history, cus­toms and traditions, seamanship, andbranches of the service along withmany other useful and interesting sub­jects. They made use of the recrea­tional facilities provided in C01'nwallisand entered into many of the compe­titive sports.

All phases of wren. training, super­vision and welfpre werc in the capablehands of Lieut. (W) Grace Lyons, wrendivisional officer. As in the past years,the reserve wrens proved to be of thehighest calibre and, there is no doubtabout it, the wrens are back and hereto stay.-E.M.H.

Banshees See".AI. Quebec City

Five Banshee jets from the Naval AirStation at Slw(L1'watcr f1cw to QuebecCity in early October to participate inweek-end Navy Day ceremonies there.

Seven pilots and seven maintenancemen made the flight. The pilots wereLt.-Cdr. (P) R. H. Falls, commandingofficer of 870 Squadron; and Lieutenants(P) J. H. Birks, G. L. Edwards, D. A.Prout, J. V. Searle, and W. S. Sloan;Lieut. K. F. Herrington, of Tifton,Georgia, USN exchange pilot stationedat Shcm'wate1', and the air engineer

officer of the squadron, Lieut. (AE)G. M. Cummings, also participated inthe fly-past.

This was the first time that Bansheejets, described by the Navy as "amongthe finest single-seat all-weather, ship_borne fighters in the world", had beenseen in Quebec City.

Summer Ball11eM ai, Cornwallis

The fourth annual ball, held Satt)r­day, August 18, was the outstandingsocial event of the Chief and POs' messat C01·nwal/.is during the summer.

Following the draft of CPO Lipton,mess president, to HMC Dockyard,Halifax, CPO George Coles was electedon August 15 to succeed him.

Order 11onoursTwo Officers

Two members of the Royal CanadianNavy were honoured in the July 3 listof appointments issued by the Vener­able Order of St. John of Jerusalem­the oldest order of chivalry in theworld.

Commodore Paul Earl, Naval Officer­in-Charge, Montreal Area, was elevatedfrom the rank of Officer Brother toCommander Brother. He is entitled tothe initials "C. St.J" after his name.

Surgeon Cdr. G. W. Chapman wasappointed a Serving Brother. He isDeputy Medical Director-General of theRCN. His initials will be "S.B., St.J".

The posts are in recognition of ser­vices to the St. John Ambulance As­sociation. More than 75 people wereincluded in the honours list. The orderdates back to 1099 and the seed of theworld organization was sewn during theFirst Crusacie with the founding of aHostel of the Poor Brethren of St. J olmin Jerusalem. The English history ofthe order dates back to 1105.

Promotion ComesJr/ith Appointments

Captain Antony H. G. Storrs, whoseappointment to Naval Headquarters asAssistant Chief of the Naval Staff (War­fare) and member of the Naval Boardwas announced in June, was promotedto the acting rank of commodore ontaking up the new appointment August15.

Captain (L) Herbert George Burchelltook up the appointment of DeputyChief of Naval Technical Services onAugust 14. In the appointment he holdsthe acting rank of commodore (L) .Commodore Burchell had been Assist­ant Chief of Naval Technical Services(Plans) since July 1953.

Constructor Captain Frank Freeborn,was promoted to the rank of constructorcommodore concurrently with his takingup the appointment of Naval Construc­tor-in-Chief at Naval Headquarters onJuly 16.

Constructor Cdr. Sturton M. Davis,who succeeded Commodore Freeborn asPrincipal Naval Overseer, Montrealarea, on July 7, was promoted to theactin . rank f l:.--

the appointment.

Medical AssistantsAre Commended

Two medical assistants of the RoyalCanadian Navy have been officiallycommended by the Chief of the NavalStaff, Vice-Admiral H. G. DeWolf, andhave been awarded Commendation Cer­tificates for outstanding services.

PO Sterling L. Grant, serving in the'St. Lau1'ent, was awarded the com­mendation for "prompt action andsound judgment which probably re­sulted in saving a life".

PO Leslie M. Osland, serving in theJonquie1'e, was commended for "devo­tion to duty and skilful application ofhis training which did much to pre­vent the spread of an epidemic in theship".

Neither ship was carrying a medicalofficer at the time.

PO Grant, medical assistant in theS1. Laurent, was called to assist a sea­man lying on the deck with undeter-

Page eleven

mined injuries suffered from being hitby a heavy hatch cover.

The ship was at sea at the timeand PO Grant administered emergencytreatment' to the stricken sailor andcontinued this for seven hours. Medi­cal officers ashore advised him byradio to continue this treatment untilarrival at Halifax, where the patientwas transferred to the RCN Hospitalat Stadacona.

PO Grant's sound judgment and dis­cretion in handling this emergency weresaid by a medical officer to have prob­ably resulted in saving the man's life.

PO Osland, medical assistant in theJo:nquiere, was faced with a serious,sudden epidemic of streptococcal sorethroat in the ship. Sick himself, POOsland displayed his devqtion to dutyand initiative by setting up emergencyisolation quarters to prevent furtherspreading of the disease. He thenworked untiringly to treat those al­ready affected. In this way he keptthe epidemic to minimum proportions.

A mural relating the new aircraft carrier Bonaventure to the Gaspe island of the same namewas an attractive feature, of the naval display at the Quebec Provincial Exhibition. Other displaysshowed the latest in RCN shipboard accommodation, equipment used in the modern navy and alarge model of the St. Laurent. Personnel from Montcalm, the Quebec City naval division, mcinnedthe naval portion of the tri-service exhibit. (ML-4872)

2 Promoted AfterCourses in U.K.

The promotion of two chief pettyofficers of the Royal Canadian Navy tothe rank of acting commissioned boat­swain has been announced. They areA/Cd. Bos'n Dennis Edward AshtonHall, and A/Cd. Bos'n Gerald Halikow­ski.

Both officers graduated from the 1955term of the RCN Preparatory School atthe Educational Training Centre Naden,and were drafted to the United King­dom for courses for commissioned bos'n.

New Naval AideFor Governor General

Lieut. Ian Fraser McKee, has beenappointed Naval Aide-de-Camp to HisExcellency, the Governor General ofCanada. He succeeded Lieut. HamishD. W. Bridgman, on October 16.

Lieut. Bridgman was appointed topre-:-commissioning courses at Stada­cona, before assuming an appointmentin ,one, of tli.~ ~eV;, "St. Laurent" classdestroyer-escorts scheduled for com­pletion later in the year.

ScholarshipsFor Sea Cadets

i

Twenty Royal Canadian Sea Cadetsfrom many corps across Canada wereawarded scholarships by the NavyLeague of Canada for the current term,bringing to 44 the number of scholar­ships awarded by the League this year.

Six scholarships are for Xavier JuniorCollege, Sydney, N.S.; three for Dal-

Page twelve

housie University, Halifax; two for theUniversity of Alberta; two for the Uni'"versity of Toronto, and one each forthe University of Western Ontario;Memorial University, St. John's Nfld.;Acadia University, Wolfville; St. Mary'sUniversity, Halifax; Assumption Col­lege, Windsor, and the Unive'rsity ofBritish Columbia.

Ordnance OfficersHold Conference

Senior officers of the Ordnance branchof the Royal Canadian Navy held theirbiennial conference in the MetcalfeBuilding, Ottawa, September 10 to 14.The five-day conference was attendedby officers from Naval Headquarters,London, Washington and the' east andwest coasts. '

One of the highlights of the confer­ence was a visit to the Naval SupplyDepot at Ville La Salle and the NavalArmament Depot, Longueuil, both nearMontreal. These visits enabled manyof the officers to see for the first timethe latest and largest supply facilitiesof the RCN. '

Among those attending the confer­ence were:

From Naval Headquarters: Rear-Ad­miral (E) W. W. Porteous, Chief ofNaval Technical Services, Ord. Com­modore'W. G. Ross, Ord. Captain E. H.Russell, Ord. Commanders G. B. Mac­Leod, J. A. M: Arcand, F. S. Ward, O.W. B~nnett, R. V. Henning, Ord.-Lieu-

tenant-Commanders C. A. Stirling, G.M. Fyffe, W. J. Reynolds and R. J. F.Donnithorne and Mr. J. D. Milne andMr. L. S. Rolland.

From London: Ord. Cdr. A. G. Free­man.

From Washington: Ord. Cdr. H. A.Leonatd.

From the East Coast:Ord. Cdr. M.H. Walker, Ord. Lt.-Cdr. J. F. Beve­ridge, Ord. Lt.-Cdr. A. J. Young andMr. W. G'. Dixon.

From the West Coast:, Ord. Cdr. R.H. Chicken, Ord. Cdr. Martin Beard­more and Mr. T. K. L. Rowe.

PO CommissionedIn Medical Branch

A former petty officer of the medicalbranch of the Royal Canadian' Navy,Eric Alexander Crump, has been pro­moted to the rank of acting commis'­sioned officer (Medical Administration).

In October he commenced a six­week officer's divisionsl cburse at Corn­wallis, following which he will serve atNaval Headquarters on the staff of theMedical Director-General.

PO'BecomesWriter Officer,

Petty Officer philip Joseph Obendorfhas been promoted to 'the rank of acting,commissioned writer officer.

Cd. Off. Obendorf, following his pro­motion,' began an Officer's DivisionalCourse at Cornwallis,

A highly illuminated scroll ("writ by hand", as li'l Abner would say), bound with a tatteredribbon of canvas, was presented to Captain T. C. Pullen, commanding officer of the Labrador, onthe occasion of his ship's passage from east to west through Fury and Hecla Strait-a "first" innorthern navigalion. (LAB-1839)

THROUGHFury and Hecla

STRAITT HE ONLY warship or large ship

of any ldnd to have completedthe Northwest Passage, HMCS Labra­dor during the past summer investi­gated the usefulness of another entranceto the long sought route between At­lantic and Pacific over the roof of theworld.

