Brodeur, Nigel: my Navy recollections (November 20, 2009)

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An interview/narrative of Nigel Brodeur's recollections of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Interview took place on November 20, 2009.

ABSTRACT: Vice-Admiral Nigel Brodeur The interview begins with a short summary of Admiral Brodeur’s career up until 1962 and the Crisis. He talks about various training and educational experiences. Brodeur next talks about his knowledge of the crisis at the time. He speaks on the various duties of a weapons officer, relating that he was very busy due to the new ‘user-maintainer’ policy in the Navy. He goes on to talk about the so called ‘period of transition’ the navy was experiencing. This includes the merging of equipment with the USN, the complications of the 3”70 gun, and the evolution in sonar technology. Brodeur next talks about his ship the HMCS Kootenay. He goes into great technical detail about the equipment capabilities. He then reads from his Report of Service to illustrate the problems encountered with the 3”70 gun and the Gunnery Fire Control System. The interview continues in this thread touching again on the ‘user-maintainer’ policy as well as the training and experience of the crew. The interview turns to a discussion of the Soviet submarine capabilities and how they matched up against the RCN. Brodeur confesses that the Soviet’s would have come out on top in certain areas in the event of armed conflict. Brodeur continues by describing ASW tactics and cooperation with the US Navy. He goes on to describe the role of the navy during the cold war. The interview turns to an in depth discussion on the workings of variable depth sonar. In the final part of the interview, Brodeur talks about the changing nature of war and how that affected his duty. He goes on to discuss the political situation, and among other things, the conduct of Diefenbaker and Admiral Dyer.

Interviewee: Brodeur, Nigel

Interviewer: Pye, Andrew

Rank: Vice-Admiral.

In Collection:
Contributor Subject Language Keyword Date created Relation Resource type Rights statement Extent
  • 1 sound recording (MP3)
Geographic coverage Coordinates
  • 60.10867, -113.64258
  • 39.76, -98.5
Additional physical characteristics
  • Original sound recording (MP3) also available.
Physical repository Collection
  • Canadian Military Oral History Collection
Provider Genre Archival item identifier
  • BN_606
Fonds title Fonds identifier Is referenced by Date digitized
  • November 20, 2009
Technical note
  • Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 192 kbps and 44 kHz. Recorded in digital format by interviewer, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2009. Migration metadata by KD and MT.
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

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