Canada Welcomes HMCS Charlottetown Home From Fighting The Gaddafi Regime

RCN NR11.003 - September 2, 2011

HALIFAX, N.S. – Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Charlottetownand its 240-member crew returned home to Halifax this morning from its deployment to the Mediterranean Sea, where the ship operated with a multinational formation of surface vessels and submarines under NATO command.

Along with family and friends, The Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Peter MacKay, Associate Minister of Defence, Julian Fantino, the Honourable Peter Penashue, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Walt Natynczyk and the Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, Vice-Admiral Paul Maddison, were on hand to welcome the ship’s company home.

“Canadians are proud of the work our sailors have done in protecting civilians and enforcing an arms embargo as part of a challenging international operation in the Central Mediterranean,” said Minister MacKay. “HMCS Charlottetown and her crew have made Canada and Canadians proud and as we welcome our sailors home, we know that HMCS Vancouver continues Canada’s Naval contribution off the coast of Libya.”

“The men and women on board Charlottetown have done a tremendous job and I give them my sincere appreciation for the important contribution they have made to the Libyan mission,” said General Natynczyk.

HMCS Charlottetown departed Halifax on March 2 to help enforce the arms embargo as mandated under UNSCR 1973, while actively defending the civilian population in Libya's third largest city, Misrata. The ship's crew protected the port against seaborne attacks, safeguarded vessels conducting de-mining operations and provided accurate, real-time surveillance and intelligence data in support of NATO air strikes.

http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/news-no...ng.asp?id=3918