Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) St. John’s officially joined Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) on its way to the Mediterranean Sea today as part of Canada’s support to NATO assurance and deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe.
The deployment of HMCS St. John’s demonstrates Canada’s continued leadership on the world stage by making meaningful and enduring contributions to NATO by performing different tasks ranging from participating in exercises to intervening in operational missions, throughout the region.
HMCS St. John’s is replacing HMCS Charlottetown, which arrives in its home port of Halifax on January 13 after a successful six-month Operation REASSURANCE deployment.
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"I am confident that HMCS St. John’s will continue to build upon HMCS Charlottetown’s accomplishments by providing a highly versatile and robust ship capable of full spectrum operations. Ourhighly skilled and professional ship’s company are readyand eager to work with our NATO allies to strengthen international and regional stability.”
Commander Sheldon Gillis, Commander HMCS St. John’s
Quick Facts
• HMCS St. John’s is a Halifax-class frigate with a crew of approximately 240 personnel of all ranks, including an Enhanced Naval Boarding Party and a CH-124 Sea King helicopter air detachment.
• HMCS St. John’s upcoming deployment is a continuation of a range of military activities undertaken by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to support NATO assurance and deterrence measures and demonstrates Canada’s commitment to promote security and stability in Central and Eastern Europe.
• HMCS Charlottetown, a Halifax-class frigate, conducted maritime security operations and joint NATO training exercises in the North Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean, Aegean, Black and Baltic Seas as part of NATOsince June 2016.
• During its six-month deployment, HMCS Charlottetown travelled 35 907 nm, developed its interoperability with 14 NATO navies and visited 17 ports in 10 countries.
• Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 is a multinational, integrated maritime task group made up of vessels from various Allied countries. These vessels, including their air assets, are available to NATO for exercises and other operational tasks in the NATO Maritime Command’s areas of responsibility.
Operation REASSURANCE refers to the Canadian Armed Forces’ activities in support of NATO assurance and deterrence measures. Through the provision of military capabilities for training, exercises, demonstrations and assigned NATO tasks, Canada demonstrates its commitment to promote security and stability in Central and Eastern Europe.
