HMCS Fredericton departs Halifax to join ‘Operation Reassurance’ in Mediterranean | 24CA News

It was a tricky weekend for the family and friends of the crew onboard HMCS Fredericton.

The Halifax-class frigate and its 256 members have set sail for European waters as a part of Canada’s NATO commitments.

There have been many hugs and tears as households gathered on the Halifax dockyard to bid farewell because the ship sailed out of the harbour for a six-month deployment.

The Commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic says sailors will likely be working with NATO allies for a number of months below “Operation Reassurance.”

“Fredericton will join the group that’s in the Mediterranean,” Rear-Admiral Brian Santarpia says. “They will be a constant presence in the Mediterranean, tracking all Russian activity there.”

He says for the reason that invasion of Ukraine practically a yr in the past, their work has taken on a heightened sense of urgency.

“Each ship that goes now has to be more ready than they were before that invasion, obviously, because the threat is higher,” he says.

Santarpia says a six-month deployment might be robust on sailors and their households.

“They’re really proud of their family members who are doing something important for Canada, something challenging, just exactly what they signed up to do,” he says. “And on the other side of the coin, they know they’re going to miss their family members.”

For HMCS Fredericton crewmember Patrick Brouwer and his spouse Nichole, the mission will mark the longest time they’ve spent aside.

“They’ll be some big things that we miss, but we’re going to miss each other the most,” Patrick says.

His spouse provides it’s about having fun with the little issues once they’re collectively.

“We can always make up memories for the days that we miss — like, we’re missing both of our birthdays and our first wedding anniversary,” she says. “But that’s part of what happens when you have a spouse in the military.”

Andrew Tunstall gathered together with his household simply earlier than stepping on the vessel for the voyage.

He says it’s arduous to say goodbye to his two younger daughters and spouse.

“A bit of mixed emotions,” he says. “But at the same time, we’re going off to do a mission that everyone has been practicing and training for for a long time. So there’s some excitement about that.”

As HMCS Fredericton departed, family members raced to the top of the jetty to catch their final glimpse of the ship and their households.

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