A man with North Shore roots is taking command of the Royal Canadian Navy’s Pacific Fleet.
Capt. Samuel Patchell signed on to the role in a change of command ceremony aboard HMCS Vancouver at the Burrard Dry Dock on Wednesday, taking over for Rear-Admiral David Mazur.
Patchel said he looks forward to the challenges that lie ahead.
“I’m really humbled … it’s a little emotional,” he said. “I have an awesome responsibility to lead our Canadian sailors. It’s absolutely incredible, the people, the best of Canadians serve in our navy. They need strong leadership and guidance. I’ll do my best to support them, because the real hard stuff we’re going to ask them to do needs strong leadership.”
The long-serving navy personnel was born in North Vancouver and grew up in West Vancouver and even remembers delivering the North Shore News in 1989.
“I never would have imagined delivering the North Shore News and the guy here,” said Patchell, who now lives in Victoria.
Patchell said he was inspired to enlist by his grandfather, a Second World War veteran who used to take him aboard visiting ships and tell him stories about his time in the navy.
The new commander first joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 2001. Patchell served as a navigating officer in 2006 and, two years later, specialized as a deck officer where he was deployed on Operation Hestia, Canada’s humanitarian response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
Patchell has also served as the executive assistant to the deputy commander of United Nations Command in Pyeongtaek, South Korea in 2018. Shortly after returning to Canada, he deployed on a Canadian navy ship to the South China Sea, part of the country’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.
HMCS Vancouver honoured
Patchell’s promotion was not the only reason for celebration Wednesday. HMCS Vancouver was being honoured its own ceremony marking its service in Operation Mobile. The mission was the Canadian Armed Forces’ contribution to the global response of the uprising against the 42-year rule of dictator Mummar Qadhafi in Libya.
Battle honour awards are given to publicly recognize a ship’s role in significant battles, campaigns and operations throughout history. Through the ship’s deployment, HMCS Vancouver engaged in surveillance, maritime interdiction and embargo enforcement.
Patchell joined the ship as the operations officer and was deployed on the mission.
Commodore Bradley Alan Peats, former commanding officer of HMCS Vancouver, shared a snippet of what it was like being on the ship during that time.
“Night after night, the city was alight with explosions from artillery fire, the reverberations of which we could feel on board the ship as we patrolled the coastline. Along with other NATO forces, we protected airtime routes and ensured that supply ships and aircraft could reach the besieged city,” Peats said. “It was profoundly sad and deeply humbling to bear witness to this tragedy unfold, but it was heartening that Canada, alongside our NATO allies, had answered the call to help people that long for peace and stability from a brutal and hostile regime.
Peats said the Battle Honour for the ship is a mark of distinction and a symbol of the crews’ courage, commitment and operational excellence.
“Behind every mission are the people who make it happen – sailors, officers, technician, air men and women, and support personnel who live the values of service before self,” he said. “As a former captain, I can say with certainty that honours such as these are not about the steel of the ship. They are about the strength of her people.”
During the ceremony, a Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora flew over the ship in honour.
HMCS Vancouver is one of the navy ships at the Burrard Dry Dock for Fleet Week, an annual event aiming to increase public awareness and appreciation of the country’s maritime defence efforts on the West Coast.
While there is no tour available for HMCS Vancouver, members of the public can book free tours for other ships nearby from now until July 6.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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