Article - HMCS Iroquois' entrance into Baltimore harbour

July 17, 2012

By SLt Christopher Bains

The approach into Baltimore harbour, Maryland was a particularly memorable event on June 13. It was the type of event that leaves a mark on one’s memory of how they will look back on a military career spent serving in the Royal Canadian Navy. It was 10 a.m. when all available personnel were required to ‘man the rails’ and muster on the flight deck of HMCS Iroquois.

The custom of ‘manning the side’ evolved from the saying of ‘manning the yards’, which dates back from the days of sail. On sailing ships, men stood evenly spaced on all the yards – the spars holding the sails – and gave three cheers to honour distinguished persons.

Our June 13-19 port visit in Baltimore was to recognize the longstanding friendship and peace between Canada and the United States. This diplomatic visit was a chance to launch the international bicentennial commemoration of the signing of the declaration of War of 1812 that took place at Fort McHenry, Maryland.On the morning of September 14, 1814, the Royal British Navy ceased their bombardment of Fort McHenry due to a lack of ammunition. This is the place where Francis Scott Key, a Washington lawyer and civilian prisoner, saw the American flag emerge intact at dawn on the morning of the September 14. He was so moved by the experience he began to compose the poem "The Defence of Fort McHenry" that morning. His poem would later be renamed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and would become the national anthem of the United States.

So there we all stood, on the fo’c’sle of the mighty HMCS Iroquois. As we approached Fort McHenry by sea we were turned out in our finely pressed Navy whites when HMCS Iroquois gave a 21-gun salute. The 21-gun salute traces its history to as early as the 16th century, when a warship visited a foreign port it would discharge all its guns to prove they were empty upon arrival. Since a visiting ship would not have enough time to reload its guns before it was within range of the shore batteries, it was clearly demonstrating friendly intentions by going into harbour with guns empty. In return, HMCS Iroquois received a 21-gun salute from staff stationed at Fort McHenry in front of thousands of civilian spectators that lined the shore to watch the incoming parade of ships make their way by sea into the city.

Our entrance to Baltimore harbour was a wonderful display of naval tradition at its finest and was a perfect way to start a port visit in a truly memorable city. It’s times like these that make you truly proud to be a sailor in the Royal Canadian Navy.