Last Call.........

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Shipmates of HMCS Huron to muster one last time
ESQUIMALT, BC, March 29 /CNW Telbec/ - Current and former shipmates of
Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Huron will muster one last time to say farewell to
their ship at 11 a.m. on Thursday. After 32 years of service to Canada, the
ship will be officially paid off in the presence of the Honourable Iona
Campagnolo, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, and Commodore Roger
Girouard, Commander Canadian Fleet Pacific.
Built by Marine Industries of Sorel, Quebec, HMCS Huron was commissioned
on Dec. 16, 1972 as one of four Iroquois-class destroyers. Originally designed
and built as an anti-submarine warfare ship with point air defence capability,
a major refit program that began in 1987 transformed the Iroquois-class
destroyers into Task Group Command and Air Defence ships. Huron underwent the
Tribal Class Update and Modernization Program between 1992 and 1994. Other
ships of the class are HMC ships Iroquois and Athabaskan, both assigned to the
Atlantic Fleet, and HMCS Algonquin is the flagship for the Pacific Fleet.
Since joining Canadian Fleet Pacific in 1987, Huron was among the first
Canadian ships to visit Vladivostok, Russia in 1990. At the end of the Gulf
War in 1991 she was the first Canadian ship to enter Kuwait having been
deployed to succeed the three Canadian ships that led the Multinational
Logistics Force in support of the War. Huron was a major participant in
support of Citizenship and Immigration Canada's operation to stop illegal boat
migrants from coming to Canada in 1999. Later, a decision was made to place
the ship on extended readiness status because personnel shortages made it
impossible for the ship to be properly crewed. Huron last sailed on
Oct .23, 2000, and a small custodial crew has since maintained it.
The time has come to say farewell to Huron, and officially mark the
ship's end of active duty. It is with this intention that past and present
"Hurons" have been invited to sail on sister ship HMCS Algonquin and re-
discover the capabilities of the Iroquois-class on the day before the
ceremony. Finally, on Thursday, former shipmates will gather one last time and
mark Huron's last day of service in the Canadian Navy.


http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/a.../29/c9550.html