After travelling 50,000 nautical miles for Operation Artemis, HMCS Regina returned home March 14. It’s been eight months since the warship sailed from Esquimalt, B.C., on a mission to keep the Arabian Sea secure.
The Canadian ship was part of a multinational naval force – Combined Task Force 150 – tasked to monitor the area for troublesome activity.
“Our economy floats on salt water and our mission was to promote security, sovereignty and prosperity across the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman,” explains Commander Jason Boyd, Regina’s commanding officer. “These are some of the most important shipping lanes in the world. This involves keeping the sea lanes safe and preventing the shipping of illicit cargo.”
While at sea in the operational area, Regina boarded and examined 19 vessels. Its embarked Sea King helicopter quickly became a familiar sight on the horizon, clocking 388 hours of air time. And the ship’s newsiest capability, the unmanned aerial vehicle that was manned by four soldiers and a small team of civilians, was in the air for 545 hours to take surveillance photos.
The peak of this deployment took place January 11 when Regina disrupted a drug smuggling operation on the seas. More than 1,000 pounds of narcotics were dropped overboard in an effort to rid the boat of its illegal activity.
“We felt good for intercepting those narcotics and not allowing them to get into the hands they were intended to,” says Cdr Boyd. “I can’t speculate where the cargo was destined for, but we were happy to make that interception.”
It wasn’t all high seas law-breaking drama though. The ship helped a dhow in distress. The crew had run out of fuel, food and water. Regina provided the small crew rations and water before sending them on their way.
As the ship charted a course for home, they made goodwill visits along the way. Orphanages in Malaysia and the Philippines received a helping hand from crew members, who visited with the children and provided a work party to fix up the establishments.
“Our sailors really excel as outstanding representatives of Canada and were great ambassadors in the ports we stopped in,” says Cdr Boyd. “They reached deep in their pockets while visiting kids who had very unfortunate standards of living, and I am really proud of them.”
Regina will now undergo a maintenance period, and then eventually enter the Halifax Class Modernization/Frigate Life Extension program.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, March 18 2013; Image: Canadian Navy