Her Majesty’s Canadian (HMC) Ships Kingston and Glace Bay recently completed a successful six-week deployment on Operation CARIBBE. The Kingston-class vessels will return home after a short port visit at Port Canaveral, Florida.
Over the last six weeks, the Royal Canadian Navy had four Kingston-class vessels deployed on Operation CARIBBE at the same time – two in the Caribbean Basin and two in the Eastern Pacific Ocean – marking Canada’s single largest naval contribution to this operation.
Sailing from the Pacific Fleet, HMC Ships Nanaimo and Whitehorse patrolled the Eastern Pacific Ocean from February 19 to March 28, 2014. From the Atlantic Fleet, HMCS Kingston and Glace Bay participated to the operation from March 10 to April 8, 2014.
Operation CARIBBE consists of locating and tracking suspicious vessels, and assisting embarked U.S. Law Enforcement Detachment teams in conducting boarding operations when deemed necessary.
The Royal Canadian Navy remains very active internationally by conducting maritime security operations in support of Canada’s interest, including intercepting narcotics shipments in the Caribbean and conducting counter-terrorism patrols in the Arabian Sea. Operation CARIBBE is one example of how the Royal Canadian Navy protects Canada’s interests on the international stage.
HMC Ships Nanaimo, Whitehorse, Kingston and Glace Bay are Kingston-class vessels, designed for surveillance of, and patrolling, coastal waters. This class of vessel has regularly deployed in support of Operation CARIBBE for many years now.
[mappress] Press Release, April 11, 2014; Image: Canadian Navy