A Changing of the guard

On 24 Aug 2011, HMCS Algonquin’s Commanding Officer inspected and addressed the Combat Systems Engineering Department for the final time. This marked the end of a chapter in Canadian Naval history, in order to make room for the birth of a new and exciting Weapons Engineering Department. Officially, this change would occur throughout the Royal Canadian Navy effective 1 September 2011; the mighty Algonquin could not wait for change, so we celebrated the future with ceremonial divisions, an “up spirits” and even an impromptu C-130 Canadian Aurora fly pass.

The festivities were planned by Algonquin’s CSE Chief, Chief Petty Officer Second Class David Hampson, who felt the new generation of technicians needed an avenue to take ownership of the new trade. He envisioned the opportunity for the senior technicians, some who had been around dating pre-MOSART, a chance to reflect on their past and once again “re-shuffle the deck”. He also saw a chance to give the new generation an opportunity to become part of the team and part of the history of the trade. After all, some of the main reasons for the change were to get more young men and women excited about the Navy, their trade, and to quickly get them to sea, which would allow them to contribute at an earlier stage in their careers. 

The ceremony consisted of a formal set of Divisions on the flight deck for the department, with the remainder of the ship’s company invited to take part as spectators.  The Commanding Officer Cdr Tim Kerr inspected the sailors, taking the time to discuss future undertakings before speaking to the department as a whole. The CO spoke of the exciting future that laid ahead for the new trade, the chance to grow through change and learn new equipment, and to get to sea earlier which would make them better, more rounded sailors. The Combat Systems Engineering Officer, LCdr Rob Waller and the Chief Hampson also addressed the new department, sharing their thoughts on where the trade had come from and the new heights at which the new trade could go.  The ceremony was then blessed with the Naval Prayer by the ship’s Padre. The CO and the CSE Chief then proceeded to jettison a plaque containing the old trade badges to the sea as MS Day played “The Last Post” on his bugle and LCdr Waller played “Heart of Oak” on his bagpipes. The ceremony then shifted to a new direction as a Senior Petty Officer and a Junior Able Seaman from each section gave token gifts from the old trade to the new. The Communications section blessed the new trade with bandwidth, the Radar section contributed radar paint, the Gunners gave gun tape, and with a chuckle the Sonar section gave the trade a CF98 accident document; a document that is commonly used within their section.

As the Divisions came to a close, the CSE Chief invited the ship’s company to share in a ceremonial “tot of rum” issued by the Cox’n. The Assistant CSEO, SLt Lee Pothier, who had earlier fallen in the Combat Systems Engineering Department, dismissed the new Weapons Engineering Department. As the ceremony came to an end with the department’s new and old guard sharing stories with the ship’s company, the setting sun behind the ship served as a poignant reminder that just as the morning sun would bring a new day, the Weapons Engineering Department would begin to take shape, ready to begin its new chapter in the Royal Canadian Navy’s history.