By Lt (N) Jessica MacDonald, HMCS Charlottetown PAO

Strait of Gibraltar was a magnificent sight as it stretched out before the bow of HMCS Charlottetown. The moon rode high in the sky, highlighting the gentle profile of Africa to starboard and the curves of Europe to port. Lights from shore and other vessels in the Strait illuminated the water. And somewhere along her way, Charlottetown crossed entered the Mediterranean Sea and crossed the boundary of the NATO Joint Operational Area. At that moment, the Halifax-based frigate officially became part of the task force of OPERATION ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR, the NATO counter-terrorism mission in the Mediterreanean Sea.

From Gibraltar, Charlottetown continued east to the naval base in Taranto, Italy, where, on  Jan. 24, she would join the NATO surface fleet. During this deployment — conducted by the Canadian Forces under OPERATION METRIC— Charlottetown will patrol her area of responsibility in the Mediterranean Sea to detect, deter, and protect against terrorist activity.

“This operation is important because it represents Canada’s continuing commitment to international security and cooperation,” said Cdr Wade Carter, Commanding Officer of Charlottetown. “Having a presence in the Mediterranean Sea will give Canada and the Canadian Forces the flexibility and capability to respond to crises that may arise in the region.”

OPERATION ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR is conducted by VAdm Rinaldo Veri of the Italian Navy, the current Maritime Component Commander at NATO Joint Forces Command in Naples, Italy. The surface fleet includes ships from Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom, as well as HMCS Charlottetown from Canada.

Charlottetown has a ship’s company of about 250 CF members, which includes a CH-124 Sea King helicopter detachment.

“The crew has undergone months of intense preparation of get ready for this deployment,” said Cdr Carter. “We are well trained, prepared, and eager to take on the challenges that lay ahead.”

On the way from Gibraltar to Taranto, Charlottetown also continued down the road towards high readiness. Working with sea trainers from Halifax, the ship’s company completed a week of mission workups, the exercises that test the ship and ship’s company in a wide range of emergency scenarios — missile inbound, fire, flood, man overboard — in preparation for whatever they might encounter during their deployment. Alarm bells rang at all hours, day and night, as the ship’s company worked as one to save and fight the ship.

“Ninety percent of global trade is conducted by sea. The world depends on maritime shipping to transport vital supplies such as food and fuel,” said Cdr Carter. “Operations such as these help ensure that world trade does not get disrupted.”

Charlottetown departed her home port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Jan.  8, 2012. She will remain in the Mediterranean region until July 2012.