Two warships come home from Operation Caribbe

A long exposure of HMCS Yellowknife while the ship is deployed on Operation Caribbe, March 19, 2022. Photo: MARPAC Imaging Services, Canadian Armed Forces photo

Capt(N) Timothy Blois 
Operation Caribbe Public Affairs Officer

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After travelling 33,874 nautical miles, HMC Ships Saskatoon and Yellowknife returned to their home port in Esquimalt last Thursday after a combined 147 days at sea.

Both ships participated in Operation Caribbe, a U.S.-led enhanced counternarcotic operation in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Their arrival home was marked with the hallmarks of naval tradition: the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy performing while sailors’ loved ones waited on Y jetty.

While away, each ship worked different areas of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Their efforts saw them seize and destroy about 872 kilograms of cocaine, and obtain valuable intelligence into smuggling networks. The ships went as far south as Ecuador, stopping in the USA, Mexico, and Panama for fuel and provisions.

Canada has been contributing to Operation Caribbe since 2006, which led to the seizure of more than 112 tons of cocaine.