Navy veterans take final sail on Canada’s last destroyer, HMCS Athabaskan

More than 40 years of memories came rushing back to veterans as they boarded HMCS Athabaskan for her final day sail on Wednesday.

“I wouldn’t miss it, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Rob Bolger, a retired sailor who served on the ship during the Persian Gulf War in 1990

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READ MORE: Life at sea: an inside look into the world of a Royal Canadian Navy sailor

The Iroquois-class warship was built in the early 1970s and is Canada’s last destroyer.

For those who served aboard her, it’s the end of an era.

“It’s an honour to be here,” said Gary Russell, a retired sailor who spent 12 years aboard the Athabaskan. “The best part of the navy, besides the ships that we got to sail, were the people I sailed with. I miss them everyday.”

Built in Quebec, she was commissioned in 1972 and was the most modern anti-submarine warship in Canada.

In addition to taking part in the Gulf War, the ship also helped in disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina in 2006 and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

HMCS Athabaskan’s 44-year career came to a close Wednesday, as it completed its final sail around Halifax harbour.

0:51 HMCS Athabaskan, retiring navy ship, takes last sail around Halifax harbour

She’s also the third Royal Canadian Navy ship to carry the name, a legacy that connects multi-generations of sailors.

“You miss the comradery because you get really close with guys when you’re sailing for a long period of time,” Bolger said.

One of the veterans aboard Wednesday was a man who started his naval career in 1954.

“Wonderful! It was wonderful. Those days in the 1950s, we lived aboard when we get drafted to a ship,” Stewart said.

READ MORE: First black captain leads Royal Canadian Navy ship to West Africa

While life at sea often took him away from his family, he said he was able to stay connected to them through letter writing.

“We used to have a mail bag and we’d drop our letters off,” he said.

A memory he got to re-live one last time.

He compiled several letters to have sent to his family from aboard HMCS Athabaskan’s final sail.

“When you leave this [the navy] 58 years ago, you never expect to come back and be able to send a letter to your grandchildren,” Stewart said.

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