Take a tour of HMCS Calgary

cheap jerseys There are many questions you might have for wholesale nfl jerseys the commanding officer of Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Calgary. But having taken a tour of the bridge, where the man in power leads the Halifax class frigate and its 215 person crew, there's one that must be asked: Among all of the buttons, in all of the rooms, which is the one that Cmdr. John Wilson has always wanted to press? cheap jerseys And how has he maintained the willpower not to press it? "I'll always take the opportunity to press another button where I can, but it's the work leading up to that and the team's success at the end of it that is the ultimate," he said. Cheap Jerseys from cheap jerseys china HMCS Calgary is one among a dozen Halifax class warships in the Royal Canadian Navy cheap nfl jerseys fleet. Wilson was on the wholesale nfl jerseys bridge Sept. 12 as part of a special Day at Sea, when about 200 community members boarded the ship for guided tours, a cheap jerseys flying demonstration by a CH 124 Sea King helicopter, as well as emergency and ship manoeuvring demonstrations. Cheap Jerseys from china wholesale nfl jerseys The day began when the visitors divided into small groups for tours around the ship, from the operations room to engine room, where two gas turbines operate with a combined 50,000 shaft horsepower. wholesale nfl jerseys cheap jerseys Halifax class warships such as HMCS Calgary hosts a variety of weapons, including eight Harpoon surface to surface missiles, 16 Sea Sparrow surface to air missiles, a wholesale jerseys Bofors 57 mm rapid fire gun, a 20mm Phalanx anti missile close in weapons system, heavy machine guns and 24 anti submarine torpedoes. When it comes to defence, there are shield decoys, infrared suppression, chaff, flares, a towed acoustic decoy, as well as radar and sonar jamming devices. cheap jerseys Among the highlights of the tour: A set of remote controlled, high speed drones, affectionately called "hammerheads," used for target practice. Not pointed out on the tour, but noted by the kind of people who notice dcor, were Calgary themed touches. The captain's seat on the bridge is embroidered with a Calgary Stampeders stallion logo. And in the dining room, near the bar and flanking a big screen TV: framed hockey jerseys from the Calgary Flames and Hitmen. cheap nfl jerseys Things get exciting when the speed picks up, while we're standing on the fo'c'sle. Who knew a ship this big (more than 130 metres in length and 5,000 tonnes) could go this fast? The wake is big enough to pique any surfer's interest, and I'm told it has been done. cheap nfl jerseys The deck tilts. The frigate performs a figure eight manoeuvre and a Williamson turn, a move that allows the ship to retrace its steps in poor visibility and is typically used during search and rescue operations. wholesale nfl jerseys from china Which brings us to the man overboard and an alarm sounding. There's someone (a dummy) in the water and a cheap jerseys Zodiac is lowered, jetting off to save him. wholesale nfl jerseys from china Cheap Jerseys china Lt. Jeff Smith explains that people feel the onset of exhaustion after 30 minutes in the waters off the West Coast and will only survive about one hour before life threatening hypothermia sets in. Frigates like HMCS Calgary are expected to recover a man overboard within six minutes of the alarm sounding. Cheap Jerseys china There's plenty going on that we don't see, Smith says. A position indicator tracks the man's position based on current, wind and tides; operations room staff calculate the man's time in the water and likely cheap nfl jerseys injuries; and officers have begun contacting traffic management systems and outside agencies to determine the nearest medical care. Then it's time for the flying demo, which announces itself with the sound of beating helicopter blades. A Sea King helicopter glides into view. A figure dressed in black stands at its open door and gives full armed waves at the crowd below as the chopper circles the vessel. We're told that Sea Kings perform a variety of roles, including anti submarine warfare, drug interdiction and fisheries patrol. The Sea King hovers over the water and a diver eases out, dropping feet first cheap nfl jerseys out the door. From the water, he gives a thumbs up. Another diver is slowly lowered and attaches himself to the rescuee. It looks as if they're hugging as a line lifts them, like the chosen ones in an alien abduction, back into the helicopter. Then they do it again, making it seem slightly less special. Cheap Jerseys free shipping With that, we head back to port. Cheap Jerseys free shipping Cheap Jerseys china Among the visitors is Daniel Skinner, the coxswain for his sea cadet crew. Cheap Jerseys china Cheap Jerseys free shipping "I'd never actually been on a vessel of the navy before, so it was a lot of learning for me mostly just looking around and seeing what it's like," he said. Cheap Jerseys free shipping "I'm not sure I'm having a major, life changing experience, but certainly it's been very informative. I learned a lot about the careers in the navy and that's something to take home to keep the doors open, the navy's always an option.".