ABOUT 49 PHOTOS IN THIS SECTION BY CHARLIE DOBIE

I joined the Royal Canadian Navy in September 1960, in Thunder Bay, Ontario. At that time the Navy had a three-year enlistment called the On The Job Training (OJT) programme, which appealed to those who weren't prepared to commit themselves for five years. I took basic training in Cornwallis, NS, and in January 1961 was posted to HMCS Ste. Therese, in Victoria BC. I served on the Ste. Therese as a sonarman (OSSN & ABSN) for the duration of my time and was released about July or August, 1963.

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Basic Training : H.M.C.S. Cornwallis, 1960

When I left for basic training I was given a train ticket and told to be in Montreal by a certain time. The train had been collecting recruits all the way from the west coast so by the time I got on in Thunder Bay it was a moving riot. I took a few photos in Montreal as we wandered around with several hours to kill before we caught the train to Moncton.
Recruits killing time in Dominion Square (now Square Dorchester), Montreal. Four tired and slightly stunned RCN recruits killing time in Montreal			RCN recruits killing time on the street in Montreal. Tthe Sun Life building is in the background so they're on Dorchester Blvd. (now Boulevard Rene-Levesque).
Assiniboine Division, 2/60, unofficial photo. Each new group of recruits was organized into a division with the name of a destroyer. Ours was Assiniboine 2/60. No photographer was available so no official "before" photo was taken.			Assiniboine 2/60 official graduation photo We were told we were the sorriest bunch of misfits to pass through Cornwallis in many years, but you wouldn't know it from these happy faces.

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H.M.C.S. Ste Therese : photos from 1961 to 1963

Ship's company photo, August 1961. This official photo was taken when we were visiting San Francisco. Many men are identified but most are not.			RCN Frigates at San Francisco jetty, August 1961. At least four frigates were tied up at this jetty and Ste Therese is one of them.
Foc'sle crew, August 1961. Preparing to leave San Francisco. We dealt with the ropes and were ready to drop the anchor in case of an emergency.			Most of the weapons department, 1962/63. Taken on the quarterdeck, somewhere at sea. I can't place the time exactly but it must have been 1962 or the first half of 1963.
Foc'sle crew, coastal waters. Possibly in the Queen Charlotte Islands, but could be anywhere. As always, it was cold.			Crew on the quarterdeck in coastal waters. General view with some of the crew in the distance.
Drinking their rum ration on the quarterdeck. Location seems to be Esquimalt Harbour. Three men are now identified.			Lifeboat crew on an exercise. Hanging from the davits somewhere at sea.
Doing maintenance on the 4-inch gun. AB Fisher and OS Daniels freezing their butts off but still smiling.			Officer cadets and anti-sub mortars. About a dozen cadets standing around the Squid well waiting for something to happen.
Frigates in San Francisco, August 1961. A general view over the quarterdecks of two ships, one of which must be the Ste Therese.			Ashore for a few hours in Tasu Sound. We were in the Queen Charlottes so it had to be winter. Three guys almost smile for the camera.
Ashore for a few hours in Tasu Sound. Crew members hamming it up for the camera.			Leaving Hawaii: crew on the quarterdeck Catching a bit of sun as we cruise off Diamond Head.
At sea in Hawaiian waters. Crew members gaze at Diamond Head or pretend to work.			Two of the crew having a conversation. Ordinary Seamen Yeager and Srubowich, both bosuns.
Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco. Three Ste Therese sailors lean on each other at Fisherman's Wharf, 1961.			A Leading Seaman in the weapons department. I took this photo for him -- now I can't remember his name.
Egger and Dirkacz/Dyrkacz square off in the mess-deck. But there's no contest here when it comes to beer guts.			Egger and Waldron clean a winch cover. Both were members of the weapons department.
Crew member, inland waters. A crew member looking at the view.			In front of the 4-inch gun. OS Fred Elgert, weapons surface.
Anchored in coastal waters. OSSN Robbin Wakefield.			In Esquimalt Harbour. OS Robert Egger, weapons surface.
Anchored in coastal waters. Three shipmates -- Boyce, McPherson and unknown.			Caught in the act of working. LS Hall, OS Leyden and Elgert do maintenance on the Bofors AA guns.
Sailing in Alaskan waters. OS Wayne Anaka with Alaska or BC in the distance.			Bentick Island demolitions course, 1963. An instructor explains why we can't put lit cigarettes into those little cans or hit them with hammers.
Bentick Island demolitions course, 1963. OS Hawkes, Spooner and Wakefield with plastic explosives.			Bentick Island demolitions course, 1963. Instructors watch men place explosives connected by primacord.
HMCS Beacon Hill anchored. This is probably the anchorage at Pat Bay but I'm not sure.			HMCS Margaree and a frigate anchored. This was probably taken at the same Pat Bay anchorage.

