Snowbirds to fly over HMCS Ojibwa Thursday
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The Snowbirds, Canadian icons of the air, will pay tribute to a Canadian icon of the sea when they perform a flypast of HMCS Ojibwa in Port Burwell Thursday afternoon.
Weather cooperating, the Snowbirds Demonstration Team will roar overhead of the submarine at 4:30 p.m. tracing a path from north to south.
“We are excited to have the Snowbirds do a flyby of Ojibwa,” said Project Coordinator Dan McNeil, a retired Rear Admiral from the Canadian Navy. “It is truly an honour and a thrilling lead-in to our first weekend of public tours.”
The public are invited to come to the Ojibwa site at 3 Pitt Street in Port Burwell to see the flypast. Some may even want to take part in a friendly competition to see who gets the best photo of the famous jets as they sweep over the submarine. It will take skill, timing and maybe just a little bit of luck.
HMCS Ojibwa is an Oberon Class submarine, retired after 34 years of service to Canada and NATO during the Cold War. The sub arrived in Port Burwell in November to become the first and largest artifact of the new Museum of Naval History.
Ojibwa opens for public tours this weekend. To avoid long lineups, visitors are advised to book their tours ahead by calling the Elgin Military Museum at 519-633-7641. The official opening ceremony will take place July 6 with submariners coming from all across Canada to take part.
The Snowbirds are in St. Thomas to perform at the Great Lakes International Air Show which takes place this weekend. Made up of serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces, the Snowbirds Demonstration Team are known for their heart stopping synchronized flying.