A Royal Canadian Navy ship has docked on Kingston’s waterfront on a tour of Lake Ontario.
HMCS Glace Bay welcomed locals aboard for tours on Wednesday.
The stop is part of the barge’s central Canada tour, after making stops in Hamilton, Toronto and Oshawa.
“We’re bringing the seagoing navy into central Canada, and reminding central Canadians the important work the navy does on the coast. Another big piece this year, is recruiting and attraction. We’re not only bringing the navy to central Canada, we’re also hoping to bring some central Canadians to the coast,” said Captain Jeremy Ruggles, HMCS Glace Bay commanding officer.
The ship is an active naval vessel that was commissioned in 1996; it is involved in missions across the globe, helping allies and conducting humanitarian missions.
“We do counter-drug operations in the Caribbean sea. I mentioned West Africa, doing partner capacity building there and HMCS Kingston and Summmerside just joined NATO as part of the mine countermeasures group,” added Ruggles.
HMCS Glace Bay has a crew of 45, which can vary on each deployment.
One of those crew members is Alexis Pemberton who hails from Kingston, and is making the most of the stop in her hometown.
“My stepdad and my stepbrother have already been out for a tour. My grandparents are coming later this afternoon, and my sister as well,” she said.
The ship has fairly tight quarters, with some of the lower ranking sailors bunking three or four to a room.
All the time at sea allows the crew members to bond with one another, forming quick and lasting friendships.
“You get really close with the people on your watch. They’re like family to you. You have a lot of inside jokes. You’re up in the middle of the night, sometimes you say and do funny things and you get inside jokes between you. You make friends you really wouldn’t make anywhere else,” added Pemberton.
HMCS Glace Bay will be stopping in Montreal and Quebec City on the last leg of its tour, before sailing off to West Africa in January.