CBC
January 22, 2023

HMCS Fredericton leaves Halifax on 6-month NATO mission

HMCS Fredericton left Halifax harbour on Sunday for a six-month deployment in Europe in support of NATO operations.

The ship, with 256 sailors on board, left at 2 p.m. AT to participate in Operation Reassurance.

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Operation Reassurance began nine years ago and has about a thousand Canadian Armed Force members deployed for its mission.

Speaking after the departure, Rear Admiral Brian Santarpia, commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic, said the ship will join other NATO ships in the Mediterranean Sea.

He said there will be a constant presence in the Mediterranean tracking Russian activity.

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Two other naval ships returned to Halifax in November. They were part of the same mission supporting NATO in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

HMCS Fredericton on a previous NATO deployment