Canadian Ships

[ivorthediver]

Yes Tim , and when those ships are no longer there , a crew of saddened men mourn her passing as only Sailors can, I feel

[timlewin]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-h ... e-19649198

Hosquami is a splendid Totem Pole erected at Whale Island, HMS Excellent, to celebrate the relationship with the RCN, it eventually suffered weather damage and was eventually replaced, here he is being delivered from Canada in an RCN ship, and being presented in Portsmouth.

[timlewin]

hereis a message sent to me 5 or so years ago by the Canadian Naval Attache at the time, Captain Tom Tulloch....

I was particularly taken with the photo and reference to Hosaqami – the totem at Whale Island. As you may be aware, the totem was returned to Esquimalt some years ago to be permitted to gracefully “return to the land,” and has been doing so beside the Chiefs and Petty Officers Mess there. You may find the attached article from 1960 interesting. You may also be interested to know that I was able to carry on this tradition recently by presenting a miniature totem pole to HMS DUNCAN on her commissioning. This was produced by the city of Duncan, British Columbia to honour the ship and to establish a connection, and I was honoured to be asked to present it to the ship on behalf of the city. I attach a photo of that event for you.

[ivorthediver]

Good to see that the lighter side of Naval tradition still existed even after the years of conflict they were both to endure in the Second World War .

Thanks for posting this Tim , and a shame the camera's of the nation who were present at the time were unable to show the event again on youtube

Most of us have heard or experienced Whale Island first hand , but has the " Great Axe of Economy" fallen on this facility in the modern day urge for simulators I do hope not

[timlewin]

Not been for ages Ivor but as far as I know they have cast a wider net and now run events for big companies doing team building exercises, trade shows especially defence related and so on.

https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/our-organi ... -excellent

fine view of HMS Bristol, I remember it best as a small child but did once go to a Defence Sales hoolie there, full of dodgy looking salesmen playing with AA guns and wearing the kind of crackling with static bri-nylon shirts that would not be allowed anywhere near a ship's magazine!

[ivorthediver]

Haaaa memories Jim , I remember having those myself as soon as it became knowledge that you didn't need to iron them , just hang them up to dry on a hanger, and hey presto [PRESS TO ] just take them off a hanger and wear them .

[timlewin]

any sudden movement in these shirts in the dark and you could generate St. Elmo's Fire;

I was there at Whale Island as trade advisor to a defence company negotiating to sell two O-class subs to the Malaysian Govt for which the payment was to be in commodities produced in Malaysia. This sort of countertrade was popular back then, late Eighties from memory, as a way of transferring value from domestic currency to international value, there was generally a discount on the goods to World prices. I think back then the commodities were mainly palm oil and palm products, the more common Malaysian products of tin and rubber were part of the general trade of the country, too easy to sell for hard cash. I vaguely recall briefly joining a reception for the arms dealers in the HMYB which was then berthed just off Whale Island. You had to walk along a floating footpath to get there. It all left me with a sense of sadness that it all came down to this.

[timlewin]

a few more ship pics to cheer us up....

[ivorthediver]

Not sure of the events Tim but certainly appear as aggravated assault ....

As always we look forward to your photo's out of the "biscuit tin" you seem to be able to surprise us with and very grateful to for them

[timlewin]

flattery of my bisquit tin will win you more pictures, these are all courtesy of the kindly Jim Brannen in Halifax, a true man of the Sea...