207 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca STURGEON, Douglas C. PEACETIME Douglas Sturgeon was educated in Hodgson and Fisher Branch, Manitoba. His Naval and Military career in peacetime service was from November 1961 to March 1962 where he completed boot camp, the basics of military life in the form of foot drill, rifle drill, small arms combat and overall screening for an eventual trade within the navy. HMCS Crescent - DDE #226 - April 1962 to June 1963. On the job training where he took Sonarman learning duties in submarine detection and seamanship. Doug was promoted to ordinary seaman, then to Sonarman in July 1962. He was actively involved in coastal patrol of Canada’s East Coast during the Cuban Crisis in 1963 and was promoted to Able Seaman in December 1962. HMCS Stadacona - July 1963 to March 1964. Doug took basic training in field electronics with some specializing towards sonar electronics, equipment fitted in most Canadian destroyers. Prior to posting to HMCS Terra Nova, he was married to Nancy Bedgood, daughter of Edna and Ron Bedgood of Halifax. HMCS Terra Nova - DDE 259 - March 1964 to May 1965. A most memorable fourteen months as the Terra Nova was considered the best destroyer in the fleet at that time. She had a good crew and won the Efficiency Award for 1964, suffered few if any breakdowns and was always ready and willing to go whenever and wherever she was needed. HMCS Skeena - DDH 207 - June 1965 to October 1967. Serving on HMCS Skeena took them away from their home port of Halifax for a great deal of 1966. In all, they travelled over 62,000 nautical miles, as far south as Buenos Aires and Argentina only returning to Halifax for supplies. They then joined the NATO squadron in Europe, visiting ports in England, France, Germany, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Scotland, before returning to Halifax. Doug was promoted to the rank of Leading Seaman in July 1965. HMCS Stadacona - November 1967 to August 1968. Doug took extensive training in operation and servicing Sonar electronic equipment, fitted in current Canadian Warships. HMCS Nipigon - DDH 266 - September 1968 to August 1969. Time spent on HMCS Nipigon was mainly during exercises off the Eastern North American coast with the exception of spending three months with NATO Squadron in Europe. HMCS Bras d’Or - FHE 400 - September 1969 to April 1971. At one time this ship was listed as the fastest warship in the world, however her life was short lived. It was quite an experience. It maneuvered like a destroyer but three times as fast. Fleet School DDH 280 Project - May 1971 to September 1975. Doug took electronic training on a digital computer used in sonar trade to seek and destroy hostile submarines, and after a fourteen-month course was promoted to Petty Officer 2nd class, also known as Sergeant in unified forces and posted to fleet school program section. Duties there involved maintaining the programming generation computer and assisting the programmers in making program changes and edits and ensuring the fleet ships were provided with the most nuclear combat programs as they were generated. His fourteen-year career with the Canadian Armed Forces (Navy) is one which Douglas remembered as being a great experience. He left the Armed Forces in September 1975 to pursue his electronics career in civilian life. Douglas and his wife had four children, three sons, and one daughter.
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