HMCS Robert Hampton Gray leads Op NANOOK departure
His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Robert Hampton Gray, the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) newest Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel, sailed from Halifax Harbour on August 14 alongside partners and allies. The departure marked the start of a historic transit that will carry the ship through the Canadian Arctic and ultimately to a new home port at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, where Robert Hampton Gray will join Canadian Fleet Pacific ahead of its commissioning this fall. The ship is also sailing with an embarked Canadian Coast Guard Bell-429 helicopter, a new capability for the class and the RCN, and a sign of growing integration across the defence team.
HDMS Thetis of the Royal Danish Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard ship (CCGS) George R. Pearkes also departed from Halifax, and the task group will grow further at sea, with USS Wichita and the French patrol vessel FS Fulmar rendezvousing with the ships for multinational operations and exercises in Canada’s North.
The voyage opens with Operation NANOOK before continuing through the Northwest Passage. Along the way, the crew of Robert Hampton Gray will take part in exercises and community engagements across the Arctic, including stops of historical and cultural significance, before rounding out the journey with Operation LATITUDE alongside U.S. allies.
