HMCS OTTAWA conducted a change of command ceremony on Friday, July 23^th, 2010.  The sun sat high in the sky at HMC Dockyard as the outgoing Commanding Officer, Commander Frédérick Caron, turned over the ship to the incoming captain, Commander Jon Allsopp.  

     Captain (Navy) Paul Dempsey (Deputy Commander, Canadian Fleet Pacific) and the wives of Commander’s Caron and Allsopp were on hand to witness the legal transfer of command and responsibility.  The role of captain of a naval vessel is a sacred honour, filled with hundreds of years of tradition. 

     The ceremony began at 1100 with the ship’s company fallen in on HMCS OTTAWA’s flight deck.  Under a large, white awning, Cdr Caron was presented a commissioning pennant, framed in a shadowbox.  Capt (N) Dempsey then sat between Commander's Caron and Allsopp as they signed over the ship.  Cdr Allsopp is now the ship’s captain, responsible for the well-being of the ship and her 150+ crewmen.  Addressing his ship’s company for the first time, Cdr Allsopp stressed the importance of Cdr Caron’s leadership during his time as Commanding Officer, as OTTAWA transitioned from an empty hull in refit to her current level of readiness.

     After the signing, the ship hosted a reception on the flight deck for their new captain, where Cdr Caron was presented with a personalized Ottawa Senator’s jersey from the officer’s and crew.