Lead and Line - naval officers' association of vancouver island

HMCS PROTECTEUR departs Esquimalt………………………1
Next NOAVI Lunch 24 October at FIRESIDE INN……………..2
NOAVI Executive Committee members & appointees……….2
President’s Message by NOAVI President Michael Morres...3
----- C O N T E N T S -----
Lead and Line
Naval Officers’ Association
of Vancouver Island
P.O. Box 5221
Victoria, BC, Canada V8R 6N4
www.noavi.ca
Acting Editor - Migs Turner
Volume 26 - Issue #8 - October 2011
HMCS Protecteur, Supply
Ship departed Esquimalt
Harbour on 19 September
for a 2-month deployment
off southern California.
Protecteur will support
HMC Ships Algonquin and
Ottawa as they take part
in a task-group exercise
with the United States
Navy. She will be part of
the USS Abraham Lincoln
Carrier Strike Group.
Algonquin sailed from
Esquimalt 3 Aug for
multinational exercises off
Central & South America.
Ottawa has been away for
three months on a training
and goodwill tour that
reached as far away as
Australia.
Photo courtesy
Defense Industry Daily
Shipbuilding - Boom & Bust?……………………………………4
China’s Two-Pronged Maritime Rise by RC. O'Brien………...4
USN Supply Corps School by Bob Darlington………………..7
Service Officer’s Report & Visits by Irvine Hare……………..10
--- “TAIL END CHARLIE” (Electronic Version only)---
The Importance of Maritime Air by K.J. Spears……………..11 USN Supply Corps School-Conclusion by Bob Darlington.14
NEXT NOAVI LUNCHEON -MONDAY 24 October at “Fireside Grill”
-Please see details on page 2

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
NOAVI LUNCHEON -MONDAY 24 October –Programme Director Kathie Csomany 250-477-4175
Speaker: Jamie Webb, President of the MMBC Foundation
(Jamie also serves as a Lieutenant with Rainbow Sea Cadet Corps)
speaking on the latest information concerning the Maritime Museum’s bid
for relocation to the former CPR Steamship Terminal Building.
When: 1130 for 1215 Monday 24 October
Cost: $25.00 per person
Where: Fireside Grill, 4509 West Saanich Rd.,
Reservations: to Bud Rocheleau bnhrocheleau@shaw.ca or 250-386-3209
by noon on Thursday 20 October
NOTE: When making your reservation, please advise of any food allergies or sensitivities. The Fireside Grill is
happy to accommodate any requirements, but it will ensure that you get your meal with your table companions if
we have advance knowledge of your requirements and we can advise the restaurant when we make our booking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FUTURE LUNCHEONS at Fireside Grill
PLEASE NOTE: for all luncheons, we are now back to our regular schedule. Luncheons will be held on the
4 th Monday of the month (which is not necessarily the last Monday) except the Christmas luncheon.
28 November: -RAdm Nigel Greenwood, Commander Maritime Forces Pacific, JTFP
12 December: - Annual Christmas luncheon (No speaker)
23 January: - Capt. Don Connelly, Master Mariner, speaking on his long experience in Arctic waters
and where we are going in Arctic pursuits.
NAVAL OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION OF VANCOUVER ISLAND
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – 2011
President Michael Morres mfmorres@telus.net Director at Large Derek Greer Derek.Greer@telus.net
250-592-8897 250-595-1864 Daphne
Past President Ken Summers kensummers@shaw.ca Director at Large (Membership) Stan Brygadyr
250-370-9954 Jody 250-727-2243 Mollie
Vice-President Kevin Carle kevcarle@hotmail.com Director at Large (Obits) Rick Town rickjane@shaw.ca
250-590-8092 Jackie 250-590-8696 Jane
Secretary Bud Rocheleau bnhrocheleau@shaw.ca Dir at Large (Associates) Geri Hinton pege398@shaw.ca
250-386-3209 Hilda 250-477-7334
Treasurer Bill Conconi bconconi@shaw.ca Dir at Large (Webmaster) Eric Griffiths Eric.griffiths@telus.net
250-652-1634 Ellie 250-537-0608 Anne Miller
Membership Steve White Solljus@shaw.ca
250-652-8215 Arden Long Term Appointments
Maritime Affairs Jim Boutilier boutilier.ja@forces.gc.ca
250-389-1255 Ping Acting Editor Migs Turner aloha34@shaw.ca
Service/Visits H. Irvine Hare ihare@telus.net 250-592-1198 Diana
250-592-2268 Isabelle List Masters Michael Morres mfmorres@telus.net
Programme Kathie Csomany csomany@islandnet.com Jim Dodgson jjgolf2000@telus.net
250-477-4175 Ron Historian Stan Parker
Reserves & Cadets Gerry Pash gwpash@shaw.ca 250-478-6555 Audrey
250-658-6509 Sara
2

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE by Michael Morres
Thank you to all of you who came out to our September lunch and made
it the success that it was – we had a very large turnout, a good speaker and,
judging by all the comments received, our new location seems to be a
winner. The Program Committee will be looking at a few things that
perhaps need re-thinking, such as table layout and podium position, and
will be working with the Fireside Grill staff to make everything work
better as we go along. We will also be looking into the acquisition of a
sound system, as I know some of those at the back had a bit of difficulty
hearing the speaker. Again, thanks are due to David Winkler and Stan
Brygadyr for suggesting this venue, and to Kathie Csomany and her team
for making it happen.
I‘m sure most of you know the standard definition of a Wardroom
argument – ―Flat Statement, followed by Flat Contradiction, followed by
Personal Abuse‖; but I am very happy to say that none of this happened
during our discussion about the forthcoming name change of the national organization from NOAC to NAC (The
Naval Association of Canada). Views from all sides were presented in what I thought was a most considerate
manner, and the vote to accept the name change was passed with a very large majority. We must now move ahead
to consider whether this national name should be reflected in the name of our own organization, and whether we
feel that any changes to our membership criteria will be warranted or desired in our pursuit of our aims. I have had
some letters and emails on the subject already, and I do hope that the Executive will hear from more of you in the
coming weeks. Remember our email addresses are always listed in Lead and Line! I do emphasise that nothing
will happen overnight, and not without consultation with as many of our membership that wish to be consulted!
Yours aye, Mike
A BIG THANK YOU TO:
(1) Associate Member DAVID NICHOLSON & Queensbury Securities for their continuing financial support
toward helping us pay for the printing of Lead & Line each month.
(2) Kelly McKernan of Oak Bay Copy Centre over the past nearly 20 years for doing such a fine job printing Lead
& Line with her high definition photo-printer and giving NOAVI a special printing discount.
STARSHELL Editor George Moore at < starshell@shaw.ca >reports that deadline for the Autumn issue
of the NOAC newsletter STARSHELL is 15 October (and not 19 September as indicated in his last STARSHELL).
CUT OFF DATE FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NOVEMBER LEAD & LINE IS WEDNESDAY 26 OCTOBER
COMMEMORATIVE HMCS HAIDA AND 100 YEAR RCN ANNIVERSARY WATCHES
Friends of HMCS Haida have commissioned Time Is Ticking Inc. to produce a limited edition commemorative
Seiko movement, 24 karat gold plated watch to reflect the great heritage of ―The Fightingest Ship‖ in the Royal
Canadian Navy. Price is $65 plus taxes, shipping and handling.
