The Great Lakes Deployment is the deployment of a Navy frigate and two maritime coastal defence vessels to selected ports along the St. Lawrence Seaway and Lake Ontario.

The 2011 deployment provides an opportunity for Canadians in cities along the way to tour Her Majesty's Canadian Ships Montréal, Shawinigan and Summerside and discover career opportunities available with the Canadian Forces.

Climb aboard one of the Canadian Forces'  ships to speak with sailors, ask questions and hear their heroic, heart-warming and inspiring stories from deployments around the world.

The three ships are staffed by impressive crews of highly trained personnel. The Canadian Forces has a wide range of careers available for the next generation of sailors, and offers paid education programs to help you do the job you've dreamed of.

Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Montréal is the seventh Halifax Class frigate and was
commissioned in 1994. The first ship with its name belonged to the French Navy in 1793, and
later versions fought in the War of 1812, conducted escort duties and mine-laying expeditions.

Today, the ship is equipped with state-of-the-art communications, sensors and weapons
technology to detect, track and engage all potential threats. The highly trained crew ensures
ultimate fighting performance and safety to carry out its missions.

With its tactical, defensive weapons and sonar, the ship has the ability to probe the depths of
the ocean to detect silent and lethal submarines. The ship’s radars provide long-range detection
and air surveillance, which can reach distances beyond the horizon. HMCS Montréal’s primary
weapons include torpedoes, long-range harpoon anti-ship missiles, a 57mm automatic gun and
Sea-Sparrow missiles.

Just recently, HMCS Montréal carried the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge from Montréal to
Québec City on their Canadian Royal Tour. The ship assisted in the humanitarian relief efforts for
Hurricane Igor in Newfoundland in 2010, as part of Operation Lama.

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HMCS Shawinigan was commissioned into the Canadian Forces on June 14, 1997, and is
Canada’s third Kingston Class maritime coastal defence vessel.

Shawinigan’s home port is CFB Halifax, where she undergoes operations such as mine
countermeasures, search and rescue and control of shipping. The ship also conducts
anti smuggling operations, resource protection, fisheries and environmental monitoring,
counter terrorism, disaster relief and scientific research.

Thirty-seven sailors operate the ship, which has versatile capabilities that enable it to do
mine sweeping and hunting, bottom object inspection, sonar scanning of the seabed and remote
operation vehicles.

The ship is 55 metres long, about half the size of an NFL football field, and can reach speeds of
15 knots (37 km/hr).

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HMCS Summerside is the 12th and final Kingston Class maritime coastal defence vessel,
designed for coastal surveillance measures to protect national sovereignty.

The crew, primarily made up of the Naval Reserve Force, helps the frigate HMCS Montréal carry
out her operational tasks like mine countermeasures, search and rescue and control of shipping.
HMCS Summerside’s other functions include anti-smuggling operations, resource protection,
fisheries and environmental monitoring, counter-terrorism, disaster relief and scientific research.

HMCS Summerside’s versatile deck capabilities allow it to adapt to a variety of equipment,
enabling it to do mine-sweeping and hunting, bottom object inspection, sonar scanning of the
seabed and remote operation vehicles.

The first ship to bear the name Summerside was a Flower Class corvette that served the Royal
Canadian Navy during World War II, assisting with Operation Neptune, the code name for the
Normandy Landings as part of D-Day (Operation Overlord).

Read more…

• Canadian Forces Recruiting

• The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces

• Royal Canadian Navy

• The Fleet

• Canada First Defence Strategy