HMCS Oriole invited a few guests on board recently to show them what it's like to sail in a tall ship.

Coalition forces gather for a group photo prior to 33rd Annual Terry Fox Marathon of Hope 5km Run held at Camp Phoenix, Kabul, Afghanistan on Oct. 4.

HMCS Toronto’s Sea King helicopter flies over a suspect dhow on October 9, during Operation Artemis. The Dhow crew was observed throwing items overboard earlier that morning.

HMCS Protecteur conducts a liquid Replenishment At Sea (RAS) with USN ships Mobile Bay and Ingraham, during Task Group Exercises off the coast of Southern California earlier this month.

HMCS Ottawa conducts an approach to HMCS Protecteur during Task Group Exercises (TGEX) earlier this month.

CFB Esquimalt employees gather at one of the e-boxes on base as part of the Great BC Shakeout on Oct. 17. The province-wide drill was created to help residents prepare for a natural disaster.

CFB Esquimalt employees muster at the e-box by the Naden Drill Shed on Oct. 17, as part of the Great BC Shakeout, a province-wide earthquake drill.

[caption id="attachment_5015" align="alignnone" width="300"] Cpl Lessard (left) and Yao (right) pose in front of the Cormorant search & rescue helicopter that carried them to safety after four days of being stranded on Mount Jutland in Strathcona Park.[/caption] Cpl Jean-Simon Lessard had to put his survival skills to the test when he was trapped for four days in the mountains of Strathcona Park.The electrical distribution technician left Sept. 28 with friend Christopher Yao for what was to be a two day hiking trip on Mt. Albert Edward.Arriving at the park, Cpl Lessard says there was no indication such a drastic change in weather was on the way.“We didn’t hear anything about a storm when we talked to the park attendant,” he says. “The weather reports said it would be mild until Sunday, which was when we planned on leaving. We had no idea what we were in for.”The pair began their hike towards Mt. Albert Edward, following the well-worn trail past Circlet Lake and up towards the alpine. About one kilometre from the top of the mountain, Cpl Lessard and Yao realized something was wrong.“It was snowing a little bit and we found a small sign covered in snow. We brushed it off and it said ‘Mt. Jutland’,” he says. “We were on the wrong mountain. We decided to turn back then and make it back to Circlet Lake.”It was then the weather took a turn for the worse. Within minutes the 20km/hr wind kicked up to a blistering 100km/hr, bringing a blinding curtain of snow with it. Cpl Lessard and Yao were forced to make camp and wait out the weather.“We thought if we just waited for the storm to let up we could leave early the next morning,” he says. “We set up our tents next to a cliff...

[caption id="attachment_5012" align="alignnone" width="300"] Capt(N) Tim Tulloch (right), Naval Advisor for the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff London, presents Cdr James Stride, RN, HMS Duncan Commanding Officer, with a replica of the 2012 Centennial Totem in the City of Duncan.[/caption] A small piece of Duncan adorns a brand new Royal Navy destroyer following a grand ceremony Sept. 26 in Portsmouth, UK.The miniature cedar totem pole was presented to Cdr James Stride, Royal Navy (RN), commanding officer of HMS Duncan, the last of six Daring Class frigates to be commissioned by the Royal Navy.“It was a privilege and an honour to be asked to represent the Vancouver Island Branch of the Royal Naval Association and the City of Duncan,” says Capt(N) Tom Tulloch, Naval Advisor with the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff (London), who made the presentation. “It’s a tangible reminder of the enduring ties between Canada and the UK, and especially the relationship between the Royal Canadian Navy and the RN, which goes back over a century.”Principal guests at the ceremony included the ship’s sponsor Lady Marie Ibbotson, wife of Vice Admiral (Ret’d) Sir Richard Ibbotson, as well as First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir George Zambellas. The ship’s company assembled for the presentation along with a band of Royal Marines, and a piper to honour the Scottish heritage of the ship’s namesake, Admiral Adam Duncan.“The presentation was very well received by all who attended,” says Capt(N) Tulloch. “I had a lot of sailors approaching me afterwards asking questions about the carving and about the City of Duncan. Everyone was very interested and proud to have such a tangible connection to Canadian history.”The cedar statuette was carved by Kwakwaka’wakw carver Calvin Hunt, and is a one-tenth scale replica of the totem pole Hunt carved for the city of Duncan’s centennial in 2012. “It’s...