This was Fury and Hecla Strait, be-. tween Baffin Island and the mainland

which, if ice permitted, would offer amore southerly route via Hudson Straitand Foxe Basin to Barrow Strait, Vis­count Melville Sound and beyond.

There is disputed evidence that thenorthland is becoming warmer and thisconjecture is based on the shrinkage ofglaciers in Greenland and elsewhere.It may be that the retreat of the iceis due to lower precipitation ratherthan an increase in temperature. Thus,it will take many years of careful studyof weather records to determine a gen­eral trend to a warmer climate 1n theFar North and the possibility of a daywhen ships will navigate freely amongthe lush green islands of the CanadianArchipelago.

Those happy days are still remote(for scientists who speculate on suchthings deal in terms of hundreds andthousands of years) and this was borneout by the experience of USS Edisto,which tried to follow the Lab7'adorthrough Fury and Hecla Strait. TheEdisto lost her starboard propeller andhad to be escorted to open water by theLabmd07·. This, however, did not dis­suade the Labrado7' from turning backand traversing the strait once againthat she might continue her explora­tions in the north.

The story of the Labmdor's initialeast-west passage through the strait' istold here in the words of Ldg. Sea. J.L. Hebgin, meteorologist's mate:

F URY and Hecla. The name meanslittle to most Canadians, but it

was significant as another "first" forthe personnel of the Royal CanadianNavy's Arctic patrol vessel, HMCS Lab­7'ador, on the afternoon of Sunday, Sep­tember 16. Escorted by half a dozenseagulls and observed only by a startledseal and the crew of a United StatesNavy ice reconnaissance aircraft, thebig, white icebreaker became the firstship in history to make the passageof the strait from east to west.

Fury and Hecla Strait is a 65-milewaterway which is only one and a halfmiles across at its narrowest, a three­mile stretch near the eastern entrance.It separates Melville Peninsula, on Can­ada's mainland to the south, from thenorthwestern end of Baffin Island andlinks Foxe Basin to the Gulf of Boothia.A bottleneck for the great ice floeswhich drift south during the short sum­mer the narrow strait is often blockedby heavy ice, but this year there wereonly scattered patches which the shippushed through with ease.

In spite of overcast skies, a bitternorthwest wind and a temperature of25 degrees, cameras and binocularswere in evidence on all sides asthe sailors recorded the passage. Theship's executive officer, Cdr. C. A. Law,a painter of note, sketched the ruggedcoastline from the port bridge wing.

The ship's two Bell helicopters werebusy too, skirting the tops of the 1,200­foot cliffs, hovering inches above thewater, darting to and fro as the officialphotographers took pictures from everyangle.

The warship entered the strait shortlyafter dinner and as she did so signalflags were run up on the halyards. Fromstarboard to port they read "WELCOMEFURY AND HECLA". After passingthrough the narrowest portion CaptainT. C. Pullen, commanding officer, waspresented with a commemorative scrollon behalf of the ship's company.

Although the first ship to make thepassage from east to west, the Labra­d07' cannot lay sole claim to navigatingthe strait. On September 18, 1948, theUnited States icebreakers Eastwind andEdisto passed through from west toeast.

Page thirteen

The manner in which naval divers from the Labrador were towed below water in their search for underwater obstructions in Arctic harbours isdescribed' below. The hand of one of the hitch.hiking divers can be seen emerging from the sea. (LAB·1703)

LABRADOR'S DIVERS SPEND BUSY SUMMERFrogmen Towed Beneath Sea in Harbour Surveys

Members of the Labra·dor's diving party had good reason to feel uneasy on several occasionswhen ;it was known polar bears were prowling about the area in which they were working. Thedivers were safe on board the ship when this picture of a mother bear and two cubs was taken.(LAB·1736)

T HE LABRADOR'S diving party,consisting of Lt.-Cdr. B. F. Ack­

erman, of Peterborough, Ont., PettyOfficer N. H. Mitts, Trenton, Ont.,Petty Officer H. R. Thomson, QuebecCity, and Able Seamen A. Green, o:fOttawa; F. Fogalini, Kingston, and S.Stephenson, of Windsor, Ont., hoppedaround the Arctic by air last summersurveying beaches for the sealift op­era~ion.

Their biggest problem was ice: someof the beaches are ice-filled most ofthe time, so when they are free of itthe divers must move fast to get thejob done.

On a typical occasion, they arrivedat a lonely island by air, complete withinflatable outboard moto.r boat, camp­ing equipment and underwater swimequipment. Moying all this equipmentaround is the big job-once they get tothe beach, everyone looks forward tothe swimming. At the beach, most ofthe ice had gone out, but a few chunkseach as big as a two-storey house wereleft Dn the beach at low tide. Unlessa strong offshore wind occurs at hightide, these large pieces stay, and ittakes more explosives than the diverscarry to get rid of them; so they mustwork around them.

A pole is tied across the boat witha lead weight attached to a six-footpiece of rope at each end. A swimmerhangs on to each weight and the tenhorsepower outboard pulls them throughthe water at about five knots. Whenone sees a large boulder or pinnacleof rock he planes to the surface and

Page foul"teen

waves. A man in the boat heaves overa lead weight with a yellow float at­tached to mark the spot, This way thediving party can search a large areaquickly in the clear Arctic water.

The next job is to place the chargeof nitrone. The charges are ingeniouslymade up in tin cans, threaded at eachend so the.y will screw together to form

~ • > ;

a charge of the size needed for the job.The diver now decides how big a chargehe will require for each job, has it madeup to order and put over the side forhim to place' in position. Each chargehas a detonator connected up by fuseto a small cork float on the surface.After the swimmer is out of the water,one man in the boat goes around to

of 30 degrees than Marilyn Bell wasin her bathing suit at a temperatureof 49 degrees. When we heard of herconquest of Juan de Fuca at this tem­perature, we, as professional swimmers,were filled with admiration.-B.F.A.

--'-,-.. lit.--'_..Ti:--'_.­<1:1..--'-,Lit--'_.­""JI..:.

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'10"'. 1'· ..~.

-

PO Harry R. Thompson gels a helping hand from AB Stanley J. Stephenson. The Labrador'sdivers found the angora "long Johns" quite effective in keeping out the chill of Arctic sea tempera.tures which were often around 30 degrees Fahrenheit. (LAB-1695)

the air trapped in the suit. The weightsgive the swimmer neutral buoyancy sothat he can swim downwards and up­wards with equal ease.

We all feel sure that we are warmerin this outfit with a water temperature

Not a burlesque of the rod men in a survey gang, but a picture of two of the Labrador's diverssetting up a tide marker in ice-strewn Arctic waters. Their work did much to assure the safety ofDEW line supply ships entering nothern harbours. (LAB-15BB)

each cork float and ties in an electriccircuit. The explosive is then set offfrom shore electrically.

While setting up a marker for thelanding craft on this remote beach,(the writer continues), our attentionwas attracted momentarily by a strangenoise out on the ice across a sandspit. Some jokes were passed aboutpolar bears and the work continued.

Minutes later, while working in ahigher point than the rest, I sawan ever-widening circle in a patch ofopen water and recognized a swimmingpolar bear. He disappeared around thepoint, presumably by walking up on thebeach. Now the best course of actionif approached by a polar bear, I hadoften thought, was to stand still whilehe investigates, especially if you happento be downwind. With this in mind,I approached the boys with the sug­gestion that if we saw one, we shouldall stand perfectly still and let him goaway. My suggestion went over likea lead balloon! And I am thankfulto say, they did not flee the bear orI might have been left alone.

ThE're are many fresh water lakes onthe .island, teeming with Arctic char,which is considered to be a great sport­ing fish. Some of the boys spent theirevenings swimming in their suits afterthese fish, and one of them actuallyscooped one up on the land. Theisland's only permanent land residentsare many almost-tame Arctic foxes andtheir prey, the lemmings.

We are often asked how we standthe cold water--even by Eskimos. Thishas been a problem but it is by nomeans a new one. wim Ivers or, as

·they are more popularly known, "frog­men", carried on operations during the

·Second World War in icy waters and,since the war, our swim divers havebeen .trained the year round on bothcoasts. The harbour in Halifax, forinstance, where the divers do much oftheir training, is partly frozen overduring the winter. The secret of ourpresent equipment lies in special angorawool underwear, styled in one piecewith sewn-in feet and turtle-neck col­lar. It was developed for us by the

· Defence Research Board and is manu­factured by a Canadian knitting mill.

Dressing starts with a suit of ordinarycombination underwear and a pair ofwoollen socks. over this goes the an­gora underwear; then a very thin rub­ber suit that :fits very tightly and iscompletely waterproof. Our hands arecovered with woollen gloves inside rub­ber gloves. A compressed air breath­ing appai'atus face-piece and flipperscomplete the outfit :except for a weight­belt, with up to 27 pounds of lead tocompensate for the buoyancy caused by

Page fifteen

PACIFIC COMMAND FIRE CHIEF RETIRESLt.-Cdr. J. D. Crowther Helped Set Up West Coast Service

On the occasion of his retirement as Command Fire Chief, Lt.-Cdr. (58) John Dawson Crowther,the man who established the Naval Fire Service in the Pacific Command, was presented with acertificate of honorary life membership in the International Association of Fire Fighters. He is seenhere receiving the framed certificate from one of the members of tile NF5 in HMC Dockyard, Firemanlst Class Alfred Nelson. (E-37137)

A CHANCE remark in a barbershop in Earby, Yorkshire, Eng­

land, in 1911 made a young man de­cide to come out t,9 Canada to see whatthis country had to offer.

Fortunately, for the Royal CanadianNavy, the young immigrant, John Daw­son Crowther, travelled out to the WestCoast where he was later to organizethe Naval Fire Service in the PacificCommand, developing it from a unitcomprising two hand-drawn reels and.ten sailors to the up-to-date organiza­tion it is today, composed of six firestations, thousands of dollars worth ofthe latest equipment and a total com­plement of 128 men.

