Command Team

Biographies

Lieutenant-Commander Philip Horner, CD
Commanding Officer
HMCS DISCOVERY

Lieutenant-Commander Philip D. Horner grew up to stories of adventures in fishing boats from his father who had worked out of Prince Rupert in Purse Seiners in his youth. To get a chance to learn to sail and work in ships LCdr Horner joined the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets in 1987 and was a member for five years. Working at HMCS QUADRA each summer, he finished as the Flotilla Coxswain in 1992 serving in tugs and the schooner Maple Leaf.

He graduated from the University of British Columbia and has a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. Wanting to do more than just attend school and find a part-time summer job LCdr Horner enrolled in the Canadian Forces Reserve in 1992 at HMCS DISCOVERY. His naval training began in 1993 at Canadian Forces Officer Candidate School at CFB Chilliwack and training as a Maritime Surface Officer continued through 1995 when he received his Bridge Watchkeeping certificate from NOTC VENTURE. LCdr Horner then served in the navy’s Training Squadron and ashore as a staff officer until 2000. During that time he completed the navy’s Boarding Officer, Coastal Operations, Navigating Officer, Route Survey and Weapons Directing Officer Courses. Serving in HMCS CHALEUR, GLACE BAY, PORTE QUEBEC, PORTE DE LA REINE, THUNDER, SHAWINIGAN and WHITEHORSE LCdr Horner was employed as a Deck, Navigating and Operations Officer. He also served in the transfer of HMCS WHITEHORSE from CFB Halifax to CFB Esquimalt through the Panama Canal in 1998.

Upon his return to Vancouver and HMCS DISCOVERY, LCdr Horner began a second career starting with the Bank of Nova Scotia and then with the British Columbia Ferry Corporation using his vacation time to get back to sea, where he served in HMCS NANAIMO, SASKATOON and BRANDON. LCdr Horner also continued his education by earning an Oracle Programmer and DBA certification in 2002 and switched from working on ferries to computers, web design, database management and telecommunications. He was promoted to his present rank in 2002 while serving as the Operations Officer of HMCS DISCOVERY.

In 2003 LCdr Horner was hired by TELUS Communications (formerly BC TEL) as a service manager and has continued his reserve service. In HMCS DISCOVERY he served as Head of Department for Training, Deck, Operations and Supply through late 2006 when he took over as Executive Officer for a year. During that period he again served on the West Coast in HMCS NANAIMO and HMCS WHITEHORSE backfilling for absent navigators during time off from work and preparing for the command board. In 2008 he again assumed the Executive Officer billet of HMCS DISCOVERY and served there for another three years. He achieved his naval Command Qualification passing the board in May 2008, the Joint Command and Staff Course in July 2010, and presently serves as HMCS DISCOVERY’s and Regional Dive Centre West’s Commanding Officer.

Lieutenant-Commander Bryan Price, CD
Executive Officer
HMCS DISCOVERY

Lieutenant-Commander Bryan Price enrolled in the Naval Reserve in Victoria, BC at HMCS MALAHAT in 1993 as a Naval Control of Shipping (NCS) Officer.  After initial training, he transferred to HMCS DISCOVERY in Vancouver, BC and subsequently to the Maritime Surface (MARS) occupation.  On completion of training at NOTC VENTURE he earned his bridge-watchkeeping ticket in 1995 and subsequently sailed in HMC Ships CHALEUR and BRANDON in British Columbia and Alaskan waters for training and Coastal Surveillance missions.  As a Tender Officer-in-Command (OIC) he participated in many regional exercises and MARS training with NOTC VENTURE.

A long-time member of the Port Security Organisation in the Naval Reserve, Lieutenant-Commander Price served as the Deputy Operations Officer for the Port Security Unit (PSU) for OP PODIUM, the security component of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.  He then deployed as the Operations Officer for the PSU at OP LUSTRE, the military’s response for the 2011 Manitoba floods, for which he received a Land Forces Western Area (LFWA) Commander’s Commendation.

At DISCOVERY Lieutenant-Commander Price has acted in several key positions including; Deck Officer, Deputy Training Officer, Recruiting Officer, Combat Information Officer, Sea Operations Officer, Junior Officer Under Training (JOUT) Officer, Standards Officer, and the unit Canadian Forces Liaison Council (CFLC) representative.  He was appointed the Executive Officer in the summer of 2011 and served the Acting Commanding Officer of HMCS DISCOVERY from January to August, 2012.  He was promoted to his present rank in February, 2012 and was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in October, 2012.

In civilian life, he is the Director of Military Business Development for a defence contractor and has enjoyed a dynamic career in marine and defence sectors for over 15 years.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Victoria, a Diploma in Technology from the BC Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration degree from Simon Fraser University.  Active in the community, Lieutenant-Commander Price sits as a Director on the Board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Coast BC, is the Chair of the Program Advisory Committee for the BCIT International Business Management Program and is a past Mentor for the Vancouver Board of Trade’s Leaders of Tomorrow Program.

Petty Officer 1^st class Rod Tulett, CD
Coxswain
HMCS DISCOVERY

PO 1 Tulett enrolled in the Naval Reserve from Sea Cadets in 1981 as a Diesel Mechanic. He has served in HMC Ships DISCOVERY, MALAHAT, YUKON, PORTE DE LA REINE, PORTE QUEBEC, PORTE DAUPHINE and CHALEUR, as well as in Fleet Diving Unit Pacific, Training Squadron Pacific and the Fourth Maritime Operations Group Headquarters. PO 1 Tulett was awarded a Certificate C (Chief Engineer Qualification) in 1992. He served full time from 1989 to 1994 with the remainder being part time service in HMCS DISCOVERY and HMCS MALAHAT.

In 1994 he transferred to the Supplementary Reserve and accepted a position with the City of Vancouver working with the Office of Emergency Management and Emergency and Operational Planning section of the Vancouver Police. In 2005 he moved to the Metro Vancouver Regional District as the Investigations, Security & Emergency Coordinator responsible for managing security, emergency and enforcement activities. During the recent 2010 Winter Olympics he acted as Regional Duty Officer, responsible for managing urban domain cross-jurisdictional incidents in the entire Vancouver theatre of operations.

Upon his return to the Primary Reserve in 1996 he acted as the last Chief Engineer of HMCS PORTE QUEBEC on her decommissioning, and subsequently served in HMCS DISCOVERY as Operations Chief, Training Chief, Diving Officer and Risk Management Officer. He has been actively involved in Port Security since 1998, attending major multinational exercises such as NORTHERN EDGE, SEAHAWK and WESTERN SENTRY, holding positions as Chief Engineer and exercise directing staff. PO 1 Tulett also acted as NCO in charge of the Maritime Component at three COUGAR SALVO Army exercises, one of which was the largest exercise ever held entirely on civilian land in Canada.

PO 1 Tulett was appointed in 2009 as a J3 Regional Liaison Officer for Joint Task Force (Pacific), acting as a liaison between the Commander JTFP and Civilian Emergency Authorities for the Northwestern Region of British Columbia, a position he continues to hold as a secondary duty. PO 1 Tulett was appointed Coxswain of HMCS DISCOVERY in August 2011.