Crowning achievement for reserve force training

Members of The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s) and Naval Reserve Division Malahat listen to a safety brief prior to an amphibious landing. Photos by Second Lieutenant Cameron Park

Second Lieutenant Cameron Park
The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s) ~

The waters near Nanoose Bay at the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental and Test Ranges (CFMETR) on Vancouver Island were the site of Exercise Scottish Crown over the Nov. 4 to 5 weekend.

Soldiers from the Canadian Army Reserve and the Naval Reserve of the Royal Canadian Navy practiced a variety of skills, including assault boat landings, familiarization rides in a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB), and the conduct of a patrol.

With rehearsals complete, a tactical exercise saw a land force use assault boats, crewed by 39 Combat Engineer Regiment, to land and secure a beach head. RHIBs from Naval Reserve Division Malahat monitored the movement of the boats for safety.

After the landing, foot patrols were conducted throughout the night by soldiers from the Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s), supported by medics from 11 (Victoria) Field Ambulance.

In the morning, with patrols completed, the land force was extracted from the beach by the assault boats to conclude the exercise. To ensure effective radio communications were in place, soldiers from 39 Signals Regiment operated a command post and a radio rebroadcast station throughout the exercise.