TDS trials - from Vancouver to Seattle and on to San Francisco
21 January 2008
As the islands of Hawaii dipped below the horizon, HMAS Sydney (CMDR Guy Holthouse) set course for Vancouver, Canada: the first visit by a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ship to Canada in 18 years.
Picking up the US fuel tanker USNS Guadalupe, Sydney took as much fuel as she could carry and again shaped course for the Pacific Northwest.
The passage was not without excitement as Sydney received advice that a string of very deep low pressure systems, emanating from the Bering Sea, were tracking directly across Sydney's intended route to Vancouver. With seas predicted to 25 metres, an opportunity to duck between two intense low pressure systems appeared and Sydney went for it.
The US Naval Meteorological and Oceanographic Centre Hawaii commented that they had never seen so many Senior Officers take an interest in the weather as Sydney proceeded North East. Apparently one Admiral paid them a visit to ask "Are those crazy Aussies still trying to get to Vancouver through that storm?"
Unscathed, Sydney passaged through the relatively small 11 metre seas, reaching the headwaters of Juan De Fuca Strait, with Canada to port and the USA to starboard, before the full force of the storm engulfed her.
The crisp, cold weather meant thermals and Polar Fleeces were a definite requirement for anyone working on the upper decks; quite a change from the warm temperatures of Hawaii. Safely inside the British Columbia waterways, Sydney reached Vancouver on 19 October, anchoring overnight before going alongside the following morning.
The crew were awed by the beauty of Vancouver and the surrounding mountains, particularly the famous Whistler Mountain which will be the location of the 2010 Winter Games. ABBM Anita Thompson and ABCSO Georgie Hermun took full advantage of the port visit by taking a two day trip up Whistler Mountain. After donning beanies and scarfs, the girls braved the cold, drizzly weather, viewing spectacular scenery and seeing snow for the first time. They were even lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a grizzly bear and her cub in the forest.
Three days was not long enough to experience all of Vancouver's beauty, however, duty called and Sydney sailed on 23 October for Torpedo Defence System (TDS) trials on the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental Range (CFMETR) in Nanoose Bay, British Columbia. Yet again proving her capabilities, Sydney was shot at with heavyweight torpedoes during the trials - and survived! Anchoring every night in Nanoose Bay, on one occasion the Ship's Company were treated to the landing of a four engine fire-fighting waterbomber on its way to assist in the Southern Californian bushfires.
Unfortunately for Sydney, the CFMETR only worked four-day weeks, forcing Sydney to go somewhere on weekends. First stop was Seattle, Washington, the city in which Sydney was built and commissioned, some 23 years earlier. Visiting the Space Needle, going to an ice hockey game, the famous Pike Street Markets, having coffee from the original Starbucks, and for SBLT Nick Walczak, the final residence of Kurt Cobain, all under uncommonly good weather, made for a fantastic port visit.
After two and a half days, Sydney's crew were sufficiently revived for another week of TDS trials in beautiful but icy Nanoose Bay. This week proved to be a lot colder than the previous, and the bridge crew found that it was time to don the balaclavas for their watches.
With Week Two of trials out of the way, it was again time for another visit - this time to San Francisco, California. Enroute, Sydney's crew celebrated Melbourne Cup Day on 4th November just before arriving in San Francisco. LSPT Lovell and numerous helpers organised the day with horse races, auctions and Fashions in the Field. The day was a great success, with over $3000 raised and $1000 donated to the ships welfare fund. With race day over, the anticipation was almost palpable in the days before arrival in San Francisco. Sydney sailed into San Francisco Bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge on a beautiful Californian day on 5th November with the ship's company looking forward to another exciting port visit.