Time Is Ticking President Robin Devine advises that they also still have a few of their last year‘s RCN 100th
Anniversary commemorative watch available but one should move quickly.
See www.timeisticking,ca , Email timeisticking@sympatico.ca , Phone 416-925-5520, Fax 416-925-5641 or
Mail: Time is Ticking Inc., PO Box 10066, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3C 0J9.
3

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
MARITIME AFFAIRS
- SHIPBUILDING: AFTER THE COMING (?) BANG, PLEASE, NOT ANOTHER BUST!
Earlier this month Captain (N) Richard Gravel, the Navy's East Coast Fleet Maintenance Manager said to a Defence
Industry Conference in Halifax that we are chomping at the bit to see
what the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy is going to
produce. The Navy is struggling to keep its aging destroyers and supply
vessels operational. Coast Guard hasn't had a new major ship
constructed for a quarter of a century.
Senior Navy and Coast Guard officials say such deficiencies reveal
how critical it is that Canada not repeat the mistakes of the past after a
massive new federal shipbuilding programme gets underway
(hopefully!) in the coming weeks.
Ottawa is currently evaluating bids from three large yards, -
Vancouver Shipyards, Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax and Davie Yards
in Quebec City. (The Davie Yards are now partnered with SNC-
Lavalin, a Canadian company, and South Korea‘s Daewoo Shipbuilding
Company). The Government has been saying that sometime
this fall it would announce the winning industrial bidders for
$35 billion in shipbuilding contracts to be carried out over
the next 20 to 30 years as follows:
A $25-billion contract for new destroyers, supply
ships and Arctic/offshore patrol ships for the Navy &
A $5-billion package for building a Coast Guard
Polar Icebreaker and other non-combatant ships.
…Captain Gravel said that while the large infusion of
shipbuilding orders is welcome, it would be a serious mistake
to spend the next few decades building new ships, only to
later again neglect federal shipbuilding after the latest
contracts have been fulfilled. Canada needs to be rolling out
a Naval ship every couple of years in perpetuity. "We need a
self-perpetuating process, so that we don't have to reinvent
the wheel and go through this boom and bust situation,
where every 25 years we literally have to re-start up a
shipbuilding industry in order to build new government
ships."
CHINA’S TWO-PRONGED MARITIME RISE by Robert C. O'Brien via Jim Boutilier
July 24, 2011 China is following a two-prong strategy with its impressive maritime build-up. The West is making
a mistake if it underestimates the implications.
For the past decade, while the West has been consumed battling Islamic extremists in the Middle East and
Central Asia, China has been engaged in a rapid and impressive effort to establish itself as the supreme maritime
power in the Eastern Pacific and Indian Oceans. For years, China focused its military spending on the People‘s
Liberation Army, while the Air Force and Navy served as little more than adjuncts to the Army. But with the
launch of its first aircraft carrier next month, the rest of the world – and especially the United States‘ Asian allies –
is taking note of how dramatically things have changed.
China has big maritime ambitions, and they are backed up by a naval build-up unseen since Kaiser Wilhelm II
decided to challenge British naval power with the building of the High Seas Fleet at the turn of the last century.
China‘s build-up is driven by a two-pronged strategy. First, China seeks to deny access by the United States and
other naval powers to the Yellow, East China and South China Seas, thereby (1) establishing its own equivalent to
the way the United States saw the Caribbean in the 20th century, from which its blue water navy can operate
globally; (2) dominating the natural resources and disputed island chains such as the Spratly and Senkaku Island
4

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
chains in those seas; and (3) giving it the
capacity to reunify Taiwan with the mainland by
force and without US interference, if necessary.
China‘s assertiveness in confronting and
harassing Asian and US civilian and naval ships
in the region over the past decade shows a
sustained level of determination on this front.
Second, China seeks international prestige and
a power projection capacity in the Pacific and
Indian Ocean sea lanes by deploying multiple
aircraft carriers and fifth-generation stealth
fighter-bombers. The booming Chinese economy
has become ever more dependent on imported
minerals and oil from Africa and the Middle
East, and the ability to protect its Indian Ocean
and Strait of Malacca sea lanes is a responsibility that China is no longer willing to delegate to other powers.
The officially reported Chinese military budget for 2011 is $91.5 billion, a massive increase from its $14.6
billion budget in 2000. China acknowledges that a third of its spending is now devoted to its Navy, yet even this
big leap is almost certainly understated. China is notoriously non-transparent with its military expenditures, and
most analysts believe that it spends significantly more on its armed forces than the publicly reported number.
Further, Chinese military labour costs for its soldiers, sailors and airman is a fraction of what Western governments
spend, where salaries, benefits and pensions are usually the largest share of defence budgets. This allows China to
devote more of its budget to building weapons systems than its competitors. Unlike Western governments, which
are slashing defence spending, China will continue to increase spending in coming years.
A key goal of China‘s maritime build-up is access denial. While multifaceted, China is building its access denial
strategy around two backbone platforms: the DF-21D (Dong Feng) anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM), described
as a ‗Carrier Killer,‘ and an ever expanding
and modern attack submarine fleet. US Navy
Pacific Commander Adm. Robert F. Willard
has characterized the DF-21D as already
having reached the Initial Operational
Capability stage of development, meaning
that they are operable, but not yet necessarily
deployable. Taiwan sources report that China
has already deployed at least 20 ASBMs.
Whether deployed now or in the near future,
the US Navy believes China already has the
space-based intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance, command and control
structure, and ground processing capabilities
necessary to support DF-21D employment.
China also employs an array of non-space
based sensors and surveillance assets capable
of providing the targeting information
necessary to employ the DF-21D. With a
recently reported range of 2,600 kilometres,
these missiles will give naval planners real
concern when operating anywhere nearby
the Chinese mainland. The Chinese submarine programme has been especially vigorous. For most of the Cold
War, China operated outdated Soviet-era coastal submarines. In the 1990s, China purchased Russian Kilo-class
5

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
diesel-electric attack submarines, and has been launching two indigenously-built Song-class diesel-electric attack
submarines per year for the past decade. It has also developed and launched the high tech Yuan-class dieselelectric
attack boat, which may have the silent air-independent propulsion system. Analysts believe that China will
in the coming years also launch the Shang-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, further strengthening its
already robust submarine fleet. It has surely not escaped China‘s notice that US anti submarine warfare capability
has atrophied significantly since the end of the Cold War.
But China‘s maritime capabilities are set to extend beyond access denial, into power projection. The systems that
have gained most international attention are China‘s planned aircraft carriers and its new fifth-generation fighter
bomber. Anytime now, the PLA Navy will commence sea trials for its first carrier, the ex-Ukrainian Varyag, which
has been renamed Shi Lang. The former Soviet ship is larger than European carriers, but one-third smaller than US
Nimitz class carriers. Moreover, China has publicly confirmed it has a second, larger, conventionally powered
carrier under domestic construction that will likely be launched in 2015. China has planned or is constructing a
third conventionally-powered carrier and two nuclear-powered carriers are on the drawing board, with a planned
completion date of 2020.
