CEFCOM NR 12.001 - January 10, 2012
OTTAWA — After six months of active NATO operations, Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Vancouver leaves the Mediterranean Sea today to begin the journey home. She is expected to arrive in Esquimalt, B.C., her home port, in mid-February.
HMCS Vancouver deployed from Esquimalt on July 10, 2011, to join Operation MOBILE, the Canadian contribution to Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR, the NATO-led international response to the crisis in Libya. On 15 November 2011, after the successful conclusion of the UN-sanctioned, NATO-led mission to protect the people of Libya, HMCS Vancouver joined Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR, NATO’s maritime counter-terrorism effort in the Mediterranean Sea.
“The sailors, helicopter detachment and command team of HMCS Vancouver deserve our sincere thanks for their hard work on Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR,” said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. “After a seamless transition from conducting combat patrols in Libya’s territorial waters, the ship and her crew expertly took up the challenge of counter-terrorism operations. Well done, Vancouver!”
During her 10-week tour of duty with the NATO counter-terrorism fleet, known as Task Force ENDEAVOUR, HMCS Vancouver and her embarked CH-124 Sea King helicopter detachment were primarily employed in maritime surveillance, a task that involves hailing and investigating vessels that do not seem to fit into the local “pattern of life.” Maintaining an overt presence, the Canadian frigate also made regular broadcasts to inform merchant mariners about Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR and its mission to ensure security in the Mediterranean Sea for travel and commerce.
HMCS Vancouver will be replaced in Task Force ENDEAVOUR by another Canadian multipurpose patrol frigate, the Halifax-based HMCS Charlottetown, which left Halifax on January 10, 2012.
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Notes to editors / news directors:
For more information about HMCS Vancouver and Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR, visit the Past Operations section of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Command website at http://www.cefcom-comfec.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/ops/pastops-eng.asp. Look for “Task Force Vancouver” under the heading “At Sea.”
For imagery of HMCS Vancouver on Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR, visit the Task Force Vancouver gallery of the Canadian Forces Combat Camera website at http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/common/combatcamera/01/vancouver/index-eng.asp
For more information about HMCS Vancouver, visit the ship’s pages on the Royal Canadian Navy website at http://www.navy.forces.gc.ca/vancouver/.
