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Mine-seekers highlighted
By Christine van Reeuwyk
Esquimalt News
Jan 24 2007
The Canadian navy is so confident in its modern-day minesweeping capabilities that they put themselves to the test under the watchful eyes of media. A group of journalists skimmed over cold but calm seas near Sidney to tour three ships participating in a mine countermeasures exercise Friday. After the media scrum hiked itself up the side of HMCS Saskatoon, the commander of Marine Operations Group Four out of Esquimalt, Capt. Bill Truelove, outlined the operation that included about 160 sailors - most of them naval reservists. "I believe this is an important capability for our country," Truelove said. "Mines both at sea and on ground are becoming an increasing problem." The navy chose local waters for the exercise because of proximity to Esquimalt and topography of the ocean floor. Previous exercises have been held in Esquimalt (November 2005) and Nanoose Bay (July 2006). "It's great to be able to do this kind of training close to home," Truelove said. The scenario started well before the ships appeared off the doorsteps of Sidney beachfront. HMCS Whitehorse surveyed the seabed in the area a week prior to the exercise. Then they came back and looked for changes. In the meantime the fleet diving unit came in and placed an unknown number of non-explosive training mines, called mine shapes. Then the modern-day minesweeping began. "Our objective is to open a safe transportation route," Truelove said. Whitehorse and her crew came back and surveyed again, identifying differences, and objects of interest. The second leg of the tour included a trip over to HMCS Brandon, and the second phase of the operation. HMCS Brandon launched the Canadian-built Bottom Object Inspection Vehicle (BOIV). Petty Officer First Class Gerry Boivin explained that the BOIV is a remote vehicle that has both a colour and black and white video camera and sonar that feed back images of the ocean floor. The 10-year-old BOIV was in search of both bottom mines and moored mines and can search in depths of 300 metres. Where sonar showed shadows where items sat on the sandy seabed, the camera gave visual confirmation of the shape. "So far this week we've found only rocks," said Boivin, thus confirming the absence of mines.
During the media tour, one suspect shape turned out to be an abandoned old crab trap -easily mistaken for a mine, since they are roughly the same shape and size. Should they find a mine shape, the next phase of the operation shifted to the expert divers aboard HMCS Edmonton, which held the containerized dive system. Lt. Todd Dupuis, leading the mine countermeasures team, explained that the two compartments on the stern of the ship held the dive equipment and a recompression chamber for medical emergencies. The mine countermeasures team of the Fleet Dive Unit are all explosives experts and trained in mine detection and disposal. Clearance divers are currently being used for explosives disposal work in Afghanistan. Most often, Dupuis explained, a diver will detonate the mine, planting a pack of explosives on the mine then detonating the device when the diver is a safe distance away. In cases where infrastructure such as water pipes are located under the sea bed, he added, the diver will over-pressurize the mine to interrupt its internal workings then float the mine to the surface.
By Christine van Reeuwyk
Esquimalt News
Jan 24 2007
The Canadian navy is so confident in its modern-day minesweeping capabilities that they put themselves to the test under the watchful eyes of media. A group of journalists skimmed over cold but calm seas near Sidney to tour three ships participating in a mine countermeasures exercise Friday. After the media scrum hiked itself up the side of HMCS Saskatoon, the commander of Marine Operations Group Four out of Esquimalt, Capt. Bill Truelove, outlined the operation that included about 160 sailors - most of them naval reservists. "I believe this is an important capability for our country," Truelove said. "Mines both at sea and on ground are becoming an increasing problem." The navy chose local waters for the exercise because of proximity to Esquimalt and topography of the ocean floor. Previous exercises have been held in Esquimalt (November 2005) and Nanoose Bay (July 2006). "It's great to be able to do this kind of training close to home," Truelove said. The scenario started well before the ships appeared off the doorsteps of Sidney beachfront. HMCS Whitehorse surveyed the seabed in the area a week prior to the exercise. Then they came back and looked for changes. In the meantime the fleet diving unit came in and placed an unknown number of non-explosive training mines, called mine shapes. Then the modern-day minesweeping began. "Our objective is to open a safe transportation route," Truelove said. Whitehorse and her crew came back and surveyed again, identifying differences, and objects of interest. The second leg of the tour included a trip over to HMCS Brandon, and the second phase of the operation. HMCS Brandon launched the Canadian-built Bottom Object Inspection Vehicle (BOIV). Petty Officer First Class Gerry Boivin explained that the BOIV is a remote vehicle that has both a colour and black and white video camera and sonar that feed back images of the ocean floor. The 10-year-old BOIV was in search of both bottom mines and moored mines and can search in depths of 300 metres. Where sonar showed shadows where items sat on the sandy seabed, the camera gave visual confirmation of the shape. "So far this week we've found only rocks," said Boivin, thus confirming the absence of mines.
During the media tour, one suspect shape turned out to be an abandoned old crab trap -easily mistaken for a mine, since they are roughly the same shape and size. Should they find a mine shape, the next phase of the operation shifted to the expert divers aboard HMCS Edmonton, which held the containerized dive system. Lt. Todd Dupuis, leading the mine countermeasures team, explained that the two compartments on the stern of the ship held the dive equipment and a recompression chamber for medical emergencies. The mine countermeasures team of the Fleet Dive Unit are all explosives experts and trained in mine detection and disposal. Clearance divers are currently being used for explosives disposal work in Afghanistan. Most often, Dupuis explained, a diver will detonate the mine, planting a pack of explosives on the mine then detonating the device when the diver is a safe distance away. In cases where infrastructure such as water pipes are located under the sea bed, he added, the diver will over-pressurize the mine to interrupt its internal workings then float the mine to the surface.
