The Citizen, 2019-08-01, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019.
Storied tall ship HMCS Oriole docks in Goderich
There are a lot of features and
facts that make the Royal Canadian
Navy’s HMCS Oriole a special ship,
but one of the highlights is that, as it
made its way into Goderich as part
of a season-long tour of the St.
Lawrence Seaway and the Great
Lakes last week, it was operated by a
crew that is half cadets.
The Oriole is the oldest ship and
the longest-serving commissioned
vessel in the Navy according to
Lieutenant Commander Drew Foran,
the commanding officer of the
vessel. Built in 1921, the ship was
originally a yacht for a family in
Toronto, but was loaned to the Navy
for training and remained in service
as a training vessel until 2017 when
it was moved from the west coast to
the east coast and reassigned to
outreach.
Foran called the tall ship the
oldest, and most beautiful
in the fleet, and said the fact
that it’s run mostly by cadets is
impressive.
While the ship has been retrofitted
with modern communication
navigation equipment, the rest of the
ship runs just as it did when it was
crafted in 1921.
Foran explained that the ship
travels from port to port, allowing
the public to see the unique vessel
and meet sailors. It was moved to
Canada’s east coast after decades on
the west coast to help spread the
word about the Navy here, and Foran
hopes it will become synonymous
with the navy in its new operational
area.
The main goal of the Oriole,
Foran said, is to put the navy in
front of people in an approachable
way. He said that the vessel is like
the navy’s version of the Royal
Canadian Air Force’s Snowbirds,
before correcting himself and saying
that, because the Oriole was
commissioned first, the Snowbirds
are like the navy’s tall ship.
Currently, the Oriole is on a
19-port tour of the Great Lakes
and its stop in Goderich from
July 26-29 is the middle-point of the
journey.
The trip started in Summerside
P.E.I on June 7, and the Oriole
finishes its tour at Sept-Iles, Quebec
Sept. 13 after a three-day stay.
Stops include Rimouski and
Montreal in Quebec, Toronto,
Buffalo, New York, Cleveland, Ohio,
Windsor, Port Colborne, Midland,
Kingsville, Kingston, Brockville,
and Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.
The vessel was moored at the
south berth of the Goderich harbour
and open for public tours during its
stay.
After the Oriole docked, Goderich
Councillor Myles Murdock
welcomed Foran and his crew, at
which point Foran said that the stop
marked the first time the ship had
made port at the community since
since the 1940s.
Despite the extremely high waters
of the lakes, which has parts of the
Goderich pier submerged under
more than a foot of water, Foran said
the trip had been great. “The higher
lakes mean we can’t stop at some
berths, and there are higher currents,
but it’s been a great trip,” Foran said.
One of the highlights of the trip
has been the Tall Ships Challenge -
Great Lakes 2019, Foran said. As
part of the program, the Oriole’s
stops have coincided with stops for
the tall ships tour.
Having other tall ships join the
Oriole, he said, brings bigger crowds
and helps with the Oriole’s outreach
mission.
As far as the cadets go, Foran said
that meeting these young sailors
who make up half the up-to-21
sailors on the boat, open people’s
eyes to a career in the Navy. “We’re
always hiring,” he said. “We have
recruiters following us to each stop.”
For more information, visit
www.navy-marine.forces.gc.ca.
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Welcoming the Oriole
Goderich’s Celtic Blue Highlanders welcomed the HMCS Oriole with special entrance music
when the Royal Canadian Navy tall ship docked in Goderich last Friday. The ship, the Navy’s
oldest and longest-serving commissioned vessel, is on a tour of the Great Lakes this summer.
(Denny Scott photo)
Disembarking
The HMCS Oriole, the Royal Canadian Navy’s oldest and
longest-serving ship, docked in Goderich last week as part
of a months-long tour of the Great Lakes and the St.
Lawrence Seaway System. Above, the ship’s commanding
officer, Lieutenant Commander Drew Foran disembarks
from the ship once after docking. (Denny Scott photo)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen