I enlisted in the Canadian Naval Reserves in March 2001. After completing Qualification Level 1 (QL1) training for Naval Communicator during summer 2002, I took my first contract aboard the Marine Coastal Defense Vessels (MCDVs) in August. A friend from summer training had just taken a contract aboard the frigate HMCS Vancouver, which was about to sail to Hawaii. I heard they were in need of Nav Comms, so I submitted a request to my ship's coxswain. A day or two later, he told me I was being transferred to the Vancouver.
Training began immediately. OS Boucher, a fellow Reserve Naval Communicator (NavComm), is also along for the journey.
Everyone on deck as we prepared to leave port at 0900. Crowd gathered for HMCS Winnipeg, which we're accompanying to Hawaii. They then head on to the Gulf.
As we depart port, the ship's international call sign and sea ensign (Canadian flag) are hoisted.
The other NavComms are quite helpful as I'm immersed into bridge duties. We work a 1 in 2 shift: 5 hours on/5 off, 7 on/7 off.
Except during cleaning stations and inspections, lights are left off in cabins; must stumble through red light to my bunk. I use my watch light or bunk light to open and peer into my locker, depending on who's sleeping.
So far, movement of ship is little different than BC Ferries.
Although I outrank several other NavComms, they're Reg. Force, so they easily surpass me in experience.
Bunk is just long enough for me. Ship occasionally lurches to and fro... not so much a ride on the BC Ferries anymore. :)
Got pretty sick (sorry, Bill), but sounds like half the crew did, too. Learned 3 important rules: 1. don't treat the galley cafeteria like a buffet; 2. the heads (washroom) near the bridge is an ideal place to recover; 3. Gravol is your friend.
After popping Gravol and a long sleep, I was back in action today, mildly unsettled. Eating sensibly too, avoiding meaty and saucy dishes.
Carried out weapons drill exercises with the Winnipeg, so it's been pretty loud on ship.
Sent and received flashing light between ships.
At night, there was a man overboard exercise, with "Oscar" thrown into the ocean. (For the non-nautical, flag Oscar means Man Overboard.)
Ocean is amazing at night: moonlight defines sharp horizon line and the stars are brilliant, free of city lights.
Getting to know the bridge crew: NavComms, Bos'ns, Navigation Officers and, of course, the XO and CO.
My duties involve radiotelephone communications, flag hoisting, making fleet manoeuvering diagrams and reporting to the Officer of the Watch (one of whom is the cousin of my basic training roommate).
We've been heading SW since last evening; prior to that, we were sailing up-island.
One way to pass slow nights on the bridge: try to write down all 51 states of the US. Go to 40 - damn Arkansas and Wyoming. :)
Discovered the harness under my matress (I have the top bunk). No longer have to worry about being pitched off the top bunk. Just fasten my "seatbelt" and snooze!
We conducted a replenishment at sea exercise with the Winnipeg, sending men between ships via secured lines and harness. Hoisted appropriate signal flags.
Watched a bit of Independence Day last night. The scene with the alien saucers destroying the White House, Capitol Building and New York certainly struck a post-Sept. 11th chord, especially the shot of the World Trade Centre ruins.
Sent/received flashing light with the Winnipeg, a few miles away. Made a good impression on the supervising PO. :)
Been asking co-workers often about life in the Reg. Force. Many are married with children - even a fellow NavComm younger than me. They're away often at sea for weeks or months at a time. Some plan to go Reserves after their 3 year contract's fulfilled; a few are just plain bitter; and many others enjoy the lifestyle.
As for me, think I'll have a better idea next year.
We change time zones this evening to "Uniform."
Man overboard emergency today that turned out to be a false alarm. However, as it's my duty, I raced out to the bridge wing to toss the kisby ring and smoke flares. When it became obvious this wasn't a drill, I was quick to toss in the works.
The ship then does a 180 and uses the flares as guides. I meanwhile hoist flag Oscar. A zodiac is quickly launched. If someone falls into the Pacific, the goal is to rescue them in six minutes from the time the alarm sounds.
I'm settling into the routine of things and my appetite is back on track. Had Cap'n Crunch this morning - argh!
Vacation planning for the island of Oahu (Waikiki, Pearl Harbour, Honolulu) has begun.