Following years of outstanding ser­vice, Lt.-Cdr. (SB) Crowther retiredas Command Fire Chief on August 2,1956, at which time he was awardedhonorary life membership in the In­ternational Association of Fire Fighters.Hisage-73.

Back in Yorkshire just at the end ofthe Edwardian era, Lt.-Cdr. Crowtherwas working in a cotton manufacturingmill.

"I never had any thought about goingabroad," he explained, "until one Sat­urday morning when I was having myhair cut. The barber was talking abouta couple of young girls from the millwho had left just the week before forAustralia. For some reason he turnedround to me and asked me why I didn'tgo abroad. I asked him where I wouldgo and he suggested Canada would bea good place, according to what he hadheard.

"Believe it or not, by the time I hadleft the barber shop and returned homefor dinner I had made up my mind Iwas going to· Canada!"

Only a few weeks later, on April 6,1911, the passenger line Astonia sailedfrom Liverpool to Montreal, with theyoung 'Yorkshire emigrant on board.

KnQwirig no one in this country, Lt.­Cdr. Crowther started moving west. Theonly place he had· heard about wasSaskatoon 'and that was where he madefor.

"I'll never forget that day when Iarrived there," he commented. "I wasnever so fed up in my life. I didn'tknow anyone and I kept thinking aboutYorkshire and the football matches thatI used to go to every Saturday whenI was back there. I was really home­sick."

Page sixteen

Discouraged, the young man wentback to the hotel where he had in­tended to stay until he could find ajob. He picked up his baggage andwas walking down towards the railwaystation to leave the town when a farmerstopped him.

"He asked me what I was doing andI told him I had come out to Saskatoonto find work," Lt.-Cdr. Crowther said."That was how I got my first job inCanada."

The farm he went to was about 100miles southeast of Saskatoon, at Duval.His wages were $35 a month and hestayed there for three months before

moving to another farm for the samelength of time. From there he travelledto _Hudson Bay Junction to a lumbercamp and there he worked as a logger.His clearest recollection of those daysin the camp was that the temperatureon one particular day dropped to 62degrees below zero.

"I worked there during the winterand then one day the sun came out andI started to think again about thosefootball matches back in the Old Coun­try," he added.

At that time the railway companywas running excursion trips west fromWinnipeg for $25. Travellers could go

J\fessages TellOf Brol~ell Drealll

And so the years went by until 1916when he joined up for service with theCoast Brigade, Field Artillery, in Vic­toria. Shortly after this he was draftedoverseas where he was attached to the9th Battery of the Canadian Expedi­tionary Force, Although he took partin lTIany of the bitter can1paigns inFrance and Belgium and was in the"Big Push", he considered himselflucky only to be gassed three times.

"It could have been much worse,"he recalled. "I relnember one day wewere having our gas nlasks checkedto see that they were in good workingorder. I pulled Iny mask out and there,lodged inside of it was a chunk ofshrapnel which had torn its waythrough the container but had beenstopped by the mask. That was aclose call. Another time, a piece ofshrapnel tore a pocket right off mybandolier. My guardian angel wasworking overtime in those days!"

With the war ended, Lt.-Cdr. Crow­ther returned to' Victoria and wentback to the fire departlnent, where hestayed until 1941 reaching the rank offire lieutenant. It was at that time thatthe head of the city fire departmenthad been asked by the Naval Serviceauthorities if they could recommendsomeone to assist them in setting uptheir own organization in HMC Dock­yard.

to Portland, Ore., Seattle, Wash., Nel­son, B.C., Vancouver or Victoria. Withlogic, more cOlnn10nly attributed to hisneighbours north of the border in theOld Country, Lt,-Cdr, Cro\vther decidedhe would go as far as he could for then10ney-Victoria.

"Saturdays seeln to have played aniInportant part of my life," he recalled,"and it was on one of these that I finallyreached Victoria. The next day, Sun­day, I went for a walk around BeaconI-lill Park. That was March 1912 andthe scenery there was lovely. I knewthen, as I walked around, that this waswhere I would stay in Canada."

I-Iowever, work was hard to find inthe capital city, even with the street­paving and ditch-digging gangs.

Looking for work one day iI~ Vic­toria he happened to pass by the firestation and, on the spur of the moment,went in and applied for a job. Thefact that he knew nothing about thework did not deter him in the slightest.However, his application was turneddown because he had not been able to

- have three responsible people to coun­tersign it for him as to his characterand capability.

"I didn't kno\v three people, I didn'teven know one other person," hechuckled, as he recalled his first at­tempt to get into the service in whichhe was later to achieve distinction,As he left the fire station, he noticedanother building nearby, the policestation. With nothing to lose, he wentin there and applied for a job as apoliceman. This time he had n10reluck. I-Ie was taken on the force asspecial constable. The job lasted forthree months. He was not tall enoughfor the regular force.

"I don't know why," he said, "buteven when I spent those three monthswith the police force the idea of thefire service ha d kept running aroundin my head. When I knew I was notable to stay with the police, I went andsaw the police chief and the inspectorand asked them if they would give mea character reference so that I couldtry again for the fire department. Iwas able to get another responsibleperson to add his name to my applica­tion and as soon as I had those threenames I put in for a post with the firedepartment."

This time his application was ac­cepted and he was notified to reportfor duty on September 2, 1912, with theVictoria City Fire Department:

For $75 a month, he worked as anordinary firelnan. In those days the·firemen were allowed one day off aweek. The remainder of the time theywere on standby duty 24 hours a day.

Lt.-Cdr. Crowther was the man selec­ted and in October 1941 he was givenleave of absence by the city to assistthe ReN in establishing their own fireservice. I-Ie served for two and a halfyears in a civilian capacity and thenwas given the rank of lieutenant in theRCNVR in May 1944. I-Ie carried onuntil September 1946, when he wasHdelnobbed". However, he remained inDockyard to carryon with his duties,again in a civilian capacity. Then in1949 Lt.-Cdr. Crowther went back intonaval 'uniform, on continuous navalduty.

When he took over in Dockyard, thefire equiplnent consisted of two hand­drawn reels and he had ten sailors toman these. Up until his appointmentthe fire-fighting responsibility for thedockyard had come under the jurisdic­tion of the HCMP, who were servingthere at the time.

"lVIy first job when I went to Dock­yard," Lt.-Cdr. Crowther explained,"was to carry out an inspection of allthe establishments in Esquimalt. Thenwe would .use any available boiler­room for holding fire drills. Soon Iwas able to build up a fire-fightinggroup composed of civilians and thenwe were able to have all our hydrantsand couplings changed and brought up­to-date.

"The most important thing, however,was that we had a fire station builtin 1942, the same building that is nowin use," he added. "From that pointon it was a case of gradual expansion.We acquired a pUll.per for Naden and

Ten ?Jte not, in ?noU'rnful nu?nbers, then had a fire station built there. Next-------r,ije is but an elnptg drmrrrr1-----j-----------'---'-'-'-~-==-=-=~'---====-=-'--=-~~-

F01' the soul is dead that s1.un1bers, we got a truck and a building we couldAnd things are not what they seent. house it in at Royal Roads. This was

-Longfellow followed by the construction of a fireAnd they aren't, darn it, as is Inade station at Belmont in 1954 and then

fully plain in a couple of Inessages we put equipment and fire-fighters in-that passed through the conlmunica- to Pat Bay for our naval air organiza-tions centre at Naval Headquarters tion there. A fire station was set upnot so long ago.

The first nlessage, addressed to Naval at Rocky Point, the RCN's ammunitionHeadquarters, ottawa, by Adnliralty, . storage magazine, and another at thesaid: naval ammunition depot at Kalnloops."

"COlnplaint alleging non .. delivery In addition to serving the naval needshas been received concerning a radio in the Pacific Command the Naval Firetelegran1 originated 1545 20th Febru-ary addressed Ord. Sea. . , Service provides the same service forMoreca1nbe Bay, and translnitted to .military establishments in the area andHalifax under serial 5/4819/29th Febr- assists the Municipality of Esquimaltuary. on request.

"Hequest investigation".This Inessage, dated August 23, was Before retiring, Lt.-Cdr. Crowther was

replied to the following day, not by a guest of honour at a special partyCanavhed, but by HMS Morecanl,be held by the Naval Fire Service. InBay, and explained all: recognition of his excellent record, fire

"Hadio telegraln was received on chiefs from a number of municipalities21st February and signed for by ad-dressee on that day. were present ·to pay tribute to him.

"Letter fron1 hOlne enquiring about Lt.-Cdr. Crowther, who is marriedreceip1; of above used ·the word 'radio- and has three daughters, was succeededgraIn', This 'was taken at face value .by recipient who was thus expecting by Lleut. (SB) N. A. Duval, who be-a record player." fore this appointment 'was serving at

Naval Headquarters.

Page seventee1

AFLOAT AND ASHORE

ATLANTIC COMMAND

HMCS LabradorHenry Hudson would have fared

much better in the Canadian Arctichad he had at his disposal the con­venient aids to navigation carried bythe Labmdor, Arctic patrol ship, whilesurveying little-known waterways ofthe Eastern Arctic during her supportof DEW Line operations.

One of these aids is a microwaveposition fixing system developed forhydrographic work by the NationalResearch Council. It has been simpli­fied for use in the Labrador as a hom­ing device for the ship's boats, whichoften find themselves out of sight ofthe ship, either because of ice or densefog.

Apparatus on board ship consists ofa microwave transmitter erected on thehelicopter deck and radiating continu­ously over a wide sector. Each boathas a' portable receiver which, whenpointed in the direction of the ship'stransmitter, emits a clearly audiblebuzz. This immediately discloses thebearing of the unseen ship to the boat'screw, who are then able to steer backwith confidence.

The system has proved extremelyvaluable in the Arctic where fog, drift­ing ice and unreliable magnetic com­passes often prevent boats from main­taining a sure course back to the ship.

