A look at what happens at Damage Control School

A Twin Otter from 440 Transport Squadron and a Hercules aircraft from the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing sit at Ice Camp One on Sherard Osborn Island, Nunavut, during Operation Nunalivut.

Cpl Louis Tremblay from the 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment lines up fuel cans to be transferred during Operation Nunalivut.

[caption id="attachment_6240" align="alignnone" width="300"] HMCS Winnipeg took a big hit when fishing trawler American Dynasty stuck the port side of the vessel last spring.[/caption] After nearly a year of investigation, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada has developed a picture of the events leading to the allision between United States fishing vessel American Dynasty and HMCS Winnipeg.According to the report released March 31, the board found that “a series of failures by crew and equipment led to the collision” on April 23, 2013. While the vessel was being towed to the Esquimalt graving dock, the vessel’s oiler took a call from the master, as the chief engineer was unavailable.  “At approximately 0816, the master transferred control to the engine control room. The oiler had never accepted control before, so he asked the electrician, who was also in the engine control room, about the procedure for accepting control.” The electrician then advised to push a transfer button on the propulsion panel, after which the vessel lost all electrical power. The emergency generator failed to initiate, and the bridge crew noticed the vessel accelerating from 1.6 knots to 5.0 knots and veering to starboard in the direction of Winnipeg. “Upon noticing propeller wash, the master attempted to call the engine room using the main phone, but the line was dead,” says the report. “The master then requested the first mate to go to the engine room and assess the situation. By this time American Dynasty was approximately 400m from Winnipeg.” Meanwhile, the tugs pulling the vessel also noticed the problem and attempted to correct course by towing the ship backward. They were unable to stop it when the winch on one of the tugs broke and American Dynasty pulled away. Below deck in the engine room, the chief engineer, unaware of the drastic...

LS Keith Slade, a Clearance Diver from FDU(A) checks the cables running from the Defense Research and Development Canada’s camp to underwater sensors during Operation NUNALIVUT.

Fleet Diving Unit (A) Clearance Diver, LS Mark Anderson, swims under the ice during ice diving operations at the Gascoyne Inlet Camp in Nunavut during Operation NUNALIVUT.

Clearance divers from Fleet Diving Unit (A) and Combat Divers from 2nd Division, 5 Combat Engineer Regiment conduct ice diving operations at the Combined Dive Team camp in Gascoyne Inlet, Nunavut during Operation NUNALIVUT.

[caption id="attachment_6221" align="alignnone" width="300"] PO1 Matthew Goodwin demonstrates proper lifting technique during a fitness class on the flight deck.[/caption] Who says you can’t eat healthy and get fit at sea? The ship’s company of HMCS Regina is leading the way in promoting health and fitness during its overseas deployment on Operation Artemis. Regina has implemented a number of initiatives over the course of the last four months, including diet and weight counselling, anti-smoking assistance, a Biggest Loser weight loss contest, and regular meetings of the ship’s fitness club. “We are reaching the mid-point of our deployment and we need to sustain our energy levels and stay healthy for the remainder of Operation Artemis,” said Cdr Dan Charlebois, Regina’s Commanding Officer. “We encourage the ship’s company to make healthy choices in the hopes this will lead to an overall lifestyle change while they are on board the ship, as well as when they are back home with their friends and family. If I can do it, anybody can do it.” The ship’s Physicians Assistant, WO John Hancock, provides diet and weight counselling, as well as assistance to those who want to quit smoking during the deployment. Additionally, he runs the Biggest Loser contest on the ship, which is based of the popular TV show. Participants must weigh in at every fuel stop or port visit, and their weight loss is carefully monitored by WO Hancock. The winner of the contest will be named towards the end of the deployment, and will be decided by the percentage of weight lost by each participant vice the total number of pounds they lost. To help the ship’s company lose weight and improve their overall strength and cardiovascular conditioning, Regina started a fitness club where members can share tips on sports nutrition and engage in...

