As Rough As It May Seem,It's Still Steady As You Go...
Almost half the sailors of the Pacific fleet, about 1,000 CF members, will see more of the world following Sunday’s departure of four warships on two separate missions.
HMC Ships Regina and Ottawa will be away for four months, taking the Great Circle Route to Japan where they will participate in both WestPloy and the Rim of the Pacific Exercises 2008 (RIMPAC).
HMC Ships Protecteur and Calgary have taken a different route, heading south through the Panama Canal to join the East Coast destroyer HMCS Iroquois. From there, they will make their way to the Middle East and the Persian Gulf for Roto 4 of Operation Altair, Canada’s naval contribution to the American-led war on terrorism. Sailing with them will be Cmdre Bob Davidson, who will assume command of the coalition fleet that consists of 12 ships from the U.S., Britain, Germany, France and Pakistan.
The 195-day mission will take them on an around-the-world voyage.
“I don’t think many sailors can claim to have gone around the world. Maybe only five or 10 per cent can say that,” said Protecteur’s Executive Office, Commander Yves Germain. “It’s a good claim to fame. It’s a good story to tell your children, at the cost of being away for over six months, but it’s a good story to tell.”
This tour of duty brings mixed emotions to many crewmembers in Protecteur.
Being extensively involved in Operation Altair, seeing more exotic ports of call as they circumnavigate the globe, and being able to put their years of training to use are all positive aspects of the trip, according to many.
But being away from friends and loved ones for over half a year is not easy, not for the seasoned sailor nor the new recruit.
Protecteur’s Commanding Officer, Cdr Sean Cantelon, agrees.
“I have two daughters, ages 12 and nine and they know enough about sailing time, we’ve discussed it; we’ve taken out a map and talked about it, but it certainly is causing stress and challenges. It’s not easy, not easy at all,” he explains.
To add to the stress, toward the end of the mission, he will hand over command of the supply ship to Cdr Ian Wood. Back home, his family will move to Ottawa, his next posting.
“My wife will sell a house, buy a house and move a family. Two children will finish another year of school and enroll in a new school in a new city, and all without my being there. It’s a pretty significant impact on the family.”
Crew morale and welfare during the deployment falls primarily on the shoulder’s of CPO1 Ron Mierau, Coxswain. With a 30-year career in the navy, he understands the emotional pre-deployment cycle.
“Everybody goes through emotional ups and downs with home life and family life and work life, so it is very stressful before a trip. Everybody is excited because this is a chance of a lifetime, going around the world. But six and a half months is a very long time to be away.”
CPO1 Mierau and his wife have two children. His daughter Hayley, 17, will graduate from high school when he’s away. “She’s the only one of our four kids whose graduation I’ll miss.”
She also turns 18 while her father is away, and his wife will celebrate a birthday as well.
But long before the ship set sail, CPO1 Mierau made arrangements to ensure there will be “special deliveries” for those special occasions.
The feelings of excitement that many of the crew has for this trip are definitely a counterbalance to the feelings of sadness and loss at being away for such an extended period of time.
The ship’s company will see many new cities and host many unique events during their days away, but CPO1 Mierau sums it up best for all when he says the part of this trip he is looking forward to most is just “being home.”
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