2 Royal Canadian Navy sailors charged in fatal Halifax harbour capsizing

The canadian river Forces armed services constabulary feature supercharged two members of the Royal Canadian Navy in relation to the 2025 death of Petty Officer 2nd Class Gregory Applin.

Applin, 38, died after the inflatable boat he was in overturned on Jan. 24, 2025, in Halifax harbour after hitting an unlit buoy. He had been with the navy for 19 years and was from the community of Shoal Cove West, N.L.

On Wednesday, the military police announced Master Sailor David Terry has been charged with one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and one count of negligent performance of military duties. Police also charged Sailor 1st Class Alexandre Garrison with one count of dangerous operation of a conveyance causing death and one count of negligent performance of military duties.

The military police said Terry was serving on HMCS Montreal and Garrison was from the Naval Fleet School (Atlantic) at the time of the alleged offences.

"There is no doubt that this is difficult news for all of us, and it highlights the challenging realities of our service in the Royal Canadian Navy," Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee and Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Pascal Harel said in a joint statement on the charges.

Topshee is the commander of the navy and Harel is the command petty chief officer.

"We operate in a demanding environment where mistakes and errors can have fatal consequences, and we must be accountable for our actions and our inactions."

Their statement said there will be an independent, fair and impartial process for the two individuals accused and they will have the opportunity to defend themselves.

"We are also extremely mindful that an incident like this almost never results from a single cause or single error, and it is most likely the outcome of a combination of factors."

Topshee added that Applin's death weighs heavily on the service and he extended condolences to the family.

Brig.-Gen. Vanessa Hanrahan, Canadian Forces provost marshal, said in a statement that the military police investigation is now completed and if the charges proceed to full prosecution, they will be tried in the military justice system. 

On the night Applin died, HMCS Montreal had been conducting sea trials in Bedford Basin in preparation for future missions. The trial required sailors to moor to buoys in the basin.

A vessel known as a rigid-hull inflatable boat was being used to transport staff ashore who had participated in training exercises.

The seven-metre boat was returning from dropping staff off at the Mill Cove jetty and was heading toward the naval dockyard when it collided with an unlit buoy. The buoy was next to HMCS Montreal, which was anchored in the water.

Applin and another crew member were thrown into the water at 9:25 p.m. AT. That night, waves were less than a metre high and the outdoor temperature was around –7 C, with the wind chill reaching about –10.

A nearby pilot ship responded to a 911 call made by the crew member who was thrown into the water with Applin and they were pulled from the water at 9:55 p.m. AT. Both were taken to hospital, but Applin could not be resuscitated. The other crew member was later released from hospital.

Applin was a weapons engineering technician who was involved in the deployment to the Indo-Pacific that returned in October 2024.

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