International Stories: Birthday in the Mediterranean
September 12, 2011
By Lieutenant (Navy) Tony Wright and Lieutenant (Navy) Ronald Clancy
 Credit: Cpl Brandon O'Connell HMCS Vancouver patrols her “box” in Libya’s territorial waters off the port of Misrata. |
destination: Libyan territorial waters, off the port of Misrata.
Misrata is a far cry from Canada Place in downtown Vancouver where HMCS Vancouver flew her commissioning pennant on August 23, 1993.
 Credit: Cpl Brandon O'Connell PO2 Michael Surette (standing) checks on the Operations Room team while the ship is at Action Stations during a drill. |
“I am simply honoured that I was selected as coxswain for HMCS Vancouver back in July 2010. Vancouver is close to my heart, especially considering the fact that I am on the Commissioning List,”
he said. “This is the third time I have sailed in Vancouver and, really, the pride I see today within the ship’s company is not much different from what it was back in 1993. HMCS Vancouver has a great history, and I am honoured to be a part of it."
HMCS Vancouver is the third ship of that name to serve in the Royal Canadian Navy. Her predecessors were a destroyer transferred from Britain in 1928 and paid off in 1936, and a Canadian-built corvette commissioned in 1942 that earned battle honours for the Aleutian campaign and the Battle of the Atlantic and was paid off in 1945.
Today’s Vancouver is patrolling in Libya’s territorial waters to protect civilians by ensuring the flow of legitimate traffic — especially humanitarian aid — in and out of the port of Misrata.
This mission frequently brings the frigate within sight of shore. NATO ships on this station have faced fire both from shore-based artillery and rocket batteries and from small boats at sea. In the Operations Room, you can feel the heightened awareness as the sensor operators keep their eyes fixed on their screens. On the bridge, the binoculars are never still as the lookouts constantly scan for any hint of trouble.
“This crew has a shared history with the crews of Vancouver’s past,”
said Commander Bradley Peats, the commanding officer. “Sailors, some young, some a little older, travelling around the world to secure peace and help those in need — that’s what this ship is doing today, and it’s a proud tradition we carry on from the first RCN ships named HMCS Vancouver.”
People in the Navy
'Father of electronic chart' awarded Admirals' Medal
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