Latest news with #MargaretBrooke
Canada Standard
13-05-2025
- Science
- Canada Standard
HMCS Margaret Brooke returns from historic Operation PROJECTION
May 9, 2025 - Ottawa, ON - National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces His Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Margaret Brooke has successfully completed Operation (Op) PROJECTION, marking the end of a historic deployment to the South American, Antarctic, and Caribbean regions. This mission, which began on January 10, 2025, was the first visit to Antarctica by a Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) vessel, supporting the first all-Canadian scientific research expedition to the region. During the deployment, HMCS Margaret Brooke built and enhanced international relationships, in cooperation with Global Affairs Canada, through multiple port visits and engagements with regional partners throughout South America and the Caribbean. In Antarctica, the ship supported Canadian scientists in conducting vital research, showcasing Canada's commitment to understanding this unique polar environment. The crew of HMCS Margaret Brooke demonstrated exceptional professionalism and dedication throughout Op PROJECTION. Their efforts have strengthened Canada's forward presence and diplomacy in the Central and South Americas, contributing to international peace and security. The climate change research conducted in the Antarctic region will benefit Canadians and the world by improving understanding of climate change impacts
Epoch Times
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
John Robson: There Are More Vital Uses for Our Navy Than Researching Climate Change in Antarctica
Commentary Since Canada's state propaganda machine churns out endless 'Minister concludes successful visit to Ruritania' press releases, it's easy to You might also be wondering what was so darn historic about Operation PROJECTION. And indeed what specifically was projected, since it pretty clearly wasn't force or the capacity to exert the same to help protect allies ourselves. After all According to DND, the trip was 'historic' because 'HMCS Margaret Brooke built and enhanced international relationships, in cooperation with Global Affairs Canada, through multiple port visits and engagements with regional partners throughout South America and the Caribbean.' Riiight. Built and enhanced. Regional partners. Rhetorical sludge. But wait. There's more. 'In Antarctica, the ship supported Canadian scientists in conducting vital research, showcasing Canada's commitment to understanding this unique polar environment.' Which again brings to mind Dwight Eisenhower's neglected warning against a government-science complex that accompanied his much-noted warning about a military-industrial one. Related Stories 5/6/2025 4/25/2025 We tend these days to think any nation worth its AI must have massive government support for research and development or we'll be run over by a fleet of international robots, on the apparent theory that entrepreneurs and researchers are sluggish dolts unless bureaucrats galvanize them. But they who pay the piper call the tune, so when the state takes over science, you get people studying what the government wants them to study and, even more troubling, finding what the government wants them to find. A Wikipedia I could go on and on, including about lack of personnel. But revenons á nos glaciers because given this environment, so to speak, you might expect the government to focus on protecting our coasts and sea lanes and working with allies on hard power capacity. Instead, politicians and bureaucrats send our dwindling resources to bolster their pseudo-scientific views on an 'existential crisis' involving limited, largely natural, warming, and ignore the menaces of China, Islamism, and cybercrime, all with an intolerable air of smugness. The news story trumpets, 'The Arctic and offshore patrol vessel was the navy's first ship to be north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle all within the same year.' Woot. Not quite storming Juno Beach or weathering the Blitz, but it will apparently have to do. And the skipper laid it on with, 'Not only were we able to do all this amazing work with science in the south, within Antarctica, but the relationships that we built with Latin American countries on the way south and north was just phenomenal.' Amazing!!! Phenomenal!!! Though if you polled Latin Americans on this historical historicism, I suspect they'd go 'Margaret Brooke? Quién es esa ?' As for the sediment cores collected in Antarctica, 'one of 15 federal government and university scientists aboard,' which with governments controlling university funding isn't really two separate categories, said: 'We hope to learn about the rate of glacier retreat related to climate change over the years and how that has evolved through time. So, has it been increasing over the last 10 years or the last 20 years?' Yeah? Let me tell you, buddy, the government didn't send you there to see whether, but to say yes. I'm glad you saw cute penguins. But I wish you'd seen the ugly state of our navy and government science. And said so. Now that would have been historic. Although admittedly you might well have been history. Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Vancouver Sun
10-05-2025
- Science
- Vancouver Sun
Royal Canadian Navy ship takes 'amazing' four month voyage to Antarctica and back
The Royal Canadian Navy returned to Halifax Friday from a deployment to Antarctica with tales of spotting exotic wildlife and samples that could lead to a greater understanding of climate change. HMCS Margaret Brooke's four-month voyage took the Arctic and offshore patrol ship to South America and beyond, logging close to 25,000 nautical miles, or 46,300 kilometres. 'It's been just such an amazing experience to visit an area of the world where less than one per cent of the world's population has visited,' said Cmdr. Teri Share, the skipper of Margaret Brooke. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The Arctic and offshore patrol vessel was the navy's first ship to be north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle all within the same year. 'Not only were we able to do all this amazing work with science in the south, within Antartica, but the relationships that we built with Latin American countries on the way south and north was just phenomenal,' Share said. 'It's in an area where the RCN hasn't been able to really operate in the last couple of decades. So, it's been amazing to be able to help build those relationships again.' The ship, crewed by 83 people, carried both sailors and scientists. 