KAMSACK — It might have been sheer curiosity that drove Master Sailor (MS) Steven Koreluk to join the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), but it was helping people in real life emergency situations that kept the Kamsack native in the Navy for 21 years.
“My job is very important to me because I see the effects of what we do at the lowest level. During my time sailing on the Maritime Coastal Defense Vessels (MCDVs) we did a lot of real work participating in search-and-rescue situations – being able to help is the best part of the job,” he explained.
MS Koreluk, 52, initially joined Saskatoon’s Naval Reserve unit Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Unicorn as a boatswain in 2001 while he was studying at the University of Saskatchewan. After completing his degree in arts and science, he took a contract sailing on the MCDVs and hasn’t looked back. In fact, Koreluk has been in a sea-going unit full-time since 2003, amassing over 1,460 days at sea. He recently earned himself a gold Sea Service Insignia pin, which denotes days spent at sea. Gold is the highest level the RCN has.
That’s where he currently finds himself again – back at sea, now a member of the Regular Force and sailing in HMCS Vancouver. The ship is currently deployed on Operation PROJECTION where the team will conduct forward naval presence operations in the Indo-Pacific region and contribute to international naval exercises with partner nations. Later, Vancouver will shift to Operation NEON, where Koreluk and his shipmates will support the implementation of United Nations Security Council sanctions on North Korea before their anticipated return home to Esquimalt, B.C. in early December.
“We have a really good deck department here, going from the shore office to the ship, a lot of us have been together awhile so we’ve really come together as a team,” he said. “I’m looking forward to being in the operational phase of this deployment and getting to see some of the ports I haven’t been to yet.”
This will be MS Koreluk’s fifth deployment – he has participated in three Operation CARIBBEs, Canada’s contribution to the US-led operation intended to curb the amount of illegal drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean. He also deployed to Afghanistan as Flight Line Security in Kandahar Air Field – a career highlight for Koreluk.
“Being able to see what was at that time considered one of the most dangerous parts of the world, and working with militaries from all over the world was amazing,” he said. “During our rounds we would always visit the different compounds and sit and have coffee with them and get to know people from all the supporting nations. I think the Belgians had the best coffee and I remember having tea with the Brits.”
Despite moving away from Saskatchewan years ago, Koreluk has maintained his Kamsack roots, and makes a point of getting back at least twice a year to see his family and friends.
“Home is still Kamsack for me. I have family there, and friends – some that I’ve known since Grade 5 that still live in the area. They are the type of friends that you won’t talk to for a year and then you see each other again and it’s like you never left.”
When he eventually retires from full-time service, Koreluk says he plans to head back to Saskatchewan and likely join the Naval Reserve unit that gave him his start all those years ago.
