Off to sea
 
Enthusiasm high on Canadian ships bound for Gulf and a confrontation with Iraq Published: The Globe and Mail, August 18, 1990 BY DEBORAH JONES, HALIFAX Racing against the clock, hundreds of Canadian Forces sailors are reshaping the destroyer Terra Nova - the oldest vessel in the Canadian fleet. As machinery carves up and rebuilds steel decks for the installation of modern Phalanx and Harpoon weapons systems, sailors are scurrying about with supplies, cleaning and testing smaller arms and checking new gas masks. The crews of the Terra Nova, the destroyer Athabaskan and the supply ship Protecteur are preparing to join the international military force marshalling in the Persian Gulf to enforce a UN-backed economic embargo of Trials of ships and equipment are scheduled for early next week and the vessels could leave port then if everything proves seaworthy. On the Terra Nova's deck, while a crane loads the state-of-the-art Phalanx missile system, visitors are also shown four newly mounted 50- calibre machine guns. The Terra Nova is also being equipped with eight sea-skimming Harpoon missiles which can destroy targets up to 125 kilometres away. The computer-guided Harpoons carry a 227-kilogram warhead and are said to be vastly superior to the French-made Exocet missile used by Argentina against Britain in the Falkland Islands war in 1987. The Terra Nova, at 31 years of age, is preparing for the Canadian navy's first expedition into a potential war zone in 45 years. Terra Nova's commanding officer, Commander Stuart Andrews, said he was shocked to learn last week that it would sail to the Persian Gulf."Everybody in the naval community felt shock," he said. "It was an actual operation, and actual operations are few and far between in the Canadian navy." Crew members say the mission's nature is just starting to sink in. "It's exciting and fulfilling," said 28-year-old Wayne Renaud, a Sub- Lieutenant who has spent seven years in the Canadian Forces."We go off on excursions all the time, but for once it's real, it's not a game. . . . "My mother is worried but my little brother thinks it's really neat," said Sub-Lt. Renaud, an Ottawa native. "I try to ease their fears, tell them there's nothing to worry about . . . it's a peaceful mission, we're going down there to show support." "But we're ready to fire," added Sub-Lieutenant Dave Charlton, a 27- year-old native of Red Deer, Alta. Private Francois Houle, a steward in the captain's cabin, said, "We're excited. We know it can be dangerous, but it's an exciting exercise. The single guys are most excited." Older crew members with families have a more somber outlook on the mission. "To me, if you're not scared, you're not taking it seriously," said 41- year-old Master Seaman Willi Lee-Grant, a 22-year veteran of the navy whose wife is expecting their first baby early next year. "People are gearing up for the worst, hoping for the best. For my part, I've trained for this for 22 years," he said, noting that until recently his wife, also a navy member, had served on the Protecteur. Below decks, crew members clean rifles in groups while welders and laborers sidestep them on their way to work sites. The Terra Nova's age is evident on the bridge, where sophisticated equipment has been installed around an antiquated - but functional - speaker tube used to communicate between decks before electronic communication systems were installed. Still, none of the sailors interviewed said recent public criticism of the capabilities of the navy ships has daunted them. "With training, even if you're in the newest, fastest ship your chances are the same as ours. We're well-equipped, well-trained and don't tell him so but we got a hell of an old man," said Master Seaman Lee-Grant, glancing at Cmdr. Andrews. "This ship is militarily ready, in excellent shape and has very sophisticated radar and weapons systems," Cmdr. Andrews said. "Age is not relevant," he said. "This is an old ship, but it's easily as capable. The question is what equipment is on board. I have no fear at all about her." With average temperatures in the mid-30s, the Persian Gulf will make this summer's heat wave in Halifax seem cool. To beat the heat, some exposed parts of all the ships will be painted white to help deflect the sunshine. The ships are carrying extra liquids and extra desalination machines, which work by evaporating sea water, have been installed on the vessels. Large supplies of sun screen and sun glasses have been purchased, officers said, and treatment for heat-related illness is part of the capability of a mini-hospital aboard the Protecteur. As soon as all the new weapons are installed and checked, the 249 crew members aboard the Terra Nova, 372 on the Protecteur and 313 on the Athabaskan are expected to leave Halifax for the Persian Gulf. Naval Lieutenant Jeff Agnew, who is handling public relations on the exercise, said navy members left behind at the Halifax dockyard regret not being able to go and hundreds have volunteered to serve on the three ships. "It's a chance to do what you've been practicing to do all your life. It's the personal challenge of wondering how you'll stand up, and without trying to sound trite, it's standing up for your country," Lieut. Agnew said. Copyright Deborah Jones 1990 About this website: Text and photos by Deborah Jones except where otherwise noted. Please contact me for reprint rights. All material copyrighted ../About.htmlshapeimage_1_link_0
Canadians prepare for Gulf War
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