Somewhere in the Indian Ocean near the Somalian coast, HMCS Regina is doing double duty in honouring the people of Saskatchewan.
The Esquimalt-based Canadian navy frigate bears the name of the provincial capital city. Now officers and crew of the ship鈥檚 helicopter have adopted 鈥淏ronco鈥� as the aircraft鈥檚 call sign, honouring the junior hockey club from Humboldt, Sask., whose team bus was in a deadly crash on a rural road on April 6, 2018.
Sixteen Broncos were killed and 13 injured in the crash, evoking horror, grief and memorials across sa国际传媒. Now, the Royal Canadian Navy is paying its own homage.
鈥淲e are already connected to the province of Saskatchewan with the ship name,鈥� said Regina鈥檚 captain, Cmdr. Jake French, in a satellite telephone call from his onboard cabin.
鈥淪o now memory of the Humboldt Broncos was why the helicopter was named as such,鈥� said French.
He also said Bronco鈥檚 deployment marks a first. HMCS Regina is the first Pacific-based vessel to deploy with the Navy鈥檚 newest CH-148 Cyclone helicopter, replacement for the old Sea Kings.
Since March 26, HMCS Regina, with her crew of 240, has been plying the waters off the Middle East, part of Operation Artemis, an ongoing 33-nation effort aimed at keeping those waters free from piracy, terrorism, and smuggling of narcotics, weapons and people.
Artemis is sa国际传媒鈥檚 contribution to the free and safe navigation of international waters in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean and dates back at least as far as 2002.
This year, Regina is supported by an RCAF CP-140 Aurora, a long-range, fixed-wing, surveillance aircraft. Also along in support is MV Asterix, the combined civilian/military vessel carrying stores and fuel to replenish Regina and allied ships when called upon.
This also marks Regina鈥檚 third Artemis deployment. The previous ones were in 2012 and 2014.
For its current deployment, Regina departed its home port of CFB Esquimalt on Feb. 6 and sailed first to Asia Pacific waters to conduct Operation Projection. It鈥檚 another multinational task force asserting the free sailing of international waters.
After completing Projection, Regina sailed for the Indian Ocean, stopping briefly in the Seychelles, the archipelago nation where the Artemis task-force commanders are staying.
French said Regina鈥檚 crew, now only two months into its seven-month mission, is in good morale and performing well, even under the 30 C plus temperatures of the region.
鈥淓verybody is doing great,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd the ship鈥檚 company is extremely excited to be doing what we are doing.鈥�
French said this mission is the first it has undertaken with Asterix. The supply ship鈥檚 presence offers new freedom to move and act for Regina. The crew has been also getting good practice refuelling and transferring stores at sea.
鈥淚t keeps us going at sea longer and gives us that persistent presence that we need,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd the ship鈥檚 company enjoys the seamanship of it, getting the stores over and fuel when we need it.鈥�
French said during this Artemis mission, Regina has also taken on board a 10-person naval tactical operations group.
These sailors are deployed in fast-moving Zodiac-style boats and are specialists in boarding vessels at sea, looking for illegal narcotics or weapons.
It鈥檚 expected the tactical specialists will be kept busy checking and boarding craft such as the Arab dhows, a traditional-style boat with a long, thin hull widely used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 say they [the tactical group] will always be operating under a lot of threat,鈥� said French. 鈥淏ut when they are dealing with these dhows, there is always a little bit of risk.鈥�
鈥淭hey are a great addition to Regina,鈥� he said.
French said he expected the naval tactical specialists might not always board vessels. They might just approach, greet, talk and gather intelligence.
But if something suspicious is noted, the teams have an international, legal mandate to board and search a vessel for illicit items, whose trafficking often supports terrorist networks.
French said in many ways, Regina鈥檚 role in Artemis resembles an old-style cop walking a beat. But instead of pavement, the ship is patrolling the high seas, keeping them safe for international trade and commerce.
鈥淲e鈥檒l check guys out and throw our headlights on behind people to let them know we are there,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t can feel a little bit like law enforcement, but it鈥檚 really about enforcing a coalition mandate.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 maritime security, not really law enforcement,鈥� said French.
He also said Canadians should know their navy is keeping international waters safe for trade and travel and free of illegal commerce that can fund terrorist networks.
鈥渟a国际传媒 is now a leader in this region in terms of contributing maritime vessels, air force assets and showing a strong commitment to maritime security,鈥� said French.
鈥淭he security of this region and all international waters affects all Canadians in some ways,鈥� he said.
Regina is expected back in Esquimalt in late August.
