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The
CROWSNEST
Vol. 11 No, 9
THE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY'S MAGAZINE JULY, 1959
RCN Has Large Role in Tour
Ships and men of the Royal Canadian Navy are joining in honouring
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and His Royal Highness Prince Philip
during the seven-week Royal Tour, which began in June.
For six men of the RCN, Royal duty began as far back as last
January, when they joined Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia for
the round-the-world voyage and subsequent trip to Canada. Two RCN
officers and another nine men joined the Britannia in May.
When the Royal aircraft took off from London Airport, on June 18,
three search and rescue stations in the western half of the north
Atlantic were occupied by ships of the RCN.
On Her Majesty's arrival in Canada, the Royal Guard and Band'
paraded for the occasion were provided by the RCN's Atlantic
Command.
During the whole of the time the Queen is in residence in the Royal
Yacht, she will have a naval escort composed of Canadian destroyers
and a British frigate. United States Navy destroyers joined the
escort while Her Majesty was in American waters and also at the
official Seaway opening.
Her Majesty first sighted Canadian naval units in force on Sunday,
June 21, when the Britannia was met at and escorted into
Gaspe by a fleet of 14 ships of the Canadian Atlantic Fleet, under
the command of Rear-Admiral H. F. Pullen, Flag Officer Atlantic
Coast.
At the official seaway opening ceremonies on June 26, ships of
.three navies -HMCS Gatineau, USS Forrest Sherman and
HMS Ulster-formed the escort.
Later that day, with the President of the United States and Mrs.
Eisenhower embarked, the Britannia was escorted by HMCS
Kootenay and the USS Dupont as she passed through Lake
St. Louis, where a 16-ship RCN-USN fleet was in position, dressed
overall and mann4;!d to "ch4;!er ship" as the Royal Yacht passed. A
co-ordinated 21-gun salute was fired simultaneously by the saluting
ships.
On the evening of July 1, on the lawns of the Parliament Buildings
in Ottawa, the stirring naval sunset ceremony and a massed band
concert was presented in honour of the Queen's visit to the capital.
When the Royal
Party reaches the West Coast, Her Majesty and Prince Philip were to
embark in the destroyer escort
Assiniboine
for overnight passage, July 15-16, from Vancouver to Nanaimo. The
escort was to consist of four other destroyer escorts.
On July 17, off
Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, 12 ships of the RCN's Pacific Command
were to be illuminated and will stage a fireworks display. In the
latter part of the Tour, when the
Britannia
carries the
Royal Party from Shediac, N.B., to Charlottetown, P.E.I., on July
29, three Canadian destroyer escorts will escort the Royal Yacht.
One of the last ceremonies in which Her Majesty will participate
before leaving Canada will be the presentation of the Queen's Colour
of the Royal Canadian Navy, at Halifax on August 1.
When the
Britannia
sails
from Halifax late at night on August 1, three Canadian destroyer
escorts and HMS
Ulster
will escort her
to a point south of Newfoundland. From there five other RCN
destroyer escorts will accompany the Royal Yacht to 30 degrees west
longitude, where a Royal Navy escort will take over the duty for the
remainder of the return voyage.
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