13 December 2004

Greetings from the officers, men and women of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship VANCOUVER! I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. As this year comes to an end, I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the ship's activities over this past year.

In the early part of 2004, VANCOUVER entered into a lengthy docking period where the ship was out of the water for over three months. During this time frame, the ship's main machinery and propulsion equipment were refurbished and we received an extensive communications upgrade. In short, a lot of work was done to the ship and when VANCOUVER left dry dock in May with a fresh coat of paint, she looked just as fine as she did on Commissioning! While the ship was in dry dock, the ship's company were relocated to offices ashore, where the majority of the crew took advantage of the time alongside to spend it with their families. In addition to undergoing a lengthy refit, VANCOUVER also witnessed a large turnover in the ship's company including a completely new command team.

On 23 July 2004, 1 assumed command from Commander Bill Riggs. The change of command signified the first step in a lengthy process to once again achieve a high standard of readiness for both domestic and international operations.

In September, VANCOUVER returned to sea after her eight-month period alongside. The four days at sea were designed to "shake down" the crew and to certify that all essential equipment was functioning properly. Upon successful completion of this sea readiness inspection, VANCOUVER returned home for another four weeks in order to progress maintenance and training.

November and December found VANCOUVER sailing in local waters for the better part of the two months, as we trialed the technical readiness of the ship's combat systems. In addition to trialing our various weapons and sensors, this period at sea permitted the ship's company to refine their skills in a multitude of seamanship, damage control and warfare exercises.

In late November, we conducted a most enjoyable port visit to the city of Vancouver. During our three days visit, the ship's company conducted a day sail for the British Columbia Consular Corps and hosted a reception onboard for friends and associates of the ship. To round off the visit, we permitted families and friends of the ship's company to join us for the trip home to Esquimalt.

In addition to our duties at sea, the crew also participated in various fleet sports competitions and community activities, I am pleased to report that our teams won gold medals in Volleyball and, for the second year in a row, Softball. We look forward to competing in Hockey, Basketball, and Golf in the New Year. The past few months have also seen the ship's company raising funds in support of the annual Government of Canada Charitable Workplace Campaign, While the total has yet to be calculated, it is expected that VANCOUVER's efforts will contribute significantly to the $500,000 raised by Maritime Forces Pacific, well above the record $400,000 raised last year.

With Christmas soon upon us, the ship's company are fully engaged in decorating the ship for the annual Ship's Christmas Lighting Competition which is due to kick off on 16 December. During this competition, the Dockyard is opened to the general public to view and vote on the most elaborately decorated ship. In exchange for a ballot form, donations are sought in support of the Mustard Seed Food Bank- On 15 December, the Officers, Chiefs and Petty Officers will serve a traditional Turkey Dinner to the ship's company. During the meal and for the rest of the day, in accordance with long established naval tradition, I will "relinquish" my Command to the youngest sailor. To close out the year, the ship's company and their sweethearts will get together one final time for a Christmas dinner and dance.

The New Year will be a busy one for VANCOUVER. During the first three months of 2005, the ship will be hard at work undergoing rigorous training designed to test the knowledge and mettle of the crew. This process is called Workups and consists of a challenging four-week sea program where the ship's company is formally put to the test in all areas of warfare, seamanship and damage control. Upon successful completion of Work-Ups VANCOUVER's combat team will fly to Halifax where they will be assessed further in the controlled environment of a state-of-the-art operations room simulator. Upon completion of this assessment, Vancouver will officially "rejoin" the Fleet as a high readiness warship and will be available for deployment both abroad and at home on short notice.

 In closing, on behalf of my entire ship's company, I would like to thank you for your ongoing support to VANCOUVER. I wish you and your family all the very best during the holiday season and into the New Year!

Ever on Guard,

Kurt N. Salchert

Commander Commanding Officer