HMCS Glace Bay and Shawinigan returned from a four-month deployment October 29th with Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) in the Baltic Sea.
This deployment provided the Royal Canadian Navy with the flexibility to conduct various exercises and operations with allies and partners. Participation in joint-NATO missions strengthens diplomatic relationships and promotes shared security principles, defense professionalization, and capacity building among nations.
During their deployment, both ships took part in training exercises with the SNMCMG1 Naval Taskforce, which included sailors and ships from the German Navy, Latvian Naval Forces, Lithuanian Naval Forces, Portuguese Navy, Royal Netherlands Navy, and Belgian Navy. While deployed, and in support of enhanced vigilance activities, beginning on August 29 HMCS Shawinigan monitored a Russian submarine and surface vessel through the Baltic and North Seas before handing over responsibility to HMS Iron Duke September 1.