Cooks at sea – the full picture

A cook in HMCS Nanaimo works to splint the arm of a crew member with a mock injury. Casualty clearing is a secondary responsibility for the cooks. Photo by Capt Jennifer Jackson

Capt Jenn Jackson, Operation Caribbe PAO ~

When we think of a cook, we think of preparing and serving food. However, when it comes to cooks in a Royal Canadian Navy warship, meal preparation is only part of their work.

They also have the grim job of casualty clearing during an emergency, the brawns of line handling when needed on deck, and even the compassion to aid a sea sick sailor.

These roles are part of basic training but are enhanced through mentorship, coaching and experience during a career at sea.

“The senior cook is the primary casualty clearer in an emergency,” explains the chief cook in HMCS Nanaimo, which is currently deployed with HMCS Edmonton on Operation Caribbe, an illicit drug interdiction operation off the coast of Central America in the eastern Pacific Ocean. For security reasons members of the crew cannot be named. “I learned a lot of skills throughout my career thanks to the coaching and mentoring of the various Physician’s Assistants I have sailed with, and in turn, I pass on that knowledge to the junior cooks.”

It is a similar experience for learning how to handle lines on deck. Cooks become more proficient from the guidance received from Boatswains the longer they sail.

In a Kingston-class ship, there are only three cooks to feed the 44 other crew members.

It’s a long day for a cook at sea as they rise at 5 a.m. to prepare breakfast and typically work until 7 p.m. after supper clean-up.

During day-time emergencies, it is necessary for one cook to monitor the cooking food while the others respond.

For the Chief Cook, there are other duties to ensure the crew is properly fed.

“As the Senior Cook, I am responsible for liaising with the Executive Officer on budget matters, planning the menus and placing the food orders,” adds Nanaimo’s Chief Cook. “I also have to keep track of whether any crew member has dietary restrictions, such as being vegetarian or allergies, and ensure there is food aboard they can eat. This is especially important for an extended operation like Caribbe.”

Good food is critical to the morale and health of the crew as they complete drills such as fire and flood damage control, engineering exercises, and boat work to fully prepare for the operational phase of Caribbe.

Nothing brings a smile to the faces of the crew than seeing a good hot meal between bouts of hard work, or even the occasional Freezie after a sweaty, sustained fire exercise. They are well taken care of in Nanaimo – whether a sailor is hungry, injured, in need of an extra hand on deck or suffering from sea sickness, they have great cooks for all of that.