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Highlight! : Pay! I gota. RN Pay b. Canadian Pay [Canadian Bonus] c. LOA [Local overseas Allowance] d. Hard Layers [for our cramped living conditions] e. Submarine Pay f. Canadian Child Allowance when back home in the UK, one received nothing for the 1st child. g. Subsidised liquor - so many bottles per month of wines/spirits - a NATO perks at virtually half price.
What hardship?
We did far too much sea time. The Canadians controlled us and they had an insatiable appetite for anti submarine warfare [ASW] exercises both RCN and RCAF.
The winters were harsh, beyond belief sometimes. The summers were pleasant and warm and it was a good draft to this squadron.
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| The RN Submarine Squadron lasted for about ten years from 1955 to 1965. After that period the Canadians ran their own Submarine show. Our shore base [which was in the Halifax dockyard] was called HMS Ambrose and she acted as our mother or depot ship. SM6, a RN Commander, had his office in HMS Ambrose. In the period 1955 to 1965 British submarines [and British submariner expertise] were used to provide the East Coast of Canada with submarines for operational deployment and for the ASW training of the Canadian surface fleet and the RCAF Maritime Air Patrols using Orion aircraft. They were based on Halifax Nova Scotia, which to a Canadian, is always known as SLACKERS. All the boats were of the 'A' Class and each one did approximately 18 months on station before being relieved with two boats on station at all times. Approximately ten years {120'odd months} meant eight boats were used, six of them doing two Canadian commissions each, and two just the one Canadian commission - the boats I can remember were the Aurochs, Alderney, Artful, Astute, Ambush, Auriga. Each boat carried a crew of approximately 72 men, which gives a head count of approximately 575 men [several twice over] who had the privilege of serving in the 6th Submarine Squadron. Meanwhile, over on the West Coast, based on Esquimalt, the Canadians themselves had just one submarine, which was a USN Balao class boat on loan to the Canadians. They called her HMCS Griles {SS71}, and its main role was training and assessment, for by itself it could not possibly provide an operational role for the sheer size [and area] of the Canadian Pacific Coast/Sub Area Command. The loan agreement started in 1961 half way through the RN submarine agreement on the East Coast, and lasted for eight years when the boat was returned to the USN in July 1969. In the USN, the Griles had been the USS Burrfish {SS312} and she saw much war service in the Pacific sinking Japanese ships. After the war she saw many years of service mainly in the Mediterranean before being converted to be a Radar Picket Submarine which changed her pennant number from SS312 to SSR 312. Now back in the USN with her original name, the Bufffish was sunk as a target off California in November 1969. In 1968 the Canadians took delivery of an ex-USN Guppy boat, the USS Argonaut SS475. I served in HM S/M Auriga [S69] and lived with my wife and son in Canada [two more sons since] and I have visited British Columbia, Vancouver, Victoria, Esquimalt several times. In my time in Canada their proud navy was always called the ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY. | |||||
