The HMCS Margaret Brooke departs Halifax, Nova Scotia, for South America and Antarctica. ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY
For the first time, a Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) vessel will circumnavigate South America and visit Antarctica, as the HMCS Margaret Brooke marks the debut of Operation Projection 2025. The Harry DeWolf-class vessel left Halifax, Nova Scotia, on January 10, 2025, on the historic four-month mission.
The Margaret Brooke will visit numerous ports in South America and help build international relationships in cooperation with Global Affairs Canada. In Antarctica, the ship will support Canada’s Antarctic scientific research with scientists from government partners. The deployment will allow the Margaret Brooke crew to showcase the vessel’s design and demonstrate Arctic capabilities in the Antarctic.
“The crew of His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Margaret Brooke departs today on a ‘once in a career’ mission,” said Cmdr. Teri Share, commanding officer of the HMCS Margaret Brooke. “We will be leaving our families and friends to embark on an operation that will help to advance Antarctic research, enhance Canada’s commitment to international peace and security, and help establish and foster relationships with countries in the South American region.”
Operation Projection 2025 marks the first circumnavigation of South America by an RCN ship, and there is no record of an RCN ship previously visiting Antarctica, the news release said.
“Today, I welcome all to witness with us a historic moment as our Navy takes a step further south, into the Antarctic region,” said Rear Adm. Josée Kurtz, commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic and commander of the Joint Task Force Atlantic. “Upon their departure for Operation Projection 2025, our crew onboard His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Margaret Brooke embarks on a long and strenuous journey that will bring Canada’s forward presence and diplomacy to nations throughout the Central and South Americas. Having proven themselves the year prior as professional sailors capable of operating in a wide spectrum of challenging environments, I have no doubt that they will be successful on their new mission.”
The Margaret Brooke is an Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV). AOPV crews bring specialized expertise when operating in extreme climates and harsh conditions. The ship is named after Sub-Lt. Margaret Brooke, an RCN nurse recognized for her courageous actions during the sinking of the ferry SS Caribou, which was torpedoed by a German submarine in World War II.
Eighty-five crew members are aboard the HMCS Margaret Brooke for the Antarctic mission, and National Research Council scientists will join the ship in Punta Arenas, Chile, for a two-week tour south of the Antarctic circle, the website The Maritime Executive reported.
“The scientists will be doing some core sampling (of the ocean floor), some oceanography and some marine geology,” Commodore Jacob French, commander of the Canadian Atlantic Fleet, said, according to The Maritime Executive. “HMCS Margaret Brooke was deployed north of the Arctic circle this past summer. With this deployment south of the Antarctic circle, it will be the first Canadian warship to reach the northernmost and southernmost points of the Earth within the same year.”