Canada is deploying two Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) warships from their home port of Halifax to join a NATO maritime operation to clear mines in northern Europe.
Defence Minister Anita Anand made the announcement at a news conference in London, U.K., on June 29, alongside her British counterpart, Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace.
His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Shawinigan and HMCS Summerside will deploy on July 3 to join the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) based in Latvia on Operation Reassurance.
Anand said the mine countermeasures group was established in 1973 to clear World War II mines from the English Channel. The Canadian ships will patrol northern waters in Europe and hunt for sea mines….