Equally important as the warships, are the aircraft China plans to deploy on its flat tops. The main fighterbomber
in the PLA Navy carrier air wing will be the J-15 Flying Shark, which under current configuration is
comparable in size and capability to the US Navy‘s retired F-14 Tomcat. The jet will have limited range given its
weight taking off from the ski deck-configured Shi Lang, however, it‘s believed that advances in Chinese
aeronautics and avionics, as well as a catapult launch system on forthcoming carriers, could put the J-15 in the
same performance class as the USN F-18 Super Hornet in the future. China may also have developed a carrierbased
airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) aircraft, which would be a major development. An
Internet-sourced photograph that appeared in mid-May, meanwhile, shows a corner of a model of what is clearly a
small AWACS aircraft inspired by the E-2 Hawkeye and the unrealized Soviet Yak-44 designs.
To put China‘s carrier programme in perspective, with the retirement of the USS Enterprise this summer, the
United States will have only ten carriers to meet worldwide commitments; China will likely have five carriers
devoted to the Asia-Pacific region alone.
China‘s build-up is being noted even in the popular
Western media, which has given significant coverage
to China‘s prototype fifth generation twin-engine
stealth fighter-bomber, the J-20 Black Silk. The jet is
larger than the USAF F-22 Raptor and could prove to
be comparable in capability (although some US
observers claim it is more similar to the slightly less
sophisticated US and allied F-35 Joint Strike Fighter,
which will be the frontline US carrier fighter).
The J-20 prototype took off on its ‗maiden‘ test flight
in January from an airfield in the southwestern city of
Chengdu, flying for about 15 minutes on the same day
then-US Defence Secretary Robert Gates was in
Beijing meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, sending a strong political message and earning the jet a spot on
evening news programmes worldwide.
China is believed to have received a major assist in developing the J-20 by obtaining materials from a downed
US F-117 Night Hawk from Serbia, as well as from the believed cyber theft of JSF plans from US defence
contractors. (With this in mind, US planners should also assume that Chinese engineers have had access to the
rotor tail of the stealth helicopter that was ditched in the Osama bin Laden raid in Pakistan).
These rapid and high-level technical achievements have apparently surprised many Western observers, and the
consensus is that the West has consistently underestimated the strength of China‘s military industrial capability and
its determination to expand and modernize its armed forces, especially the PLA Navy. But it should now be more
than clear that the world is facing a significant challenge to a maritime system that has been dominated for the past
6

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
200 years by Anglo-American navies. How the United States responds to China‘s challenge will define the balance
of power in the Asia-Pacific for the rest of the century.
Robert C. O'Brien is the Managing Partner of Arent Fox Los Angeles. He served as a US Representative to the
United Nations. He can be followed on Twitter@robertcobrien.
A/ED NOTE: Photos inserted into Robert O’Brien’s article are from Chinese Internet.
A/ED NOTE: We thank Bob Darlington for the following article which we have been hoping to publish since last October.
All members should enjoy it but if ―Supply‖ is in your background, you‘ll find Bob‘s article particularly interesting…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
U.S. NAVAL SUPPLY CORPS SCHOOL, BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY
-EXPERIMENT OR EXPERIENCE ? by Bob Darlington
THE APPOINTMENT Shortly after the end of
WWII it was
recognized that
more formal
training for naval
Supply Officers
was required.
Ships now
needed Supply
Officers who
could manage
Pay, Stores,
Victualling, Food
Service and Non
Public Funds.
The Branch was
more cohesive
than wartime
duties so the
Supply Officer‘s Technical Course (SOTC) was
established in the west coast dockyard. By 1946 the
SOTC had moved to two buildings on Admirals Road
outside the NADEN gates.
In the spring of 1949 the current SOTC #5
consisted of ex RCNVR wartime personnel
(Beveridge, Tassie and Stonehouse), and a number of
non-commissioned tradesmen (Cove, Driega, Faire
and Payne) who had been selected for commissioning
subject to passing the exams. Also on that course
were two Sub Lieutenant (S) graduates of Royal
Roads (Davis & Lambie) and three Sub Lieutenants
(S) who had come from the University Naval
Training Division (UNTD) (Fricker, Margetts and
Darlington). The SOTC was designed to be about
three months in duration and by late June we still had
at least a month to go. At that point the five sub
lieutenants were pulled out of class and told that they
would write all their final exams at the end of the
week and that they would pass them all. They were
7
then to leave immediately to join the United States
Naval Supply Corps School (NSCS) for a nine month
course at Bayonne, New Jersey. This was exciting
news but of course drew envious scowls from the
other members of the course.
The RCN was about to introduce summer khaki
uniforms but they were not quite ready for
distribution. A major benefit to us was a letter from
the Naval Secretary authorizing us to wear USN style
uniforms. They were much smarter than the bilious
RCN summer kit that was soon introduced. We all
took flack in later appointments when we wore our
non-spec kit but attributed it to envy.
We duly wrote our exams, then partied until it was
time to join the overnight ferry from Victoria to
Vancouver. Duty travel in those days was not by
plane so we went by train to Montreal and then took
the overnight to New York. Our orders were to report
at first to the US Naval District HQ at 90 Church
Street in Lower Manhattan. It was the July 4th
weekend and our arrival was not expected. The Duty
Officer was surprised at anyone arriving on a holiday
but eventually accepted our brief one page signal and
transport was arranged. There were three ways of
getting from New York to New Jersey; the George
Washington Bridge, the Lincoln Tunnel or the
Holland Tunnel. The truck dived into the latter and
we emerged in New Jersey to read the signs to places
like Hackensack, Wehawken. Passaic and Hoboken.
Passing through Journal Square (joinal sqayh to the
natives) we headed south into Bayonne. That city is
on a peninsula of land bordered on the west by
Newark Bay and on the east by New York harbour.
To the south is Staten Island joined to Bayonne by a
bridge. The citizens of Bayonne were multiethnic.
The only Canadian who was married was Jack
Fricker. He and Joyce had modest accommodation
ashore. Joyce told us that she heard one neighbour

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
say to another that “the neighbourhood was going to
the dogs. An English couple had moved in”.
For some reason NDHQ had appointed me as the
senior officer of our five. That simply meant that I
was the contact point in case any issues of pay, travel,
leave or other administrative matter ever arose. They
never did and the only time I wore that hat was on the
occasion of a visiting Lieutenant Commander from
Ottawa. I assume his purpose was to justify his junket
and report on our progress or otherwise. We were the
test group for a somewhat radical experiment in cross
national training. The powers in Ottawa recognized
that the RCN was moving away from years of
following Royal Navy manuals, procedures and
systems to the more modern USN. In the longer view
it was necessary to have junior officers with an
understanding of how a very large navy did business.
THE SCHOOL AND STAFF NSCS was located
on a long spit of land, possibly reclaimed, that
stretched eastward into Upper New York harbour. At
the extremity were jetties with numerous mothballed
ships secured alongside. As part of a field trip we
once visited the Battleship North Carolina. To the
south on Staten Island was a large oil refinery. When
the wind and tide were right (or wrong) the smell
invaded the school. We then referred to NSCS as ―the
Indian reservation, nosum smellum certain stinkum‖.
