Despite the first major snowfall of the season, the Christmas Open House at the Elgin Military Museum was a very pleasant gathering with stalwarts braving the storm to come even from London and Port Burwell. If you stayed to the end, you will understand the Tuckered Tommy! who found his way from the 1942 Room to this spot under the Christmas Tree. It was great to catch up with everyone and see what they are up to. Kudos to HMCS Ojibwa volunteer Carl Bagshaw who is one of the coordinators of Christmas Care in St. Thomas this year.
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We are sorry that the image isn't clear enough to read the names but perhaps some of you can help out. I cropped to be as large as possible.
Active and passive sonar was already on my radar so to speak; but, active and passive camouflage must have slipped through the cracks in my brain. The concept of diffused lighting camouflage, pioneered by the Royal Canadian Navy during WW II, only came to my attention while looking through my files for an image for Facebook. Seen above, the collage is intended to illustrate that a submarine has its own way of dealing with deception - it quite literally disappears. Under the Cs the camouflage folder caught my eye and in particular an image of K124-HMCS Cobalt dressed in dazzle. Looking into her background, I discovered that she had been part of the early secret trials of an initiative using lighting to help disguise ships. The idea was to help vessel match the colour of the surroundings to blend invisibly into the scene instead of painting a ship in various colours and patterns to distort the appearance of the shape of a vessel. While the navy found the technology (projectors mounted on points of the ship) too cumbersome, in 1943, the American air force picked up the ball and developed the Yehudi System which used strategically placed coloured lights to help aircraft be less visible. The diffusive light concept went out of favour for a while; however, the system which began as a Canadian initiative, is once again under consideration. Canadians have a Flare for Camouflage The Canadian Armed Forces are also pioneers in the development of CADPAT (Canadian Disruptive Pattern) a digital-base camouflage for uniforms and the CUEPAT (Canadian Urban Environment Pattern) which can be adapted to woodland or desert wear. As an aside, it is interesting to note that it was a Canadian, Reginald Fessenden, who pioneered the early ASDIC or sonar systems - one of the main tools used to avoid detection or suss out subs and surface vessels. Venting and Blowing |
This image appeared as photo of the day on Friday, October 12, 2012 with a caption that indicated that Ojibwa was ‘blowing’ her tanks. Retired submariner Lucky Gordon, explains what is really going on. Note: Ojibwa was sporting her pennant number (72) at this date. |
The Trim Pump Starter
In answer to my question, ‘What does this do?’ find former Chief Engine Rm Artificer, Gilles Poirier’s reply below: The picture is a no brainer to me. The copper colored wheel is actually the starting handle located on top of the starter box for the trim pump. The trim pump starter box is located on the Port side in the control room, but the trim pump itself is located forward of the AMS/ACS. |
The Cold War had a homefront too. Bea Alerte and her friend Justin Case helped to prepare Canadians to deal with the eventualities of an atomic attack. School children practiced crouching under their desks, pedestrians were advised to lie down facing the curb, air raid sirens went up on the roof of corner stores and parents contemplated building a bomb shelter in the back yard.
Elsewhere in Ottawa, plans were in hand to launch our own Silent Warriors - OJIBWA, ONONDAGA and OKANAGAN to tail Soviet nuclear missile bearing vessels and take them out if necessary; deliver special forces to their assignments and pick them up later and 'other duties'.
Elsewhere in Ottawa, plans were in hand to launch our own Silent Warriors - OJIBWA, ONONDAGA and OKANAGAN to tail Soviet nuclear missile bearing vessels and take them out if necessary; deliver special forces to their assignments and pick them up later and 'other duties'.
The casing is not what it used to be when Lucky was the Scratcher's Dickie. All the heavy bits and pieces under the casing were removed to lighten the submarine so it could navigate the shallow waters in Port Burwell harbour.
1967 Ojibwa looks on as 4 minesweepers pass by. Left to Right: HMCS Thunder 161; HMCS Fundy 159; HMCS Chignecto 160; and HMCS Chaleur 164.
All work and no play... Suffice it to say, there are no dull submariners.
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