Each year Waste Reduction Week encourages Canadians to divert more of their waste away from the country’s landfills. This year Carrie Johnston of Formation Safety and Environment is asking CFB Esquimalt personnel to participate in a program that could significantly reduce waste at work. “It can be easy to forget the amount of waste we produce throughout the course of our day, but it’s important we stay aware,” says Johnston. Due to its size CFB Esquimalt is one of the more significant waste producers in the region and employees have a responsibility to exercise environmental stewardship in their daily duties, she adds. “CFB Esquimalt alone was responsible for more than 3, 300, 000 kilograms of waste material last year, of which over 1, 900, 000 was diverted from landfills,” she says. “We need to be proactive and diligent in finding more ways to reduce, reuse and recycle as much material as possible.” In the coming weeks Formation Safety and Environment in partnership with other units within Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC) will be initiating a number of pilot programs to further increase the streams of recyclable waste. These programs involve the separation and diversion of various types of recyclable materials such as soft plastics and Styrofoam, and compostable materials. “For example, with the exception of cafeterias like Nelles Block or the Wardroom, there aren’t facilities for composting kitchen and food scraps or really any organics at all,” says Johnston. “With the Capital Regional District’s looming ban of all kitchen scraps at the Hartland landfill by 2015 this is something we have to get in place as soon as possible.” Until these pilot programs are in place Johnston is challenging all units to start separating more of their recyclable and compostable materials now. By separating different materials into different containers in these...

The 2013 Government of Canada Charitable Campaign has kicked off and there are plenty of fundraising opportunities.

A search and rescue technician from 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron completes a static line jump with full gear from a CC-130 Hercules aircraft onto a simulated Cesna crash site near Miramachi, New Brunswick.

Boomer's Legacy riders cruise down the road, enjoying the scenery as they roll towards their next stop in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

HMC Ships Ottawa, Regina and Protecteur are joined by United States Navy ships Mobile Bay, Dewey, Ingraham, McClusky to take part in Task Group Exercises off the coast of Southern California.

HMCS Protecteur conducts a two point Replenishment At Sea (RAS) with HMCS Ottawa and HMCS Regina during Task Group Exercises.

HMCS Protecteur's Replenishment At Sea (RAS) Team awaits the arrival of HMCS Regina into station to conduct a liquid RAS, during Task Group Exercises.

Four Australian Hawk 127s and four F/A-18 Hornets flying in formation above Sydney Habour during the Royal Australian Navy International Review in Sydney, Australia.

As Blueprint 2020 Champion and Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs) Edison Stewart put it in his recent blog on enhancing our ability to communicate, “talking is a wonderful thing.” He says before we can make fundamental changes to how we do things, whether here at Defence or government-wide we need to communicate better, share ideas more often, and listen to what each other has to say. As the largest organization in government, with some 130,000 people in locations throughout the world, sharing ideas isn’t always easy. But just because it may be difficult does not mean it shouldn’t be done. Online forum launchedTo help share ideas, a new online forum has just been launched to encourage dialogue and knowledge-sharing, and foster an innovative and collaborative spirit across the Defence Team. Called Defence Connex, the space is located on the government-wide GCconnex platform and uses online tools familiar to many, including discussion groups, polls and blogs. To participate, all you need is a “…forces.gc.ca” email address. Defence Connex is designed to get your input on two distinct engagement initiatives currently underway at Defence: Blueprint 2020 and Defence Renewal. Blueprint 2020 is a pan-government, Public Service-specific initiative that is examining how to fundamentally transform the Public Service and is limited to public servants. At the same time, the Defence Renewal initiative is examining the way we work in order to be more efficient and effective, engaging both public servants and Canadian Armed Forces members to find opportunities to reinvest in ourselves. Although distinct, these initiatives do share one very important theme – a focus on personnel engagement to collect your insight to forge a clear path forward. A one-stop collaboration shopDefence Connex is truly a one-stop-shop for you to connect and collaborate with your colleagues from across Defence, no matter your rank, classification, which organization you serve, whether you are military or civilian, or the distances involved. Senior leaders here at Defence are interested in your thoughts, and your participation on Defence Connex...