Entrance to the spit of land was controlled by Marine
sentries. That duty must have been saved for men
undergoing punishment! But our life consisted of the
school buildings. Margetts claims that they were
originally for enlisted men and still housed the
original cockroaches. The Admin area had offices for
the staff, a Manuals office, a post office, a dry cleaner
and a gymnasium, on the right branch were the
kitchen and mess hall plus the Bachelor Officer
Quarters (BOQ). The school also included a
Commissary research facility headed by a USN
Commander who had earned a PhD for research into
the cooking of French Fries!
The BOQ consisted of hallways with eight cabins
on each side. My cabin was the last one in BOQ ―E‖
which I shared with Ensign Jack (8 Ball) Haberthier.
A billiard room completed the hallway. To the left
from Admin were the classrooms. They were spartan
and basic holding about 32 students who comprised a
Company. When we arrived in that summer of 1949
Companies G and H were in residence. They
graduated in the late Fall of that year. We became
Companies A, B, C and D. We Canadians were
8
spread with Davis and Fricker in A, Lambie in B; I
was in C and Margetts in D.
Outdoors were military and sport facilities. I recall
a few times we fell in by Company on the ―grinder‖
which is a USN term for parade ground. There was a
tennis court area where our rather elderly
Commandant whipped the best of the young students.
There was a softball field where each Company
fielded a team. I pitched for C Company and we did
well until we met G Company. Their first baseman
was Mel Sorge who had played professional ball at a
very high level. He missed my first pitch. He looked
at the next for a second strike then hit the third pitch
far out of the area for a home run. He was impossible
to strike out.
Each Company was assigned a lecturer who stayed
with his Company for the whole curriculum. My
instructor was Lieutenant (JG) Bob Fisher (known as
Fishhaid to some of the southerners). I believe he
went on to be the first Supply Officer in the first
nuclear submarine USS Nautilus. The curriculum was
taught in blocks. The largest blocks were for
Disbursing and Supply. Much of the instruction was
of a standard we had never faced. It consisted of
filling in forms, called ―Specimens‖. We were to
pretend that we were serving on a cruiser. When the
Korean War started the course was reduced to six
months.
US Navy ships operated on a budget for
maintenance and the Supply Officers were expected
to keep within budget. Smaller sections covered such
important subjects as Courts Marshall and Naval
Justice, Canteens (non-public funds) and Public
Speaking. The commandant was Captain Austin who
gave every student a book on the subject. Lieutenant
Irving Grodstein gave one whole two-week period of
public speaking instruction. That officer punctuated
every sentence with personal references until he
became known as ―I Grodstein‖ with a heavy
emphasis on the ―I‖. One Company started a game
consisting of counting the number of times Irving
used the term ―I‖ or ―Me‖ or similar. The number
kept rising until the Friday lunch arrived when your
Company presented its contribution to after lunch
speeches on a subject of your choice. One Friday the
stage was given to a Reserve Officer course and
became known as Black Friday. One officer went on
and on until we wondered if we would ever get leave.
For the Canteen phase we learned such important
details as ―how to set the percentage on slot

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
machines‖, and ―if you are going to steal funds, go
for at least a million‖. We were also introduced to
Hollerith (punch card) machines which were the
forerunners of today‘s computers. A regular lecture
reminded the students that Portsmouth Naval Prison
was open to officers who strayed in their duties.
Margetts found this a distasteful implication and
foreign to our Canadian ethos.
There were field trips. One was to an abattoir which
did not appeal to Margetts and me so we managed to
talk the management into including us in weapons
qualification as part of their Naval Emergency
Ground Defence Force. This one day exercise was
conducted at an outdoor U.S. Marine Corps range at
Sea Girt, New Jersey. We fired both rifles and the
very heavy 45 Colt hand gun normally carried by
Supply Officers in the USN when making large
money transactions. I recall that one of the WAVE
officers was the only one of us to even hit the target.
It is not a weapon designed for accuracy. When lunch
time came we junior officers sat on a sand bank
waiting while the small group of Marine Sergeants
ate first. This was our introduction to the culture of
the USMC.
The final, and very important building was the
Officer‘s Mess. The bartender who presided over this
well used facility was known as Roger The Lodger.
One had to count one‘s change carefully with Roger.
For a five dollar bill it was possible to get change for
a one. The Mess had an early TV set where baseball
could be seen. It also had a record player. Ensign
Andy Durham regularly spent his five-cent pieces on
those well-known favourites ―He had the cutest little
dinghy in the Navy‖ and ―The sons of Beaches always
married Bassets‖. Our other local watering hole was
Ben’s Spa not too far from the main gate. The owner
was a disbarred lawyer who boasted of ―fixing
juries‖. But he had a large screen TV and an oldfashioned
bar with free snacks.
The Commandant was Captain (SC) (later Rear
Admiral) C. S. Austin. We saw little of him. His
Public Speaking gift was the book ―Public Speaking
As Listeners Like It‖ published in 1935. I still have
my autographed copy and confess to having referred
to it on a least one occasion. He had a rope hanging
from the ceiling in his office. When entertaining
visitors he would ask them to place a dollar bill at the
base of the rope. He then pulled himself to the top,
reversed, and sliding down head first would pick up
9
the dollar with his teeth. I am not sure whether he
kept the dollar.
Other than our own instructor the 14 staff officers
(including a Padre) played no obvious role in our life.
One Lieutenant Commander snarled at me on a
couple occasions when I was skylarking. I got the
impression that he was an Anglophobe.
THE COURSE The USN had a very practical
concept for this long course. The theory was that each
student would graduate fully capable of taking on the
duties of Supply Officer of a Destroyer. It
concentrated on the responsibilities of that position
and I do not recall any time spent on the ―man
management‖ aspects of an officer. I assume they had
been discussed in other venues such as Annapolis
Naval College or ROTC.
This theory was sound and many years later when I
was Chief Instructor at our School of Administration
and Logistics I made a formal visit to NSCS. By then
the School was located on the campus of the
University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Its
Commandant was Captain Billy Coons who had sat
beside me for nine months in Company C. Sadly for
me Billy was on leave but I confirmed that NSCS
followed the same principle of instruction. The USN
believed that if you could successfully survive your
first department head period in a ship you could go
on to any other duties ashore or afloat. I always felt
that the Canadian Navy informally followed a similar
precept. And I believed that our junior Logistics
officers did well in later appointments because of the
confidence they gained in their first seagoing
responsibilities. At the new NSCS I had breakfast
with some of the students. They were nothing like the
1949 crowd. They seemed to have a chip on their
shoulder and were full of complaints about their
country‘s overseas activities. That attitude would not
have endeared them to their first seagoing
Commanding Officer.
As each subject area was studied at NSCS the pace
was deliberate. It started with a visit to the room that
dispensed the appropriate Manual issued by the
Bureau of Supplies and Accounts (BUSANDA).
