Canadian Task Group News

By Capt. Four Canadian ships completed training with the George Washington Carrier Strike (GW CSG) Group Feb. 29 following the completion of their Task Group Exercise 02-08 while at sea off the coast of Florida. The destroyer HMCS Iroquois (DDG 280), frigates HMCS Ville de Quebec (FFH 332), HMCS St. John's (FFH 340), oil replenishment ship HMCS Preserver (AOR 510), and the submarine HMCS Corner Brook (SSK-878) trained cooperatively with USS George Washington (CVN 73), USS Farragut (DDG-99), USS Boone (FFG-28) and USS Kauffman (FFG-59). Two haze-gray ships, Farragut and Boone, slipped out of the Mayport, Fla., basin to join four others of a slightly different color.

Vice-Admiral Drew Robertson assumed command January 17 during a ceremony in Ottawa, replacing Vice-Admiral Bruce MacLean as chief of Maritime staff. The ceremony was presided over by General Rick Hillier, chief of Defense staff. Adm. Robertson has served in the Canadian Forces for 32 years in a variety of key positions, including command of the destroyers Annapolis and Athabaskan. He also led the first Canadian task group during its six-month Operation Apollo anti-terrorism deployment in 2001. Most recently, he was the director general of International Security Policy at National Defense Headquarters. (Source: www.theglobeandmail.com)