Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Kingston and Glace Bay departed Halifax earlier this week for the Caribbean Sea to support Operation CARIBBE, Canada’s contribution to the multinational campaign against illicit trafficking by transnational criminal organizations in the Americas and Caribbean.
Massachusetts photographer Gene Harriman captured these beautiful shots of HMCS Glace Bay passing through the Cape Cod Canal on Thursday, February 20th.
Mr. Harriman explained to the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) that each time he shoots a photo of a naval vessel in the Canal, he says a little prayer to himself to bring calm and safe seas to its sailors.
For the RCN, this is the second deployment of Kingston-class vessels on Operation CARIBBE this year. HMCS Nanaimo and Whitehorse, from the Pacific Fleet, departed for the Eastern Pacific Ocean on February 10th, 2014.
As part of its contribution to Operation CARIBBE, the RCN periodically deploys warships from both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. While deployed on Operation CARIBBE, the warships patrol international waters in an effort to locate, track, approach and potentially intercept suspicious vessels in order to allow United States Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment personnel to board and conduct law enforcement operations.
Last year, the RCN contributed to Operation CARIBBE four Kingston-class vessels (HMC Ships Edmonton, Kingston, Summerside and Yellowknife), two Halifax-class frigates (HMC Ships Ottawa and Ville de Québec), one supply vessel (HMCS Preserver), and one Victoria-class submarine (HMCS Victoria).
[mappress] Press Release, February 21, 2014, 2014; Image: Canadian Navy