Canadian naval ships HMCS Nanaimo and HMCS Whitehorse left Esquimalt, British Columbia, yesterday setting sail for the Eastern Pacific Ocean to support Operation CARIBBE.
The deployment will pave the way for several naval deployments scheduled for 2014 in support of Canada’s role in Operation MARTILLO, a multinational effort undertaken by Western Hemisphere and European nations to curb activities of transnational criminal organizations in the waters of Central America, targeting primarily drug smuggling.
” I am confident that the members of HMCS Nanaimo and Whitehorse, through their presence and operational capabilities, will continue to make meaningful contributions to regional security and help to stem the flow of illicit drugs destined for North American shores,” Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, Commander of Royal Canadian Navy said.
Nanaimo and Whitehorse pertain to Kingston-class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDVs), which are intended for surveillance and patrolling.
Within the framework of the Operation CARIBBE 2014, the Royal Canadian Navy will periodically rotate warships from both the East and West Coasts, while the Royal Canadian Air Force will send CP-140 Aurora aircraft from various long-range patrol squadrons. One CP-140 Aurora aircraft has already contributed to Operation CARIBBE 2014, completing a deployment this past January.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, February 11, 2014; Image: Canadian Navy