Mechanical glitch delays HMCS departure from Halifax ahead of six-month operation

The departure HMCS Montreal from Halifax for an international mission was delayed this weekend due to what officials described as a "small mechanical issue."

Members of a Royal Canadian Navy frigate waved an emotional goodbye to friends and families on Sunday as the HMCS Montreal prepared to depart from the Halifax Harbour ahead of a six-month deployment overseas — despite a minor issue.

An unexpected mechanical problem reared its head on Saturday and therefore delayed the 250-person crew of sailors, aviators, and soldier’s departure time that was originally set for Sunday morning.

Trevor MacLean, the commander of Canadian Fleet Atlantic, described the obstacle as a “small mechanical issue” when speaking to reporters on Sunday.

“What we do routinely if something breaks, we’ll ship parts overseas and fix it there but rather than do that, it makes the most sense to fix it here,” he said.

Despite the maintenance delay, MacLean said the vessel is still expected to depart on Sunday afternoon or early Monday morning. The crew will remain on the ship until departure.

“It’s a great opportunity for our sailors here from Halifax to get to the other side of the world and represent Canada there,” MacLean said. “It’s an exciting opportunity for our sailors to work with navies that traditionally Halifax-based sailors don’t get to work with like Australia, Japan, and South Korea.”

The Halifax vessel, which has been involved in the Canadian Forces since 1993, is the first ship deployed as part of “Operation HORIZON” — a mission that is said to be focused on maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

“This operation will increase opportunities to work side-by-side with allies and partners empowering Canada to play an even more active role in contributing to regional security, with an increased presence in the region, in support of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy,” read an April 10 release from Canada’s Department of National Defense.