Internationally renowned marine artist John Horton travelled from his home in Tsawwassen last week to unveil his latest painting at the annual Maritime Ball in Ottawa.
Hosted by the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard, over 600 people attended the event, including many of the senior admirals and commissioners. The governor general was the special guest of honour.
At the pre ball VIP reception a painting commissioned by Federal Fleet Services was unveiled and presented to the Royal Canadian Navy.
The work, produced by Horton, illustrates a supply ship, MV Asterix, conducting a replenishment at sea of fuel and supplies to Canadian frigates
Horton was invited to assist Vice Admiral Art MacDonald, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, to unveil the painting. It was a special moment for two old shipmates who had served together aboard HMCS Algonquin in 2002 during Operation Apollo in the Arabian Gulf.
MV Asterixfills the gap left when HMCS Protecteur and HMCS Preserver were decommissioned. Two new replacement ships are being built in North Vancouver. MV Asterix is now resupplying naval vessels in various theatres around the world.
Federal Fleet Services, a consortium that includes Davie Shipyard, converted a container ship to produce the MV Asterix. Her personnel includes a mixed navy and civilian crew and she is proving to be well up to supporting the needs of a task force on any ocean of the world.
