Canada: A “Capable, Adaptive, Partner” at RIMPAC 2022

Photo By Chief Petty Officer Eric Chan | 220706-N-KK081-1229 PEARL HARBOR (July 6, 2022) - Royal Canadian Navy divers pose with the Canadian national flag during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, four submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Eric Chan)  

PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII, UNITED STATES

07.19.2022

Story by Capt. Jennifer Derenzis and Lt. Michelle Scott

Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet           

Part 4 – Clearance Divers share in salvage tasks with partner nations

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is playing a significant role in 2022’s iteration of the multi-nation Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), hosted by the commander of the United States Pacific Fleet and led by the commander of U.S. 3rd Fleet biennially. RIMPAC 2022, taking place June 29 to Aug. 4, has returned to a full-scale implementation of the world’s largest maritime exercise. It follows a scaled-back RIMPAC 2020 during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Canada’s contribution to RIMPAC 2022 is not only airborne, or on the sea. One must also explore below the surface where they’ll find the Canadian Clearance Diver team, augmented with Port Inspection Divers from both coasts. For the past few weeks, the team has been working with RIMPAC partner nations to support U.S. dive tasks and to share capabilities, tools and methods in order to become more effective in their underwater tasks.

Since early July, the team has conducted a number of underwater salvage projects including searching for sea plane parts from an American bomber plane used during the Second World War. Using a variety of methods including underwater handheld sonar, the Canadian divers have located several plane pieces that have been catalogued by archaeologists on site. In the coming weeks they will work to build on larger salvage projects with dive teams from Mexico, South Korea, Australia, the Netherlands, and the U.S.

For RCN Clearance Diver Master Sailor Mark Littler, the experience has been a training experience like no other.

“All of us do virtually the same jobs at home, using the same kit, but [we] have a multitude of different experiences. We work in different water types, temperatures, visibility conditions, and at the end of the day, share very similar responsibilities,” he said. “We’ve had a chance to trial the tools and platforms used by other teams and see how partner nations go about a tasking. We’re continually sharing our past experiences and building that camaraderie between the nations. RIMPAC is a great opportunity for all of us to learn from each other and bring home new skills and techniques to share with our units.”

Whether a frigate or a lone diver, the CAF’s contribution to RIMPAC 2022 is a thing of pride.

Twenty-six nations, 38 surface ships, four submarines, 30 un-crewed systems, approximately 170 aircraft and over 25,000 personnel, RIMPAC 2022 provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971.

Canada is one of only three nations to have participated in every RIMPAC since its inception. Once wrapped in a few weeks’ time, RIMPAC 2022 will be another one for the books.

• Date Taken: 07.19.2022
• Date Posted: 07.19.2022 22:53
• Story ID: 425328
• Location: PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII, US