HMCS Winnipeg returning to harbour
HMCS WINNIPEG Returns Home From Counter-Piracy OperationEarlier posts here and here, with further links. Plus one for the, er, adventurous private individual.
Thursday, August 13, 2009Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Winnipeg will arrive home in Esquimalt, Friday Aug. 21 at 9:30 a.m. following a six and a half month deployment. After leaving in February, the ship spent two months as part of a NATO squadron fighting piracy in the Gulf of Aden and took part in two major international military exercises.
Through April and May, the Canadian crew took part in the NATO-led counter-piracy mission Operation Allied Protector. Winnipeg, along with warships from the United States, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands, interdicted pirates operating in international waters off the Horn of Africa. In addition to maintaining a patrol presence with other coalition ships, Winnipeg escorted numerous merchant vessels and ensured the safe delivery of over 5,000 tons of life-saving humanitarian assistance to Somalia in support of the United Nation’s World Food Programme.
“The NATO operation Winnipeg contributed to is an excellent example of the Canadian Navy deploying around the world to defend and advance Canada’s interests in a manner that should make every Canadian proud,” said Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden, Chief of the Maritime Staff and Commander of the Navy. “The men and women returning home from this deployment are a priceless asset and they too should be proud of the way they represented Canada abroad.”
In recognition of the ship’s company’s accomplishments, HMCS Winnipeg was awarded the CF Unit Commendation by the Canadian Forces Chief of the Defence Staff, General Walt Natynczyk. Nine servicemen were individually recognized for their conspicuous performance. As a result, five pirate ships were disarmed, disrupting the capacity of 25 pirates in three separate incidents.
“I am extremely impressed with the manner in which Winnipeg worked with warships from other NATO countries to contribute to counter-piracy operations,” said Rear-Admiral Tyrone Pile, Commander of Maritime Forces Pacific. “On this deployment, not only did she reach deep into the Indo-Pacific, but she also built upon Canada’s strong relationships with countries in the Asia-Pacific region as well. For this, I give Winnipeg full marks.”
Over the course of her deployment, HMCS Winnipeg sailed more than 90,000 kilometres and had stops in Japan, South Korea, Pakistan as well as various ports in Africa and Australia.
And from an e-mail:
...NOTE TO EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS: To board HMCS Winnipeg before the ship
enters harbour or to attend on the jetty, please complete the below
accreditation form and return it by fax or e-mail to
marpac@shaw.ca by 2 p.m. on Aug. 20.
Still images of HMCS Winnipeg during its recent mission are available
for download at:
www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca Keyword search: WINR4
B-roll video of HMCS Winnipeg during its recent mission is available
for download at:
http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/common/combatcamera/news/ Click: Op
SEXTANT HMCS Winnipeg
Additional video of HMCS Winnipeg is available at:
www.youtube.com/user/NavyWebmaster
posted by Mark, Ottawa at 3:30 p.m.
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