[caption id="attachment_4934" align="alignnone" width="300"] A Hull Tech QL5 student uses a high yield fire hose to suppress the roaring flames of a simulated Sea King helicopter crash.[/caption] A group of Hull Technician Qualification Level 3 (QL3) students spent Oct. 9 beating back a roaring tower of flames as part of their Helicopter Crash Rescue Fire Fighting (HCRFF) training.Clad head to toe in fire fighting gear and spraying torrents of water from hoses, students battled a simulated Sea King Helicopter crash. “It gives students an opportunity to fight a helicopter fire with the equipment they would be using on board an HMC ship’s flight deck,” says Sgt Jeremy Buckingham, Senior Firefighter at Canadian Forces Fleet School Esquimalt (CFFSE). “In the event of a helicopter disaster on board ship they’ll have a frame of reference for the type of things they’ll be dealing with, which is invaluable when it comes to saving lives.”The boxy metal simulator contains various liquid and gas propane ejectors that pump the required fuel for the helicopter fire fighting evolution. Portions of the simulator can be ignited at varying degrees of intensity with only the touch of a button, with even at lowest levels projecting a wall of heat over 30 feet in every direction.“We’re keeping the fires low today so the students can get near it somewhat comfortably,” says Sgt Buckingham. “At the higher levels, the radiant heat can melt the paint off cars if we’re not careful. It can get quite intense.”Students suppress the flames initially using Twin Agent Units: Aqueous Film Forming Foam and Potassium bi-carbonate (Dry Chemical). “These are the tools they’ll be using on the ship,” says Sgt Buckingham. “When it comes to fighting helicopter fires it’s vital to have an in-depth understanding of your equipment and how to used it.”This year’s QL3...

[caption id="attachment_4931" align="alignnone" width="300"] HMCS Oriole braves the choppy waves of the Strait of Georgia on the way back to the home waters of CFB Esquimalt.[/caption] A hand-picked crew recently returned from three weeks sailing the tall ship HMCS Oriole in the open ocean, with their compass set for San Francisco, and then back to Esquimalt. The journey was conceived by the Fleet as an opportunity for the temporary crew to get true seafaring experience in the 92-year-old sailing ketch.“They were chosen just before we left,” says LCdr Jeff Kibble, Oriole’s skipper. “We took applications from across the Fleet for people who were most deserving of the opportunity to sail on Oriole for three weeks. We lucked out and got a really great group of people.”San Francisco’s port resides 610 nautical miles away from Oriole’s home waters. “It’s the first time I’ve taken Oriole that far,” says LCdr Kibble. “In a way it was just as great an opportunity for me as it was for them.”During the trip, the crew got a salty taste of the ocean with cresting waves up to 20 feet high with 35 knot winds. This left many holding a bucket or doubled over the edge. However, LCdr Kibble says for the most part the crew stepped it up, followed instructions, and sailed like pros. “The boat itself was never in any danger, but a lot of the crew were not used to those kinds of conditions,” he says. “We had army guys who had never sailed a day in their life. Considering that, they sailed like real salt dogs.”During their five days in San Francisco, the crew was honoured with a visit from Cassie Doyle, the Canadian Consul General for Northern California and Hawaii. “She was very interested in the ship,” says LCdr Kibble. “It...

Replenishment At Sea (RAS) station line handlers from HMCS Protecteur handle a continuous messenger line during a RAS with HMCS Ottawa on Oct. 2.

Coalition forces from Canada, United States, Turkey, Romania and Croatia pose for a group photo at Camp Blackhorse, Kabul, Afghanistan during Operation Attention.