[caption id="attachment_6218" align="alignnone" width="300"] UrbaCity team Sparkle My World competes at a Challenge Station on Yates before being named 2013 Champions in the Brawn category.[/caption] In June, teams of brightly coloured contestants will sprint through the streets of downtown Victoria in the name of charity. The UrbaCity Challenge takes place June 8, and is a city-wide obstacle course that pits teams of two against each other in an Amazing Race-style event, with competitors completing various tasks, puzzles, and obstacles. Businesses and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) can get in on the race through the new four person corporate challenge, or as a pair in the Brains, Brawn, and Ultra categories. “It’s a great opportunity for Victorians to get a look at their city like they’ve never seen it before,” says Priya Manhas of MAXIMUS Canada, the presenting partner for the event. “We want to put an emphasis on Victoria’s local culture, so all of our challenges will get participants up close and personal. With the CAF being such a large part of the community we hope the military represents as well.” Each team of two has a fundraising minimum of $100, while teams  of four must raise $400, with all money going directly to The Prostate Centre, a Victoria organization that provides direct support in relation to prostate health. “It’s important to MAXIMUS to support the community, so we wanted to reach out to a local organization,” says Manhas. “The Prostate Centre serves this community’s men and their families, and we wanted to do whatever we can to support them.” While the exact tasks for this year’s race are kept under wraps until the day of, Manhas says there is no end to variety. In years past, participants had to make a paper airplane together using only one hand each,...

[caption id="attachment_6215" align="alignnone" width="300"] Cannon Image Runner 3230 Multifunction device is one of many different devices that can be ordered through Base Information Services.[/caption] Base Information Services (BIS) has a great idea to save CFB Esquimalt money while improving efficiency. The plan is to switch out the single printer and the lone fax machine for a “Multifunction Device”. This piece of technology is a colour printer, scanner, copier and fax machine combined, with a hard drive to save files. Neil Grieg from BIS is heading the effort to convert both ships and shore units to the Multifunction Device, which will be leased with all maintenance included. “It’s such a simple solution to an expanding inventory of devices that cost electricity, and require different proprietary cartridges. By letting go of the idea of having a printer on your desk, and by taking an extra few steps, you are saving more money than people realize,” he says. Last year, BIS spent $80,000 on toner for the various devices in its office. The estimated cost savings of replacing eight printers with a Multifunction Device for three years is $22,770.87. The Canadian Armed Forces is required to conform to the Government of Canada’s Greening Initiative, which includes the Printer Reduction Strategy. The target is to achieve a ratio of eight people to one printer. The conversion has already started with HMC Ships Winnipeg, Regina and Vancouver, and in the shore offices of Formation Technical Authority and the Base Commander. “We used to have eight printers to 12 people and at any given time one would be out of supplies. Now we have one multifunction device on each floor instead of printers and it works great,” says Michael Morrison, Base Chief of Staff. “Having a multifunction device nearby makes it even easier to manage records...

A message to military children: you're not alone

Packed and heading across frozen terrain to set up camp in Gascoyne Inlet, Nunavut, to participate in Operation Nunalivut.

Fleet Diving Unit (A) clearance divers, LS Mark Andrew and Danny Morin, move barrels of fuel to the spill tarp at the Gascoyne Inlet Camp, during Operation NUNALIVUT.

A Hurricane RHIB is readied for man overboard exercise. At the start of April, 33 reservists in total went to sea in Orca class PCT Renard for a challenging sailing program.

Participants suited up in order to experience fighting a simulated fire below deck. At the start of April, 33 reservists in total went to sea in Orca class PCT Renard for a challenging sailing program.

Participants receive at-sea training in the engine room. At the start of April, 33 reservists in total went to sea in Orca class PCT Renard for a challenging sailing program.

HMCS Regina conducted a replenishment at sea (RAS) with United States Naval Ship (USNS) Joshua Humphreys off the coast of Somalia during Operation Artemis counter-terrorism and maritime security operations on April 2. This was Regina’s first RAS with one of its Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) coalition partners during this deployment. Although there were some differences with respect to how each navy performs this challenging evolution, this was offset by the high level of interoperability and familiarity between the United States Navy (USN) and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). “The capabilities and professionalism displayed by USNS Joshua Humphreys were very impressive and the RAS went off without a hitch,” said Lieutenant-Commander Gordon Roy, Executive Officer of Regina. “All of the CTF 150 coalition partners and participating nations benefit from sharing each other’s knowledge and expertise of the unique operational and logistical challenges posed by the Op Artemis Joint Operations Area.” The RCN participates in numerous joint operations and naval training exercises with the USN and other allied navies on a frequent basis and this pays dividends during high profile overseas deployments such as Op Artemis. The long standing relationships established during these operations and exercises enhances mutual trust and confidence in each other’s capabilities and platforms. “Our ability to sustain these kinds of operations at sea over a prolonged period requires significant logistical support from ashore or from a RAS-capable warship at sea like USNS Joshua Humphreys,” said Commander Dan Charlebois, Commanding Officer of Regina. “Being able to RAS with one of our CTF 150 coalition partners keeps us in the fight so we don’t have to leave our designated area of operations to obtain fuel ashore in a foreign port.” -Lt(N) Mark Fifield, Op Artemis Roto 4 PAO

