Your Navy Today - Volume 5 Issue 7

Sailors on board His Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Margaret Brooke and Goose Bay have been busy with several training exercises since the ship departed earlier this month for Operation (Op) Nanook 2022.

On August 4, the ships conducted a boarding exercise with the United States Coast Guard, with Canadian sailors acting as a ship’s crew illegally fishing in Arctic waters. Such collaboration helps Canada and the U.S. deter unlawful activity in northern waters together.

On August 8, the Canadian ships partnered with NATO ships, as well as the Canadian and U.S. Coast Guards, for a search and rescue exercise. Focusing on medical assessments and casualty assistance in a vessel fire and flood, the exercise helped the teams coordinate resources, effectively communicate and collaboratively respond to emergencies.

On August 17, Commander Nicole Robichaud, Margaret Brooke’s Commanding Officer, welcomed aboard Mayor Avaaraq Olsen of Nuuk, Greenland, to discuss the operation and to enhance knowledge of the local community.

In other Nanook news, HMCS Harry DeWolf had to cancel its participation in the operation due to mechanical problems. The ship has returned to its home port of Halifax for immediate repairs. 

After intensive weeks participating in the world’s largest international maritime exercise, Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022, HMC Ships Vancouver and Winnipeg will remain at sea in the Indo-Pacific until December on Operations Projection and Neon.

RIMPAC occurred in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California from June 29 until August 4, where HMCS Vancouver became the first RCN vessel to launch a surface off-board passive decoy during .

Meanwhile, HMCS Winnipeg successfully deployed drones and an embarked helicopter on July 12 when a decommissioned ship was sunk for combat training.

As they transitioned to Op Projection, Vancouver and Winnipeg have gone their separate ways to collaborate with regional militaries and international security partners to reinforce collective defence and promote stability in the region.

While in North East Asia for two months, HMCS Vancouver will contribute to the monitoring of United Nations sanctions against North Korea through Op Neon, while HMCS Winnipeg proceeds to Southeast Asia.

On the way to the East China Sea to begin Op Neon, Vancouver, together with the United States Ship Higgins, transited through the Taiwan Strait. 

They will also independently and cooperatively sail alongside allied and partner navies in the international waters of the East and South China Seas.

The RCN celebrates its second northern affiliation ceremony today with the Nunatsiavut region in Hopedale, Labrador.

At the heart of the affiliation between HMCS Margaret Brooke, the RCN’s second new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), and Nunatsiavut are the relationships that are made between the community and the ship’s company. Throughout the next several years, the RCN will work with the Inuit Nunangat during routine operations in our Northern waters.

Each AOPS will affiliate with one of the six Inuit regions of the Inuit Nunangat. HMCS Harry DeWolf celebrated its affiliation with the Qikiqtani region of Nunavut in 2019. The third AOPS, HMCS Max Bernays, will affiliate with the Kitikmeot region in 2023.

The Dhaw family’s trajectory into the RCN was anything but conventional. Sailor 1st Class (S1) Dania Dhaw’s eagerness for new opportunities to travel, learn new skills and meet new people prompted her to encourage her father, Sailor 3rd Class (S3) Muftah Dhaw, to see for himself.

“I was telling him how fun it is,” S1 Dhaw said. “My dad has worked his whole life to support our family. There wasn’t a lot of convincing. He saw how I was and he was like, ‘OK. Help me with the process.’”

Once responsible for every piece of rope on board a ship, the traditional boatswain naval trade used to require a lot of handiwork.

Over time, the trade has evolved to require less knack and artistry, but S1 Keiran Sidle is dedicated to preserving the craft of rope work.

“It could save your life,” said S1 Sidle, who is also a surface rescue swimmer. “When I rescue somebody, I have the horse collar around me. A lot of people don’t think of knots as being that important.”

The National Veterans’ Week Speakers Program is looking for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members to volunteer as speakers for virtual and in-person presentations.

Every year between November 5 and 11, currently serving CAF members give presentations at schools and community organizations across Canada. These presentations highlight the important work our uniformed personnel do on behalf of Canadians, and pay tribute to past and present veterans who have served their country. 

To find out more, visit the program’s intranet site and complete the CAF Speaker registration form. If you have questions, contact the program’s coordinator at 1-833-223-8322 or DNDRemembrance.SouvenirMDN@forces.gc.ca.

The RCN’s Commodore Jason Armstrong assumed the chair for the Maritime Theatre Missile Defence Forum on July 7.

Founded in 1999, the forum is a 12-nation partnership focused on improving interoperability for integrated air and missile defence. Its members include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The forum works closely with NATO, national military commands, acquisitions programs and industry. It has provided the knowledge and capabilities to support the largest and most complex live-fire missile defence exercises ever conducted at sea.