encre_vol21_no3_anglais

TRAINING
Naval Reservists answer the call: Search and
Rescue during an ORCA weekend
By Lt(N) Chris Walkinshaw, PAO, HMCS CARLETON
Onboard WOLF, the crew were undertaking a busy afternoon
of exercises and individual training when life
onboard was interrupted by a radio call. Vancouver
Coast Guard was seeking vessels to assist with the search for a passenger
who had fallen overboard from the B.C. ferry Coastal
Celebration travelling between Swartz Bay near Victoria and
Tsawwassen. Naval training vessels CARIBOU, RENARD, and
WOLF responded and had begun Search and Rescue operations
within fifteen minutes of receiving the request. Responding to the
call were more than seventy Naval Reservists from 10 Naval Reserve
Divisions across Canada. The three patrol vessels, based at CFB
Esquimalt, were joined in the search by a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter
from CFB Comox and vessels from the Canadian Coast
Guard, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, as well as B.C. ferries and private
vessels.
The weather provided a challenging environment for the search.
“Everything was really grey and that was tough, because we were
told that man who fell overboard was wearing grey clothes,” said
Leading Seaman Samantha Meeks, a Resource Management Clerk
from HMCS CARLETON, Ottawa’s Naval Reserve Division. She
described the atmosphere onboard: “Everyone was keyed up.
Everyone was on lookout, everyone wanted to find him.” The crew
“was split into three watches, with four or five people each. One
group would be on lookout, and then switch with the second.”
This Search and Rescue operation provided a real life opportunity
for these sailors to put their training into practice. “For my Search
and Rescue station, I had to make sure we had everything in the Zodiac
The ORCA-class patrol vessel PCT-58 RENARD, accompanied by PCT-57 CARIBOU, engaged
in a Search and Rescue pattern near Active Pass, searching for a man who fell overboard on
January 30, 2012.
(Photo by PO 2 William Collison, HMCS CARLETON.)
16 LINK Vol. 21, No. 3, November 2012
Lt(N) Christopher Hough, of HMCS CARLETON, Executive Officer on board PCT-60 GRIZZLY,
participating in the search for a man who fell overboard, January 30, 2012.
(Photo by Lt(N) Christopher Walkinshaw, HMCS CARLETON.)
to conduct a rescue,” explained Master Seaman Julie Soogree, a
Boatswain from HMCS CARLETON serving as Senior Boatswain
Mate onboard WOLF. “Thinking back on it, on one hand I’m happy
for the experience everyone had to participate in a real life Search
and Rescue operation. While on the other hand, it was frustrating
because we weren’t able to find him.”
“Our ability to respond to this incident highlighted both the abilities
of patrol vessels and Naval Reserve crews to quickly adapt and effectively
respond to operational tasks when needed,” said Lieutenant(N)
Christopher Hough. After having served as Executive Officer of
patrol vessel WOLF, Lt(N) Hough added, “Our training deployment
was considered a success by all involved, as it provided both training
and operational opportunities to improve individual seamanship and
crew-level skill development, as well as multi-vessel collective training.”
Sailors from HMCS CARLETON and the other Naval Reserve
Divisions across Canada look forward to their next opportunity to
sail again soon.