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I don't think this has been posted anywhere. For everyone's interest:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090407/warship_commander_090407/20090407?hub=TopStories
First female commander takes control of warship
Updated Tue. Apr. 7 2009 1:40 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
A 20-year veteran of the Canadian navy became the first woman to take command of a warship on Tuesday when she took the HMCS Halifax out on the water during an early morning news conference.
Cmdr. Josee Kurtz, who joined the Canadian Forces in 1988, is the eleventh commander of the frigate.
"This is probably one of the best days of my life," Kurtz told reporters earlier at HMC Dockyard in Halifax before she took the vessel into the harbour.
Kurtz began her career as a navigator, and became a navigation instructor in the mid-1990s.
She is also trained as a weapons and combat officer.
Kurtz most recently served as the executive officer aboard the HMCS Ville de Quebec from 2007 to 2009.
During that time, the frigate was deployed with the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, and took part in an anti-piracy mission to escort a shipment of United Nations food aid to Somalia.
On Tuesday, Kurtz told reporters that her crew does not seem bothered by her gender and said women have become more accepted into navy culture since she joined the service.
More than 200 sailors, including 15 women, make up the crew of the Halifax.
The frigate is set to begin technical training exercises before it undergoes a major refit in 2010.
Kurtz's husband, John, was a naval officer with 20 years of service. He retired to care full time for the couple's daughter, Dominique.
With files from CTV Atlantic and The Canadian Press
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090407/warship_commander_090407/20090407?hub=TopStories
First female commander takes control of warship
Updated Tue. Apr. 7 2009 1:40 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
A 20-year veteran of the Canadian navy became the first woman to take command of a warship on Tuesday when she took the HMCS Halifax out on the water during an early morning news conference.
Cmdr. Josee Kurtz, who joined the Canadian Forces in 1988, is the eleventh commander of the frigate.
"This is probably one of the best days of my life," Kurtz told reporters earlier at HMC Dockyard in Halifax before she took the vessel into the harbour.
Kurtz began her career as a navigator, and became a navigation instructor in the mid-1990s.
She is also trained as a weapons and combat officer.
Kurtz most recently served as the executive officer aboard the HMCS Ville de Quebec from 2007 to 2009.
During that time, the frigate was deployed with the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, and took part in an anti-piracy mission to escort a shipment of United Nations food aid to Somalia.
On Tuesday, Kurtz told reporters that her crew does not seem bothered by her gender and said women have become more accepted into navy culture since she joined the service.
More than 200 sailors, including 15 women, make up the crew of the Halifax.
The frigate is set to begin technical training exercises before it undergoes a major refit in 2010.
Kurtz's husband, John, was a naval officer with 20 years of service. He retired to care full time for the couple's daughter, Dominique.
With files from CTV Atlantic and The Canadian Press