Our Navy Today - Volume 6 Issue 7

On August 14th His Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Ottawa and Vancouver were the second and third Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) ships deployed to the Indo-Pacific region in 2023 and were accompanied across the Pacific by MV Asterix.

The deployment is scheduled to last for five months, and the ships will participate in a series of exercises with partner nations and as part of multinational training efforts.

On August 30th the two ships were part of an exercise with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force and the United States Navy from east of the Kuril Islands to South of Kanto.

On September 9th Ottawa conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait with United States Ship (USS) Ralph Johnson. The ship then took part in Exercise Noble Wolverine focused on maneuvering drills, small boat operations, helicopter flight deck training as well as surface operations.

On September 1st Vancouver “chopped” into Operation Neon and will be monitoring United Nations sanctions compliance against North Korea. On September 14th the ship exercised with Republic of Korea Ship Seoul and USS America to prepare for the Incheon landings commemoration event on the 15th.

HMCS Harry DeWolf departed Halifax on August 10th for a two-month deployment on Operation Nanook in Canada’s Arctic.

On August 16th DeWolf discovered a 25 to 26-storey iceberg that was so cold it created its own clouds. Under the guidance of the embarked ice specialist the ship approached the iceberg for observation and data collection.

Just a day later Harry DeWolf led a combined maritime task group that included United States Coast Guard Cutter Forward and French Navy Ship La Garonne. The ships took the opportunity to conduct maneuvering and communications exercises in the Arctic environment.

On August 21st the ship made a stop in Iqaluit where the crew met with Elders from the Pairijait Tigummiaqtukkut Elder Society and hosted an open house meet and greet at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 168 to give locals a chance to meet their sailors. The ship also hosted some community members and government delegates onboard for a tour.

On October 3rd HMCS Montréal became the first Halifax-class frigate from the Canadian Fleet Atlantic to complete a deployment on Op Projection Indo-Pacific. While deployed the ship participated exercises and engaged with regional militaries and international security partners.

During its time at sea, Montréal supported Op Savanne, from April 23rd to May 6th, and participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre from July 22nd to August 4th, 2023. Talisman Sabre is a biennial exercise held in Australia aimed at improving the combat readiness and interoperability between Australian and United States forces and other partner nations.

Additional activities conducted by HMCS Montréal included crew training and exercises, multiple port visits in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, and Singapore, as well as various locations in Europe and the Middle East.

HMC Ships Shawinigan and Summerside are currently deployed to the Baltic region on Op Reassurance as part of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1.

From August 21st to September 1st Shawinigan and Summerside took part in Exercise Sandy Coast 23, hosted by the Royal Netherlands Navy. Sandy Coast is a mine action and port protection serial that included 500 military personnel from Poland, Belgium, Finland, and other NATO countries.

The ships also recently participated in Exercise Northern Coasts 23 which kicked off on September 9th. The annual exercise saw some 30 warships and 3,200 personnel from 15 nations take part in serials focused on amphibious operations, air defence, strikes from sea to land and securing sea lanes. This was the first time the exercise was being run from Germany’s new Navy Command in Rostock.

Since launching in early April, the Naval Experience Program (NEP) has successfully attracted thousands of applications from interested Canadians and permanent residents.

As of September 21st, there are a total of 430 applications in process, and 39 applicants have been successfully enrolled and are currently going through their various training courses.

There are no strings attached with NEP. After one year, participants can either choose to continue to serve with the Navy or leave if it isn’t a good fit for them. The program also allows the Navy to assess the suitability of new recruits with the CAF ethos and Code of Conduct.

Exercise Cutlass Fury 23 took place off the coast of Nova Scotia from September 10th to 22nd. Along with our RCN ships and other CAF assets from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and France sent ships and/or air components to take part.

The exercise focused on working together as well as training in anti-submarine, surface, and air warfare.

Over a five-day period, the city of Halifax played host to 1,400 sailors from four different countries as the city celebrated its first International Fleet Week.

The event was an opportunity for the RCN and our international allies to showcase their ships and educate Canadians about their navies and their work.

The event concluded with hundreds lining up to watch the parade of ships through the Halifax waterfront on their way to begin the at-sea portion of Exercise Cutlass Fury 23.

In August OceanX, a non-profit American underwater research organization, used a remotely operated vehicle and multibeam mapping system to survey the shipwreck site of HMCS Athabaskan off the Breton coast of France.

Athabaskan was a Tribal-class Destroyer that was torpedoed by German U-boat T-24 in 1944.