The Iroquios was my first ship. It was the most modern class of ship we had at the time and I was considered fortunate to get a posting there. My first year on board was a whirlwind of activity as we were deploying with the Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT) for four months in '85. Prior to deploying, the ship had to undergo workups. This is a month of intense training to bring a ships company up to the highest state of readiness. Workups is conducted by "Sea Training Staff" which is a group of very experienced Officers and Chief Petty Officers who look at absolutely every aspect of how a ship's company handles any and every situation from fires to floods, casualties to sailing through a nuclear fall out zone, to each aspect of warfare. It is difficult to fit all that into one month so needless to say the days (and nights) are long. After completing workups, we sailed for Lisbon Portugal where we joined the STANAVFORLANT Squadron and I had my first taste of a long deployment. It was an eye opening experience and it hooked me. From then on I knew that the Navy was for me.
The other ports I saw during the NATO deployment were: Portsmouth England, Bergen Norway, Den Helder Holland (with a trip to Amsterdam on the side!), Wilemshaven Germany (Another side trip to Hamburg) and Ghent Belgium. Not a bad way to start off!
Other places I went during my time on Iroquois include Bermuda (Every East Coast Canadian sailor has been there at least 15 times) New York City for the Statue of Liberty's Centennial, Dublin Ireland and Peurto Rico.
During my time on Iroquois I completed my Trade Qualification 4 training which qualified me for promotion to Able Seaman. I also qualified as a member of the Naval Landing and Boarding Party and a Ship's Team Diver.