Cpl Black of 1 Combat Engineer Regiment conducts confirmatory fire of an Afghan .50 Cal Browning heavy machine gun in Kabul, Afghanistan during Operation Attention.

Boarding party members of HMCS Toronto pack up seized narcotics after searching a suspected smuggling vessel in the Arabian Sea region on Oct. 5 during Operation Artemis.

The Sea King helicopter crew of HMCS Toronto stops a suspected smuggling dhow in the Arabian Sea region on Oct. 5 during Operation Artemis.

Cpl Christian Emond from Les Voltigeurs de Québec monitors his position during reconnaissance operations in CFB Valcartier, Québec during a primary training exercise.

[caption id="attachment_4887" align="alignnone" width="300"] HMCS Protecteur's Replenishment At Sea (RAS) Team awaits the arrival of HMCS Ottawa into station in order to conduct a RAS on Oct. 2.[/caption] HMC Ships Ottawa, Regina and Protecteur sailed from Esquimalt Harbour today to take part in conventional maritime warfare training off the coast of Southern California from Oct. 7 to 11.  “This exercise provides another excellent opportunity for ships of the Pacific Fleet to train in partnership with ships of the U.S. 3rd Fleet,” said Rear-Admiral Bill Truelove, Commander of Maritime Forces Pacific. “This not only showcases the navy’s operational readiness, but our commitment to the Pacific region while strengthening defence relationships with our allies.” Military personnel from Canada and the United States will participate in Task Group Exercise (TGEX), which is designed to build and strengthen interoperability between the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the United States Navy (USN). This interoperability enhances Canada’s maritime contribution to global security.  Commodore Bob Auchterlonie, Commander Canadian Fleet Pacific, will be in command of the combined exercise.RCN ships will join USN ships Mobile Bay, Dewey, Ingraham, McClusky and Gary for exercises designed to strengthen individual and collective skills through demanding and realistic training at sea. This year’s training objectives include improving competency in conventional maritime warfare operations such as anti-submarine, anti-aircraft, and anti-surface warfare training.  Live fire exercises will also occur. Exercises like TGEX offer valuable training opportunities for the RCN in order to maintain operational readiness and deploy on joint operations in a rapid and effective manner when called upon by the Government of Canada. These joint operations can range from the provision of humanitarian aid and disaster relief to full-combat operations alongside our allies anywhere in the world. -MARPAC PA

[caption id="attachment_4884" align="alignnone" width="300"] Lt Laura Brunet sets up an intravenous line with Dr. George Benloulou to a simulated casualty on HMCS Calgary.[/caption] The hangar of HMCS Calgary was like a Hollywood set last Wednesday, complete with people in realistic makeup that simulated gruesome injuries. Skilfully attending to them were civilian doctors and military medical officers, with assistance from Calgary’s casualty clearance team, all participants in the submarine search and rescue exercise known as SMASHEX. The navy-led exercise prepares military and civilian medical personnel for the possibility of a submarine catastrophe.“Thankfully, submarine emergency rescue isn’t something we’ve had to deal with,” says LCol Nick Withers, Pacific Regional Surgeon and member of the Submarine Escape and Rescue Assistance Team (SMERAT). “That being said, it’s a very real possibility and something the Department of National Defence needs to be prepared for.”The exercise began in the waters off Colwood when a submarine failed to respond to radio communication. Soon after, people in immersion survival suits appeared in the harbour waiting to be rescued after escaping a fictional sinking submarine. Calgary, berthed at F jetty in Colwood, served as the rescue platform, with ship divers and zodiac crews plucking survivors from the water.  Once retrieved, survivors were hoisted on deck in an inflatable retrieval basket called a Billy Pugh. CPO1 Brian Schwenker, Calgary coxswain, says the exercise was a great way to promote teamwork in the face of disaster.“In times like this we need to operate like a well-oiled machine, not as a series of parts,” he says. “Training opportunities like this give us the chance to keep warm the skill we may one day need to save lives.”Following initial treatment in Calgary’s makeshift triage unit, casualties were tagged with internationally recognized triage cards indentifying the level of injury, and taken to Victoria General...