HMCS St. John’s deploys for Exercise STRIKE WARRIOR 26
By Trident Staff
His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) St. John’s departed Halifax on September 11 for an overseas deployment that will see the ship join NATO allies and partners for Exercise STRIKE WARRIOR 26.
The United Kingdom-led exercise will take place across the North Sea and the waters west of Scotland, including the Northwest Approaches and the Western Isles, from September 21 to October 9.
Exercise STRIKE WARRIOR is designed to prepare the UK Carrier Strike Group and participating allied forces to operate together in challenging environments. The training will test a range of capabilities in scenarios designed to reflect potential real-world threats, including evading hostile submarines, defending aircraft carriers against simulated missile attacks and navigating narrow waterways while operating under threat.
The deployment will also continue recent Royal Canadian Navy cooperation with the UK Carrier Strike Group. In 2025, HMCS Ville de Québec became the first RCN warship to fully integrate into a UK-led Carrier Strike Group, sailing alongside HMS Prince of Wales and other allied ships during the multinational Operation HIGHMAST deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
For the crew of HMCS St. John’s, the deployment provides an opportunity to strengthen interoperability with some of Canada’s closest allies while sharpening the skills required for high-tempo maritime operations.
The deployment follows a busy summer for the Halifax-based frigate. HMCS St. John’s recently participated in International Naval Review 250 in New York City, as well as the United States-led FLEETEX 250 exercise. Earlier in the summer, the ship completed Basic Single Ship Readiness Training and Intermediate Air-Sea Readiness Training in June, helping prepare the crew for these increasingly complex operations alongside allied forces.
