HMCS Ottawa returned home to Esquimalt October 13 following a four-and-a-half month operational deployment and goodwill tour in the Asia Pacific region. Ottawa visited several countries including Australia, Singapore, Japan and South Korea to foster strategic relationships and enhance interoperability for future operations.
Ottawa and her crew of 235 personnel left Esquimalt on June 6 for the biennial Westploy deployment. From July 11 to 26, Ottawa joined American and Australian military personnel for Operation Talisman Saber 2011 off the northeast coast of Australia. Following Talisman Saber, the ship’s company conducted operations with Korean and Japanese units, and participated in regional engagements in the Pacific region to help strengthen Canada’s diplomatic bonds and relationships. The ship also had the opportunity to reach out to people in that region, including visiting an orphanage in Busan, South Korea and raising $7,000 for victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan.
“As Ottawa returns to Esquimalt after more than four months away, I am happy to report the ship and her company have successfully completed the mission and exceeded expectations in the process,” said the ship’s commanding officer, Commander Jon Allsopp . “Ottawa proudly carried the Canadian flag throughout the Pacific region this summer, working closely with allies and furthering Canada’s diplomatic interests abroad.”
Throughout, Ottawa was also heavily involved in the “Train the Sailor” program, a training program providing dedicated at-sea individual and collective training. The program focuses on ensuring that skills acquired ashore are perfected at sea in order to maintain a state of high readiness for the ship’s company.
“None of this would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the crew and the sacrifices both they and their families have made,” said Cdr Jon Allsopp.
[mappress] Source: navy, October 19, 2011