Spencer100
Army.ca Veteran
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This must have been great to see. That is a good percentage of the fleet. Good Luck
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/978412.html
Shipping out — times eight
Biggest military flotilla since 2002 sails off to training exercises
By DAVENE JEFFREY Staff Reporter
Wed. Nov 14 - 5:34 AM
Led by the destroyer HMCS Iroquois, left, eight Canadian navy ships round George’s Island on their sailpast in Halifax Harbour onTuesday. (TIM KROCHAK / Staff)
Eight navy ships, including a destroyer, pulled out of Halifax in style Tuesday morning.
The largest military flotilla to leave Halifax Harbour since 2002 performed a sailpast, with Rear Admiral Dean McFadden receiving the salute from the ships’ captains.
"It’s a bit of a spectacle," Commodore Bob Davidson said Tuesday during a ship-to-shore telephone interview from HMCS Iroquois.
"When you’ve got 1,200 sailors sailing out of Halifax, it’s a huge impact on 1,200 families, more than 1,200 families. I thought it would be a nice way to make a significant departure and perhaps a show for the town, as well as for the admiral." A ninth vessel is scheduled to leave port today, he said.
As well as an operational exercise, the Tuesday morning sailpast was also a public relations exercise, the commodore said. "We want Canadians to know the navy is busy."
Five of the ships — the Iroquois, HMCS Preserver and three frigates — will head for Virginia, where they will be conducting several training exercises. Two Sea Kings and their flight crews will travel with the ships, and two Auroras out of Greenwood will also participate, the commodore said.
The Canadians will be joined by two American warships — a destroyer and a cruiser — and two auxiliary vessels. Exercises will include individual and ship-wide training as well as task force operations, and some of the ships will practise coming to the aid of a vessel involved in a disaster.
The Commodore is responsible for co-ordinating ships’ activities to prepare the fleet to respond to a range of operational missions that the government could ask their crews to perform.
Last year, the navy was on standby in case it was called in to help in the Lebanon crisis, Commodore Davidson said.
"The purpose of us doing this kind of training is to always have forces that are ready to deploy to meet government needs at short notice," he said. "We’ve done this before. The navy was the first out the door with Operation Apollo (the American-led war on terrorism) in 2002," he said.
Halifax’s grey skies began to pour down cold rain as the sailpast headed out of the harbour and Commodore Davidson wasn’t hoping for significantly better weather when he hits Virginian waters.
"The weather there is not that great this time of year," he said.
The ships are scheduled to return to Nova Scotia waters early next month. They will be at sea for most of the month, except for a weekend at the base in Norfolk, Va.
"We might get to do a little shopping," he said, but added that the crews will be very busy carrying out the exercises.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/978412.html
Shipping out — times eight
Biggest military flotilla since 2002 sails off to training exercises
By DAVENE JEFFREY Staff Reporter
Wed. Nov 14 - 5:34 AM
Led by the destroyer HMCS Iroquois, left, eight Canadian navy ships round George’s Island on their sailpast in Halifax Harbour onTuesday. (TIM KROCHAK / Staff)
Eight navy ships, including a destroyer, pulled out of Halifax in style Tuesday morning.
The largest military flotilla to leave Halifax Harbour since 2002 performed a sailpast, with Rear Admiral Dean McFadden receiving the salute from the ships’ captains.
"It’s a bit of a spectacle," Commodore Bob Davidson said Tuesday during a ship-to-shore telephone interview from HMCS Iroquois.
"When you’ve got 1,200 sailors sailing out of Halifax, it’s a huge impact on 1,200 families, more than 1,200 families. I thought it would be a nice way to make a significant departure and perhaps a show for the town, as well as for the admiral." A ninth vessel is scheduled to leave port today, he said.
As well as an operational exercise, the Tuesday morning sailpast was also a public relations exercise, the commodore said. "We want Canadians to know the navy is busy."
Five of the ships — the Iroquois, HMCS Preserver and three frigates — will head for Virginia, where they will be conducting several training exercises. Two Sea Kings and their flight crews will travel with the ships, and two Auroras out of Greenwood will also participate, the commodore said.
The Canadians will be joined by two American warships — a destroyer and a cruiser — and two auxiliary vessels. Exercises will include individual and ship-wide training as well as task force operations, and some of the ships will practise coming to the aid of a vessel involved in a disaster.
The Commodore is responsible for co-ordinating ships’ activities to prepare the fleet to respond to a range of operational missions that the government could ask their crews to perform.
Last year, the navy was on standby in case it was called in to help in the Lebanon crisis, Commodore Davidson said.
"The purpose of us doing this kind of training is to always have forces that are ready to deploy to meet government needs at short notice," he said. "We’ve done this before. The navy was the first out the door with Operation Apollo (the American-led war on terrorism) in 2002," he said.
Halifax’s grey skies began to pour down cold rain as the sailpast headed out of the harbour and Commodore Davidson wasn’t hoping for significantly better weather when he hits Virginian waters.
"The weather there is not that great this time of year," he said.
The ships are scheduled to return to Nova Scotia waters early next month. They will be at sea for most of the month, except for a weekend at the base in Norfolk, Va.
"We might get to do a little shopping," he said, but added that the crews will be very busy carrying out the exercises.
