HMCS Montréal strengthens ties with allies in Indo-Pacific region

Warships from Canada’s East Coast do not usually sail into the Indo-Pacific region.

Yet this is exactly where His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Montréal, based in Halifax, has been for the past six months.

Accompanied by Naval Replenishment Unit Motor Vessel (MV) Asterix, the frigate sailed east from Halifax in March, transiting through the Suez Canal in order to conduct operations and strengthen relationships with partner and allied nations on Operation (Op) Projection.

Op Projection is Canada’s ongoing naval-forward presence mission to promote peace and stability in support of the rules-based international order. During this operation, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) regularly conducts exercises, engagements and port visits with allies and partners.

During Op Projection, the ship conducted numerous exercises which highlighted and improved its ability to integrate with the ships and units of international partners and allies.

“The scale of the trip was astounding,” said Lieutenant (Navy) Anne Day, Montreal’s Operations Officer. “The South China Sea and Taiwan Strait are so significant in terms of Canada’s role in the Indo-Pacific.”

She notes that the crew’s capacity to shift and adapt to changes was one of her biggest takeaways during the operation.

“I have witnessed firsthand that no matter what happened, Montréal was ready to respond. Whether it was a non-combatant evacuation operation off the coast of Sudan, a change to our planned scheme of maneuver, or search and rescue during Exercise Talisman Sabre, the ship was still able to deliver the effect we’d been tasked to deliver. This is an incredibly strong team of sailors, and there has been enough support from all angles to get us through the stressful moments.”

Master Sailor Matthew Daniels, a Steward aboard ship, says his fellow crew members were the best part of the deployment.

“The people became my brothers and sisters – we became a family. The activities aboard the ship, the spots we travelled, and the people were all fantastic. I am transitioning to a supervisor role, so I had the opportunity to learn from some incredible leaders aboard HMCS Montréal.”

His secondary role is a foc’s’le communicator, the main communications point between the ship’s foc’s’le and bridge when coming alongside and leaving ports.

“It was great to see this part of the world up close and personal for the first time.”

Port visits are a reminder of the partnerships that RCN ships have helped build around the globe. The ship visited places such as the Azores; Malta; Surabaya, Indonesia; Okinawa, Japan; and Sydney, Australia during the operation, and were welcomed to each country by their respective navies. In turn, it hosted international leaders and diplomats aboard the ship with true Canadian hospitality.

“The sailors of this ship are some of the most admirable I’ve ever had the pleasure of sailing with,” said Lieutenant-Commander (LCdr) Scott Colbourne, Executive Officer.

“The job demanded a lot of them over the last six months and they continually met the moment, making the most of every exercise and their time at sea,” he said. “We maintained a high operational tempo while ensuring that we met our force generation goals which achieved more than 125 fully trained sailors.”

“Between cultural engagements, outreach activities, and hosting international dignitaries aboard the ship, the crew of Montréal conducted themselves with a smile and welcomed every guest with patented Canadian hospitality,” he said. “The ship’s crew consistently demonstrated Canadian values around the world that people can look up to and be proud of.”

Commander Paul Mountford, Commanding Officer said the relationships Montréal forged with partner nations are crucial to the display of international cooperation – to show there is a united force operating in the region.

“Montréal has delivered robust capabilities throughout our areas of operation to contribute to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” said Commander Paul Mountford, Commanding Officer. “Throughout Op Projection the ship and its crew demonstrated the high ability to operate with international partners and allies in complex environments.”

After departing its home port, Montréal crossed the Atlantic and conducted port visits in Lisbon, Portugal, and Souda Bay, Greece. While passing through the Gulf of Aden, the ship and its crew were tasked to support the evacuation of civilians from conflict areas in Sudan as part of Operation Savanne with MV Asterix.

After a short stop in Singapore, Montréal continued to Okinawa, Japan, where it exercised with the United States and Japanese navies, culminating in a transit through the Taiwan Strait.

Immediately following a rest and maintenance period in Singapore at the deployment’s halfway point, crew members celebrated crossing the equator on their way to Indonesia, a rare occurrence for East Coast sailors.

The ship then participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre off the coast of Australia, the largest joint and combined military exercise in the southern hemisphere with more than 30,000 participants from 13 nations.

During Talisman Sabre, Montréal teamed up with His Majesty’s Australian Ship Brisbane during the free play portion of the exercise. Individual knowledge was shared across units and communicated effectively, resulting in the two allied ships out manoeuvring “enemy” ships and winning the exercise.

The RCN is expanding its commitment to the Indo-Pacific from two to three ships per year, part of Canada’s whole-of-government strategy to show a united front between partners and allies in the region. HMC Ships Ottawa and Vancouver, along with MV Asterix, departed Canada in mid-August to assume a new mission in the region.

Montréal returns to Halifax October 3rd.