Key Takeaways
- The two Kingston-class coastal defence vessels returned to Halifax on Nov. 5 after deploying to European waters from July to November 2026 with Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures G
- Their clearance divers and autonomous underwater vehicle operators located, identified and safely disposed of historic sea mines and unexploded ordnance off the coast of Denmark
- It was the fifth time Canada has sent Kingston-class vessels to NATO's standing mine countermeasures groups under Operation REASSURANCE
The Quiet Mission That Keeps Ships Safe
HMCS Moncton and HMCS Edmonton are home.
The two Canadian mine-hunting ships returned to Halifax on November 5, ending a deployment to European waters that ran from July to November with Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One, the Royal Canadian Navy announced.
Their mission wasn't about firing missiles. It was about finding the bombs no one can see.
Finding Bombs Left Over From Wars Long Over
The two Kingston-class maritime coastal defence vessels sailed under Operation REASSURANCE, Canada's standing contribution to NATO deterrence in Europe.
Their work was the unglamorous kind that keeps sea lanes open: embarked clearance divers and autonomous underwater vehicle operators located, identified and safely disposed of historic sea mines and unexploded ordnance off the coast of Denmark — ordnance left over from wars that ended generations ago but can still kill.
For more than two months of the deployment, HMCS Moncton also hosted a Royal Danish Navy mine countermeasures team aboard.
A Fifth Rotation for the Kingston Class
This was the fifth time Canada has contributed Kingston-class vessels to NATO's Standing Mine Countermeasures Groups through Operation REASSURANCE — a notable workload for a small class of ships designed in the 1990s for coastal patrol, now doing front-line alliance work in European waters.
The Twikup Take
Mine warfare never makes highlight reels, and that's the point: every historic mine disposed of off Denmark is one a ferry, a fishing boat or a cargo ship never meets. Two of Canada's smallest warships spent four months doing that work inside NATO's standing group — and came home to Halifax with the alliance's trust well kept.
The war may be history. The explosives aren't.
Image: The Royal Canadian Navy Kingston-class coastal defence vessel HMCS Edmonton (MM 703) participates in a parade of ships in Elliott Bay, Washington (USA), during the 70th annual Seattle Fleet Week, on 29 July 2019 — U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Victoria Foley, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.