HMCS St. John’s homecoming a gift for sailors, families

HMCS St. John’s homecoming a gift for sailors, families

By Nathan Stone,
Trident Staff

There was no place like home for the holidays for the crew of His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) St. John’s as they were greeted by family and friends in a joyful return to Halifax on December 20.

Onlookers dressed in festive clothes and waving holiday themed signs cheered as the ship came alongside at His Majesty’s Canadian Dockyard. The celebratory atmosphere was supported by live music from members of the Stadacona Band. St. John’s returned from a five-month deployment on Operation REASSURANCE in support of NATO’s defense and deterrence efforts in Europe.

The 241-person crew departed in July and spent the first 120 days of the mission sailing the Mediterranean with Standing NATO Maritime Group 2. In November, the ship transferred to Standing Maritime NATO Group 1 in the North Atlantic. While deployed, HMCS St. John’s joined NATO allies in exercises and patrols. The ship’s company also attended Remembrance Day ceremonies at Beaumont-Hamel and Vimy Ridge in France and Passchendaele in Belgium.

“I could not have asked for a more amazing crew to have had this opportunity to sail with. The flexibility, the tenacity, and the resilience that all of these sailors showed was outstanding,’ said Commander (Cdr) Jeffrey Anderson, the ship’s commanding officer. Cdr Anderson said that he had mixed feelings returning to Halifax, as he’ll soon be turning over command of the ship and this deployment was likely his last at the helm of St. John’s.

“I was excited to come in, but I wasn’t ready for it to end.” Sailor 1st Class (S1) Steven Andrews had the honour of disembarking first to give his wife a kiss and said that he felt overwhelmed by the emotional moment. “The moment that I was able to cross the brow, all the emotions hit and I got all teary inside trying to hold it in.”

Embracing his wife and three young children, S1 Andrews said that after months of family video calls he was, “so happy being able to touch them and actually hug them,” and that he was excited to just spend quality time together during the holidays.

Simple time spent together was a wish for the Forrester family as well.

“We’ll just enjoy some family time and the warmth of home,” said Lauren Forrester, wife of Petty Officer 1st Class (PO1) Thomas Forrester.

In a press release announcing the ship’s homecoming, Rear-Admiral Josée Kurtz, Commander, Maritime Forces Atlantic, described HMCS St. John’s as providing vital reassurance of NATO solidarity and readiness to European allies.

“This mission underscores Maritime Forces Atlantic’s ability to deliver multi-mission capable assets abroad. Canada stands firmly with its allies to protect what we believe in. We welcome and congratulate the crew back after a successful mission and wish them and their loved ones’ well-earned quality time together.”