The navy case now moving through the military justice system began with a routine return trip across Bedford Basin and ended with a death that has reshaped how one night is remembered. Two Royal Canadian Navy sailors have been charged after the capsizing that killed Petty Officer 2nd Class Gregory Applin, 38, a 19-year veteran who had recently returned from a deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
What happened on the water?
The incident involved a rigid hull inflatable boat, or RHIB, in the Bedford Basin. Commodore Jacob French, commander of the Canadian Fleet Atlantic, said shortly after the incident that Applin and another sailor were aboard the vessel when it overturned at around 10 p. m. French said the crew members of HMCS Montreal had been taking part in sea trials earlier that day, and that a 24-foot-long RHIB was used to bring the crew from HMCS Montreal ashore to Mill Cove Jetty, about a mile away.
After the crew was dropped off, Applin and the coxswain from the Naval Fleet School set off on the inflatable boat to return to the dockyard. French said the trip should have taken about 10 minutes, and waves were less than a metre. The RHIB struck a mooring buoy and capsized.
That sequence matters because it shows how quickly a routine movement can turn into a fatal navy emergency. After both sailors were thrown into the water, French said the coxswain could not reach the radio and used a cellphone to call 911. The call triggered a response by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, which deployed a boat to rescue the sailors. Both were pulled from the water and treated by paramedics.
Why are the charges significant?
The Canadian Forces Military Police said it has concluded its investigation into Applin’s death. Two sailors now face charges under the National Defence Act, placing the case in the military justice system rather than leaving it as a closed operational tragedy.
Master Sailor David Terry, who was serving on HMCS Montreal at the time of the alleged offences, is charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm and negligent performance of military duties. Sailor First Class Alexandre Garrison, who was from the Naval Fleet School (Atlantic) at the time of the alleged offences, is charged with dangerous operation of a conveyance causing death and negligent performance of military duties.
The charges do not erase the circumstances that made this case so painful: a fellow sailor died more than a year after the capsizing, and the response now focuses on responsibility, duty, and how military decisions are judged after the fact. In a joint statement, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee and Chief Petty Officer First Class Pascal Harel, the Commander and Command Chief of the Royal Canadian Navy, said the charges are “difficult news for all of us. ”
What does this mean for the Royal Canadian Navy?
The same statement said the charges highlight the “challenging realities of our service. ” It also added: “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. ”
That message places the case inside a larger human reality. The navy is not only a structure of ranks, vessels, and procedures; it is also a place where small judgments can carry irreversible weight. In this case, the word navy is tied not just to discipline, but to loss, investigation, and the burden of explaining what went wrong.
For Applin’s family, shipmates, and those who served alongside him, the legal process may provide answers that a night on the water could not. For the Royal Canadian Navy, the case is a reminder that accountability can arrive long after the vessel has been recovered and the waters have gone quiet. The scene at Bedford Basin may have lasted only minutes, but the consequences for the navy continue to unfold.
