PACIFIC OCEAN –
Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Regina (FFH 334) and Winnipeg (FFH 338) are off the coast of Hawaii participating in Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2020, the largest maritime exercise in the world.
The purpose of this exercise is to provide an opportunity for Sailors to gain experience working with international forces, practice group and task force tactics, and use important equipment and weaponry.
The crew of Regina participated in a sinking exercise, or SINKEX. A SINKEX is when an environmentally clean, decommissioned hulk is purposefully sunk to provide a unique opportunity to improve our coalition partner’s readiness.
“With an ever-changing and complex global environment, interoperability with partner nations is essential to maintain the rules-based international order,” said Lieutenant (Navy) Mike Vanderveer, Weapons Officer on board HCMS Regina. “This engagement not only proves the technical readiness of Regina and the Royal Canadian Navy, but provides an opportunity to focus on the application of force in coordinated kinetic action with partner nations.”
The weapons system Regina used for this exercise was the RGM-84 Harpoon Surface-to-Surface Missile (SSM), which is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile utilized by most NATO member states.
“Shooting a Harpoon missile is a difficult and perishable skill, so any opportunity to plan and execute exercises with combined forces increases our skills, proficiency, and overall capability,” says Vanderveer.
At RIMPAC 2018, HMCS Ottawa participated in a SINKEX using the same weapon system.
Proficiency with this system is imperative for RCN frigates, as it provides the ship’s commanding officer the ability to address threats from over-the-horizon while maintaining a distance that provides increased safety for the ship and crew.
RIMPAC 2020 brings together a robust constellation of allies and partners to conduct operations in support of sustained American influence and favorable regional balances of power that safeguard security, prosperity, and the free and open international order.
For more information on RIMPAC 2020, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/RIMPAC.