a Royal Canadian Navy The ship is docked off the shores of Kingston on a tour of Lake Ontario.
HMCS Glass Bay on Wednesday welcomed locals aboard for tours.
After stopping in Hamilton, Toronto and Oshawa, the stop is part of the Barge’s Central Canada tour.
“We’re bringing the sea-going navy to central Canada, and reminding central Canadians that the navy does important work off the coast. There’s another big job this year, recruiting and enchanting. We’re not just the navy.” Bringing in central Canada, we are also hoping to bring some central Canadians ashore,” said HMCS Glass Bay Commanding Officer Captain Jeremy Ruggles.
The ship is an active naval vessel commissioned in 1996; It is involved in missions around the world, assisting allies and conducting humanitarian missions.
“We take drug action in the Caribbean Sea. I mentioned West Africa, partner capacity building there and HMCS Kingston and Summerside have just joined NATO as part of the Mine Countermeasures Group,” Ruggles said.
HMCS Glass Bay has a crew of 45, which may vary on each deployment.
One of those crew members is Alexis Pemberton who is from Kingston, and is making the most of the stop in her hometown.
“My stepfather and my half-brother have already gone out for a tour. My grandparents are coming later this afternoon, and so is my sister,” she said.
The ship has fairly tight quarters, with some lower-ranking sailors bunking three or four in a room.
At sea at all times allows crew members to bond with each other, 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 jokes inside you. You wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes you say and do funny things and your Beach jokes are made. You make friends you really wouldn’t make anywhere else,” Pemberton said.
HMCS Glass Bay will make stops in Montreal and Quebec City on the final leg of its tour, before leaving for West Africa in January.
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