Coming home for the holidays is always special, especially for the Canadians on the HMCS Ottawa and HMCS Vancouver.
After four months away, the two vessels, along with Motor Vessel (MV) Asterix, returned to B.C.鈥檚 CFB Esquimalt on Dec. 18. Awaiting their arrival were friends, family, warm messages, happy tears, hugs and even Christmas carols to help get them in the holiday spirit.
鈥淚t was long, but it was short because of the people who I have, because of the crew I have, because of the captain who I had, he made it very fun, but it was long enough for me to miss my husband. Now I鈥檓 super happy to see my husband,鈥� said MS Seunghee Ryu, a cook who got the first kiss with her husband Adam Bestward after stepping off of HMCS Ottawa. 鈥淚鈥檓 really happy to see her, it鈥檚 been a long four months,鈥� added Bestward.
While the couple doesn鈥檛 have any immediate plans besides going home, Ryu said, 鈥渂abies鈥� are their next big step. 鈥淲e got married two years ago, I think it鈥檚 time. The honeymoon is coming in April, and there鈥檚 soon-to-be babies coming,鈥� said Ryu.
The vessels departed their home port in Esquimalt for the Indo-Pacific region in August. This included going to Japan, Korea, and other surrounding areas to uphold Canadian relations. According to Cmdr. Christopher Robinson of the Maritimes Forces Pacific, missions were as 鈥渄iverse as enforcing the United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions off of North Korea, through to protecting the right of innocent passage in international waters.鈥�
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Across the three vessels, 650 sailors were onboard. Asterix served as a duty tanker, filling up allied and Canadian ships in the area. Robinson called it a 鈥渇loating gas station.鈥� Then the two frigates split north and south. Vancouver went up around the Korean Peninsula and worked with the UN. While Ottawa went farther south and worked by the Taiwan Strait transits. Toward the end of the vessels鈥� journeys, the ships came together to do an exercise with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and then the three of them converged together and came back across to Canada.
Sam Patchell, who was commanding officer for the vessels鈥� deployment, believes the mission was highly successful.
鈥淭he world was very aware of Canada鈥檚 presence over there. Honestly, at the end of the day, I think it鈥檚 successful because I have a bunch of smiling faces, a bunch of happy, healthy people who are home after serving Canada.鈥�
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