Pacific Navy News

Archana Cini, Lookout Newspaper “We have a really good team here. We’re not in any significant danger.”  - Ross Fetterly, on a phone call he made to his superior hours before the Second Intifada began  At 66-years-old, Ross Fetterly has a story for almost everything — a smelter tunnel in Kitimat; a night in a Kabul-bound convoy; a tour with a Ukrainian colleague who traded a Jesuit seminary for a career in Defence. Through 34 years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Ross has built a distinguished career in logistics and finance, alongside a repertoire of stories that have only gotten better with time. Today, Ross attends the Veterans Health Centre day program at the Veterans Memorial Lodge, a Broadmead Care Home.  Ross was born in northern Quebec, where his father worked as a chemical engineer. Here, Ross attended the town’s only English school.   “When I went outside, it was all French, and I learned French very quickly because of this,” said Ross. The family later moved to Kitimat, B.C., where his father then began work at an aluminum smelter fed by water piped 17 kilometres through a mountain. To him, this time of his life was “heaven for a young boy.”  As a young adult, Ross attended McGill University to complete a Bachelor of Commerce undergraduate degree, after which he landed a banking job. However, interest rates soon climbed to 17 per cent and Ross was left without a job after a mass layoff.    “I remember asking myself, ‘Do I really want to work in a bank? I’m a young guy. I want to be,’” said Ross. The next day, he sat down with a military recruiter and began his career with the CAF.  Ross was halfway through basic officer training in Chilliwack, B.C., when instructors pulled him aside to tell him that he’d already passed. His new job, they said, was...

Lt(N) Krystal Fleury, MARPAC Public Affairs PCV Wolf 59 stopped during Ex GOLDRUSH after whales were spotted near the vessel off the coast of Comox. The crew followed marine mammal mitigation protocols, allowing the whales to safely approach and continue their route. The sighting was reported to the Canadian Coast Guard Marine Mammal Response Program to support conservation research. - The B.C. coast is one of Canada’s most remarkable environments, defined by dramatic shorelines, rich forests, and diverse marine life. For Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) sailors, operating in these waters means upholding a deep responsibility to the communities and wildlife that depend on them.   [caption id="attachment_353763" align="alignleft" width="300"] The tail of a whale above water as spotted by a sailor aboard PCT Vessel Wolf 59. Photo: Lt(N) Krystal Fleury[/caption] On July 21, residents near Comox may have noticed Patrol Craft Training Vessel (PCT) Wolf 59 paused during Exercise (Ex) GOLDRUSH. The ship’s lookout spotted a whale fin in the distance and announced the sighting to the crew. Even though the whales were initially outside the mandatory mitigation range, Wolf 59 was heading in its direction. Lieutenant(N) (Lt(N)) Jason Wychopen, commanding officer of Wolf 59, immediately ordered the vessel to a stop to ensure the whales could pass safely.   Under marine mammal mitigation protocols, any sighting within 1,000 yards requires a vessel to slow and stop for at least 15 minutes. In this scenario, Wolf 59’s crew monitored the whales for approximately 30 minutes as the whales approached, investigated the ship, and then continued along their feeding route.  Once the whales moved on, the crew resumed their course and reported the encounter through the Canadian Coast Guard Marine Mammal Response Program (CCG MMRP), contributing valuable data to conservation research. For many of the sailors still early in their careers, the experience was a memorable reminder of the extraordinary wildlife...

Archana Cini, Lookout Newspaper Lt(N) Alistair Hirst stopped during his daily bike commute after noticing a crashed truck with flames under the hood. Using his training and quick assessment skills, he helped extinguish the fire and supported the driver until help arrived. The moment highlighted how RCN skills, preparation, and service mindset extend beyond the workplace. - For Lieutenant(N) (Lt(N)) Alistair Hirst, a Bridge Watchkeeper with Patrol Craft Training Unit (Pacific) (PCTU[P]), his daily bike ride from Vic West to His Majesty’s Canadian (HMC) Dockyard is a familiar one. He commutes by bike most days, usually dropping his two children at daycare along the way before continuing to work. On July 21, Lt(N) Hirst was riding alone.  As he approached a nearby street, he noticed a truck that had crashed into a telephone pole.   “My first thought was that maybe it’s an accident that happened an hour ago and the emergency services have already taken care of it,” he recalled. But then he saw the smoke and the fire under the engine, and realized help hadn’t arrived yet.  Lt(N) Hirst immediately pulled over and assessed the scene, checking the damaged power lines and confirming that the truck was turned off before checking for casualties. He noted that the vehicle was empty and that the driver had been supported bystanders and was sitting nearby, shaken but talking and upright without visible injuries.  With the fire still burning under the hood and no extinguisher in sight, a man on a nearby apartment balcony pointed him to a garden hose. Immediately, Lt(N) Hirst unspooled it and doused the flames.   “It only took a few seconds to put out the flames,” said Lt(N) Hirst, though he later reflected that his priority could have shifted sooner to keeping bystanders clear of the damaged power lines.  For Lt(N) Hirst, stopping...

Lt(N) SeeEun Kim, HMCS Regina  Cdr Darren Sleen received the Gold Sea Service Insignia during RIMPAC 2026 after surpassing 1,460 cumulative days at sea. HMCS Regina’s crew organized a surprise at-sea presentation known as Op SILENT SLEENER. The ceremony celebrated leadership, mentorship, and a career shaped by years of service at sea. - To the untrained eye, the Gold Sea Service Insignia (SSI) is simply a small pin on a naval uniform. To those who have watched the shoreline fade into the horizon from aboard a naval vessel, the Gold SSI represents something far greater. The pin, which marks 1,460-plus cumulative days spent at sea, is an extraordinary milestone of dedication, resilience, and unwavering commitment to the mission.   [caption id="attachment_353733" align="alignright" width="300"] A close-up of the Gold Sea Service Insignia presented to Cdr Sleen. Photo: Avr Rebecca Mainardi, MARPAC Imaging[/caption] During Exercise (Ex) Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026, Commander (Cdr) Darren L. Sleen, Commanding Officer (CO) of His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Regina, was presented with the Gold SSI. It represents four full years spent upon the high seas, leading sailors through both challenges and successes while answering the call of duty around the globe. To earn the Gold SSI is to wear a badge of honor; it is a level of expertise and drive cultivated through high-tempo operations and the unyielding rhythm of service at sea. Earning such recognition demanded a presentation to match, and the crew of HMCS Regina delivered, in operational style.   To present Cdr Sleen with the Gold SSI, the crew of HMCS Regina conducted a covert shipboard operation: Op SILENT SLEENER. Under the guise of SILENT SLEENER, the crew orchestrated a surprise passenger transfer by bringing Captain(N) (Capt(N)) Landon Creasy, Task Force Commander of RIMPAC, aboard the Regina to present the SSI where it was earned: in the middle of the ocean, directly on the deck plates.   The presentation carried...