[caption id="attachment_6142" align="alignnone" width="282"] A national initiative has begun to increase the representation of women in the Canadian Armed Forces.[/caption] A national initiative has begun to increase the representation of women in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Through a Director, Marketing and Advertising (DMA) recruitment strategy, the CAF is being showcased as an employer of choice for women. More than 50 military members have been featured in the women’s campaign so far, with over 30 providing personal testimonials to help the cause.   “Looking at the numbers of women in the CAF it has become a priority to reach out and let women know the military is a real and viable option for them,” says Peggy Thériault, Senior Marketing Advisor with the DMA. “We went out into the CAF community and found great role models to show women they too can thrive in the military.” One marketing avenue is the website www.realwomenreallife.ca. It is a partnership between DMA and HGTV and showcases how nine CAF women manage work and life goals. Local member, PO1 Shanna Wilson, Planning Chief at HMCS Malahat, offered her story to the recruiting initiative. “The first ship I was on hadn’t had any women before,” says PO1 Wilson in her entry at Real Women, Real Life. “It was just like having a bunch of brothers. As long as you give as good as you get you’ll be fine. There aren’t a lot of firsts for women left.” As a member of the Defence Women’s Advisory Group, PO1 Wilson has always had a passion for supporting the role of women in the Forces. “There’s definitely a thought in place in a lot of people that the military is primarily for men,” she says. “That just isn’t the case anymore.” The Real Women, Real Life website has proven...

[caption id="attachment_6137" align="alignnone" width="300"] - Capt (Ret’d) Peggy Sherwood[/caption] For Capt (Ret’d) Peggy Sherwood, an end to her military career has not meant an end to her humanitarian work. The 64-year-old nurse has signed on for a two-week trip to Pointe Noir, Republic of Congo, aboard the rail-ferry-turned-hospital Mercy Africa. “I’ve been doing this for almost my entire life. I wasn’t going to stop just because I’m retired from the military,” she says. “I’m still working as a civilian nurse, and this was just another opportunity to help people.” Sherwood has had a long career as a medical professional, both military and civilian. She went to school for nursing, obtaining post-secondary training through a London, Ontario, hospital before joining the army in 1971. She spent time in the army, navy, and air force, both reserve and regular forces, before retiring in 2009.“I’m very proud of my time in the military,” she says. “I spent a lot of time putting a lot of broken bodies back together, and doing whatever I could to help those in need. I will never forget my time there.” Her military career included a deployment to Afghanistan in 2008, where she served in the operating theatre at NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit at Kandahar Air Force Base. While working with surgical doctors treating wounded military members and civilians, Sherwood got a firsthand look at the after effects of war. “Treating kids was always the hardest, because there was no way they had any idea what was going on,” she says. “We always did the best work we could, but there are some things you don’t forget, things that remind you why you’re doing the work you’re doing.” After 36 years it was time for Sherwood to hang up her uniform and move to the next...

First person perspective of Exercise Spartan Trident, a three-week joint training exercise at Albert Head.

HMCS Regina uses the ship's searchlight to identify a dhow during routine Operation Artemis maritime security and counter-terrorism operations off the coast of Africa.

The naval boarding party of HMCS Regina travels in a rigid hull inflatable boat to board a dhow during routine Operation Artemis maritime security and counter-terrorism operations off the coast of Africa.

The naval boarding party of HMCS Regina prepares to board a dhow during routine Operation Artemis maritime security and counter-terrorism operations off the coast of Africa.

HMCS Calgary alongside in Vancouver during a brief port visit to refuel before heading back to sea for work-ups.

