While some youth spent the summer sleeping in, playing video games, or lounging at the lake, Chilliwack teen Katherine Mcwilliams was working hard for the navy.
For eight weeks, the 15-year-old cadet worked on heavy machinery aboard the Royal Canadian Navy's Patrol Class Tender (PCT) vessels as part of the Sea Cadet Marine Engineer Course at Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Quadra's Cadet Summer Training Centre in Comox, B.C..
The course consisted of seven weeks of challenging theoretical and practical learning, mechanical sketching, shipboard firefighting and damage control, engineering maintenance skills and emergency procedures. The final week was spent preparing for, and appearing in front of a board of the Canadian Naval Marine Engineers to test their knowledge.
“Sea Cadets has taught me the value of loyalty, professionalism and has helped me make friends from across Canada," said Mcwilliams, now a stoker. "I've been provided with amazing opportunities that I wouldn't get anywhere else."
Mcwilliams was recently presented her marine engineering ticket from Captain Don Smith, CD, the Commanding Officer of Maritime Forces Pacific’s Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Breton.
With this ticket, the young cadet is now qualified to act as a second engineer of the watch on Canada’s Patrol Class Tender (PCT) Naval Vessels.
Royal Canadian Sea Cadets is a national youth program jointly sponsored by the Department of National Defence/Canadian Forces and the civilian Navy League of Canada.
HMCS Quasar Sea Cadet Summer Training Centre recently completed its 56th year of operations and trained over 1,000 cadets throughout the summer from every Canadian province.
For more information on Sea Cadets, please visit www.cadets.ca