Royal Canadian Navy vessels ranging from coastal defense vessels through frigates to replenishment oilers returned to their Atlantic and Pacific bases from operations in European, South American, and Asia-Pacific waters.
Kingston-class coastal defense vessels HMCS Edmonton and Nanaimo returned to Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt on Canada’s Pacific coast while their sister ship HMCS Moncton returned to Halifax, Nova Scotia, following two-months of counter-drug operations in the Caribbean region as part of operation Caribbe.
Coastal defense vessels HMCS Summerside and Glace Bay returned from the North Sea to Halifax on Tuesday, after concluding their participation in the NATO-led exercise Trident Juncture.
The most high-profile return to Canadian waters is that of Halifax-class frigate HMCS Calgary (FFH 335) and the recently-commissioned replenishment oiler MV Asterix. The two ships returned to Esquimalt on December 18 after a five-month deployment to the Asia-Pacific region on operation Projection.
Calgary and Asterix sailed on operation Projection from August 20 to December 18, 2018. The ships supported operations in the region, participated in three multinational maritime engagements (Kakadu 2018 in Australia, and Keen Sword and Kaedex in Japan).
Calgary also became the first Halifax-class frigate to visit Danang, Vietnam, and to conduct operations in support of the United Nations Security Council sanctions regime related to North Korea, as part of a multinational initiative alongside partners and allies.
“The sailors of HMCS Calgary have worked tirelessly on the international stage since August 2018, demonstrating tremendous professionalism, commitment, and dedication to excellence at sea. Working alongside our international partners in the Asia-Pacific, they were outstanding ambassadors of Canada and the Royal Canadian Navy. It is also essential to acknowledge that none of this would have been possible without the love and support of families at home. Bravo Zulu.”
Rear Admiral Craig Baines, Commander Maritime Component Command
“HMCS Calgary deployed on Operation PROJECTION to satisfy very clear objectives for the Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Canadian Navy and ultimately the Government of Canada,” Commander Blair Saltel, commanding officer, HMCS Calgary, said. “After five months of almost continuously operating with partner navies in the Asia-Pacific region, promoting interoperability through exercises off Australia and Japan, through monitoring North Korean maritime sanctions evasion contrary to UN Security Council resolutions and through widespread community engagement while alongside, I believe we have satisfied these objectives.”
MV Asterix participated in operation Projection from August to December 2018, supporting HMCS Calgary and other partners.