International Operations

Mission important to security and stability of Persian Gulf region

By Darlene Blakeley

Credit:   Cpl Jeff Neron Sub-Lieutenant Jennifer Schmidt, maritime surface officer, and Leading Seaman Joseph-James Quigley, naval electronic sensors operator, on the bridge of HMCS Charlottetown .

HMCS Charlottetown departed her home port of Halifax on November 1 to begin a six-month tour as part of Operation ALTAIR, Canada’s maritime contribution to the continuing U.S.-led campaign against terrorism.

En route to Norfolk, Va., the ship conducted chemical, biological and nuclear defence exercises with Maritime Forces Atlantic and Canadian Forces Naval Operations School training staff embarked. Upon arrival, Charlottetown joined up with an American Carrier Strike Group (CSG).

Charlottetown, along with the CSG, will fine-tune certain procedures and resolve any final connectivity issues during the trans-Atlantic crossing, according to Lieutenant-Commander Mike Davie, the ship’s executive officer.

“Charlottetown has been fitted with the latest in C4I equipment in order to be able to communicate more readily with the ships in the CSG during the deployment,” LCdr Davie explains. He adds that the ship will be focusing on naval boarding party training and discussing possible operational scenarios which the team may face while in theatre. Charlottetown is expected to enter US Central Command’s area of responsibility in December.

"The crew is very excited about getting on with this operation,” says LCdr Davie. "We have been training very hard for the past year to be ready for Op ALTAIR.” 

The ship completed high readiness workups in March, and then worked at integrating with a CSG, including missile and torpedo exercises in July. Charlottetown recently completed successful mission workups with Sea Training Atlantic off the coast of Nova Scotia.

“This mission is very important for Canadians as the security and stability in a region of the world such as the Persian Gulf and Red Sea affects us all,” explains LCdr Davie. “A large percentage of sea-going trade and oil passes through this area, specifically the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz. Charlottetown will help other coalition nations and regional navies by enhancing maritime security and stability in this area so that trade and oil routes remain safe.”

The ship will make stops in Gibraltar and Alexandria, Egypt prior to transiting the Suez Canal. In Gibraltar, the ship will spend time with a British warship, which will also be joining the CSG.

HMCS Charlottetown is the fourth Canadian ship to deploy on Operation ALTAIR. The first ship was HMCS Toronto, which deployed with the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group from January to July 2004. In April 2005, HMCS Winnipeg deployed for six months with the 5^th Fleet of the United States Navy. And the third ship, HMCS Ottawa, deployed from September 2006 to March 2007.

“This mission, like other missions before it, will aid in the defence of Canada and in the prevention of future attacks on Canada and her allies by helping to eliminate the threat of terrorism,” says Commander Patrick St-Denis, Charlottetown’s commanding officer. “I feel that Op ALTAIR will ensure Canada's Navy remains relevant, responsive, and effective in the new security environment.”

Back to Listing