As part of “Operation Lancaster,” the largest naval operation in the Northwest Passage in a generation, soldiers from the Quebec-based Van Doo regiment were to be deployed from the frigate HMCS Montreal.
They were to set up an observation post on the Borden Peninsula on the south shore of the eastern gate of the passage.
However, getting the soldiers onto a small Zodiac by dangling them from a rope ladder over the side of the ship took hours longer than scheduled.
As well, heavy surf swamped the small boat when it landed on a steep, rocky coastline.
The soldiers were forced to bail out with their helmets and stand waist- and chest-deep in the freezing water to push the craft back out to sea and cut loose ropes that had become entangled in the propeller.
“It was very, very cold,” recalled Capt. Jonathan Hubble.
After climbing up a 20-metre headwall, the soldiers then were forced to set up their post kilometres from where they had planned.
They were moved to the original post by Twin Otter, but the plane’s landing gear got stuck nearly half a metre deep in unexpected mud.
The Twin Otter remains at the observation post and won’t be able to move for weeks until the ground freezes up.
A helicopter finally picked up the soldiers from the peninsula.
What's This Aboot, Eh?
I like our Canadian allies. I really do. Therefore, I link to this story about the difficulties they had during a recent exercise designed to demonstrate their ability to operate in their Arctic regions without comment, and only this brief excerpt:
