Duties Onboard the Destroyer

We were a destroyer and every time, like we went along deployment with the NATO. NATO we were a force, with like five or six different countries working as a unit doing manoeuvre at sea, and that's really like, for officers stuff, but for us, wherever the captain decided to take us, we went, I mean. My job on the, first time onboard the ship, I was what we called a coxswain writer, and the coxswain is mainly a chief warrant officer who's looking after the discipline on board a ship and I was his administrative clerk. And my job was doing mainly, like routine orders, duty watch, and all that stuff so whatever job, and if the captain needed, like, disciplinary had to be done. I was there with the files and make sure that everything was conducted properly and that was quite exciting. I mean we had a great time on board the ship. Loved it.

Mr. Desmeules describes his daily routine aboard the HMCS Skeena providing administrative support to the captain.

Mike Desmeules

Mr. Desmeules was born in 1950 in Jean Pierre, Quebec. With little work in his hometown community, Mr. Desmeules decided to join the armed forces, considering it as an opportunity to travel. At 18 years of age Mr. Desmeules initially joined the Navy taking up the service occupation of administrative clerk. With this occupation being very generic to all branches of service, Mr. Desmeules later joined with the army and in 1975 accepted an opportunity to travel to Egypt with the Signal Regiment. In 1995, Mr. Desmeules accepted a posting to Rwanda, again in the administrative field of occupation. Upon return to Canada, Mr. Desmeules made the switch back to navy service and retired when 30 years of service was achieved. Mr. Desmeules and his family took up residence in Prince Edward Island, Canada.