These came with a pack of loose amendments that
had been issued since the books were last used. The
first job was to bring one‘s manual up-to-date. This
could take a whole evening. They also contained the
subject matter and in addition to the lecture and test
time, we were expected to spend study time in the
evenings.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
We certainly did not attend lectures on the
weekends and had Wednesday afternoon free. I seem
to recall that Friday afternoons were often free;
perhaps to recover from the lunch time speeches. We
Canadians had all spent some naval time where we
had become acquainted with our own logistic
practices. Davis and Lambie had spent two years as
Midshipmen in Supply departments, recently in
MAGNIFICENT. We three ex UNTDs had undergone
a Supply course at our own Supply School in the
summer of 1947. Margetts and I had worked the
Captain‘s and Pay offices in HMCS IROQUOIS in
1948 and I had spent two months in Pay in HMCS
10
MAGNIFICENT in the same summer. I had also been
Gunner‘s Party in the frigate CHARLOTTETOWN
and the destroyer CRESCENT. So we recognized that
the content of NSCS, although mind broadening, was
not going to provide us with correct RCN answers
when we next took up sea duties.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
FOR THOSE MEMBERS RECEIVING PAPER
COPIES OF THEIR LEAD & LINES BY MAIL, WE
PLAN TO CONTINUE BOB DARLINGTON‘S
ARTICLE IN THE NOVEMBER LEAD & LINE.
A middle-aged Walmart Greeter was called to the Manager‘s office where his boss said:
You are doing a very good job greeting and directing our customers, Old Timer, and our other staff
members enjoy your friendly personality and the way you work with them. But there’s one problem. You are about
15 minutes late arriving for work every morning.
At your last job, what did they say to you when you arrived late in the morning?
The Greeter replied:
Good morning, Admiral. Would you like your cup of coffee now, sir?
SERVICE OFFICER’S REPORT by Irvine Hare 250-592-2268 or email ihare@telus.net
Lt.*Tom Arkell 101-380 Waterfront Drive
250-385-2815 is not completely mobile but would
appreciate a call from old friends.
Mrs. Margaret Bartlett: Glengarry Hospital,
Richmond unit, 1780 Fairfield Rd.
LCdr. Ted Clayards: Lodge at Broadmead
Cdr *Ted & Addie Semmens: Lodge at Broadmead
Ted -Rm A430 250-592-2345
Visits and Visitors
LCdr Bill Creighton: Daffodil House, Sunridge Lodge,
361 Bundock Pl., Duncan BC
Lt.*Sheila Davis: 12-3958 Cedar Hill Rd. 250-721-1541
Cdr. *Bob Luke: 3967 Olympic View Dr
250-478-7560
Cdr. *Rusty MacKay: 4619 Elk Lake Drive
250-727-6980
Cdr. Harry Palmer: Palm South,
Broadmead Lodge
~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~
The * asterisk with the name indicates that this is a person who is near to a phone and would appreciate a call.
If you would like to call the spouse, it might be more useful.
Please do not hesitate to phone any member of the Visitation Committee to discuss the matter
The Visitation Committee continues its work. If you know of anyone who would like a visit let us know. If you
would like a visit, please let us know.
Please let us know the names and addresses of old members and the name and address of a relative or friend. One
of our members Shirley Gray is believed to be in assisted living. Irvine would like to be informed of her
whereabouts. Irvine Hare
Associate Visitation Committee Members (See May Lead & Line for Terms of Reference)
Geri Hinton 250-477-7334, Elizabeth Campbell 250-598-1837, Lea Shaw 250-592-4404,
Visitation Committee Members
Michael Ellis 250-658-2473 , Irvine Hare 250-592-2268
IN MEMORIAM
NOAVI Member Cdr. (O) R. A. (Jim) Green RCN Ret'd., 19 May 1917 - 23 September 2011

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
MARITIME AFFAIRS
TAIL END CHARLIE (Electronic Version Only)
MARITIME AIR: AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT ON CANADA’S WEST COAST
BC SHIPPING NEWS October 2011 by K. Joseph Spears
Maritime Air is an important element of Canada‘s ocean management. Canada, the world‘s second largest
coastal nation, has 244,000 kilometres of coastline and 9.3 million square kilometres of ocean space under
Canadian control and jurisdiction. Canada has both domestic and international obligations under the Law of the
Sea Convention and its domestic maritime legislation for management of living and non-living resources in this
vast ocean space. Under customary international law, Canada has obligations to protect marine resources using the
precautionary principle, including the waters beyond the 200 mile outer limit of the Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZ). The precautionary principle of customary international law holds that a coastal nation can intervene to
prevent marine pollution or exploitation of living resources outside its national jurisdiction. The North Pacific
driftnet fisheries enforcement program is one such example which is undertaken by Fisheries and Oceans Canada
(DFO).
Provincial Aerospace Ltd. (PAL) utilizes aircraft such as the one above — a King Air 200 twin-engine — for
marine surveillance for over 30 years, operating in conjunction with the Department of National Defense (DND)
using CP-140 Auroras of the Long Range Patrol Group of the Royal Canadian Air Force based at 19 Wing at
Comox, British Columbia outside of Canadian waters.
Canada‘s West Coast, the use of space-based and air assets are central capabilities of a little-known element of
Canada‘s ocean management regime (Maritime Air). Maritime Air provides government departments tasked with
an ocean management responsibility, a flexible and rapid response sensor platform depending on the particular
ocean management
function. This can
include surveillance,
law enforcement,
marine domain
awareness, fisheries and
anti-pollution and
scientific patrols. This
article provides an
overview of the concept
of Maritime Air, and
how one Canadian
company, Provincial
Aerospace Ltd., (PAL),
founded in
Newfoundland, has
played a key role in
Canada‘s ocean
management for many
years, starting first on
the East Coast of
In addition to surveillance, maritime air can include search and rescue, law enforcement, Canada and expanding
marine domain awareness, fisheries and antipollution and scientific patrols. to the West Coast.
Photo credit: Corporal Roxanne Shewchuk PAL plays an important
role on the West Coast in maritime surveillance, fisheries enforcement, law enforcement and in a secondary search
and rescue role as tasked by Victoria JRCC under the control of the SRR (SAR Region) Commander Rear-Admiral
Nigel Greenwood. The aircraft is often in the air and provides initial top cover for SAR response at sea.
11

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
When we look at ocean management, people tend to think solely of ships — surface-based assets — as the only
vehicle for providing an ocean management capability. On a warming planet, and in the vast melting Arctic, we
need to rethink some of these ocean management concepts. Aviators are mariners too. Maritime Air works, is cost
effective and provides a highly effective and flexible response in an integrated functional approach to Canada‘s
ocean management which is shared by a number of federal departments. The data collected can be shared with a
wide variety of end users in real time for various purposes and uses. Canada has had long history of using aircraft
for ocean management generally and on the West Coast in particular.
