Shore Leave Hawaii, 1953

Kelly Walker of Winnipeg shares a photo of his father—Leading Seaman Ray Walker (left)—and five fellow sailors enjoying beverages and good company in Honolulu.

Kelly did not know the identity of the other sailors, but it’s clear they’re from His Majesty’s Canadian ships Cayuga and Athabaskan. His father served on the former. “He was in the Korean War, and apparently the ships sailed to Pearl Harbor at some point, where this picture was taken. I’m guessing it was 1953.”

Historical Fact: Cayuga left Esquimalt, B.C, on July 5, 1950. At the time she was the Senior Officer’s ship of the first three Canadian destroyers to serve in Korean waters. The other two ships were Athabaskan and Sioux. Cayuga completed three tours of duty, her last in 1954.

We thank Kelly for his contribution to Find-Share-Discuss, and invite readers to share similar memories of wartime or peacetime service. You may even know the names of some of the sailors in the photo.