Meeting with other navies and getting to know their sailors are key benefits of such international trips, says Cmdr. Justin Simmons.
HMCS Ottawa returned Friday to CFB Esquimalt after a deployment of over four months that included exercises in the Indo-Pacific and western Arctic.
The ship was involved in both Operation Horizon, to support security and stability in the Indo-Pacific, and Operation Latitude, an exercise in northern waters, including the Bering Sea, to strengthen the partnership with the United States in support of North American defence.
Meeting with other navies and getting to know their sailors personally are key benefits of the international trips the Royal Canadian Navy takes, said Cmdr. Justin Simmons.
“It’s military-to-military relations,” Simmons said of Operation Horizon. “What’s important about that is not necessarily the exercises you do at sea, but the relations that you form when you’re alongside.
“The team really worked hard to make sure that they represented Canada well, did their best.”
The average size of the crew during the deployment was 247, with 167 crew members there for the entire time and about 150 others cycling in for periods of up to 30 days, Simmons said.
Such deployments are vital to maintaining the navy’s capabilities, he said.
“You take a group of individuals, you train them to make sure that they can defend the country.”
He said that having Ottawa partaking in exercises, conducting engagements “and making sure that we show the flag” boosts Canada’s credibility.
The ship travelled about 25,000 nautical miles while it was away, visiting ports in Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States.
Simmons said it began with meeting the Republic of Korea’s navy, followed next by sailing with other countries like Spain, Peru and Chile. “We made sure that we got ashore, we spoke to local officials and community officials, building more relationships,” including with mayors and police chiefs, Simmons said.
“They were really excited to have us there.”
As always, coming home after a long time away was “emotionally charged,” said Simmons, who said he was looking forward to his wife’s cooking now that Ottawa is back in port.
“The interesting thing is the food on board here is incredible, but it’s just knowing that there’s a little more normalcy and all that.”
Among the crew returning was Chief Petty Officer (first class) Robert Wile, who was greeted by a group of family that included his daughter, Megan McCool, and four-month-old granddaughter Paige Arnold, who he was meeting for the first time.
Her sister, two-year-old Dawsen Arnold, was very excited that grandpa — who she calls Bob Bob — was back home, McCool said.
“She’s missed Bob Bob for such a long time.”
McCool said she is used to her father being on deployment. “He’s been away since I was little,” she said.