"HMCS IroquoisAfter taking part in exercise New

Broom VI, where she had the distinc­tion of being the only escort to makea submarine "kill', the Iroquois sailedon a two-month cruise to Europe. Withher were the destroyer escorts Huronand Micmac, and on September 24 thesquadron passed between several of thepicturesque Azores islands 'and stoppedat Ponta Delgada to refuel.

The ships were on the move again thesame day, howev'er, towards Dublin,capital of the Republic of Eire. This wasto be the first visit to this Irish metrop­olis by any: Canadian warship, and itwas a memorable one. True to formthe Irish Sea turned its fury of windand sea on the ships the day beforethe arrival. Nevertheless, there was

Pnge eighteen

For outstanding qualities of leadership, CadetPcoul Michel Renaud, RCN, Quebec City, re­ceived the President's Trophy, presented to himby Miss Melrlene StewQyt, Canadian and UnitedStelles Women's Amateur Golf Champion, onthe occClSion of the connual dinner of the NavyLeelgue of Cconeldco, at the Royal York Hotel,Toronto. Cadet Renaud is serving CIt Venture.He welS previously co member of the sea cadetcorps at Quebec, RCSCC Champlclin. (COND­3076)

no delay and as the 11'oquois sailed upDublin harbour a few more faces thanusual appeared at harbour - enteringstations, the Yeoman hoisted his patentIrish Republican flag to the mast head,and a running commentary on nearbyland marks came from the direction ofthe navigator's very Irish Yeoman.

The citizens of Dublin were mosthospitable to their Canadian visitors.Basketball and soccer games were ar­ranged and many tours to points ofinterest were organized, besides thenumerous private invitations to playgolf, sail, or drive around the greenand rolling country side. Indeed sointerested were they in Canadians thatc~pacity crowds were on board theships every minute they were open tothe public. When on October 4 thesquadron sailed, an Irish military bandplayed a wide assortment of tunes onthe jetty before finishing with "TheMaple Leaf" and "0 Canada".

The I1'oqtwis now turned her bowstowards Londonderry, a place well

known to Canadian sailors during theSecond World War. There the shipspent two weeks working with the JointAnti-Submarine School, alternately go­ing to sea to exercise, and coming intoharbour so that some of her officersand men could attend lectures at theschool.

PACIFIC COMMAND

HMCS NadenWith the assistance of local business

firms, civic representatives and indi­viduals, the Pacific Command arrangeda full program of entertainment foraround 2,300 USN officers and menwhen a squadron of seven USN shipsvisited Esquimalt in August.

The heavy cruiser USS Breme1·tonwore the flag of Rear-Admiral H. L.Collins, Commander Cruiser DivisionOne. Captain F. E. Sellars, Com­mander Destroyer Division Twelve, wasembarked in the destroyer USS Bausell.

The squadron was composed of: USSBremerton (Capt. C. C. Kirkpatrick;);the destroyers USS Bausell (Cdr. D. F.Welch), USS Richm'd B. Anderson (Cdr.G. A. Sullivan), USS Age1'holme (Cdr.E. F. Porter), USS Rogers (Cdr. H. F.Fischer), and radar picket vessels USSLowe (Lt.-Cdr. J. R. Bohlken) andUSS Wilhoite (Lt.-Cdr. L. V. Forde).

A total of 68 guns was fired whenthe ships arrived at Esquimalt-a na­tional salute of 21 guns fired by theBremerton, which was returned, andtwo further Salutes of 13 guns each forRear-Admiral H. F. Pullen, Flag OfficerPacific Coast, and for Rear-AdmiralCollins.

Through the courtesy of a numberof local theatres, special reduced ratesfor all naval personnel, USN and RCN,were in force during the squadron'svisit.

The visitors also received reducedrates for various other types of enter­tainment and were taken by servicetransport to visit Butchart's Gardensand to Elk Lake for swimming on twodays of their visit. III addition, a num­ber of sporting even~s, softball, hard­ball and golf, were' arranged by theRCN.

The Canadian Legion branches ex­tended their facilities t,0 the visitors and

HMCS YorkFor the third straight year, an offi­

cers' forum has been held at York.Starting Sunday, October 14, the

forums were held in the wardroom ontwo successive Sundays to acquaintofficers with service methods and re­turns and to give officers an opportunityto ask questions pertaining to trainingproblems.

In announcing the forum, Captain L.D. Stupart said: "In an establishmentthe size of York, the necessity for ac­curate and informed methods of deal­ing with the various administrativematters which come up from time totime cannot be overemphasized. Thisis especially true in the case of per­sonnel records involving advancement,promotion, etc."

Tactics in anti-submarine warfare Were studied during a three-week warfare course commencingTuesday, October 9, at the Torpedo Anti-Submarine Training Centre at HMCS Naden. Permanentstaff of the Joint Maritime Warfare School at Halibx was brought to the West Coast to conductthe course for some 58 naval and air force officers of the RCN, RCAF and USN. In the photo foursenior staff officers of the Halifax School's instructional staff are shown looking over a tactical plot.They are, left to right: Squadron leader G. G. Agnew, chief instructor; It.-Cdr. D. M. Maclennan;Cdr. A. H. Rankin, RCN director, and Wing Commander J. E. Creeper, the RCAF director. (E-37999)

HMCS DiscoverySurgeon Captain David L. Johnstone,

former principal medical officer at Dis­COVC1'y, the Vancouver naval division,and currently welfare officer, recentlyreceived what has become a rare awardin Canadian naval circles: the Volun­teer Reserve Decoration. The medalwas presented by Cdr. Jack Stevenson,commanding officeI' of the Vancouverdivision.

NAVAL DIVISIONS

VC 920

VC 920, reserve air squadron attachedto York, paraded en masse as the escortat the funeral in August of Petty Offi­cer John Frederick Therrien in King­ston.

PO Therrien, once attached to YOl'kat Downsview, died August 14 in theMagnificent wh.ile York's air squadronwas serving on board.

Rev. W. E. L. Smith, Protestant chap­lain at HMCS Catamqui, officiated.

HMC Ships Brockville and DigbyEarly in October the Bl'ockvillc and

Digby sailed from Esquimalt with 70members of the British Columbia Di­vision of the Canadian Medical Asso­ciation on a two-hour familiarizationcruise in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The doctors and their wives who em­barked in the two ships were some ofthe delegates attending the B.C. Divi-sion Convention in Victoria. Captain Johnstone recently completed Prompt action on the part of a duty

20 years service as an officer in the petty officer in reporting an oil slickDuring the cruise the two ships car-

ried out a number of evolutions and RCNVR and RCN (R) and at the pre- on York's waterfront prevented a seri-sentation it was disclosed that it was ous fire and damage to naval craft.performed a jackstay transfer and

man-overboard drill. actually a 3D-year anniversary. He PO Edward Colebourne was making-----------------------ha.d-jQined-tb.e--,r-e-S8-1'¥6---aJ>-a-n-el'flinR1'Y----ni-ght-i,ouncl-s-l'eecllt-:ly-when-he-n-otieed--

seaman at Regina in 1926 and had heavy oil on the water surface next toworked his way to commissioned rank. York's jetty. The slick extended to

In civilian life Surg. Captain John- the breakwater and beyond the navalstone is with the Department of Vet- division's waterfront area. PO Cole-erans Affairs in British Columbia. bourne immediately reported the sight-

ing to the staff officer, Lt.-Cdr. LloydDavies, who had gone ashore for theevening. York notified the Torontoharbour police and the fire departmentand set up an all night patrol to pre­vent smoking on the jetty. Samplesof the oil were taken and found to behighly inflammable.

A short time later it was learned thatthe oil slick had been swept in fromthe lake by a southwesterly wind earlythat night. While it had been noticedby a yachtsman previously, it had notbeen reported to proper authorities. Atthe time, York had a Fairmile, a har­bour craft and three whalers in thewater. The jetty is immediately ad­jacent to the National Yacht Clubanchorage.

On duty at the time with PO Cole­bourne were Ldg. Sea. J. C. Taggartand Sergeant W. Niven, Commissionaire.

sailing facilities were made availableby the RCN Sailing Association andthe Royal Victol'ia Yacht Club. Danceswere arranged by the CPOs and POsMesses in Nadcn and at the Fleet Club.Gunnery officers from the GTC, Naden,challenged theil- American counterparts

. to a rifle shoot at Heal's Range-whichthe RCN won- and this was foHowedby an excellent barbecue supper. Manyindividuals entertained officers and menfrom the different ships during theirfour-day stay.

Official praise for the "warm andgenerous" hospitality extended by thecitizens of Victoria was expressed byRear-Admiral Collins before the squad­ron sailed: "From the commanding offi­cers of the ships under my command,"he said, "I have received nothing butglowing reports of the many kindnesseswhich have been extended to them,their officers and men."

Page nineteen'

CHIPPAWA LEARNS ABOUT SELF-HELPSeamen's Mess, New Canteen Product of Co-operation

A- YEAR of operating has provendecisively in HMCS Chippawa,

the Winnipeg naval division, that aprogram of self-help in - providingpleasant amenities for the ship's com­pany has paid off in terms of increaseduse of the ship's facilities and, inci­dentally, has become a source of majorrevenue for the ship's fund.

The two areas which have been af­fected by this scheme are the men'smess and the dry canteen. Before theautumn of 1955, the men's mess couldnot, by any stretch of the imagination,be considered a place designed to at­tract both men and their guests to apleasant social evening. The resultwas a decided lack of support.

A new mes~ committee, headed byOrd. Sea. P. W.. Peters, RCN (R) andassisted by Lt.-Cdr. (S) C. E. Chapple,RCN, supply officer, determined toproduce a change. In late Septem­ber, 1955, a meeting was held by adozen mess members, including a mem­ber's wife, who provided feminineopinion on colour scheme, decoration,etc. At this meeting, general plans.were drawn up for the layout of thenew mess. Money, labour and mate­rials were the initial problems to be "­tackled by the committee. It wasgratifying to see just what could beaccomplished by members themselvesand by their friends in various trades.

