Two Canadian navy coastal defence vessels, HMCS Nanaimo and HMCS Whitehorse, departed CFB Esquimalt on Monday for the Caribbean Sea.
The two vessels will be gone for more than three months, taking part in Operation Caribbe, Canada’s contribution to a multinational campaign against international crime called Operation Martillo.
This is the 14th year the Canadian Armed Forces have conducted Operation Caribbe.
It is also the first time the relatively small coastal defence vessels, described by the navy as “multi-role minor war vessels,” have deployed for longer than three months.
The vessels have complements of about 40 people, including reservists and regular sailors. Their primary mission is surveillance, search and rescue, law enforcement, and fisheries protection. Six call CFB Esquimalt their home port.
In comparison, Canadian navy frigates, generally described as the workhorse of Canada’s deep water navy, can deploy helicopters and missiles and have a complement of about 225. Five are deployed from CFB Esquimalt.
— Times Colonist
