The HMCS Halifax Commander has been removed from command

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“This investigation is related to incidents that occurred on board the ship during a visit to the port of Swinoujscie, Poland, while it was deployed in Operation Reassurance. These incidents do not involve sexual misconduct, harmful or inappropriate sexual conduct. ”

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June 9, 2022 • 15 hours ago • 2 minutes reading A woman takes a picture while HMCS Halifax leaves Halifax on March 19. Photo: Andrew Vaughan / The Canadian Press

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The commanding officer of the naval frigate, which is currently conducting operations for NATO, has been removed from command.

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But Canadian forces have cited a high level of secrecy about what lies behind the removal of the HMCS Halifax commanding officer. He refuses to even name the person.

However, a statement from the Royal Canadian Navy in March stated that Commander Dale St. Croix would be the frigate’s commanding officer.

HMCS Halifax left for its mission in NATO on 19 March.

The National Defense published news of the removal of the commander late Thursday.

After several incidents aboard HMCS Halifax during Operation Reassurance, Vice Admiral Bob Auchterloni, Commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command, temporarily relieved the Commanding Officer of HMCS Halifax of his duties so that investigations could be conducted into the details of the investigation. “, Said in a statement.

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“This investigation is related to incidents that occurred on board the ship during a visit to the port of Swinoujscie, Poland, while it was deployed in Operation Reassurance. These incidents do not involve sexual misconduct, harmful or inappropriate sexual conduct. “

The statement said action was considered necessary to ensure that the investigation could continue as HMCS Halifax continued to deploy NATO Permanent Marine Group 1.

Commander Paul Mountford, Commanding Officer of HMCS Charlottetown, has temporarily taken command of Halifax. He will continue to command until the frigate returns home to Halifax in mid-July.

“The released HMCS Halifax Commander will hold other roles at the Atlantic Naval Headquarters in Canada until the investigation is completed,” the statement added.

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There was no explanation as to why Auchterloni had decided that the name of the commanding officer should be kept secret.

St. Croix recently gave interviews to the media, and the Royal Canadian Navy highlighted St. Croix’s leadership in media reports and public relations articles.

An April 5 article published on the National Defense website quoted St. Croix as saying he and the crew were grateful for the support they received for their NATO mission. “We have received a lot of encouragement from people and politicians to business leaders, everyone has told us that they are proud of what we do. It was very touching, “St. Croix was quoted as saying.

The removal of the commander of a warship, especially at sea, is considered a significant action.

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In January 2020, the Navy removed both the HMCS Calgary Commander and its Deputy Commander just months before the frigate took on a new mission in the Pacific. The commanding officer was removed due to problems the ship’s crew had in preparing for the upcoming deployment in the Asia-Pacific region.

The second commander was relieved of his duties after being found guilty of misconduct for turning off the smoke and heat detectors in the ship’s closet so that he could smoke. The deactivation of these safety systems occurred less than two weeks after a fire broke out in the engine room of HMCS Calgary.

No press release was initially issued for the removal of the officers, but details of the removal were leaked to the Times-Colonist in Victoria, which later announced the fleet’s decision.

The Royal Canadian Navy then named the two.

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