Navy patrol ship in Iqaluit on ‘journey of discovery’
HMCS Harry DeWolf doing Arctic security patrol on Operation Nanook; expected to depart Iqaluit on Tuesday
Cmdr. Guillaume Côté, captain of the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Harry DeWolf, observes from the ship’s bridge in Iqaluit on Monday. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
For the 85 sailors aboard the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Harry DeWolf, their work on Operation Nanook is more than just an Arctic security patrol.
It’s also a chance to learn more about the Arctic from the people who live in the region, says the ship’s captain, Cmdr. Guillaume Côté.
The ship anchored in Iqaluit last Friday and is scheduled to head out Tuesday evening.
The DeWolf — 103 metres long, with the capacity to carry rescue boats and a helicopter — is a new class of Arctic/off-shore patrol ship. It was delivered to the Navy in 2020 and commissioned for service in 2021.
The ship is on an Arctic patrol that launched from Halifax about two weeks ago, and will be at sea until the beginning of October.
In Iqaluit, several crew members disembarked and spent time in the community. At a gathering at the Legion hall Saturday, Côté and his crew met with elders and several local leaders and guided them on a tour of the ship.
“They are the ones with the knowledge, they know how things actually are operating because this is a new theatre of operation as a military force up here,” he said.
“This is also part of the journey of discovery, is actually to be able to understand how people live or [are] organizing themselves. Once we understand a little bit more of that, then we can actually start progressing.”
Côté said naval crews face challenges in the Arctic relating to weather, mobility and the effects of climate change.
On Sunday, that also included dealing with Iqaluit’s fast-changing tide levels.
While doing a pickup at the Iqaluit causeway boat ramp, the receding tides pulled out so quickly their landing craft became stuck on the ramp for the remainder of the day.
At high tide that night, the 17-tonne vessel was finally towed back to the DeWolf.
Côté said he’s impressed with his sailors, their teamwork and their adaptability.
During a media tour Monday, the DeWolf’s sailors could be seen collaborating on several heavy tasks, including the raising of rescue boats onto the ship’s two sides.
They also carried out what was described as the recovery of the landing craft that became immobilized Sunday afternoon.
“Everyone’s always willing to have a good laugh together, people have different initiatives to raise morale and everyone works really hard together,” said Sub-Lt. Fraser Duff, one of the bridge watchkeepers.
Operation Nanook has the ship patrolling the Arctic with some international partners. During parts of the trip to Iqaluit, the DeWolf travelled alongside a French patrol vessel and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter ship.
On the Harry DeWolf, each sailor has a role. But for their down time, there’s a gym, a cafeteria and several lounges with TVs and a Big Buck World arcade hunting game.
There’s also a pet wall, where sailors have shared photos of the dogs, cats and rabbits they’re missing while they spend months at sea.
When Côté isn’t busy running the ship, he might be building Lego sets to add to his collection of Star Wars memorabilia displayed around his office.
After Iqaluit, the DeWolf is headed to Nuuk, in Greenland. Later, it will make its way to Resolute Bay before returning to its base in Halifax in early October.
Côté, whose naval career has taken him around the world to Europe and the Middle East, said he’s eager to continue his first-ever journey through the Canadian Arctic.
He and his crew hope to continue working with communities and partners on providing a security presence in the region.
“For some of them, and I’d say at least half of them, it’s a first experience just like for me, so basically we’re doing this discovery together,” he said.
The Royal Canadian Navy's HMCS Harry DeWolf is anchored off the shore of Iqaluit. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
I spent 25yrs in the Navy and 20yrs in Canada Coast Guard I enjoy reading the news about our ship’s and crew as to what you are doing
Luego sets and star wars memorabilia.
These new patrol ships are a good addition to our small navy however, they designed them with almost no armaments other than a machine gun and a small caliber gun and no protection from today’s missles
Only in summer? why not set up a northern base, say like in Iqaluit, northern responds unit, cold weather forces work, look at Russia, Murmask Naval Base. Canada, put up or shut up….
The Canadian Armed Forces were in Rankin Inlet this winter to conduct exercises. Instead of connecting with the locals and learn from the Inuit, they took it upon themselves to build dozens of qamutiit.
And you know what, non of the qamutiit they build survived the exercises, they cam back damaged and destroy and have to be rebuilt all over again if they are to be used again.
They should have hired a couple of elders or hunters and got taught how to properly build a qamutik that will last years if not decades.
Building a qamutik on these sorts of exercises is an interesting distraction that has very little do with their ability to conduct their mission.
My friend I have to disagree with you and most likely the Canadian Military too after the Rankin Inlet exercise.
The Qamutik is a vital piece of equipment in the Arctic Region used for hundreds if not thousands of years by Inuit to transport goods, supplies, survival gear and hunting equipment for the locals and Inuit out on the land and between communities/settlements during the winter months. Qamutik construction is rather simple but important to know the design and procedure. Each Arctic Region over time have developed slightly different Qamutik designs due to the the different terrain but the concepts are the same.
Other Arctic communities have Canadian Ranger Regiments which the Canadian Military rely on for their personal qamutiit to conduct their military exercises/missions during the winter months. In Rankin Inlet there is no local Canadian Ranger Regiment so the military had to build their own to conduct their exercise/mission to transport their personnel and gear. The Canadian Military suffered multiple delays and set backs on their exercises/mission in Rankin Inlet due to their qumutitt failing and falling apart, having to transfer loads and personnel to other qamutiit. This puts into question weather they completed all the planned exercises/missions in the allotted time frame and weather this exercise/mission was a success. Military will not tell us if they screwed up and realized they are not ready to protect the arctic region of Canada as that would be deemed a threat to national security.
For the hundredth time listen and learn from the locals, the Inuit, Sir John Franklyn did not and perished along with his ships and crew. Us the tax payers paid millions up on millions to searched several thousand square kilometers prior to actually listen to local Inuit advice where the ships were located.
I hope it was an awakening for the Canadian Military how vital the qamutik is to doing anything in the winter months in the arctic region of Canada and that they are not as simple to make as the eye sees.
The North is being flooded by all these research boats, Canadian Coast Guards, Navy and all sorts. Creating pollution(s) meaning,,, noise,, in the air, noise under water not mentioning the land. human activity…Eventually , the wildlife are moving away from their usual routes. One day, no more wildlife and we’ll end up having zoo(s) with animals from northern wildlife. SAD.