Two Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigates returned from a five-month deployment to the Asia-Pacific on August 8.
Her Majesty’s Canadian (HMC) Ships Winnipeg and Ottawa returned to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt concluding a deployment which the Canadian Navy refers to as Poseidon Cutlass 17.
Poseidon Cutlass provided an opportunity to engage in numerous exercises with regional partner navies at sea and to take part in key events and engagements in ports across the region
During the deployment, HMC Ships Winnipeg and Ottawa worked with regional partner navies including the Royal Australian Navy, the Chilean Navy, the People’s Liberation Army (Navy), the French Navy, the Indian Navy, the Indonesian Navy, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, the Republic of Korea Navy, the Royal Malaysian Navy, the Royal New Zealand Navy, the Pakistan Navy, the Philippine Navy, the Russian Navy, the Republic of Singapore Navy, the Sri Lankan Navy, the United States Navy and the Vietnam People’s Navy.
The warships visited 14 different ports during their deployment, in a total of 10 countries including China, Guam, India, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka and the United States.
Warship deployments such as this also place sea-based capability “in-region”, where it can provide options for the Government of Canada should a timely Canadian response be necessary; as was the case recently when HMCS Vancouver provided relief after New Zealand’s earthquake last year.
HMC Ships Winnipeg and Ottawa are Halifax-class frigates with crews of 227 and 209 personnel, respectively. This includes a CH-124 Sea King helicopter air detachment which was embarked on HMCS Winnipeg.