Interview with Chief Petty Officer Second Class (Ret'd) Mitch Wierenga (March 23, 2022)

Interviewer: Samantha Olson Interviewee: Chief Petty Officer Second Class (Ret'd) Mitch Wierenga An interview/narrative of Mitch Wierenga's experiences serving in the Royal Canadian Navy. Interview took place on March 2, 2022 over a video call. Rank: Chief Petty Officer Second Class ABSTRACT: 0:00 – 4:33 – Immigrating from the Netherlands, childhood in Alberta, high school, enlistment in the RCN. 4:33 – 7:16 – Training at HMCS Cornwallis, basic training as an Ordinary Seaman Radar Plotter (OSRP), time in the Honour Guard, posting to Esquimalt. 7:16 – 18:23 – Career path from OS to CPO2, posting to HMCS Fraser as an OSRP, duties of an OSRP, promotion to Able Seaman (AB) Radar Plotter, promotion to Master Seaman, promotion to Petty Officer Second Class radar technician, promotion to Petty Officer First Class (Naval Combat Information Operators ––NCI Ops), time as a recruiter, promotion to Chief Petty Officer Second Class. 18:23 – 24:40 – Duties as CPO2 on the HMCS Kootenay (Combat Chief), time as a Base Financial Councillor, posted to HMCS Winnipeg. 24:40 – 32:24 – Differences between the duties of CPO2s and CPO1s, differences between the duties of PO1s and CPO2s, responsibilities during shore duty and sea duty. 32:24 – 42:00 – Reflecting on the teaching role of CPOs, relationship with commissioned officers, CPO as an intermediary between NCM Corps and Officer Corps, taking inventory of morale. 42:00 – 45:45 – Social groups, social activities, relationship of PO1 to NCM section members, relationship of CPO2 to section members. 45:45 – 1:00:00 – Recollections, time as Base Financial Councillor, reflections on time as a recruiter, adjustments when joining the RCN, reflections on how the RCN has changed

In Collection:

• Canadian Military Oral Histories

Contributor

• Wierenga, Mitch, 1944-
• Olson, Samantha

Subject

• Personal narratives
• Soldiers--Conduct of life
• Soldiers--Social conditions
• Personal narratives--Canadian
• Military history
• Armed Forces--Officers--Attitudes
• Canada. Canadian Forces Base (Esquimalt, B.C.)
• Canada. Royal Canadian Navy
• Armed Forces--Officers
• Wierenga, Mitch, 1944-
• Armed Forces--Petty officers

Language

• eng

Identifier

• Interview #SC141_WM_898

Keyword

• NCM Corps
• Ordinary Seaman Radar Plotter (OSRP)
• Naval Combat Information Operators
• HMCS Fraser, recruiter
• Able Seaman
• HMCS Kootenay
• Master Seaman
• Radar technician
• HMCS Winnipeg
• Base Financial Advisor
• Officer Corps
• HMCS Cornwallis
• Combat Chief
• NCI Ops, recruiter
• Petty Officer Chief Petty Officer Second Class
• Chief Petty Officer First Class
• Honour Guard

Date created

• March 22, 2022

Relation

• Part of the Military Oral History Class collection of interviews (HIST 426, Spring 2022).

Resource type

• Moving Image

Rights statement

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Extent

• 01:08:10

Alternative title

• The Roles, Duties, and Recollections of Chief Petty Officers in the RCN

Geographic coverage

• British Columbia--Esquimalt

Coordinates

• 48.43569, -123.41174

Physical repository

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

Collection

• Canadian Military Oral History Collection

Provider

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

Genre

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

Archival item identifier

• Accession Number: 2022-020; Series: V; Item: 898

Fonds title

• Military Oral History collection

Fonds identifier

• SC141

Is referenced by

• Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/military-oral-history-collection

Date digitized

• March 2, 2022

Technical note

• Interview done through a Zoom video call, MP4, 1.09 GB. 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/mb3t-qn04