Had a perfect photo opp of the Sea King helicopter passing me by on the flag deck, but I was in the middle of hauling down a flag, and I wasn't about to let go! :)
Got to use the bos'n mate's night vision binoculars as the Sea King was landing on ship in the dark. Very cool. Top of smoke stacks look like they're on fire.
For lack of a better term, the ocean is now Kool-Aid blue. Crewmembers are tanning on the flightdeck.
Tacos for lunch - arrriba!
Learned about the Crossing-of-the-Equator ceremony. The associated hazing ritual (something about kissing a fish) has been toned down in recent years. Doubt any Reservists have participated in the ceremony.
Of course, there used to be rum rations, which were replaced in the 70s by cheap booze in the messes.
We change time zones again this evening to "Victor."
Officers had the idea to use latex gloves, rather than the work gloves we usually use because of the sooty halyards. But we quickly realized barehanded was best.
In the end, we the NavComm team were victorious - sooty hands and all. Regular chimney sweeps we were, mate. ;)
Finished Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale last night. Some interesting, poetic moments, but *man* does she ramble on. And would it have hurt to have a plot?
Started Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift today, which should be more appropriate reading for on ship.
After a week at sea, decided it was laundry time. Well, the fact I ran out of clean underwear decided that, actually. ;) There's group laundry for uniforms, but the rest is up to individuals. Hawaii and clean socks can't be beat!
Ships did some sharp turns, and we braced often for simulated impact.
Wearing the above, with combat jackets done up, it was plenty warm on the bridge for 2 hrs. But I felt sorry for those above deck in chemox/firefighting gear.
(Wore it during sea training course in Halifax and after 45 mins breathing chemically-filtered air, you nearly go mad with claustrophobia, never mind sweating like a pig!)
Winnipeg got it worse, doing damage control (gas, flood, fire) for 5 hrs. The NavComms on their end had muffled voices, as they were speaking through gas masks.
Final time zone change this evening, to "Whiskey." "Aloha" time more appropriate? :)
Entered 50/50 draw for charity. Top prize is around US $160, which would definitely come in handy alongside.
The Vancouver Canucks are offering the crew a 40% rebate on tickets for their home game against Dallas on Oct. 26th. The crew is giving back a banner to the team, which was presented to them prior to their departure to the Gulf last year.
The ship is sailing to Vancouver that weekend and crewmembers with tickets must attend the game in uniform. Small price to pay when the discount's extended to friends and family!
As we sailed into Pearl Harbour, water became turquoise. Spotted flying fish off the starboard bow, plus a French frigate and American submarine in the distance. Plentiful palm trees quickly came into view as we neared the coast.
On the flagdeck, keeping our eyes peeled for flashing light from other vessels, I spotted a manta ray near the surface.
Passed the USS Arizona memorial on our way to the jetty, along with several impressive American frigates.
After escorting the American navigatior to the flight deck (you require a local navigator in foreign ports), available crew made a bucket brigade to bring aboard boxes of bread, bagged milk, lots of fruit and veggies, etc.
The crew was secured by noon or so, and a group of us headed immediately to the world's favourite restaurant... McDick's, of course. :) The menu had some interesting items: hot dogs, parfaits, the Big 'n' Tasty (i.e. Big Xtra) and Eggs, Rice and Spam. Apparently, the canned meat's really popular here.
Took out US $100 (thank goodness for INTERAC). Argh! the bills all look the same. The bars and restaurants probably make a killing in tips from drunk sailors/tourists as a result! (Not that I'd know anything about that...)
We then took the base bus to the American's version of CANEX (the Forces' Super Store) for haircuts and local souvenirs. No decent Hawaiian shirts, so I settled for postcards.
Bought some fresh packed pineapple spears, which you can find in the refrigerated section of grocery stores here. OS Boucher bought strawberries - sooo good. Definitely had a vitamin C jolt that day.
Returned to ship, then went for a walk around base in the evening. For Sunset ceremony (and Colours, too), the American's pipe canned music here.
Several crewmembers volunteered to chauffeur crew by van to Waikiki - very generous of them. So Boucher and I headed there to meet others. It's about a 20 min drive from Pearl Harbour, through Honolulu to Waikiki.
The others in the van headed to Red Lobster (how adventurous), so we made the half hour walk to Duke's along the beaches and boardwalk. The breeze was still mild, and the stars were blocked here and there by palm trees.
A local stopped and sold us fresh leis - very fragrant. Would have loved to have seen Waikiki by day, especially for the chance to go snorkeling. Oh well, another time...
