Navy identifies sailor who died after small boat capsized in calm Halifax harbour

HALIFAX — The Royal Canadian Navy has identified the sailor who died Friday after a small military boat capsized in the north end of Halifax harbour.

Commodore Jacob French, commander of Canadian Fleet Atlantic, said Monday that Petty Officer 2nd Class Gregory Applin of Shoal Cove West, N.L., was one of two sailors who were thrown into the cold water at around 10 p.m.

French said the second sailor, whom he did not identify, survived the ordeal but Applin could not be revived in hospital.

“This is a tragic moment for us, tragic for the entire Navy family,” French told a new conference outside Admiral’s Gate, which leads to sprawling HMC Dockyard on the Halifax waterfront. He said a military investigation will determine what happened, and he declined to speculate about what went wrong.

Applin was a 38-year-old weapons engineering technician aboard HMCS Montreal, which had just completed sonar performance trials in the harbour when the small, open craft — known as a special operations rigid-hull inflatable boat or RIB — was dispatched to take some personnel to shore, about 1.6 kilometres away.

The temperature of the water late Friday night would have been just above freezing, but French said the waves were less than a metre high and the outdoor temperature was around -7 C, with the wind chill reaching about -10 C.

French said the boat flipped after its passengers were dropped off at the Mill Cove jetty on the northwestern side of the Bedford Basin, a huge body of water at the north end of the harbour.

The commodore said the unidentified sailor in the boat with Applin was driving the seven-metre craft. French said the driver was a small boat coxswain from Naval Fleet School Atlantic who had plenty of experience on the water.

After the boat overturned, French said it was likely that neither person aboard could get to its VHF radio to call for help. Instead, the coxswain used his cellphone to dial 911. The Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax immediately dispatched a harbour pilot boat to rescue the sailors, but French said it was unclear how long they were in the water.

The coxswain was released from hospital on Saturday morning.

“It’s a good thing that call was made because it triggered all the right responses,” French said, adding that nighttime transfers are routine for the Navy. “We have no reason to believe there is anything unsafe technically about the RIBs.”

The two rescued sailors were met by paramedics at the jetty and they were taken to the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax.

The military’s investigation will be handled by the Canadian Forces National Investigations Service, which typically takes between three to six months to complete an investigation, French said.

“At this time, the family of Gregory Applin is experiencing a painful loss,” he said. “We are, all of us, profoundly saddened by the loss of Gregory … We are doing our utmost to support the family and loved ones through this extremely difficult time.”

Applin had served in the Navy for 19 years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2025.

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press