In many instances attractive addi­tions to the mess were provided at nocost. In other cases, the cost was ex­tremely low and the work was donein the most part by members them­selves. The needed money came froma mess levy and from dances and en­tertainments held to provide financialsupport for the mess.

From the time of. the commandingofficer's concurrence with the project,in mid-September, it was consideredthat two months would be needed tocomplete the new mess. However, dueto the inithltive and energy of all hands,working' evenings, weekends and holi­days, the entire project was finlshedonly six weeks after permission wasgiven to go ahe~d.

On November 5, 1955, Mrs. L. B.McIlhagga, wife of the commandingofficer, opened a men's mess whichhas few, if any, equals in the service.

.Since the gala opening, completewith orchestra, buffet supper and en­t~Ttainment, the mess has never lookedback. Attractive and gay, it is tIre

Page twenty

Industry, co-operation and, it is suspected, some adept scrounging provided HMCS Chippawa,the Winnipeg naval division, with a handsome seamen's mess without adding a cent to the burdensof the taxpayer. A similar outburst of energy and ambition produced the modern canteen shownhere. Dances and other special projects raised the funds for the two ambitious undertakings. (Photosby Frederic Perry, Winnipeg.)

This photograph is proof that history can or will repeat Itself. The Second World War scene atJetty 5, HMC Dockyard, Halifax, shows the first HMCS Ottawa alongside with the first HMCS Assini­boine outboard. It is a scene likely to repeat, for two more ships of the same names in servicewith the RCN will be based at Halifax. They are the second Assiniboine, an anti-submarine de­stroyer escort commissioned at Sorel, P.Q., on August 16 this year, and her sister ship, the thirdOttawa, to be commissioned at Montreal on November 10.

centre for social activities for the men,their wives and friends. The mess hasdrawn the admiration of many visitorsto the division.

The second project was the estab­lishment of a canteen which wouldamply fill the needs of sailors andwrens and would provide a place forthe permanent staff to have their mealson board.

For some time a part-time operationhad been carried on by the Ex-Wrens'Association, but with the growth of theentire division, this proved to be toobig an undertaking for voluntary help.In September, 1955, the staff supplyofficer opened a new canteen, operatedby and for the ship's company and staffwith civilian help. Starting off withthe former smaller canteen, the servinghatch was enlarged and fitted with anarborite counter. Within the canteenitself, the grill, soup kitchen, toaster,coffee maker and other equipment wereinstalled, and the canteen was wiredto naval specifications without incur­ring any charge to public funds.

Gl'adually the canteen was redecor­ated and was equipped with a lunchcounter and proper snack bar typestools. Finding a restaurant out of thecity about to be modernized, the staffsupply officer was able to purchase 12restaurant booths at a nominal sum.Colourful redecoration was carried outand the whole area became an attrac­'tive place where all hands may enjoyhot lunches and sandwiches at reason­able prices.

On Thursdays, for example, there isnormally a busy trade as this is steakday, and an excellent T-bone steak,french-fried potatoes, vegetables, rollsand coffee are served for 65 cents. Thecanteen is open for lunch, during theevenings and weekends, and has re­ceiyed the fullest support from all re-

service and permanent force personnel.In one summer month, a usually quietperiod, the gross profit ran into fourfigures.

All in all, these two fine examples ofself-help within the division, involvingno expense to the Crown, have provenhappy and profitable ventures.

Signals Just PartOf Meny Din

The only thing they didn't haveto 'Norry about was pedestrians, ac­cording to Lt. -Cdr. D. P. Brownlow,reporting on activities at Yarmouthwhen his cornmand, HMCS Quinte,aided in escort duties for MV B!ue­nose on the occasion of Bluenose Daycelebrations this ~'ear.

"Traffic In the harbour was uncon­trolled," noted Lt.-Cdr. Brownlow. "Anumber of trawlers gaily decoratedboth with flags and people milledabout in company with other craft.

"These water 'hot-rods' with sirensscreaming proceeded to carry out theirown version of the game of 'chicken'with MV B!uenose and HMCS Quinte.

"The situation began to assume theproportions of an old time movie.Among the din and the roar of sirens,horns, bands and plain old-fashionedyelling, I strongly suspect our at­tempts to make proper sound sig­nals in compliance with The Rulesbranded us as good sports for gettingin the spirit of things.

"As one local fisherman put it: 'Youknow how it is, sir, we're havil1g abit of a celebration today.'''.

The expressions "four-engine ice" and "six-engine ice" have become familiar ones on board the--r-----~~~~~~========,--A-rctk-patrol-ship-l-abrado,.,;n~icating-as-they-do-the-amount-of-p'ower-th-ar-1ms1o-besummoned

up to crash through an icefleld. In this particular instance the labrador had to put to use her morethan 10,000 horsepower to break a path through eight-feet-thick floes-"six-engine" ice. (lAB-1574)

Aerial view of the new Naval Supply Schoolat the RCN Supply Centre in the Montreal sub.urb of Ville La Salle district. Buildings fromleft to right as shown in the accompanyingchart are (1) the wardroom and officers'quarters, (2) cldministration and classroom build.ing, (3) chiaf cIMd petty officers' block, and (4)messhall and men's block. (0·8813)

A NEW HOME FOR THE SUPPLY SCHOOLSurroundings Keep Step with Progress of Branch

W ITH APPROPRIATE fanfare, theNaval Supply School in Mont­

real was formally opened on September28. Since it forms a significant portionof the 96-acre multi-million dollarNaval Supply Centre in Montreal's, VilleLa Salle district, the opening cere­monies evoked a justifiable number ofsuperlatives.

Civic dignitaries, senior members ofthe Armed Forces, associated architects,engineers, contractors and their wivesattendt\d the formalities, which includedceremonial divisions of 225 officers andmen of HMCS Hochelaga, the "ship"that administers the naval componentof the Centre.

Rear-Admiral R. E. S. Bidwell, FlagOfficer Atlantic Coast, attending fromHalifax as guest of honour, represent­ing the Chief of the Naval Staff, saidthat "the Supply Branch has come alongas no other branch of the Navy" andpraised its members, the facilities of themodern centre and the development ofthe new school. He was introduced by

Fecge twenty-two .

Rear-Admiral (S) M. J. R. Oscar Cos­sette, now retired in Ottawa, the firstand only RCN supply officer to haveattained flag rank.

Distinguished guests included EdgarLeduc, MP; Dr: Charles Kirkland, MLA;Mayor Maurice Lacharite, MD; andcouncil of Ville La Salle. Representa­tives from Naval Headquarters includedCommodore James Plomer, DeputyChief of Naval Personnel; Commodore(S) C. J. Dillon, Supply Officer-in­Chief, and Commodore (S) R. A.Wright, new Naval Comptroller. Therewere others representing the ArmedForces and RCMP in the Quebec Area.

The ceremonies began at 10.30 a.m.A smart. guard was mounted for Ad­miral Bidwell, composed of supply per­sonnel with Instructor Lt.-Cdr. Ray­mond Cole in command. Following theinspection of the guard and ship's com­pany, prayers were offered by Rev. Dr.E. G. B. Foote, Protestant Chaplain ofthe Fleet and by Rev. James A. Mac­Lean, Assistant Chaplain of the Fleet

(RC), who spoke in English and French.The Stadacona band provided parademusic.

Captain (S) Murray A. Davidson,welcomed the guests in both languages,saying: "We now have the very finestfacilities and accommodation to carryout our training mission . . . we areproud and pleased to be members of(this) community". He is command­ing officer of the Naval Supply Centreof Hochelaga, the latter making himthe first sUpply 'officer in the Navy tocommand a, ship.

The officer-in-charge of the school,Cdr. (S) .Tohn W. Maxwell, was on theparade square throughout in his otherrole as executive officer of Hochelaga.

Following the march past of the divi­sions, the guests walked around the sixbrick and concrete buildings then at­tended a reception and buffet luncheonin the wardroom. A ship's companydance was held that evening on the basewith musical accompaniment by mem­bers of the Stad band.

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

Rear-Admiral R. E. S. Bidwell, Flog Officer Atlantic Coast, tastes soup prepared in the maingalley at HMCS Hochelaga and finds verification of his words of praise for naval cookery today.He was guest of honour at the formal opening of the Naval Supply School in the RCN Supply Centre,Montreal, on September 28. Captain (S) Murray A. Davidson, who commands the· Centre, is on theleft, and PO E. J. Leclair on the right. (ML-4967)

Ceremonial divisions formed part of the formalities at the opening of the Naval Supply Schoolin Montreal on September 28. The admiral's guard, port of the ship's company of Hochelaga andStadacona bond are shown on the square. In the foreground are some of the 150 service and localguests who witnessed the ceremony. (ML·4958)

Page twenty-three

as senior lieutenants or junior lieuten­ant-commanders. There are a varietyof short courses in all supply subjectsfor officers and cadets of the reserveand for men and wrens in all supplytrades and levels. Civil servants at thejunior administrative level in varioussupply depots also take courses here.

As well as trade subj~---BlLs-e~n~jo",r,-----_

courses include such things as super­vision service management, instruc­tional technique and accounting. Last,but not least, all classes have regularparade training and PT.

Of the 21 classrooms, four have fold­ing partitions which can divide themto make a total of 25 classrooms. Fourare fully equipped for cookery, bakeryand butchery training and seven haveblackout screens for training aid pro­jections.

Nine officers are devoted to admini­stration of Hochelaga and 10 involveinstructional activity. Other faciliiesinclude a conference room, a sick bayand an assembly hall, with projectionbooth, whose seating capacity is morethan 300.

