Reflecting on an Op Regulus Exchange

Op Regulus is an innovative program that facilitates exchanges between the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and partner navies from around the world to provide at-sea experience and unique training opportunities for mutual benefit.

A/SLt Morgan Gray, HMCS Venture — A/SLt Timmons and I recently returned from Coos Bay, Oregon, where we sailed for two weeks with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) onboard USCG Cutter Orcas as part of an Operation (Op) Regulus exchange. Our two-week patrol was part of USCG’s marine safety and security mandate.

An excited crew of 14 eagerly showed us the ins and outs of their cutter and assigned us to bunks we’d call home for the next two weeks.

We shadowed the Officer of the Deck (OOD), whose role is to drive the ship physically, monitor radars, be their lookout, and make contact reports to the captain. Concurrent activities were made more accessible as the cutter used autopilot most of the time. In addition to sailing with autopilot, the USCG also used GPS for fixes while underway, as there was no pelorus on the bridge. By the end of our journey, we were acting as the OOD under supervision in both sailing and low-speed manoeuvres. One of the most challenging manoeuvres was coming to a mooring buoy, which required precise throttle control.

Upon arrival in Port Angeles, we participated in ‘Cutterman’s Call’, a patrol boat Olympics where the events utilized the sailors’ skills at sea. I participated in the guppy swim, which is when participants don a survival suit and attempt to swim as fast as they can to the other jetty and back. Though the suit is well-designed for survival in cold ocean waters, it is not particularly effective to swim in, which made the event challenging. Nevertheless, I completed the challenge, but not before drinking a bit of Port Angeles Harbour. We were also honoured to take part in a memorial service for a sailor lost a few years back.

After our Port Angeles patrol, we transited to Seattle to participate in a multi-boat flotilla, where USCG Orcas embarked multiple high-ranking officers. After the ceremony, we remained in Seattle for an extra day of R&R before starting the long transit back to Coos Bay.

On our last day, the crew practiced emergency procedures such as fire and flood drills, which are similar to how ours are completed. During rescue stations, the OOD picked the person up just off the side of the ship – ship handling was vital here because crew members on deck attempted to cross two lifelines behind the person in the water. This was a daunting task with five foot seas that day.

The multi-tasking required by USCG members on the bridge made us appreciate the tasks needed to run our bridges. The ship-handling skills we learned while manoeuvering the ship slowly will benefit our Naval Warfare Officers’ paths. And lastly, working with our USCG brethren gave us a better understanding of international interoperability with our allies.