Canadian Navy’s new AOPS embarks on maiden operational deployment

The Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) newly commissioned Arctic and offshore patrol ship (AOPS) HMCS Harry DeWolf has departed for its first operational mission to Canada’s North.

The ship will begin the four-month deployment with participation in Operation Nanook in the Arctic region, and will carry on by sailing through the Northwest Passage.

From there, the vessel will complete the circumnavigation of North America while supporting Operation Caribbe in the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea.

According to the statement, the ship has passed the necessary tests and trials and can operate year-round in both the frigid conditions of the arctic and in warmer southern waters.

“HMCS Harry DeWolf now has thousands of miles on its odometer, and we’re about to embark on a patrol that hasn’t been done in more than 64 years. It’s no small feat,” said Commander Corey Gleason, the ship’s Commanding Officer.

Harry DeWolf was delivered to the Government of Canada, in Halifax in August 2020.

Interacting and building ties with the communities of the region will be a key component of Harry DeWolf’s arctic operations, beginning right away on this maiden deployment, the navy concluded.