By
Graham Davis
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HMCS
Calgary ran into some familiar weather on her arrival in
Sydney.
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Photo:
ABPH Yuri Ramsey
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The
Canadian warship HMCS Calgary, with warning siren sounding, trotted
out of a rare pea soup fog swirling across Sydney Harbour on November
20.
The sea fog rolled in reducing visibility to 100 metres on parts
of the harbour.
Earlier it had made driving hazardous for those commuting from
the Central Coast to Sydney.
The 4770 tonne Halifax class frigate and her ship’s company
of over 200 received a warm welcome.
With a red painted mustang on her superstructure, the well armed
frigate made an impressive sight.
Calgary eventually emerged from the fog into bright sunlight.
She headed for Fleet Base Five where DMS tugs Seahorse Quenda
and Currawong waited.
Although the Canadian ship was entering a friendly port, she maintained
strong protection measures.
There were M16-bearing sailors on sentry duty at bow and stern
and 50 calibre machine guns mounted.
After six months at sea, HMCS Calgary has begun her return home
from duties in The Gulf.
“People are starting to smile a bit more, make a few jokes,”
reported CMDR Dan MacKeigan, the ship’s Commanding Officer,
in a media conference before leaving for home. “We were all
pretty serious for quite some time… you stay on edge that
long, it can get to you.”
