This 103-year-old ship is being used to give new sailors their sea legs
The HMCS Oriole never saw any combat in its 103 years, and it's still used to this day to train new sailors in the Royal Canadian Navy.
It’s the oldest commissioned ship in the Royal Canadian Navy, and the Weather Network was invited aboard for a tour while it dropped anchor in Chester, Nova Scotia.
“Every line that you see is operated manually by hand,” HMCS Oriole Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander Greg Morris tells The Weather Network as it dropped anchor in Chester, Nova Scotia, for race week regatta festivities.
Now a public relations vessel, the HMCS Oriole was purchased by the Royal Canadian Navy in the 1950s for one dollar from Toronto's Gooderham family, who built it in 1921 and used it mainly as a racing boat on the Great Lakes.
The HMCS Oriole, built in 1921, was originally used for racing in the Great Lakes before being bought by the Royal Canadian Navy in the 1950s. (Nathan Coleman/TWN)
It’s never been used in combat, but Morris says it’s a great way for sailors to get nautical training.
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There’s always a three-person watch when the ship is sailing to avoid collisions, with a lookout at the head of the ship, a helmsperson, and an office of the watch.
“With a 103-year-old vessel, everything is done manually. We don’t have any hydraulics or even winches on board, so every block, every line that you see is operated manually by hand,” says Morris.
He says many hands make light work as crew members learn nautical skills, how to work with others in close quarters, and leadership.
Crew members on board the HMCS Oriole learn nautical skills, how to work with others in close quarters, and leadership. (Nathan Coleman/TWN)
21 crew members fit on board. There’s a rotating crew of trainees every two weeks, and every sailor is a member of the Royal Canadian Navy.
“When I’m on a frigate, the engines go—the engineers take care of all that. Here, we’ve got to raise the sails, and you know that’s just a whole new level of skill to learn how to use the wind and the weather to propel us wherever we need to go,” says crew member Sailor Second Class Samuel Wareing.
The ship sailed from Victoria to Halifax in 2018 through the Panama Canal and is now based out of Nova Scotia.
“It’s very heavy, a very seaworthy vessel, so as a commanding officer, I treat it like a museum, but it is a very seaworthy vessel, and it can take some very heavy weather,” says Morris.
Thumbnail image taken by Nathan Coleman.
