Ship Facts

A list of interesting things about the HMCS Ville de Quebec, in no particular order:

– the ship is 50 000 horsepower, making it one of the fastest ships in the world.  It cruises at about 20 knots (37/km/h) and can stop in two ship lengths (approximately 880 feet) and that is ridiculously quick; a tanker will take over one mile to stop
– it’s a frigate, which means ‘warship’
– it’s pennant number is 332, and that’s what’s said during radio communication “this is Canadian warship 332”
– there’s online access for the crew and they’re allowed to Facebook and almost everything except video, that would be far too hard on the servers

– every crew member is a trained “Damage Control (DC) Operator” meaning they’re a trained fire and flood fighter; this is in addition to their everyday job
– just living aboard is a good workout because you are constantly up and down ladders, stepping through doors and all with an air of hustle
– re: the old adage “a mouth like a sailor”… I didn’t see much evidence of that, but this is coming from a girl with a slightly caustic tongue so maybe I’m just unaffected
– there were 163 crew on board, and if they were on a mission there’d be almost 200
– the entire ship is compartmentalized, divided up into sealable sections, so should it take on water it may be contained and the ship will continue to float

– the Navy will pay you to get a college education at a growing number of colleges through their recuriting program, click here
– the crew is required to carry with them their jackets at all times because in the event of an emergency you need a double layer of clothing for fire fighting
– I’ve found a group of people that love symmetry as much as I do 
– the hours they work are 7 on / 5 off, repeat… and they work
– 2009 marks the 100th year of Sea Cadets

– a ‘sparrow’ is slang for having sailed 5000 nautical miles (9260km), and is a classic navy tattoo
– when they’re on a mission or in war-mode the term is “we’re in an Operational Theatre”
– our CDN Navy is one of the few in the world that allow its crew to drink alcohol on board. A beer is $1, no one abuses this privilege, and as a result when the crew goes ashore there are far fewer incidents of them losing their minds like there are in other navies 
– I always knew they were a very organized organization but OMG they are so much more organized than I imagined.  But really, after I gave it more thought, it couldn’t be any other way
– their pure white uniforms (so sharp) are reserved for ceremonial occasions

– the environmental standards they adhere to surpass those dictated by the government, like, this is one green ship
– sailor = gentleman
– you sleep in a little bunk, three on top of another which is called a “mess”, as in, “I slept in Mess 14” (I did) 
– the air inside the ship is SO pure.  Because it’s all sealed up, and what with people sleeping / eating / living I did not expect it to smell as pristine and, well, there is no smell. Far better than many apartment buildings I’ve been in

september 9 2009

– and as for the best thing I discovered, I’m saving that for the theme of the episode along with what I did tonight, that’s for the episode’s end, and it’s epic.

NOTE: if I’ve got anything wrong above make sure to correct me in the comments kay