Interview with Nigel Greenwood

Narrator: Greenwood, Nigel. S., 1939- Interviewer: Interviewed by Eric Springgay–Daubeny Interview Date and Location: March 4, 2025, Zoom. Synopsis: Greenwood begins by exploring his family background and his early Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) experiences. This is followed by a discussion of his early career, highlighting his exchange with the US Navy and his increasing seniority in the 1990s and early 2000s. Greenwood discusses his experiences in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, the RCN leadership’s struggle to balance federal priorities with funding shortfalls and declining enlistment, as well as his involvement with Federal Government policies such as the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship program. Additionally, Greenwood provides extensive detail about experiences as an ice navigator after retirement, including his recollections of his time aboard the Chinese research vessel Xue long in 2017. 0:00:00 - 0:01:20 - Introduction 0:01:20 - 0:08:38 – Family background, upbringing in Powell River, childhood relationship to the Arctic, joining the Royal Canadian Navy, and Attending Royal Roads Military College, learning navigation. 0:08:38 - 0:16:26 – Early deployments and experience on exchange with Surface Warfare Development Group in US Navy. Contrasts between Arctic opportunities in Canada and US. 0:16:26 - 0:24:03 – Working with the US Navy in NATO operations in the Atlantic, Bilateral connections with the US Navy in the Pacific, RCN frustration with media response to 1985 Polar Sea traversal of the Northwest Passage. 0:24:03 - 0:29:17 – Career advancement in the 1990s, becoming a Captain. 0:29:17 - 0:40:05– Becoming Base Commander at CFB Halifax, impact of September 11th Attacks. 0:40:05 – 0:46:15 - Bureaucratic challenges, becoming Chief of Staff on the West Coast 0:46:15 – 0:52:55 - Arctic policy shifts in the mid-2000s, becoming Rear Admiral, engaging with Harper Government’s Arctic policy, internal perception of Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship program. 0:52:55 - 0:56:04 – Balancing Arctic policy with budget concerns and declining enlistment. 0:56:04 – 1:00:14 - Relationship with organizations such as the Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian Rangers. 1:00:14 - 1:09:44 – National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy, 2009 Strategic Review, navigating financial questions. 1:09:44 - 1:16:23 – Retirement, becoming an ice navigator, 1:16:23 - 1:19:42 – Incorporating technological change, using GPS. 1:19:42 - 1:29:27 - Acting as an Ice Navigator for Chinese Research Vessel Xue Long in 2017. 1:29:27 – 1:36:43 - Views on Arctic misconceptions, changing Arctic environment, perspective on how climate change affected RCN policy. 1:36:43 –1:41:31 Closing remarks

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Springgay-Daubeny, Eric
• Greenwood, Nigel S., 1939-

Subject

• Canada. Royal Canadian Navy
• Royal Roads Military College
• Military history
• Military education

Language

• eng

Identifier

• Interview #SC141_GN_946

Keyword

• RCN Budget
• Climate Change
• Northwest Passage
• Canada-US Relations
• September 11th Attacks
• Royal Roads Military College
• Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships
• Arctic Policy
• Royal Canadian Navy
• Rear Admiral Nigel Greenwood
• Ice Navigation
• National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy
• Xue Long
• Navigation
• GPS
• Canadian Forces Base Halifax
• Coast Guard
• US Navy Surface Warfare Development Group
• Steven Harper
• Base Commander
• Maritime Forces Pacific
• Polar Sea Controversy

Date created

• March 4, 2025

Relation

• Part of the Military Oral History Class collection of interviews (HIST 426, 2025).

Resource type

• Moving Image

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 01:41:35

Alternative title

• "Not Our Core Interest": The Royal Canadian Navy and the Arctic Since 1990

Physical Repository

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Collection

• Canadian Military Oral History Collection

Provider

• University of Victoria (B.C.). Library

Genre

• video recordings (physical artifacts)
• interviews
• oral histories (literary genre)
• reminiscences

Archival item identifier

• Accession Number: 2026-0008; Series: VIII; Item: 946

Fonds title

• Military oral history collection

Fonds identifier

• SC141

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://search.archives.uvic.ca/military-oral-history-collection

Date digitized

• 2025

Technical note

• Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in Spring 2025. Recorded in digital format by interviewer. Keywords supplied by interviewer. Metadata by KD.

Rights

• This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca

DOI

•  https://doi.org/10.58066/b1mt-9v46