Canada is seen as a world leader in the development of using Maritime Air as an enforcement and ocean
management tool supported by international law. This commercial activity, service delivery of Maritime Air in
support of the Government of Canada, has many economic spinoffs domestically and as an awesome export
opportunity for Canada. It links trade with ocean management expertise. PAL with other Canadian companies
recently signed a $400 million contract for providing two Dash 8 Q300 maritime surveillance aircraft and
supporting systems for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
It is important to realize that much of the value of the shipbuilding contracts that make up the National
Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) will involve the government vessels using a variety of air and spacebased
sensors to fuse the sensor data for a specific purpose. In many respects, the computer and data management
systems on these vessels greatly exceed the cost of the propulsion system and the construction of the hulls
combined. This data fusion and integration of various space, surface and air assets data is seen as an integral part
of the use of government vessels engaged in modern ocean management and will become more important in a
rapidly changing and warming world.
Maritime Air developed during World War II in the hunt for German U-boats in the North Atlantic. The RCAF
developed techniques using acoustical sensors and primitive radar for detecting surfaced U-boats. The RCAF
Eastern Command was an integral part of the Battle of the Atlantic. On the West Coast, the RCAF operated
seaplanes to detect Japanese submarines. To this day, an experienced aviator‘s Mark 1 eyeball remains an excellent
sensor. During the Cold War, Canada pioneered the use of large helicopters from destroyer escorts for antisubmarine
warfare. Fixed wing long range aircraft played an important part as the recently declassified Cuban
missile crisis records show. Many commentators from other NATO countries during the Cold War held that
Canada was one of the world‘s best sub hunters. In this writer‘s opinion, the Canadian Navy remains at the leading
edge of anti-submarine warfare which utilizes a variety of subsurface, surface and air assets.
As the Cold War ended, the skills developed while hunting Soviet nuclear submarines from both fixed and rotary
wing aircraft began to be applied to other ocean management functions. Prior to 1977, Canada‘s territorial sea
extended 12 miles and foreign fishing fleets operated in sight of land. After 1977, Canada declared a Fishing Zone
out to 200 nautical miles which eventually morphed into the EEZ when Canada ratified the Law of the Sea
Convention in November 1993. This increased ocean space required a fisheries monitoring and enforcement
capability that was originally undertaken by the Canadian Forces CP- 121 Tracker aircraft squadrons originally
tasked with anti-submarine warfare from the RCN‘s aircraft carrier HMCS Bonaventure and then air fields. The
Trackers were eventually retired starting in the 1970s. The Tracker loss in 1990 left a gap in Canada‘s Maritime
Air capability which was filled by the private sector. PAL started undertaking aerial surveillance fisheries patrols
for Fisheries and Oceans Canada on the East Coast off the highly biologically rich Grand Banks which extends
past Canada‘s 200 mile limit.
This led PAL to develop a long-standing relationship with the Government of Canada to use private sector air
assets with a variety of sensors and DFO enforcement personnel on board to develop a cost-effective solution to
fisheries enforcement in a very harsh ocean environment operating far offshore. PAL utilized the King Air 200
twin-engine aircraft which is well suited to this work and has served the test of time to the present day.
Canada‘s West Coast stretches from the 49th parallel to the AB line at Dixon Entrance and in that intervening
shoreline is 27,000 kilometres of mountainous coastline with 6,000 islands — most of which are uninhabited. The
North to South distance is 900 kilometres. Servicing the maritime navigational infrastructure and aids to navigation
on the West Coast is done by the Canadian Coast Guard Pacific Region who maintains a fleet of eight helicopters
12

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
from two bases that service a variety of remote sites and lighthouses from land as well as Coast Guard vessels on a
year-round basis. These rotary wing aircraft are a lifeline on the coast as any mariner knows.
What works on the East Coast is transferable to the West Coast. If it is salty — PAL is there. PAL presently
operates on the West Coast from Comox using a King Air. This aircraft has a precision inertial navigation and GPS
system that interfaces with the aircraft radar to give a precise position for enforcement purposes. The aircraft also
has an AIS collection system and can collect AIS data from a 200-kilometre radius with specific vessel positions.
The flights can show all the vessels in the flight path. The shore-based CCG radar has a limited range. Automatic
Identification Systems (AIS) transmitters are carried by vessels and provides a radio signal that is a unique
identifier to a particular vessel. The data system and sensor operators can provide real time information to the end
user government departments. The aircraft has an enlarged fuel system for extended range. The aircraft has a night
photography system in addition to a forward-looking infrared imaging system for evidence collection.
Transport Canada also operates the National Aerial Surveillance Program (NASP) using two dedicated Dash 8s
and one Dash 7 aircraft for surveillance of vessels within waters under Canadian jurisdiction to enforce pollution
prevention regulations.
What works on the East Coast is transferable to the West Coast. If it is salty — PAL is there. PAL presently
operates on the West Coast from Comox using a King Air. This aircraft has a precision inertial navigation and GPS
system that interfaces with the aircraft radar to give a precise position for enforcement purposes. The aircraft also
has an AIS collection system and can collect AIS data from a 200-kilometre radius with specific vessel positions.
The flights can show all the vessels in the flight path. The shore-based CCG radar has a limited range. Automatic
Identification Systems (AIS) transmitters are carried by vessels and provides a radio signal that is a unique
identifier to a particular vessel. The data system and sensor operators can provide real time information to the end
user government departments. The aircraft has an enlarged fuel system for extended range. The aircraft has a night
photography system in addition to a forward-looking infrared imaging system for evidence collection.
Transport Canada also operates the National Aerial Surveillance Program (NASP) using two dedicated Dash 8s
and one Dash 7 aircraft for surveillance of vessels within waters under Canadian jurisdiction to enforce pollution
prevention regulations.
One DHC-8 (Dash 8) aircraft is based in Moncton, N.B. and the second is based in Vancouver, B.C. During
maritime patrols, the aircraft‘s crew normally consists of two pilots, an equipment operator, an observer, and for
overnight trips or other extended deployments, a flight engineer. The Moncton-based Dash 8 is used to conduct
pollution surveillance, ice reconnaissance and maritime security surveillance in the Atlantic, Quebec and Ontario
Regions. The Vancouver-based Dash 8 is used for similar purposes in the Pacific Region with the exception of ice
reconnaissance due to the nature of the climate. The DHC-7 (Dash 7) was first manufactured in 1986. During
maritime patrols the aircraft‘s crew normally consists of the same crew compliment as the Dash 8. This aircraft is
based in Ottawa, Ontario and is used primarily for ice reconnaissance, pollution and maritime surveillance patrols
in the Arctic. The aircraft also serves as a contingency aircraft when maintenance is being performed on the Dash 8
aircraft. It is specifically fitted with an all-round view dome in its fuselage for visual observations. It has
undergone an avionics update and fitting out with the MSS6000 suite of sensors. Since 2004, each of the TC
surveillance aircraft has also been modified to include a suite of remote sensors specifically designed for oil
pollution detection.
The Moncton-based Dash 8 aircraft was recently used in the Gulf of Mexico during the Deep Horizon oil spill.
The TC Dash 8 was the premier aircraft that was utilized to provide situational awareness by monitoring the spill
movement in the Gulf of Mexico. The aircraft operated by Transport Canada air crews operated from the time of
the first request in April 2010 until July 15, 2010 and greatly surpassed the surveillance aircraft operated by
American agencies. It is a made-in-Canada solution that works and has been proven on the world stage. It is a
tribute to Canadian firms who developed some of the sensors and integration as well as the operational readiness of
the Transport Canada air crews.
