Protecteur shows her stuff in varied tasks

By A/SLt Greg Atkinson, HMCS Protecteur

As an Auxiliary Oil Replenishment ship, HMCS Protecteur could be expected to take a purely supporting role in operations. Not on this trip; as part of Combined Task Force 150, the operational flotilla, Protecteur gets to be both a supply ship and patrol ship. Twice recently we have stored cargo in the morning, then commenced a security patrol, and in the afternoon made a smooth transition to an approach operation. This mix of duties makes for long but operationally fulfilling days at sea for Protecteur’s crew of 260.

The versatility of multinational operations in CTF 150 was highlighted recently with a rare opportunity to RAS (replenishment at sea) with a Pakistani Navy ship. Along with three other replenishments that included a transfer of 55 pallets of supplies and more than 500 cubic metres of fuel to HMCS Calgary, Protecteur delivered both fuel and potable water to the Pakistani frigate Tariq, the smallest vessel of her type that Protecteur has worked with so far on this deployment. To transfer water, a separate 2.5-inch hose is attached to the main fueling hoses and passed across with the fueling rig. It’s not a job Protecteur is asked to do often. Tariq’s station-keeping was excellent alongside Protecteur and her crew conducted the RAS efficiently.

As the end of the RAS evolution, a “breakaway song” is played on the ship’s public address system as the freshly fuelled vessel opens away from Protecteur. For Tariq, it was “Raatan”, a Punjabi pop song by Jaspinder Narula. As the music began, beaming smiles broke out on Tariq.

Protecteur has integrated the task of routinely inspecting small vessels into her operational tempo; in the first two weeks of July, she conducted four approach operations and five vessel queries on small cargo dhows. The approach teams did not find any suspicious activity, but that’s not the only goal of these continuous checks. Their real purpose is to provide local shipping and merchant traffic with a heightened level of security in a volatile area. Each approach operation involves a discussion of shipping routes and trade with the master of the dhow to improve the coalition’s understanding of regional shipping patterns. Information gathered in approach operations helps the coalition intelligence staff determine whether a vessel’s behaviour could be related to illegal activity.

Throughout the mission, HMCS Protecteur has exploited a wide range of her many capabilities to maximize her contribution to the Task Force. Protecteur strives daily to live up to her motto Support with Courage.