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Esquimalt Harbour, Victoria BC : photos from 1961 to 1963

Three destroyers at the jetty in Esquimalt. HMCS Assiniboine, HMCS Ottawa and HMCS Margaree.			HMCS Grilse at the jetty in Esquimalt. The conning tower is covered with tarps so it was undergoinig maintenance of some sort.
HMCS Ottawa at the jetty while HMCS Cape Breton leaves Esquimalt Harbour, Sept. 1962.			HMCS Grilse at the jetty in Esquimalt. Same view as above, more or less .
HMCS Cape Breton at Esquimalt View of Esquimalt harbour with HMCS Cape Breton on her way out, Sept. 1962.			General view of Esquimalt Harbour with what seems to be a visiting American destroyer at one of the jettys in the distance.
HMCS Grilse in Esquimalt Harbour Taken from the quarterdeck of the HMCS Ste Therese as the Grilse appeared through the fog.

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RCN-Related photos taken ashore, 1961 to 1963

Native totem poles in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria. Unknown Ste Therese crew member. I took this photo for him so I hope he has a copy.			Driving to Winnipeg, summer of 1961. OS Ron Healey and I joined another sailor who owned a car and we drove to Winnipeg.
Ashore in wildest Hawaii. Several of us were escorted around Hawaii by a friendly American sailor. Here we are at some sort of wild west theme village.			Ashore near Juneau Alaska, 1963. OS Daniels, Lawson and another in front of the Mendenhall glacier.
Ashore near Juneau Alaska, 1963. OS Charlie Dobie -- the photographer gets his photo taken in front of the Mendenhall glacier.			Doris Day in Long Beach, 1963. Three Canadian sailors with Doris Day during the filming of "Move Over Darling".

ABOUT 44 PHOTOS IN THIS SECTION BY ROBERT BERBECK

joined the RCN in 1960 and was trained as a signalman. He served on HMCS Ste Therese, HMCS Cape Breton, HMCS Antigonish, HMCS Assiniboine, HMCS Qu'Appelle, HMCS Provider, etc etc.

Bob took the photo which appears at the top of this website page. It was taken onboard HMCS Qu'Appelle in July 1964, enroute to Acapulco. The photo is of his brother-in-law John White.

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Robert Berbeck, 1960. Taken on his first day home after basic training, 1960.			Robert Berbeck, 1961. Studio portrait, age 18.
Hurricane on HMCS Assiniboine, 1963. The ship takes some big waves -- three photos.			HMCS Mackenzie, 1964. Photo was taken in Vancouver Harbour.
Sunset at sea, 1966. With HMCS St Croix and HMCS Stettler in the distance.			Two destroyers at Midway, 1968. HMCS Qu'Appelle & HMCS Saskatchewan at Sand Island.
HMCS Antigonish in refit in Vancouver, 1965. Two photos.			Three decomissioned Tribals. HMCS Micmac, HMCS Athabaskan and HMCS Haida in Halifax, 1964.
Euchre game on HMCS Assiniboine. Ocober 1963, Three Mess. Most of the men are identified -- two photos.			Graduation of SG105 in Esquimalt, 1960. Seven men. Surnames are: Berbeck, Fredrickson, Hockley, Law, Power, Stewart, Tucknott.
HMCS Grilse catches a dingy. April 1966. A dingy was caught in her vents when she surfaced. Four photos.			HMCS Bonaventure & HMCS Provider HMCS Provider refuels the Bonnie and Antigonish. Six photos taken in Feb., 1966.
Refuling from HMCS Provider. February 1966. HMCS St Croix refuling from HMCS Provider. Two photos.			Canadian sailors at Copacabana in Rio, 1966. Beach scenes in Rio plus a view from the bridge while entering Buenos Aires. Four photos.
Signalmen on board HMCS Assiniboine. October 1963. Men relaxing on board ship. Three photos.			HMCS Provider refueling HMCS Terra Nova. Two photos, one an aerial shot. Sept. 1969.
HMCS Saguenay, Nipigon, Terra Nova. September 1963. Three destroyers alongside in Halifax.			HMCS Provider and HMCS Terra Nova at sea. Two aerial photos. The ships were enroute to England.
HMCS Terra Nova refueling in the North Sea. October 1969. Terra Nova digs into the waves. Two photos.			HMCS Provider in Copenhagen. October 1969..
HMCS Provider in drydock. In Esquimalt, January 1970. Three photos.