PAL‘s global leadership in airborne maritime surveillance has flourished on Canada‘s solid Maritime Air
foundation. PAL has expanded into intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
13

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
In addition to surveillance, maritime air can include search and rescue, law enforcement, marine domain
awareness, fisheries and antipollution and scientific patrols.
PAL has more than 35 years of fixed wing operational experience, flying over 130,000 hours in 20,000 incidentfree
missions with a fleet of 10 maritime patrol aircraft and UAVs worldwide. PAL has 750 employees and
undertakes work in over 30 countries. It is a marine success story of which we can all be proud. It is clear that
Maritime Air is a cost-effective, long-established component of Canada‘s and the West Coast‘s maritime industry
which will become critical as Canada expands its ocean capability in the coming years. There is much to be
learned from PAL‘s success story. PAL‘s success shows that the private sector can work in partnership with the
Government of Canada to provide cost-effective solutions. The Government of Canada is presently exploring
alternative service delivery for a Fixed Wing Search and Rescue replacement aircraft. It is not a new concept, as
the PAL story shows, stretching back 35 years. We have much to learn from the PAL story. Canada is a safer,
stronger and a more secure maritime nation because of this public-private partnership on Maritime Air.
Joe Spears is the principal of HBMG, and learned to fly at the East Coast meccas of maritime aviation, CFB
Greenwood and Shearwater. He would like to thank Colonel (Retired) John Orr, a Research Fellow of Dalhousie‘s
CFPS, for renewing his interest in Maritime Air as an integrated ocean management tool in a changing world. Joe
can be reached at kjs@oceanlawcanada.com
Reprinted with Permission, BC Shipping News published by McIvor Communications Inc. The Publisher, Jane
McIvor welcomes comments and feed back contact@bcshippingnews.com. www.bcshippingnews.com
U.S. NAVAL SUPPLY CORPS SCHOOL, BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY
-EXPERIMENT OR EXPERIENCE ? by Bob Darlington
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
THE STUDENTS Each of the four 1949
Companies consisted of 30 students. Although the
large majority were Ensigns, ex US Naval College,
there were numerous exceptions including we
Canadians. There were two Brazilian Lieutenant
Commanders. Bill Gary was an ex US Marine NCO
with numerous combat medals, at least one for
heroism. Art Burkholder was much older than the
average. As an NCO he had been captured by the
Japanese when Corregidor fell and he had survived
the death march. Each Company had a senior officer
and mine was Art Sirginson, a Lieutenant
Commander who had transferred from ―the Line‖ to
the Supply Corps. Jack Hull in another Company had
done the same. There was one Coast Guard
Lieutenant who got next to top marks at graduation
over the rest of we 120 plus students. There were at
least five WAVE officers, mostly very junior except
for Lieutenant Commander Beryl Catt. One did not
call her Kitty Catt in range of her hearing!
Most of the USN students were young and fresh
from college life. In the USA that meant that they
were used to extracurricular activities. It was not long
before clubs were formed. The 1950 NSCS yearbook
titled Account Current contains a display of activities
available. They included; Glee Club, Spanish Club,
14
Dramatic Club, a news journal called Supply Line
(with some contributions from me), tennis,
volleyball, baseball and the Summer Ball. A good
number of the officers, particularly those from the
1949 Naval College, were freshly married and these
social affairs were improved greatly by the pretty
young faces of the wives.
Inevitably there were some romantic contacts
among the students. Bill Emery dated and later
married Betty Ibach much to the chagrin of Vince
Lambie who was one of many attracted to Betty. In
my company was another very pretty girl. I believe
Gretchen Ward who married Rick Ridenour from
Company A and became known as Wretched Ward
Ridenour. Most of the then 48 states were represented
and the accents ranged from a nasal New York ethnic
to a hill Billy from the backwoods of Tennessee who
drawled so slowly that one wondered if he would
ever finish. One of my Company mates was Dorsey
Wharton Daniel from the tobacco country of Oxford,
North Carolina. Danny had the next cabin to Vince
Lambie and their radios carried on a perpetual battle
between Country Music and the BBC. Danny
referred to Vince as ―Prince Vince‖. Vince was an
overly deliberate player in a game of snooker which
bothered Danny.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
One day after Vince had studied the balls for a long
time Danny said ―Prince, you would argue with a
sign post until it fell down, then you would go the
wrong Damn way!‖ Country humour. One of the
young (and pretty) WAVEs was Debbie Belka from
Gulfport, Mississippi. She had a lovely deep southern
accent and her father was Principal of an all boys‘
school. Debbie attended that school. 1949 was the
height of TV game shows. They selected the
candidates from slips of personal data provided by
the audience. Debbie was a natural. Her slip included
―I was the only girl in an all boys’ school and am
now a female officer in the US Navy‖. The students
took Debbie to New York and brought back the
prizes she regularly won. Another School character in
H Company was Enos Rogers ―Planter‖ Pleasants
from Mississippi. He claimed that his parents had
brought him up to expect more out of life than he
could afford. He lived life to the full and his trips to
New York were legendary. After graduation he
moved to the legal side of naval duties. I met him in
Washington in 1952. Wendy was fascinated by his
accent and his joie-de-vivre. He told me that one of
the WAVE officers had been trapped in a sting in
Boston when it was discovered that she was a
Lesbian.
Life in the BOQ was very active. On weekend
mornings someone always got to the mess hall early
enough to return and shout out ―Grits today”. The
southerners leapt out of bed and headed for breakfast.
We remainder turned over with a groan and stayed
for a while longer. The Mess stewards were all
Filipino. One very short one with a very deep voice
would suddenly appear at your shoulder and startle
you with ―We have eggs to order Sir‖. If you had a
bit of a head it was a rude awakening. The shower
room rang with group singing, mostly College songs
like ―Far above Cayuga's waters there’s an awful
smell. Stands an old abandoned outhouse, that they
call Cornell.‖
RECREATION With New York a short bus ride
across the Hudson River we young officers had a
buffet of choice. The Big Apple was a friendly place
then and we felt safe on the streets. The only danger
was being trapped by a garrulous New Yorker. Early
on we discovered the Anchor and Saber Club in the
basement of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. It was for
uniformed officers only at the entry price of NY State
tax, 12 cents I believe. The only rule was that dance
15
partners were chosen by the girls. This could be good
news or bad. We called this facility The Shanker and
Cable Club.
Plays and Musicals were affordable. We saw the
original casts of South Pacific, Death of a Salesman
and Mr. Roberts. Davis fell out of his seat laughing
when Ensign Jack Lemon blew up the laundry and
came on stage covered in foam. We saw The
Rockettes and at one movie house the virtually
unknown Peggy Lee sang a couple songs before the
picture started.