The accommodation offered men ofHochelaga is a far cry from that of pre­war days. The men's block consists ofthree decks, each with its own laundryroom, fully equipped, and two wash­rooms where terrazzo tiling has beenwidely used. There are two large foy­ers on the first deck done in red tile

ling storesmen, cooks and stewards iscarried out at the School except at thetrade group two level. Candidateswrite examinations for the latter intheir own ships with the School mark­ing the papers.

RCN officers qualify for lieutenant(S) here and take advanced courses

Although clnsses had begun last Jan­uary, the formal opening was delayeduntil all the fa cilities had been com­pleted and the grounds squared away.On September 28 the school had about195 trainees. It can handily accom­modate up to 275 but, in an emergency,this could be increased to 420.

The school (then lIMC Supply School)was formerly situated on the West Coastand, in the nine years of its existencethere, some 6,000 naval personnel, in­cluding reserves, passed through itsportals on a variety of courses con­nected with stores, victualling, account­ing and secretarial activity of the Navy.

It was shifted to the Supply Centrein view of the benefits to be derivedfrom instruction imparted in an areaof concentrated supply activity to whichthe various curricula are related. Classesbegan in January.

The new school embodies six build­ings of brick and steel construction andas nearly fireproof as human ingenuitycan devise. It is situated adjacent tothe Naval Supply and Aviation Supplydepots that are the other componentsof the centre and is a stone's throwfrom the Lachine Canal.

A two-storey structure contains offi­ces administering to Hochelaga and theschool and is often termed the "pulse"of the establishment. It also holds 21classrooms, a conference room and anassembly hall. The other buildings in­clude quarters for the men, a messhall, a block for chief and petty offi­cers and another for officers.

All technical training for administra­tive and pay writers, naval and victual-

and a large lounge which is primarilyused as a TV room. The building willaccommodate 212 men and double thatby installing two-tier bunks in thecabins.

In addition to the single beds therenow, for which clean linen is providedtwice weekly, each cabin is equippedwith reading lamps, writing desk andchair, a leather-upholstered occasionalchair and clothes closet, complete withmirror. Canteens and a reference andrecreational library are located else­where.

The quarters for chief and petty of­ficers are a small replica of the men'sblock, accommodating 40 but capableof taking 80 in double bunks.

There is a parade square and Hoche­lagas have noted that, with morning andceremonial divisions, age-old Coloursand Sunset and freighters churning upthe Lachine Canal close by, blowingplaintively for the drawbridge, "it isdifficult to realize that HMCS Hochelagais in the heartland of Canada-1,500miles from the nearest ocean".

Supply activity in the Navy in pre­war years is in extreme contrast tothat of the present day. Until the war,

Admiral Has KindWords for Cooks

Warm praise for the way the SupplyBranch is turning out good cooks camefrom the guest of honour during cere­monies formally opening the NavalSupply School in Montreal Septem­ber 28.

Rear-Admiral R. E. S. Bidwell. FlagOfficer Atlantic Coast, attending theopening fro'm Halifax, said present daytraining given Navy cooks makes them"actually 'chefs' ".

He said, moreover, that "the Navy,in a way, is doing a good turn to thenation as a whole" through its cook­ery training. The country has bene­fited from naval cooks who, whentheir time is up, are hired by "all thebest hotels and restaurants". This ishaving a good effect in the touristbusiness, since Canada has for longbeen criticized on the lack of goodfood proffered visitors from outside.

Admiral Bidwell told the 150 digni­taries at the ceremony that the cook­ery school facilities in the Naval Sup­ply School were "perhaps the best onthe continent". He recalled the dayswhen the Navy had expanded in theSecond World War from a couple ofthousands to more than 90,000 withthe resultant lag in the provision ofenough good cooks to cope with theenormous expansion.

all supply officers and just five or sixmen were trained by the Royal Navyand the rest got their knowledge onthe job.

Formal training was not begun inCanada until 1940 and then only on asmall scale on each coast, In Stada­cona, training of cooks and victuallingassistants began at this time, followedlater that year and early in 1941 byclasses for writers, supply assistantsand accountant officers. Classes wereheld in messdecks, in various. nooksand crannies of Stadacona and in thebasement of the United MemorialChurch on Kaye Street nearby.

The first accountant officers gradu­ated in late March, 1941. A reportfrom the Commanding Officer, RCNbarracks, to the Commanding OfficerAtlantic Coast contained the observa­tional gem: "A second course was com­menced and rumours of a third con­tinued to startle all branches of theService."

So, within the service experience ofmany supply personnel, facilities havegrown from a church basement in 1940to the present efficient centre in Mon­treal.

The thrilling beauty of the square· rigger will soon be gone forever from the face of the seas. This member of a vanishing class. of ships isthe U.S. Coast Guard's training vessel Eagle, photographed off Chebucto Head, at the entrance to Halifax hcorbour, by Ldg. Sea. James Oakes, ofStadacona. (HS·43940)

Page twenty-four

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

THE NAVY PLAYS

PO George Tory, serving in the Crescent, won the lieutenant Governor's Trophy in the eighthannual Pacific Command Rifle Association shoot, held at Heal's Range in September. CommodoreP. D. Budge, Commodore RCN Barracks, who presented the prizes at the end of the three-day meet,is seen herll giving the lieutenant Governor's Trophy to PO Tory. (E-37620)

Cornwallis KeepsSoccer Title

HMCS Cornwallis retained the NovaScotia soccer championship and theHalifax Ch1'Onicle-Hemld trophy whenthey defeated Sydney's Broadway Ram­blers recently.

The game, played at 'Wanderer'sGrounds in Halifax, ended in a scoreof 4-2. The smooth-working Ramblersheld a 2-0 lead at half-time but Corn­wallis made a terrific comeback in thelast 45 minutes over the short-handedSydney team.

Trophies and individual medals werepresented after the game by the Hon.Alistair Fraser, Lieutenant Governor ofNova Scotia.

Snmmer S/101'tsSchedu.le Enlls

With the interpart summer sportsschedule completed the fall and winterprogram is now underway at Stadacona.

The interpart softball league woundup with a three-way tie for first place,Electricai HA", Electrical HB" and TASsharing the honours. In sudden-deathplayoffs, Electrical HA" de!eated the

other two to become the 1956 InterpartSoftball Champions.

The interpart soccer league saw theSixth Submarine Squadron win overTAS and MTE, who tied for secondplace.

Studaeona reached the semi-final ofthe Nova Scotia Soccer Championshiponly to be beaten by C07'11wallis by ascore of 4-0.

In the Tri-Service Soccer Champion­ships, held in Cornwallis, Stadaconawas beaten in the finals by Shearwaier,with a score of 2-1.

In the outdoor tabloid of sports tenteams of 20 men competed. ND Schooltopped the field with the TAS Schoola close second.

After a near disastrous start (losing70-0 to Shearwater) , the representativefootball team began showing strength.The second game, played away againstRCAF Greenwood, was a closer one,although a loss of 35-20, but moralewas vastly improved. Later at Anti:"gonish, the Stadacona team took itsfirst victory by defeating St. FrancisXavier University. Early indicationsshow that gate receipts will roughly

cover the expenses involved in produc­ing a team.

During the visit to Halifax of theUSS Iowa several contests were ar­ranged. Stadacona played golf, soft­ball and basketball against the visitors,and after each match, the visitors wereentertained with refreshments.

Two men from Stadacona were onthe Navy team which took part in theOlympic Boxing Trials in Montreal.They were: AB M. R. Lewis, whowas beaten in his opening fight, andLdg. Sea. R. F. Shanks, 1955 holder ofthe Canadian amateur lightweight title,who lost out in the finals of his weight.

Sailor JPins SpotIn Olympic Trials

AB Rodger Klamie, Sioux, won theB.C. light-heavyweight wrestling titleat the British Columbia Olympic trialsat Quesnel, B.C., and CPO Jim Good­man, well-known for his wrestlingprowess, was runner-up in the heavy­weight division.

These positions gave the two Navygrapplers a chance to represent theRCN as well as British Columbia atthe Canadian Olympic trials and Can­adian Championships in Winnipeg.

CPO Goodman has been coaching ABI\:lamie since he took up wrestling thisyear, making his provincial victory aspectacular achievement.

PO Tory JPinsRifle Trophy

PO George Tory, Crescent, won theLieutenant-Governor's Trophy in theeighth annual Pacific Command RifleAssociation shoot, held at Heal's Range.

The meet proved to be an outstand­ing success, with personnel from' theGunnery Training Centre and Nadendoing fine work on target marking andother duties.

At the conclusion of the three-dayshoot, prizes were presented by Com­modore P. D. Budge, Commodore RCNBarracks.

The prize list was as follows: Firstday: 9mm Lanchester match, Lieut. L.J. Parry, Ste. The?'ese: the Lt.-Cdr.H. D. Cuthbert Trophy, AB J. E. Chalk,Ste. The?'ese; The Commodore K. L.Dyer Trophy, PO J. O. Stark; NadenPOs' match, Ldg. Sea. J. A. Elliott, On­tario: the Captain H. Collings match,CPO G. W. Grotke, Cayuga; services

Page twenty-five

Cornwllllis WinsTwo Out of Three

The Cornwallis Cricketers provedtheir mettle in September when theytook two games out of three in ex­hibition cricket matches.

They lost the first match to HMSAmb1'ose, 120-71, on St. Mary's Univer­sity grounds at Halifax, but took thesecond game from Shearwate1', 140-38,on the same pitch.

Later at C01'nwallis they again de­feated ShCCLrwater by a score of 123-106.

decrease the numbers. Instead, therehas been a substantial increase in thenumber of youngsters attending, somuch so that two new periods havebeen added to accommodate them.

There are now in excess of 500children registered in the three groups:non-swimmers, beginners and juniors(those who have not passed the inter­mediate test).

