For only the third time in history, a Royal Canadian Navy ship has transited the entire Northwest Passage through the Arctic archipelago. HMCS Robert Hampton Gray arrived at its new home port in Esquimalt, B.C., on Friday morning. It departed Halifax on Aug. 14. The warship joined Canada’s fleet last summer. It is the newest of six Arctic and offshore patrol vessels, which were built in Halifax as part of a project that cost roughly $5 billion. “This is a new capability for the Royal Canadian Navy,” said Cmdr. Brian Henwood, HMCS Robert Hampton Gray’s commanding officer. “Our Arctic waters belong to us. We need to exercise the sovereignty that the Government of Canada owns over those waters.” Canada’s previous expeditions through the Northwest Passage were in 1954 and 2021. During the third voyage, the crew of roughly 90 sailors conducted patrols focused on surveillance, sovereignty and demonstrating the navy’s ability to operate in the Arctic. The ship also worked with allies from Denmark, France and the United States. “The Northwest Passage itself didn’t have a significant amount of ice, but it is a very challenging environment in terms of navigation,” Henwood said. “It’s not well-charted and the weather can turn very quickly.” The patrol also took Henwood and his crew through the frozen Beaufort Sea. He said they travelled through metre-thick ice for 14 days. “The navy is a little bit timid in ice because it’s new to us; it’s something the navy has done for only the past few years,” he said. “You’ll see us up there pretty routinely from now on.” Canada is expanding its icebreaker capabilities as conversations about northern security become more common, and occasionally heated on the global stage. The issue reached a crisis point in January, when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to annex Greenland. The purpose of the Arctic and offshore patrol vessels is to monitor the north and ensure international laws are respected. HMCS Robert Hampton Gray’s patrols were assisted by a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter. It was the first time a Canadian navy ship had operated with a Coast Guard helicopter on board. It follows the transfer of the coast guard service from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to the Department of National Defence last year. “Having that helicopter allows me to get people ashore, get parts off shore, move people around in a medevac,” Henwood said. “We also used it for ice reconnaissance.” The commissioning ceremony for HMCS Robert Hampton Gray is Nov. 16.