[caption id="attachment_6089" align="alignnone" width="300"] Crewmembers from HMCS Regina catalogue and destroy 132 kg of seized heroin on the ship’s quarterdeck.[/caption] HMCS Regina successfully disrupted a narcotics shipment during a patrol in its designated area of operations in the Indian Ocean on March 31, as part of Operation Artemis. Regina intercepted and boarded a dhow off the east coast of Africa and discovered over 100 packages of heroin weighing 132 kilograms in total.“This successful drug seizure is a result of the patience and perseverance displayed by the ship’s company of HMCS Regina throughout our participation in Op Artemis. It is also a credit to our collective capability to work together with our CTF 150 partners to respond in a timely and effective manner to threats to maritime security and commerce in the region,” said Cdr Dan Charlebois, Commanding Officer of ReginaThe illicit narcotics were subsequently seized, documented and later destroyed at sea, thereby ensuring they would not reach their intended recipients.This was the first drug seizure for Regina as part of its maritime security and counter-terrorism operations at sea in the Indian Ocean. Operation Artemis is Canada’s contribution to Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), a multinational maritime task force combating terrorism across the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman. “I congratulate the crew of HMCS Regina, who have certainly earned this success,” said Commodore Daryl Bates, Commander of CTF 150. “They have worked tirelessly since taking over from HMCS Toronto in February. In conjunction with the recent efforts of warships from the French, United States and Royal Australian Navies, the Royal Canadian Navy has continued to prove that the national contributions to Combined Maritime Forces can have a real impact on terrorist organizations, by disrupting their lines of funding.” -DND

Lt(N) Jim Parker and his partner, Dr. Heather Cairns, have created a photographic experience of Africa, one they invite you to embark on. The couple recently produced Children of Africa. A photographic journey, an 80-page soft cover book documenting their many travels through the continent. They say their point-and-shoot photographic approach provides a raw and emotional experience for their audience, as opposed to a professional photo approach that can diminish the candidness of the shot. “It is not a flip-through book,” the authors state at the start of the book. “This story requires your involvement…If you allow yourself to be drawn into these photographs and all that they represent, you will experience the book in the way we had hoped.” The book tells two stories, that of the authors’ journey through many of Africa’s 54 countries, and that of its people. Fittingly, the forward is by Mende Nazer, a Sudanese author, human rights activist, and slavery survivor. At age 12 she was abducted by slave traders and bought by a wealthy family in Khartoum. She lived as a slave for eight years before escaping, and eventually getting British citizenship. This enabled her to travel back to her home in the Nuba Mountains.   In her honour, an international charitable organization was formed – the Mende Nazer Foundation, which works with communities to construct primary schools, wells and water purification systems in the impoverished and war-torn Nuba Mountain region of Sudan. In the forward, she tells the story of her “hardscrabble life.” A portion of the book profits will be donated to the Mende Nazer Foundation.   The genesis of the book started in 2008 when Lt(N) Parker took a sabbatical from teaching at a private school in Victoria, and deployed to Africa as a military observer with the United Nations....

[caption id="attachment_6083" align="alignnone" width="300"] Two Cadets from 136 RCSCC Amphion in Nanaimo, B.C., carefully piece together puzzle pieces during the trivia event as judge, WO Marriott watches.[/caption] The Naden Drill Shed was a-buzz with activity on the weekend of March 22 when 88 Sea Cadets from across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba gathered for the Provincial Seamanship Competition.The annual competition saw the top eight Sea Cadet Corps from across Western Canada face off in naval knowledge, ingenuity, teamwork, and seamanship.“It’s always a great event and this year was no exception,” says PO1 Line Laurendeau, event organizer. “We’ve got some of the most dedicated, enthusiastic, and skilled sea cadets in Canada here.”Competitions included knot tying, naval history quizzes, relay races, and replica ship building.At the end of the competition, Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps 136 Amphion from Nanaimo took home top honours, including a trophy and bragging rights. PO1 Laurendeau says while there is motivation within the organization for a national competition, so far the regional event is as far as things go.“We’ve always wanted to do it, but it’s a matter of resources,” she says. “It would be great for the kids, and at the end of the day that’s who this is for. We’ll see what the future holds.” -Shawn O’Hara, Staff Writer