Lots of familiar faces at Duke's. Drank several Lava Flows: pineapple juice, crushed ice, coconut cream, strawberries and rum. Highly recommended! :)
We then headed to Moose McGillycuddy's, little better than the Carleton Club in Esquimalt. Mixed drinks were only $2 which is only like, what, CDN $10? :)
By a stroke of luck, the ship's van was waiting outside at 2 am. A taxi would have cost at least US $20 from Pearl Harbour to Waikiki.
Early the next morning (Wed., Sept. 25), four of us rented a red Camaro convertible and cruised the island. (Guess who didn't drive!)
First stop, the Aloha Bowl. Twice a week, there's a huge swap meet/flea market around the outside of the stadium - something like a thousand vendors.
Lots of good deals on Hawaiian shirts, jewellery (e.g. pukha shells), produce and other knick-knacks. As expected, quality varies. Bought a nifty red, *authentic* Hawaiian shirt so I can finally retire my Wal-Mart brand Hawaiian shirt at home. :)
Next, we visited the USS Arizona memorial. At the mini-museum, there's a 20 min. movie, introduced by a Park Ranger (who looked like the Sergeant from "Full Metal Jacket"), as the site is a National Park.
The movie was heavy on patriotism (go figure). A condensed audio track of the film was piped on the ferry over to the memorial itself. The white, sloping, bridge-like building lies across the middle of the ship, which is visible just below the water. Oil still leaks to the surface.
I would have enjoyed an aeriel view of the site, as battleships are essentially a small city. There's a flagpole affixed to the ship and standing out of the water, and visitors are allowed to lay flowers on the remnants of the gun turrets, in arm's reach of the memorial.
On the far wall, opposite the entrance and engraved in marble, is a list of the 1100 crewmembers who died when the ship exploded and sank. They account for over half the casulties that day, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbour.
Spotted a number of exotic birds around: small white cranes, Hawaiian pigeons(?), black swans and a small mystery bird with a bright red head. Lots of colourful flowers and blossoms sprouting from trees and bushes, too.
As the luau began, we were greeted by local Polynesians in traditional attire: leis, sarongs, coconut bikinis. Indiginous(sp?) terms for everything were given, but I forgot most as it was an eventful night. :)
Around the beach, local games and crafts were on display: lei bracelet making, palm leaf crowns/hats, spear throwing, fishing net casting, palm tree climbing, hula dancing, henna tatoos. etc. (By the way, if married, lei bracelets are worn on the left; otherwise on the right. Didn't seem to matter to some...)
The bare-chested male dancers were pretty buff, and the females petite. But man could the all shake their hips! Great music too.
Several tour buses quickly rollen in, with newlyweds, families, seniors and a few women with thick southern accents, but no others from ship.
Entry free (US$40) included 3 free drinks - choice of Mai Tais and Blue Hawaiians - before dinner, then all you could drink during the meal. For a few extra bucks, you could upgrade to a Lava Flow, Tropical Itch, etc.
After a brief ceremony with a pair dressed in traditional royal costume, the roast pig was revealed, cooked for 8 or 9 hrs on lava rock, buried under palm leaves and dirt.
Dinner was served at 7: chicken in Macadamian nut sauce, roast pork (pretty stringy), some kind of fish (aren't I the connoiseur), rice, green salad, pineapple, banana cake with coconut cream, gelatin, plus a mashed fish sauce, which I didn't dare to try.
The main show started at 8. Lots of exciting dancing, sometimes using decorated shakers and reed sticks. Many a colourful costume change.
A large, wrestler-size Polynesian then stole the show, twirling about firelit batons.
Then came a Don Ho-like singer akin to Elvis in his later years. :) Great singer though and he knew how to work the crowd. Taught terms like "aloha," "mahalo" (thank you), "yahoo" and "shaka" (the hand gesture surfers make).
Upon returning to the ship and crossing the brow, we cast off our lei bracelets and palm leaf crowns into the ocean... They're exotic plants after all, plus they never would have survived the trip home. That's what cheap fabric leis are for!
I'm on watch today, our last in Hawaii. The ship's stocked up with mangoes, starfruit and pineapples, so I'm happy.
Just had a fire drill, meaning I have to tuck my pants into my socks, zip up my jacket, and put on my flash gear gloves and hood. Raced up the ladder to second deck and aft to put on chemox/firefighting gear or assist others to.
