h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Nickname : Barney's Bucksaws
Researcher # : 168710
Branch of Service: Royal Canadian Navy (WRCNS)
Dates of Service : 1966-1969
Specialty : Communications Operator
Misc : Also Canadian Army Reserves, Communications Instructor

Aussies and Kippers - its time you had a Canuck among you!!!

Ah good another Signal brat

A few people in here involved in communications one way or another. As for where I went: Cornwallis Nova Scotia for New Entry Training, Victoria BC (HMCS Esquimalt) for trade training, then all the way to the other coast to outside Halifax Nova Scotia (CFS Mill Cove) for my working base. No chance of sea time in those days. Female Sparkers got Cement Frigates, and that was it!! Had a lot of fun, though, and made some incredible friends.

Use to do Secure Comms as part of my job. Mostly as part of my War role.

Comms can be exciting or boring, depending what's going on. I was in when the Pueblo was captured by North Korea, which casued some excitement, and it was Cold War years. Our air craft carrier, the Bonaventure, dropped a helicopter over the side. The same ship came through the eye of a hurricane, and the messages were flying! The flight deck got pealed back like a sardine can. And the boring - 8 hours radio watch with northern lights out and screwing up communications, and listening to static all night. We dispelled the boredom by playing 7-up, tossing pop cans around, and making rockets out of silver paper and matches. Canada's last hope!

I would have to agree. I seem to remember a lot of card playing on those training missions where you were with a unit that didn't move much, you set up your shot then waited for something to go wrong Then you would go out with a tank battalion or some other fast moving unit and you would set up, communicate then tear down a few hours latter just to drive somewhere else and do it again.

Yes, we had a bridge game going in FCC every middle watch. I used to sit and do the crossword in the Chronicle-Herald every night. What was always interesting to watch, was the way we could turn professional at a second's notice. We'd all be playing the fool, and someone would shout "I've got a boat" and the message classification. If the classification was high, we'd all immediately start scanning our frequencies, and be totally involved in our work - just like that! Some chrisis in the world, or with our own ships, and it was dead silence, except for shouted high classification to alert the router.

Nickname : Barney's Bucksaws
Researcher # : 168710
Branch of Service:Royal Canadian Navy
Dates of Service :1966-1969
Specialty :Communications Operator
Misc :WRCNS (Wrens)

Don't know how I ended up in here twice, but .....I'm B-a-a-a-c-k.