500 ChilclrenLellrn to Swim

Swarms of naval children attendedthe opening of the children's classes inswimming at the P&RT Centre, Naden.The cancellation of the intermediateand senior swimmer groups failed to

r.I_\~~~A. F. Eisnor, of Edmonds Grounds, rigs a model of an 1890 Nova Scotia trading schooner,

which he is building for the Maritime Museum at Halifax. The model will be presented to theMarine Museum of the Seamen's Church Institute of New York as a gjft from Canada. The NewYork museum has about 250 ship models from all aver the world. (HS-45688)

Softball GameCloses Sellson

Albro Lake wound up its summersports activities with an" exhibitionsoftball game against Newport Corner,Naval Radio Station.

After the game a buffet supper wasserved and a social evening was heldin the Chief and Petty Officers' Messat Newport Corner, with players, spec­tators and wives attending.

The other finalist, Stadacona, defeatedGreenwood RCAF 4-2. Other teamstaking part were Cornwallis and Sec­ond Battalion Black Watch.

ShellrwaterSoccer Champ

Shearwater won the tri-service soccerchampionship of Nova Scotia defeat­ing Stadacona, (1955 champions) 2-1at C01'nwallis in the final. Seven ser­vice teams took part in the tournament.

Shearwater got into the final by win­ning 5-4 over the First Battalion BlackWatch, and 1-0 over Halifax Garrison.

condition shoot, Sgt. F. Drysdale, 16thScottish Regiment: Majo"r E. A. Evansservice condition aggregate for PCRATyros and Greenshot, CPO Grotke,Cayuga.

The Bren gun match was won by ateam from Ontm'io, which also had thewinning team for the Services VI teammatch. The Manufacturers' Life ShieldTeam Shoot went to Naden Supply.

Second" day: Little and Taylor Tro­phy, Con. Lieut. G. E. Churchill; Littlematch, PO Frank Ball; greenshotmatch, CPO F. W. Noyes, Naden; Lieu­tenant Governor's Trophy, PO GeorgeTory; Montague Bridgman Award, Pt.W. Lightburn, Seaforth Highlanders;Greenshot Aggregate, PO Tory (forwhich he received a new award, theLieut. W. D. Johnson Trophy andminiature); BCRA Tyro Aggregate, POJohn Pringle, .!Vaden; Cadet aggregate,LjCpl. Charles Erith Smith, 16th Scot­tish Cadets.

Third day: the Lieutenant Governor'sTrophy, second stage, PO George Tory:the Malahat Trophy Match, Mrs. EileenLearoyd; All-Comers Aggregate, POFrank Ball, Naden; Grand Aggregate,PO George Tory; Service Rifle Cham­pionship, Sgt. F. Drysdale, 16th ScottishRegiment.

A three-man team, consisting ofBCRA senior shots, challenged threeBCRA tyros in a 30-minute coachedmatch at 500 yards. The results were141-150 to 135-150 for the seniors.

Swim Meet WonBy Cornwallis

Cornwallis swimmers led the field allthe way when they represented theRCN at the Nova Scotia Senior Out­door Swimming and Diving Champion­ships held at Hantsport, N.S.

Out of 13 events the Navy swim­mers took first place in eight of them,placed second in four and held a thirdplae,e in one, for a total of 69 pointS.They also had wins in both the Medleyand the Free-Style Relays.

Navy's points were more than doublethose of the next contenders, HalifaxYMCA, who had 26. Waegwoltic Clubof Halifax had 25 points, Lake Banook

. swimmers made nine points and Mid­dleton had eight.

Page twenty-six

OPERATIONAL HISTORYOF MEDICAL SERVICES

OFFICIAL HISTORY OF TI-IE CANADIANMEDICAL SERVICES, 1939-1945. Vol. 1. Or­ganization and Cmnpaigns; 1956. 568 pp.Edited by W. R. Feasby, BA, MD, illus­trated with paintings and photographs byCanadian war artists and photographers;Inaps dra\\Tl1 by Captain C. C. J. Bond; pub­ltslrecl-o---y-8uperllnenaem of Governn1entPublications, Departlnent of Public Printingand Stationery, Ottawa; $5.

that each base was eventually equippedto meet all its needs.

While in these few pages, the historyand organization of the Naval MedicalServices and the opportunity Inadeavailable to them of enjoying the re­search facilities of the Banting-BestInstitute, are covered reasonably well,son1e picture of the services in actionis disappointingly wanting. Better useof available source lnaterial might havebeen 111ade.

Several accounts contributed by Ined­ical officers who were in action mighthave been utilized to give an idea ofthe particular type of conditions underwhich war time medical attention atsea was frequently given. We have inmind reports such as those of the Can­adian surgeon lieutenant in the armedmerchant cruiser Voltaire, who hasrelated his experiences both duringthe sinking of the ship and his laterconfinement in a prison camp, or ofthose describing the agonizing condi­tions under which treatment was ap­plied to the broken bodies salvagedfrom the mined Weybtt1'n.

This volume, like the first, is thor­ough and definitive in the field ofmilitary medicine. The solid bindingand attractive presentation leave noth­ing to be desired.-C.H.B.

CPO JOHN LESLIE MATTHEWS, 44,C1CS4, Lachute, P.Q., joined October 20,1930; served in Naden, HMS Victo1'y, HMSHood, AnnentieTes, Vancouve1', F1'ase1', Co­rnox, St. Hyacinthe, P1'ince David, Niobe,Fo?'tune, Saskatchewan, PTince RupeTt, NavalRadio Station ChiIno, Avalon, GloucesteT,Bytown, Cove1'daLe, Discove?'y; awarded Can­adian Forces Decoration; retired Noveluber6, 1956.

CPO ROBERT !{IRBY PARRY, 41, C1NS3,joined Septelnber 2, 1935; served in Stada­cona, SagUe?lay, Fundy, Ventu?'e, P1'inceDavid. Anl,bl.e'l', Gaspe, Restigouche, Bytown,Conestoga, Sta?', Punche1', Naden, Uganda,PeTeg1'ine, FOTt Ra?nsay, Yo?'k, Wall.acebu?'g,Scotian Queen Cl1a1'lotte, Shea?'wateT, CO?"tl­wallis, l-Iaida, I-Iu1'on; awarded CanadianForces Decoration; retired October 30, 1956.

CPO .JOHN JOSEPH TAYLOR, 38, C2RT4,of Halifax, joined June 8, 1936, served inStadacona,' Saguenay, Skeena, Naden, Os­p?'ey, Victory, D0111inion, Niobe, Ni?n?'od,He1Jatica, Co?'nwallis, Peregrine, Scotian, 11'0­quois, lVlagnificent, Newp01't Corne1's, Que­bec; awarded Long Service and Good Con­duct Medal; ret~red July 13, 1956.

Page twenty-seven

SIX RETIREMENTS ANNOUNCEDCPO DONALD CURRIE, 37, C2ET4, Wa­

dena, Sask., joined Septen1ber 23, 1936; servedin Stadacorw., St. LauTent, S1ceena, Reindee'l',Sn01vbe?TY, Spikena?'d, Avalon, ottawa, Co?'n­wal,Hs, Niobe, PeregT1:ne, C?'escent, Scotian,Nootka, La HuHoise, Llewellyn, Magnificent,By town, I?'oquois; aV\'arded Long Service andGood Conduct Medal; retired October 10,1956.

CPO GUY ATTWOOD CROSS, 37, C2RP2,of Mosher Hiver, N,S., joined June 6, 1936;served in Stadacona, Saguenay, St. Lau'rent,Skeena, Ottawa, Lynx, Avalon II, Avalon,BitteTsweet, F?'edericton, GeoTgian, COTnwaL­lis, RCNAS, I?'oqH,ol,s, Noot1ca, Haida, Mag­nificent, La I-Ittlloise, Po?'tage, York; awardedCanadian Forces Decoration; retired June 5,1956.

CPO THOMAS DAVIS, 38, C1EM3, Guelph,Ontario, joined Septen1bel' 23, 1936; servedin Stadacona, Saguenay, Gaspe, Skeena, Res­tigouche, Niobe, HMS Buxton, COTnwallis,Wan'ioT, New Wate?'fOTd, Royal Mount, Pe?'­egTine, PeterboTough, Nlagnificent, Mic?nac;awarded Canadian Forces Decoration; retiredSepten1ber 22, 1956.

Yours truly,

PHILIP CHAPLIN

Letter to Editor

Bool{s for tIle Sailor

Manotick, Onto

V OLUME I of "The Official IIistoryof the Ca nadian Medical Services

1939-1945", dealing with the organiza­tion of the Canadian Medical Servicesand the campaigns in which they wererepresented, has just appeared. VolulneII, covering clinical subjects and pre­senting statistics for all services, ap­peared in 1953.

In Canada, medical services wereplaced on an organizational basis in1885. The Riel Rebellion and SouthAfrican War found them active. TheCanadian Army lv.I:edical Corps itselfmay be said to date froln 1909. Atthe outbreak of the First World War, itwas comparatively small in numbersbut was probably as well prepared asany other corp s. The years follovvingthe war again cut down its strength.Medical mobilization plans were frag­mentary at the outbreak of the SecondWorld War.

These early years are touched onbriefly. The rest of the volume pre­sents a con1prehensive and closely-de­tailed history of organization, adlnini­straHon and can1paigns of the arlnylnedical services during the SecondWorld War.

Medical services of the Royal Can­adian Air Force are considered, whilea brief section (pp. 327-337) toucheson those in the Royal Canadian Navy,Before 1939, an extremely small nucleusof practising physicians, who held com­lnissions in the Royal Canadian NavalVolunteer Reserve, examined recruitsfor the reserve divisions. The resultwas that at the outbreak of war, therewere few medical officers in the RoyalCanadian Navy who were familiar withthe standards of physical fitness theservice required of its recruits. Thatthe newly entered doctors in the re­cruiting centres learned quickly wasshown, .however, when the recruitsreached the coast. Of these men, only10·1 per cent were rejected upon medi-

Sir: cal grounds, and of those accepted only3·5 per cent were later eliminated for

Further to the remarks on the left... medical reasons. These were the low-handed commander on page 11 of the est rates for any service.August number of The Crowsnest: In September 1939 there were noLeftenant is the traditional pronuncia- naval hospitals. But improvised wardstion of the word, and Chaucer spel,_l_e_d__quickly appeared and ultimately nine

---u Just----as-Tllave here. Pronunciflfions naval hospitals were built. Labora-without the "f" are influenced by the tories and specialists were added sospelling which was altered to conformwith the French at a later period. Onthe subject of peculiar naval pronuncia­tions Punch published this poem in 1939or 1940. I don't remerrlber the title.