'We traveled to the South Shetland Islands and then along the Antarctic Peninsula collecting a lot of sea floor data and water column data to understand the effect of climate change on retreating glaciers,' said Alex Normandeau, a research scientist from Natural Resources Canada who made the trip with Margaret Brooke. He was one of 15 federal government and university scientists aboard. One of their tasks was to learn more about how glaciers are retreating. 'Some of the things we were looking at (are) where glaciers were positioned, for example, 50 or 100 years ago and how fast that retreat happened, and to do that we collect some sediment cores to go back in time,' Normandeau said. Scientists plan to start analyzing those samples at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography next week. 'When we open those cores and look at the different layers that we see in there, that's when we'll have a better story to tell about climate change,' said the marine geologist. 'We hope to learn about the rate of glacier retreat related to climate change over the years and how that has evolved through time. So, has it been increasing over the last 10 years or the last 20 years?' The crew spotted 'massive amounts of wildlife' during the voyage including three or four different types of penguins in Antarctica, said the ship's captain. 'One actually hopped in one of our small boats and ended up spending a little time in there,' Share said. 'They're everywhere down there; they're beautiful.' They also spotted several different types of whales, seals and sea birds. Percy the Penguin signing up for the Naval Experience Program aboard HMCS Margaret Brooke. Video courtesy of Chris Landry The Antarctic looks like Canada's Western Arctic, with mountains and glaciers, Share said. 'So, we felt like home almost at some points.' The trip aboard Margaret Brooke 'was the first large-scale expedition for science like this,' Normandeau said. 'This was really showing how we can work with the navy,' he said. 'It also shows that we can do that type of work in other environments, like the Arctic, in the future from these vessels.' Margaret Brooke steamed through half-metre thick ice in Antarctica. 'Now this crew can say we have some pretty significant experience doing ice breaking,' Share said. Her ship also navigated amongst icebergs. 'That's another check in the box for us.' It didn't take long for the sailors in uniform to get used to having scientists aboard in civvies, Share said. 'Within a couple of days, I think we were a well-oiled machine.' The deployment took Margaret Brooke first to the Caribbean, then South America, where federal government scientists came aboard in Punta Arenas, Chile, for the voyage south of the Antarctic Circle to the northern tip of Antarctica. During the scientific portion of the trip, 'we had every single small boat on the ship out … collecting samples,' Share said. 'We had uncrewed surface vessels. We had scientists ashore. We just did everything and anything to support them, and that's all things that we can help do in the north as well.' To reach Antarctica, they had to cross the notoriously rough Drake Passage, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands. The trip south 'was very calm seas,' Share said. The return trip wasn't so pleasant, with the Margaret Brooke battling six-metre waves as it headed back north. 'We ended up getting a bit of an experience on the way back home,' Share said. 'But … these ships are meant for the North Atlantic, they're meant for the Arctic, they're meant for our weather up here. So, it's nothing that we couldn't handle … Not too many people got sick.' The ship performed 'amazingly,' she said. 'We really didn't have any major technical difficulties that impacted our mission at all,' Share said. 'So, this definitely has proven that we are incredibly versatile with this platform to operate in a very warm climate in and around the equator for a little bit, and all the way down into polar regions and back up.' HMCS MARGARET BROOKE hoisting their battle ensign while entering Halifax after a historic deployment to Antarctica. The ship reached the farthest south a RCN ship has ever deployed, proving their versatility and value to the RCN and Canada. Bravo Zulu! Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
CBC
15-03-2025
- Science
- CBC
Antarctic security a concern for Canada, says top naval commander
Mapping Antarctica's ocean floor to reveal climate secrets 6 hours ago Duration 2:29 Social Sharing According to an international treaty, military vessels aren't allowed in Antarctica without a scientific objective. That's what the HMCS Margaret Brooke is currently doing in the southern polar region, supporting 15 Canadian climate scientists in their research. Partway through its Antarctic expedition, the Margaret Brooke was joined by the navy's top commander, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee. In an exclusive interview aboard the ship, Topshee spoke to the CBC's Susan Ormiston about why the Royal Canadian Navy would invest in this kind of mission, and why a scientific research expedition can serve to strengthen Canada's polar security. Q: What initiated this mission all the way to Antarctica? A: As I looked at what we were doing in the North, and in particular, what we were seeing our adversaries doing in the North, we realized that … we can see climate change in the North, we can see what China and Russia have been doing in and around the Canadian North, [and thinking] I wonder what's going on in the South Pole, and [can we] get the perspective and experience of the South American navies that are down here all the time. And so the genesis of this was, let's go get some hands-on experience. Let's have this deployment serve as a forcing function for us to get closer to the navies of South America that work in this polar region. Let's do some science, and see if we can figure out things that can help us better protect and defend our own North. Q: Do you think there's a security concern here in Antarctica, as there is in the Arctic? A: I definitely do. I am concerned that the whole agreement that we would not [militarize and mine Antarctica] … would, could change. And I don't think that's in our interest to allow that to change easily. Q: You said it was your goal to find out what China's doing. So what have you found out? A: So, I did not realize that the Russians had a base down here that was right beside the Chileans, and where exactly it was. And