I went to a few NY Giants baseball games at Shea
Stadium, again at the outrageous cost of State Tax if
you were in uniform. There was a triple A ball team
in Jersey City. Ex-pro player Mel Sorge took me and
we watched the team warm-up. Mel knew one of the
players who came to the rail and chatted. Some years
later I realized that player was The Rifleman of TV
fame. One of the girls from the Shanker club was a
travel ticket seller for the well known baseball
announcer Mel Allen. From him she got me a seat at
the 1949 World Series Yankee vs Dodgers game at
Ebbets Field. I was three rows behind Mrs. Truman
the President‘s wife and close to Joe Louis‘ seat. Mel
Ott hit a home run. I have a great memory of a great
game.
When hockey started Davis, Margetts and I
attended almost all the home games which were
played on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. From
Winnipeg days I knew Don (Bones) Raleigh who
played center and he came to the boards to chat
before a game. Seats were (I recall) $3 and we
usually had three on the blue line, first row. The
Rangers lost the Stanley cup to the Red Wings in the
seventh game. We were on a train heading west to
our new appointments when the last game was being
aired. At every stop we tried to get the score.
We had the free run of US Naval establishments.
The Mess at the Brooklyn Navy Yard had slot
machines that were favourable to the player and we
won many nickels there. On Long Island a mansion
had been taken over by the Navy for some research
activity and was also the assigned home for retired
Fleet Admiral Nimitz. The building had an indoor
pool and we twice took our dates there for drinks and
a swim. I once wandered up to a billiard room where
an elderly lady was shooting snooker balls. A voice
said ―Do you play pool Son?‖ When I said I did I was
ordered to play a game with Mrs. Nimitz. When we

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
junior officers took our drinks into the pool the
management asked NSCS to inform the students that
we were not welcome.
Many of the more well-to-do American officers had
cars, some brand new. So mobility was not a
problem. I spent Easter weekend at Bill Emery‘s
Chevy Chase home. We had a memorable party in a
Williamstown home. Our dates all wore expensive
mink fur coats so I taught them the song ―Digging Up
Father’s Grave To Build A Sewer‖. Margetts and I
drove to Minneapolis with two others then took our
first air flight to Winnipeg for Christmas leave. And I
managed to get to the Army Navy football game in
Philadelphia.
GRADUATION AND LATER The course came to
an end in late March 1950. With typical American
ceremony we went to the review stand and received
our certificates. The Americans got theirs from the
Commandant. We Canadians received ours from
Commodore Nelson Lay who was our Naval
Representative in Washington. Results of exams were
posted. Davis and Fricker led our group with
Darlington, Margetts and Lambie further back in the
middle. The standings must have affected our next
appointments. Davis got Cayuga and Fricker got
Micmac, both destroyers. Margetts and I got
Antigonish and Beacon Hill, both Frigates. Lambie
got Cash Officer of Ontario.
Many of the Americans did the required time and
then left the Navy for more lucrative civilian jobs.
16
Some of the Annapolis grads were scornful of that
institution, referring to it as ―Goat-Shit Tech‖.
Others, possibly a few, stayed for a career. Dom
Cefalu and Ralph Murphy made Rear Admiral in the
USN and Bill Armstrong was also later a Rear
Admiral in the Naval Reserve. We met a few of our
fellow grads later. When Margetts and I arrived in
Pearl Harbour in the summer of 1950 there was a
squadron of six destroyers. In five of them our mates
were the Supply Officer. Needless to say there was a
party at John Knutson‘s PMQ. The second night
when we went back to Andy Durham‘s ship the
Quartermaster said ―Mr. Durham said if that’s those
bloody Canadians tell them I’m not going anywhere‖.
Vern Margetts made friends with Don Pantle and
years later attended Don‘s marriage in New Orleans.
Jack Hull visited Vern in Victoria. While I was in
ASO in Philadelphia I met Jim Marx, Bernie Hogan,
Jack Haberthier and Jack Riley. In Norfolk in 1959 I
met Betty Brown from the group ahead of us.
Jack Fricker and I were the only two Canadians to
complete our service in the RCN, both as Captain.
Jack had done two years in Nigeria as advisor to their
navy. He had contracted a stomach parasite and he
did not survive to enjoy retirement. Bill Davis moved
to employment with Supplies and Service Canada
and retired as an Assistant Deputy Minister. Vern
Margetts left as a Commander to take employment
with the Ontario Civil Service. He retired from a very
senior financial management position. Vince Lambie
left to take a law degree and until his death practiced
in Halifax.
My time in NSCS was not wasted. After my two
years in Beacon Hill I spent from 1952 to 1954 as
Liaison Officer at the Aviation Supply Office in
Philadelphia. My job was to shorten the delivery time
for spares for USN type aircraft now being flown in
the RCN. Most of my classmates had finished their
sea time and had moved to positions in the vast USN
supply system. I used these contacts without mercy to
arrange for preferential treatment of Canadian needs.
The RCN sent two more groups after ours finished.
I have no knowledge of a formal appraisal by senior
officers in Ottawa. Presumably it was concluded that
our systems were just too different and that our junior
Supply Officers needed training more useful to their
future employment. Certainly some of the Canadians
who followed us in the next course were vocally
critical, saying that the course was a waste of time.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lead and Line
When I joined Beacon Hill in April 1950 my Captain
was Lieutenant Commander R.W. Murdoch. In my
first interview with him he said that after nine months
of training ―I must know THE LOT‖. Of course I
spent the next two years trying to learn THE LOT on
the job. For a number of years we had six Exchange
positions with the USN. These provided excellent
exposure to their large systems with hands-on
learning the result. Unfortunately these were
casualties of Unification and cost cutting. Davis had
left HMCS Magnificent as a Midshipman (S) to join
the course. His C.O. had authorized him to wear a
Sub Lieutenant stripe in recognition of the course
level at Bayonne. He was still wearing one stripe
when he arrived to join Cayuga. The C.O. of that ship
refused to accept him, as being unqualified. It took a
few weeks of signals exchange with NDHQ before
Cayuga’s C.O. was directed to accept Davis. Cayuga
very soon sailed for the Korean War and Davis did
two long tours in that war, the first under Captain
Brock and the second under Captain Plomer.
17
Experiment or Experience? We will never know
what the course meant. For those of us who had
subsequent exchange or liaison postings with the
USN there was a definite advantage. But as the RCN
refined the SOTC and increased the number of
Supply Officer positions, it became obvious that
there was a limit to the numbers who could take the
USN training. So in the end just three courses at
NSCS contained Canadians, a total of perhaps 15
officers. We first five were young and did not spend
much time criticizing Headquarters. We enjoyed
much about the course but even to our uncritical
minds it was obvious that the course content would
be of little value to our next sea appointment.
Bayonne today and the hallowed spit of reclaimed
land is one vast container port. An overhead shot
from Google Earth shows nothing of the remains of
NSCS. The land traffic in and out of the container
storage area must have altered Avenue ―E‖ and Ben‘s
Spa may have been in the way.
A/ED NOTE: Again, our thanks to those assisting in the preparation and distribution of this month‘s ―Lead &
Line‖.
Speaking with Associate Member Sybil Butterfield at our September NOAVI Luncheon, Sybil says that she will
try and organize an article for us on her late husband James and on HMS Conway, the Naval Training Ship on the
Mersey River near Liverpool, England, which James attended. We look forward to getting it, as we welcome all
contributions for inclusion in our future newsletters.