A nu?nber of RNVR jokes'llBe based on the fallacy that we

can't p?'onounce forecastle,A nd other exa?nples by tons'llGCCU?' to you, fa?' eXa?11'1)le therte's

studdingsail;A nurnber of us know how to say

leeward,Having l)icked it up fro?1~ so?ne old

seadog of a stooa?'d.But' 1 think OU1" only 1nistake'llBe about the pronunciation of

tackle:Not a 011 e, not a single 1ll,an jack'llF01'give us for calling it tackle.

The verse is at least a good mnemonicfor new hands.

LOWER DECK PROMOTIONSFollowing is a further list of pron10­

tions of men on the lower deck. Thelist is arranged in alphabetical order,with each man's new rating, branch andtrade group shown opposite his name.

ABNEY, Ernest T LSPW2ADAMS, Paul-Emile J LSAAIALGATE, Charles D LSQRlALLARD, Marcel J LSTD2ANDERSON, Boyd LSEMlANDERSON, Murray M LSNSlARMSTRONG, Gerald A LSRPlARSENAULT, Alyre J P2RP3AYRES, Stanley T LSAWI

BAINBRIDGE, John R LSRPIBARNES, James L LSQM2BEACH, Harry C P2EF3BEATON, Hayward H LSAAlBERENDS, Robert ' '. " .LSAAlBERGERON, Roger J LSCKIBERTIN, Reginald J LSCS2BOWNESS, Kendrick W 'PIRP3BRISDON, John H C2ET4BROOKS, Gordon D P2PW2BROWN, Allen R LSQMlBROWN,. Kenneth F P2QR2BRYNILDSEN, Sidney W PIET4BUOTE, Raymond J P2QM2BURKE; Gerald A P2TD2BURNS, Patrick J LSRPl

CADIEUX, Gaston J LSQMlCHAINE, Real. LSEMlCHALMERS, Thomas LSElVIlCHAPMAN, Howard K PIRA4CI-IAPMAN, Ronald L LSRN3CLARK, Kingsley W LSElVIlCOKER, Roy T LSAFlCOLE, George S LSRP2COLWELL, Harvey W LSPWlCOMEAU, Roger J LSMAlCOMEAU, William M LSEMICOOKE, Bruce A LSRT3COOPER, Ralph LSNS2CROMWELL, Hanford H LSAAlCROUGH, Francis P LSRN3CROWE, Donald J LSTD2CUMMING, Herbert H LSEMlCURRIE, Thomas G LSEG3CUSSON, Richard J LSMAl

pAVIES, William J LSEMlDEVEAUX Eugene J LSRPlDODD, David S LSTDlDOLHUM, Walter LSPR2DOUCETTE, Donald J LSAAIDOUCETTE, Vernon D P2QM2DOUGHERTY, Malcolm F LSRP2DOWNS, Stephen LSQMlDR.l\.KE, Gordon H LSQMl

EDMONDSON, Stewart G P2EG3EDMUNDS, Leonard J LSRPIEDWARDS, Frederick J LSTDIELTON, James R...•...........LSAP2ERIKSEN, Donald K LSEMI

FAA,. Harold M PIET4FERGUSON, Harold J LSTD2FISHER, Martin E LSQMl

Page t'wenty ...eight

FLUSKEY, William H PIEM4FORSBERG, Clarence D LSQMlFOX, Wesley D LSRPl

GATENSBY, Harold S P2QM2GEHRING, Harvey J LSCK2GIBSON, James A PIRT4GILL" James P2PR2GLOVER, William D PIQR2GRAHAM, John C LSCRlGREEN, Calvin J LSCRlGRIFFIN, Emmett J LSAW2

HAAS, Russell C PIET4HALLDORSON, James M PIER4HARRISON, Ronald L LSEMIHARRISON, Terrance M LSRP2HAYES, Lloyd E LSVSlHENDERSON, William J P2ED3HOWARD, Beverly M LSMAlHOYLE, Harry G P2RP3HUTCHINSON, Donald K P2RN3

INGRAHAM, Gordon L LSEMl

JOHNSON, Douglas L PIEM4

KELLERMAN, Wilfred H LSQM2KELLY, Michael G LSLRIKING, Robert G LSPR2KIRK, James A C2TI4KRAMER, Frank G PIET4

LARKIN, Frederick LSQ1VIlLAROUCfIE, Arthur J LSEMlLAVIGNE, Vincent J LSElVIlLEASE, Dalton I-Io .••....••••.•. LSCKILECLERC, Jack Goo PIAC2LEPINE, Jacques J LSEMILEVEY, Robert G LSEMlLLOYD, Douglas W LSCKlLOVE, William P LSAAlLUDLOW, William A LSVSl

MacGREGOR, Joseph E LSAAIMacLEAN, William B LSEMlMacMILLAN, James R LSQRlMcCORMICK, Ron P LSAP2McCOY, Donald PITD3McINTYRE, Emil E LSAFlMcKINSTRY, Grant R PIRC2McLEI~LAN,Ralph T LSQMlMcMULLIN, William 1. LSEMlMALCOLM, Donald A LSQMlMARSAW, Earl F LSEMlMARSH, Albert H P2EM2MATSUBARA, HarryT · LSQMlMAURICE, Donald E LSCK2MAZUR, Fred A P2RP2MIRON,Edward P P2RP2MONTGOMERY, James H P2TD2MOORCROFT, Thomas E C2QR3MOORE, Frederick J LSEMIMORGAN, Lloyd G LSTDlMUISE, Joseph LSQM2

MURDOCH, David G .. ~ P1EM4·MURRAY, David C LSCKI

NAIRN, David A.~ PIET4NEWMAN, Everett H LSCVlNEWMAN, George A P2LR2NICKERSON, Clinton R !: •••• P2TD3NOBLE, John W LSQM2

O'QUINN, Alfred A ~ .LSEMlO'VERY, H~rbert W '..P2EF3

_PATTERSON, John L P2QM2PAYETTE, Joseph R PITD2PEARCE, .fohn H LSCKlPECK, Joseph E LSEF3PEGG, John W LSEMIPELLEY, .Tames L LSTD2

.PETERSON, Eric G P1R'r4PLEAU, Jean B LSVS2POETS, William PIER4POLLARD, Ronald F P2EM2POLLOCK, Thomas J P2EM2

QUINN, William J , PIER4

RABB, Robert J LSRN3RAWLINGS, Henry PIET4RHYMES, Reginald H PITD3RICHARD, Jules J LSQMlRICHARDSON, Henry A P2RW3ROBARTS, Karl D P2QM2ROBERTS, George E LSPW2ROBINSON, Wilbert P2TD2ROE, James G P2TD2ROGERS, John E P2RW3ROWLAND, Roderick M LSEG3ROWLEY, Gertrude I WLME2ROYEA, Francis A P1QR3

SAMWAYS, Douglas G P2TD3SAUNDERS, Hayward M P2TD2SAVOIE, Jacques A.· LSQM2SCHELLENBERG, David J LSEMlSEVIGNY, Maurice J LSCRISHILLINGTON, Clifford T PIAA3SLOAT, Lloyd 0 LSTDISMITH,Donald C LSElVIlSNOW, Leonard R P2ED3SOPKA, William E PIPC3SPILLETT, George LSRP2SQUIRE, Robert D PIET4STEELE, Walter M PIRT4STEEVES, John A LSEMlST. LAURENT, Pierre J LSTD2

TANNER, James C LSCK2TOBIAS, James J C2PR3TOOHEY, .Lawrence E LSLRITREMBLAY, Georges F LSAAITURNER, John A P2AF2

VARDY, Alfred G LSAAlVINCENT, Roy A P2ED3

WILKIE, Roy J PIEM4WINGES, Gordon H C2RT4WORSFOLD, Donald S LSEMl

YOUNG, Wesley H PIRT4

ZAVITSKI, .Keith S LSCS2

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The Queen's Colour-a silken White Ensignbearing the Royal cypher-was paraded inVictoria's Beacon Hill park in July on the occa­sion of the unveiling of a cairn commemoratingthe presentation of the colour there on May 30,1939.

The King's Colour, as it was then known, waspresented on that day for the first time outsidethe United Kingdom by his late Majesty KingGeorge VI during the across-Canada Royal Tour.Now, two wars later and under the reign ofanother Soverign, an unpretentious monumentwas unveiled by His Excellency, the Governor­General, in proud recollection of the ceremonyof 17 years ago.

In the upper picture Lieut. (G) J. H. Wilkes,the Colour Officer, is seen parading the colour.In the lower, the Governor General unveils thecairn as CPO Gordon Fraser, cairn sentry, standsby. In the left background are Comm"dore P.D. Budge, honorary AdC, and Lieut. HamishBridgman, aide-in-waiting. Rear·Admiral H. F.Pullen, Flag Officer Pacific Coast, is hidden byHis Excellency.

The cairn is inscribed: "On this site HisMajesty King George VI presented the King'sColour to the Pacific Command of the 'RoyalCanadian Navy on the 30th May, 1939, the firsttime the Sovereign presented his colour outsidethe United Kingdom. This memorial was un­veiled on 21st September, 1956, by the RightHonourable Vincent Massey, Governor·Generaland Commander·in-Chief". (E·37015; E·37024)

11,000-11..56N,P. 575..1373

OTTAvVAED1VIOND CLOUTIER

Printer to the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty1956