We then met on the brow and proceeded to roast in the humid, tropical heat. But it was soon over, as our response time was quick.
Four hours of duty this afternoon and another four at 3:30am.
I should be able to sign off much of my OJT (On-the-Job Training) package, the completion of which is required to move up a rank to Leading Seaman.
We hit the open ocean by 5:30pm and were informed by the CO (Captain) during supper that we'll arrive in Esquimalt on Thursday afternoon.
Clocks jumped ahead an hour on Sat. night; same thing tomorrow.
In preparation for the CO's inspection on Thursday, a lot of clean-up work and painting is going on. Saturday, I sanded down the banister on the port bridge wing for staining, and helped paint nearby hatches, etc.
Today, cleaned the gutter between the deck and bulkhead around the bridge. After five buckets of water and hours of scrubbing, I laid waste to over 1000 dust bunnies.
The banyon on the flight deck was relocated to the Junior Ranks Galley because of high winds.
Chiefs and POs served dinner, drinks and cleaned-up afterwards. Fortunately, my appetite's restabilized itself; couldn't pass up ice cream, blueberries and fresh pineapple for dessert. The steak, pizza, salad and lasagna wasn't half-bad either. ;)
Karaoke at 8pm, but I need my sleep. Likely to have been a scary experience anyway. :)
Over half my OJT package's been signed off now. Hope to have it completed by year's end.
Since we're sailing home alone, things are rather quiet on the bridge - hence all the clean-up work. Radio's silent, so it's tough to stay awake in the middle of the night. Conversations with the bos'ns are much appreciated.
Earthquake, a 70s disaster movie, was playing in the Junior Ranks lounge. Pretty hokey, but living in Victoria, everyone deep down fears The Big One.
To pass the time on the bridge, started working on a story I've been putting off for the past year. I'm always full of ideas, but actually sitting down to *write* is a chore. University essays were always a tortuous, eleventh hour affair.
The yeoman's provided Boucher and I with work-related exercises to pass the time on the bridge: fleet formations, tactical signal encoding/decoding, text questions, etc.
I'm confident the scene in Strange Brew of Bob MacKenzie putting out a fire in a creative way was lifted from Gulliver's Travels. (The movie's also a loose retelling of Hamlet - Shakespeare, eh?)
Because not enough medals are ready to present to crewmembers who sailed to the Persian Gulf, Ceremonial Divisions - originally scheduled the day after our return - has been postponed. Instead, the crew has been granted two days leave.
Upon our return, I'm to be posted to the HMCS Edmonton, a coastal defense vessel (ie minesweeper).
Man do I need to start running again. I've avoided the exercise cycle, flight deck and gym in favour of reading, sleeping and eating.
Made some cool friends onboard, with whom I intend to keep in touch.
Sunrises at sea are an impressive sight: a blood red half-circle suddenly appears over the horizon and quickly rises, growing in brilliance.
Regarding the three Reservists who died in a car crash in Victoria on Sept. 27th, found out yesterday I knew one of the passengers. The car sped through an intersection (at the gas station on Esquimalt Rd., just after the Johnson St. bridge), through a stone wall and into a building. Rescue workers could only access the passengers from within the building.
Very unsettling, as I saw the guy a couple of nights before I left for Hawaii. Met him in Halifax last fall for a sea training course. He'd been doing port security since the start of the year in Esquimalt.
Brings to mind a friend with whom I rowed in high school. He passed away in '99 from a sudden brain tumor.
You're overwhelmed with a sense of mortality when an acquaintance - whether friend or family - in the prime of their life passes away suddenly. Definitely makes you think twice about taking life for granted. My heart goes out to their families...
We arrive in Esquimalt at 3 in the afternoon. The CO will make his inspection in the morning. Once gash (garbage) has been landed and customs is happy, we should be secured.
On slow nights, "Bueller, Bueller," has been the telephone tag line of choice. :)
Boucher, over a few nights, drew an amazing sketch of one of Van Gogh's paintings. She was kind enough to photocopy and sign it for me. (It's now hanging in my room at home.)
CO conducted a thourough inspection of the ship; I reported for the Crews Lounge Heads (washroom). More like I played bouncer, preventing crew from sneaking a quick relief before the CO actually inspected.
Arrived at the jetty in Esquimalt Dockyard, landed gash, awaited customs and were secure by 4:30pm or so.