Our Navy Today - Volume 6 Issue 9

His Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Ottawa and Vancouver, their embarked Cyclone helicopters (CH-148s) Canuck and Greywolf and MV Asterix are returning to Esquimalt on December 18th after their 122 day their deployment in the Indo-Pacific region.

The ships have been delivering on Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, participating in several exercises focused on interoperability in both war-fighting and humanitarian assistance disaster response scenarios. The ships also carried out routine transits of the Taiwan straight in accordance with international law.

The ships made diplomatic visits over the last few months coming alongside in Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

HMCS Vancouver participated in Operation Neon supporting the multinational effort to implement United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea.

On December 8th HMCS Moncton returned to Halifax, Nova Scotia after spending the 46 days deployed on Operation Caribbe.

During the operation, the ship worked with the United States Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Air Force to find, track, and intercept suspicious vessels. This teamwork prevents the flow of illicit drugs and goods flowing between North America, the Caribbean and South America.

While no seizures took place on this deployment, since 2021, HMC Ships Harry DeWolf, Saskatoon, Yellowknife, and Edmonton have contributed to the seizure of 4,591 kg of illicit drugs.

On November 9th the RCN hosted 50 Victoria-area high school students aboard HMC Ships Edmonton and Yellowknife. The students spent a day at sea and were able to get a better idea of what life is like in the RCN.

They were all given the chance to steer the ships, tried on firefighting ‘bunker gear’, and did their best to hold on while the ships showed off their maneuverability with some hard turns.

The Canadian Students at Sea program is a unique opportunity for students to gain an understanding of the Navy through a hands-on and fully immersive experience both at-sea and ashore.

HMCS Harry DeWolf delivered the Grey Cup to Hamilton on November 13th for the 110th Canadian Football League final as part of the Great Lakes Deployment.

This was the first time a Harry DeWolf class vessel had ever transited the St. Lawrence Seaway into the Great Lakes.

The ship and crew hosted technical and public tours and other engagements while transiting down the St. Lawrence on their way to Hamilton for game day.

On November 8th, an affiliation ceremony was held in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut to celebrate the time-honoured naval tradition of ships affiliation between HMCS Max Bernays and the Kitikmeot region.

This was the third affiliation ceremony between our Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels (AOPV) and regions of the Inuit Nunangat – marking the beginning of shared learning, mutual respect, community relations and meaningful engagement; working together to protect our Arctic environment. 

Commander Royal Canadian Navy, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, provides an update on the state of the Navy.

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