Navy ship sails into Toronto Harbour with hopes of new recruits

Hundreds of kilometres from the nearest ocean, Toronto isn't exactly what comes to mind when one thinks of the Royal Canadian Navy, and it isn't every day a patrol ship sails into the city — let alone welcomes everyone on board.

HMCS Harry DeWolf arrived in Toronto Harbour Thursday, sailing from Halifax after a mission in the Northwest Passage. It's now docked in the harbour near Sugar Beach all weekend and open for the public to explore for parts of Friday and Saturday.

Cmdr. Jon Nicholson says the navy is trying to give civilians a glimpse of life on the sea and potentially recruit some new members.

"We're looking forward to seeing as many Canadians as we can get to talk about what we do here and share some stories," he said. "And we're always looking for interested Canadians to sign up."

That's where the Marine Career Expo comes in. The navy is in the middle of a nationwide recruitment drive and has partnered with the marine industry's private sector to promote all types of careers at sea.

On shore, right next to the newest patrol ship in the navy's fleet, booths are set up offering information to anyone interested in enrolling with the navy or exploring a private sector marine job.

Alongside the navy, the coast guard and private sector employers like Marine Atlantic have set up kiosks.

"Recruitment in the marine industry has been a challenge," Marine Atlantic spokesperson Darrell Mercer told CBC News last month, adding that the expo is trying to reverse that.

Navy recruitment struggles 'critical'

The navy is also struggling to attract personnel.

Last year, the commander of the Royal Canadian Navy said the force was in a "critical state," with aging ships and a severe shortage of sailors. 

Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee told defence leaders last November that the navy hadn't hit its annual recruitment targets for more than a decade and would need to start recruiting about 1,200 people a year to address the shortage. Barring that, Topshee said the navy would risk being unable to meet its readiness commitments. 

The navy is especially looking for candidates to fill roles in engineering, mechanics and information technology as new, modernized ships are set to come online in the coming decades, Lt.-Cmdr. Lucas Pang told CBC News last month.

'We need some more Leafs fans'

Although Toronto isn't known as a naval hub, it's the hometown of some of the Harry DeWolf's crew, and they say more Torontonians should consider a career at sea.

Master Sailor Wesley Blundon, from Scarborough, says he studied at George Brown and worked as a cook in restaurants for years before enlisting as a cook in the navy seven years ago.

"I liked cooking. I did it for so long, but I kind of wanted to do something where I could travel the world," he said.

Blundon says he's traveled to 30 countries as part of his work. And there are other benefits, he says.

"The hours are, for a cook, amazing compared to what I would work as a civilian cook," he said.

Master Sailor Derek Suckling, also from Toronto, says he hopes others from his hometown come by to ask the crew about their experiences and sign up too.

"We need some more Leafs fans coming out to join us on the east coast and the west coast," he said.