The Navy Years 1981- 2015
CF Info
HMCS Saguenay was a St. Laurent-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later, the Canadian Forces from 1956–1990. She was the second vessel in her class and the second Canadian naval unit to carry the name HMCS Saguenay.
I had a fav ship and this was it. I joined Saguenay in June 1982 after:
- a fairly 'enjoyable' 3 month bootcamp experience at CFB Cornwallis, where our 11 Platoon was the first all Navy Platoon since the 1960's. We were targets by the Pongos and Grunts throughout, but in retrospect that made it all the more fun looking back now.
- the subsequent trades training course - as a Radar Plotter - at CFB Halifax Fleet School was another memorable start to a career as an OD. That's the bottom of the food chain for the uninitiated.... lower than whale shite ; - >
- I remuster'd to NE Tech (T) in 1984 and remained on Saguenay until Dec 1987.
Long long story short, i sure as hell didn't mind my almost 6 years of 'agony on the Saguenay'. In fact quite the opposite. It wasn't because she was my first ship, moreso because of the times, the camaraderie and fun, the amazing deployments, the cities & countries I doubt I would have seen otherwise, the PEOPLE I served with and the good folks I met along the way (like Tommy Smith). Also, Steamers had something about them that made the 280's pale in comparison imo. All I go to say 'bout dat!
Other HMC Ships I served on:
HMCS Gatineau 1988 - 91
HMCS Regina 1993
HMCS Fredericton 1994
HMCS Halifax 1995 - 99
HMCS Ville De Quebec 2003 - 06
Other postings I had while in the CF:
CFFS CFNES FDU (Atlantic)
FMG CFNOS CFMWC (2007-15 *longest NCM posting)
CPF DET FMFCS
*regrets - not being able to put up my CPO2 promotion in 2009 due to medical category
**non regrets - enlisting and seeing the world through a porthole wasn't all as bad as it was cracked up to be! Some 34 years later, no regrets at all (or not many worth dwelling over).
Deployments: (not including many regional sailings nor 100% of the deployments abroad, but fairly close)
1982 - Aug-Sept Governor General's cruise Nfld & Labrador (St.John's, Goose Bay, Nain)
- Oct-Nov Marcot '82 (Norfolk, Philadelphia)
1983 - Jan-Mar Caribops '83 (Roosevelt Roads, St.Thomas, Nassau, NYC)
- Apr-June Eastlant (Palma,Majorca, Cagliari, Sardinia, Marseille, Plymouth)
- Nov- Dec Marcot '83 (Chicoutimi)
1984 - Jan - Feb Caribops '84 (Roosevelt Roads, Boston)
- Mar Canlant (Fishpat) (St.John's)
- May DNO Course (Cornerbrook)
- July-Aug Great Lakes '84 (Kingston, Toronto, Hamilton, Port Colborne, Windsor)
(Goderich, Cornwall, Montreal, Quebec City)
- Nov Squadex (Boston)
1985 - Jan-Feb Caribops '85 (Roosevelt Roads, San Juan, Curacoa)
- Mar Canlant (Fishpat) (Boston)
- June Refit (Montreal)
1986 - Apr-May Marcot '86 (Bermuda) ; St. Lawrence (Chicoutimi, Quebec City)
- July-Dec NATO SNFL (Aalborg, Denmark, Haugesund, Norway, Amsterdam, Neth)
(Wilemshaven, Germany, Rosyth, Scotland, Ponta Del Gado, Azores)
1987 - Jun-July Great Lakes '87 (Montreal, Thunder Bay, Collingwood, Burlington)
(Windsor, Toronto, Quebec City)
- Aug-Sept Ocean Safari (St. John's)
- Oct WUPS (Boston)
- Nov-Dec Marcot '87 (St. John's)
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HMCS GATINEAU
1989 - Aug-Sept Eastlant '89 (Kiel, Germany, Frederickshaven, Denmark, Falmouth,Eng)
(Antwerp, Belgium)
1990 - NATO
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1990-92 CPF DET/PARAMAX Montreal NE Tech (T) Halifax Class tech course
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HMCS HALIFAX
1995 - May-June Exercise Linked Seas (Lisbon, Funchal, Madeira, Sydney, N.S.)
(St.John's, Sydney, Rosyth, Scotland)
1996 - Mar- June Op Sharp Guard (Adriatic) (Bari, Venice, Naples, Genoa - Italy )
(Palermo, Sicily; Gibraltar)
1997 - Sept-Dec Southploy (Dakar, Senegal, Ascension Is; Simon's Town, Cape Town)
(Witsand - S. Africa; Port Stanley, Falkland Is; Ushuaia, Chile;)
(Mar Del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Montevideo, Uruguay;)
(Porto Alegro, Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Brazil; Curacoa; San Juan.)
1998 - Mar-Apr Exercise Strong Resolve (Bergen, Norway; Rosyth, Scotland; Cork,Ireland)
- *Sept 2 Swiss Air Flight 111 search and rescue
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HMCS VILLE DE QUEBEC
2003 - Spring '03 Nassau Bahamas, Fleet Week, NYC
2004 - Jan-Feb Caribops
- Aug-Dec NATO (SNFL) (San Juan, Mayport, Norfolk, Baltimore, NYC, Boston)
(Halifax, Corner Brook, Quebec City, Montreal)
(St. John's; Reykjavik, Iceland)
2005 - Sept Hurricane Katrina relief (Op Unison) Pensacola, Biloxi, Mayport
2006 - FDU Sechel various trips a few stops in Shelburne, N.S.
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