so, just by the simple fact of coming down here and appreciating how close all of these different operations are. And in the research in advance of coming down here, we realized that China is increasing their Antarctic footprint, and for us, what we really want to do is understand: is it the same type of scientific research that they're doing down here that we've seen them doing [in the North]? A lot of their research is dual-purpose, it obviously serves a military purpose as well as an economic and potentially a diplomatic purpose. So it's interesting to get a better sense of that. Q: How does knowing what China or Russia are doing in Antarctica affect Canadians? A: It's always easy, from a military point of view, to understand the capabilities of another nation in terms of the military. We can look at how many tanks they have, how many ships do they have, how many aircraft do they have. What's always harder to discern is intent. Countries will always say positive things … in fact, I've seen speeches by the Chinese defence minister that could have been given by our minister, because the language is the same. But the interpretation and meaning of the words can often be different. And so coming down here, seeing what they're doing, gives us a better understanding of their intent. WATCH | What Canada's Navy is doing in Antarctica: Canadian navy looks to South Pole for lessons about the North 2 days ago Duration 2:03 Q: What do you think their intent is? A: I don't know. I think Russia's made their intent pretty clear. So we've seen an increase in Russian capability in the Arctic. We've seen their illegal and unprovoked invasion in Ukraine. There's no doubt in my mind about Russia's intent. But I think China is something where there's some concerning indicators with how they've treated some of our aircraft when we've operated, some of the responses to our operations in the South China Sea. But on another level, I don't know that they're operating that differently from how we would operate if a Chinese task group came into Canadian waters. We would still go out with our ships and our aircraft to monitor what they were doing, just as they monitor what we do in their waters. Q: How would you compare the security and sovereignty concerns in the Arctic and Antarctica? A: The biggest difference is the Antarctic Treaty. So there's a whole idea that the countries of the world will co-operate and that there's no advantage to be gained by any country. Whereas the Arctic, really all of the areas are delineated already, [although] there's still some work to be done with some specific claims ... But I think the biggest difference is the fact that there is a competition already in the Arctic, we know that the resources in the Arctic can be challenged. And so what we need to do as Canada is continue to do what we've done, which is build the capacity to make sure we can understand everything that's happening in our Arctic and respond to make sure that our interests are protected. Q: You've talked about an understaffed Navy. You've talked about old ships with long lives and the lack of modern ships. How do you defend an expenditure like this, to come thousands of kilometres down south from Canada and explore this part of the world? A: Yeah, it's quite simple … we have seen the greatest increase in human prosperity since the Second World War because of peace that's been maintained at sea. Freedom of shipping around the world, and a desire to not have any choke points be stopped by different things. Whether it's piracy off the coast of Somalia, the actions of the Houthis in the Red Sea, and things like that. South American navies are a part of that solution as well. And so this ship, Margaret Brooke, is visiting just about every South American country on their way around, working with all of the key navies of the region to build partnerships and relationships. ... We have an interest in this region because if things are safe and secure here, it is to the benefit of everyone. And so I think this is a relatively small investment in the shared burden of continuing to make sure that the seas are free and open for all. Q: What about this collaboration with scientists? They're all down there on the quarterdeck, working away, hoping that they get another chance to do something like this, with a vessel like this and the support they've had. Will this kind of co-pro continue? A: I think this is the type of thing that would be worth doing every three to five years or so, to come down. You know, visit South America, visit Antarctica, to continue research. But honestly, we need to make sure that the … governments and organizations that these scientists come from … found value in this. And if Canada continues to think it's a worthwhile thing to do, then yeah, we should definitely do it again. … My feeling right now from having talked to the scientists and seeing the crew on board, and the knowledge that we've gained, I think it is worthwhile. WATCH | No one owns Antarctica. Could that change? No one owns Antarctica, but that agreement is showing cracks 7 days ago Duration 7:52 Antarctica has been governed by a treaty of nations since 1959, but with rising geopolitical tensions and a shifting world order, that governance system is under pressure. From aboard an unprecedented Canadian mission to the frozen continent, CBC's Susan Ormiston explains what's at stake and how countries are angling for more control. Q: I heard you talk about "this is a global navy." Some people wonder, how can we be a global navy? We're too small. China's making ships, they're the largest navy, ship-wise, in the world now. A: Well, I'd love to have shipyards like China has. In fact … [South] Korea's yards would be fantastic. So we're building the fleet that we need right now, with the commitment from the government — the 15 river-class destroyers, the potential acquisition of 12 … submarines. We've got six ships in this class, we've got two tankers coming as well. So we are building the fleet that we require. ... So yeah, we might be a small navy, but we really have got global reach. In fact, HMCS Montreal last year did a round-the-world circumnavigation as part of its Indo-Pacific deployment. A: My preference is that we avoid election promises around defence, because those tend to be negative promises. But no, I think no matter what government is elected, there's a pretty clear commitment by Canada that we need to spend more on defence and security, because the world is a dangerous place, and the oceans around Canada only protect [us] with a powerful navy.
