Article Printed... thought you might enjoy.

Canadian warship sets sail for Persian Gulf Rob Shaw, CanWest News Service; Victoria Times Colonist Published: Monday, September 11, 2006 VICTORIA - The first Canadian warship to patrol the Middle East in about a year left the West Coast port of Esquimalt, B.C., Sunday and is expected to join with United States naval strike groups in early November. The HMCS Ottawa and its crew of 225 officers and sailors will continue Canada's campaign against terrorism in the Persian Gulf, called Operation ALTAIR. It is the third ship to deploy since 2004. The last, HMCS Winnipeg, returned to Esquimalt last September. ''Every bit of time we are out there is making a difference,'' said Rear Admiral Roger Girouard, Commander Maritime Forces Pacific. ''Right now it is about working towards stability. There are nasty things going on in the world out there ... And the difference it makes is that we send signals that say we're concerned, we're ready to do things that might arise, and we're on the world scene ready to pay our dues as a global player.'' Girouard called the HMCS Ottawa's six-month tour of duty a ''comparatively routine'' mission that could also see it work with the Indian navy and the European Union task force patrolling the unstable Persian Gulf region near combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. About 2,200 Canadian troops are deployed in Afghanistan and 32 army soldiers have been killed since 2002. ''We all sort of wear a bit of the sense of hurt the army's going through right now,'' said Girouard. Much of HMCS Ottawa's time will be spent sailing with a U.S. Navy expeditionary strike group led by the USS Boxer, a 36,000-tonne amphibious-assault ship that is one of the largest of its kind in the world and dwarfs the 4,700-tonne Canadian Halifax-class frigate. Still, the Canadian Navy's strength is in its ability to lead escorts, and to conduct maritime-security operations, surveillance and search missions, said HMCS Ottawa Cmdr. Darren Hawco. The frigate will also carry a Sea King helicopter which provides specialized airlift capabilities the Americans don't have, said Hawco. Before the Ottawa pulled out of CFB Esquimalt's harbour Sunday, families and friends of the sailors were given a chance to say goodbye. ''I'm actually pretty excited,'' said Able Seaman Steve Camorosi, a 27-year-old from Victoria. ''I'm not worried at all. Why be worried? If you are worried you wouldn't go. ''There are risks with it, and I was aware of the risks when I signed up.'' On-board the ship, Kristina Ducas watched as five-year-old Tyler and two-year-old Zackery wrapped their tiny arms tightly around father Marc Ducas's neck and squeezed a last hug. ''He's got to go,'' Kristina said simply. She also works for the navy and said the two boys will plot dad's progress on a map while he's away. Leading Seaman Clint Mack's seven-year-old daughter Zoea is never far from his thoughts - her name runs up his left forearm in a tattoo. He took pictures of his daughter, and two-year-old son Tyson, before boarding the ship. ''I'm a little anxious, a little sad, a bit of both,'' said the gunner and intelligence officer. ''I just told them I'm going away for a bit.'' The family of chief petty officer and ship coxswain Dennis McMillan stood on the dock and said they were proud he was serving his country. ''We're going to miss him badly, but we know he's on a mission that's important,'' said wife Jeanette, with sons Inar and Andrew. B.C. Lt.-Gov. Iona Campagnolo spoke to the sailors in a ceremony before the boat launched and said Canada was ''grateful to you beyond measure.'' ''The great freedoms and privileges that we all enjoy in this idyllic part of the world turn out to be not free after all, and demand a high price in responsibility in return,'' she said. ''On your return, we will be here to salute you for having carried the values we hold dear as a people into today's ominous world.'' Victoria Times Colonist © CanWest News Service 2006