[Canada]: Operation Hamlet

[Owen]

​

​

CLASSIFIED​

Date:	8th January 2014 - 12th January 2014
Location:	Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Atlantic Ocean
Status:	Completed

BELLIGERENTS​

Canada Royal Canadian Navy Royal Canadian Air Force Canadian Army France French Navy French Army

Argentina

COMMANDERS AND LEADERS​

Michaëlle Jean (Governor-General & Commander-in-Chief) Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister) Harjit Sajjan (Minister of National Defence) General Thomas J. Lawson (Chief of the Defence Staff) Lieutenant-General Karl D. McQuillan (Commander of Canada Command) Rear Admiral Craig Baines (Commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic) Emmanuel Macron (President & Commander-in-Chief) Florence Parly (Minister for the Armed Forces) General François Lecointre (Chief of the Defence Staff) Admiral Christophe Prazuck (Chief of Staff of the French Navy)

Ignacio Herraro (President & Commander-in-Chief) Unknown (Minister of Defence) Admiral Roberto Sobral (Commander of the Navy General Staff)

DEPLOYED FORCES​

Canadian Forces as apart of Operation Limpid: -> Joint Task Force Atlantic --> 14th Wing Greenwood ---> 405th Maritime Patrol Squadron (6x CP-140 Auroras each with 10x Mark 46 Mod V Torpedoes on wing stations, 8x Sonobuoys in internal bomb bay stations) ---> 415th Maritime Patrol Squadron (6x CP-140 Auroras each with 10x Mark 46 Mod V Torpedoes on wing stations, 8x Sonobuoys in internal bomb bay stations) --> First Canadian Patrol Squadron (Kingston-Class) ---> HMCS Kingston ---> HMCS Moncton ---> HMCS Brandon --> Third Canadian Patrol Squadron (Kingston-Class) ---> HMCS Summerside ---> HMCS Goose Bay ---> HMCS Glace Bay --> Fourth Canadian Patrol Squadron (Kingston-Class) ---> HMCS Gatineau ---> HMCS Saguenay ---> HMCS Shawinigan Canadian Forces as apart of Operation Hamlet: -> Maritime Command --> First Canadian Destroyer Squadron (Iroquois-Class) ---> HMCS Iroquois (32x SM-2MR Block IIIA Surface-to-Air Missiles, 6x Mark 48 Torpedoes) ---> HMCS Athabaskan (32x SM-2MR Block IIIA Surface-to-Air Missiles, 6x Mark 48 Torpedoes) --> First Canadian Submarine Squadron (Victoria-Class) ---> HMCS Victoria (18x Mark 48 Torpedoes) ---> HMCS Windsor (18x Mark 48 Torpedoes) ---> HMCS Miramichi (18x Mark 48 Torpedoes) ---> HMCS Comox (18x Mark 48 Torpedoes) -> Air Command --> Fighter Group ---> 6th Wing Chatham ----> 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron (25x CF-18 Hornets each with 3x AIM-9 Sidewinders, 3x AIM-120 AMRAAMs and 3x AGM-65 Mavericks on Standby) ----> 434th Tactical Fighter Squadron (25x CF-18 Hornets each with 3x AIM-9 Sidewinders, 3x AIM-120 AMRAAMs and 3x AGM-65 Mavericks on Standby) -> Land Force Command --> 1st Canadian Division ---> 5th Canadian Mechanised Brigade Group ----> 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment (1,000x Regular Personnel) French Armed Forces in Saint Pierre and Miquelon: -> 2x FREMM-class Frigates -> 2x NH-90 Helicopters -> 500x Army Personnel

Unknown

CASUALTIES AND LOSSES​

None

None

France (@Sumit) and the United States (@John) would be given access to the Operations plans.

 

[Owen]

Specifications of armaments or numbers would remain classified, but the mission of deploying the Surface Vessels and Army to Saint Pierre and Miquelon would be publicly released. Submarine deployments to the Atlantic would remain classified. Air deployments and readiness would remain classified.

The Operation would be underway. The forces as apart of Operation Limpid would already be deployed but would be concerned about the efforts of Operation Hamlet and would give special attention to detecting Argentine ships and aircraft and defending Saint Pierre and Miquelon. The First, Second and Fourth Canadian Patrol Squadrons would be out in the waters around Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence respectively (FN, GN and GO). They would conduct their regular patrols as apart of Operation Limpid but would be looking closer at the waters around Saint Pierre and Miquelon (GN second square from the left, three down). The 12 CP-140 Aurora Maritime Patrol aircraft would be stationed at CFB Greenwood (FN) in Western Nova Scotia as apart of Operation Limpid, however in conjunction with Operation Hamlet all 12 would be deployed with the full listed complement to patrol the waters off Atlantic Canada. They would rotate between the two Squadrons, 6 would be deployed and patrol the Atlantic Ocean near Canada and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (FN, GN and GO) at one time and would rotate with the other 6 so they take turns at refuelling and re-complementing the crew and to give the crews enough rest. They would do this regularly each time they began running low on fuel.

The Forces which would be deployed as apart of Operation Hamlet would be mainly the Navy vessels. Almost all of Maritime Forces Atlantic would be deployed to the Atlantic Ocean. HMCS Iroquois and HMCS Athabaskan would be deployed with the full listed complement to Saint Pierre and Miquelon (GN second square from the left, three down) from CFB Halifax (FN -> GN) and would patrol the islands along with the French Navy's FREMM-class Frigates. The 4 Submarines, HMCS Victoria, HMCS Windsor, HMCS Miramichi and HMCS Comox would also be deployed with the full listed complement to the outer areas of Canada's Atlantic EEZ from CFB Halifax (FN -> bottom right of FN and FN -> GN) to patrol any incoming Argentine Navy ships. They would be spread out almost evenly and patrol the areas around them off the coast of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

At CFB Valcartier, the 1st Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment consisting of 1,000x Regular Personnel which was a French-speaking Canadian Army Battalion would begin gearing up to be deployed to Saint Pierre and Miquelon. 5x CC-130J Super Hercules of 436th Transport Squadron would be deployed from CFB Trenton to Quebec City-Jean Lesage International Airport where they would load up 100 of the troops on each aircraft, totalling 500. They would fly them to Saint-Pierre Airport (FN -> GN) and would make a return trip to take the other 500 before returning back to CFB Trenton. Once that was done, 2 of them would continue flying back and forth between CFB Trenton and Saint-Pierre Airport to deliver tents and other equipment to set up a temporary base for the soldiers at Saint-Pierre Airport, using an empty space of tarmac or grass. Once that was complete the aircraft would be stationed at CFB Gander in Newfoundland where they would deliver food supplies to the troops on Saint-Pierre as needed.

At CFB Chatham, the 50x CF-18 Hornets would be all armed and ready to fly at a moments notice. The pilots would be in their flight suits ready to put on helmets and go at the sound of the alarms. In the mean time the pilots would be asked to maintain strict confidentiality of their readiness state. They would do recreational things in the mean time when they are not called to the air.

HMCS Iroquois off the coast of Saint Pierre and Miquelon
​

The Army soldiers on board the aircraft, who were all Quebeckers and while they were proud to be Quebeckers they would be proud of their French heritage and who were fluent in French would begin belting out the La Marseillaise as they flew across the Gulf of Saint Lawrence towards Saint Pierre.

 

[Owen]

This part of the operation would be entirely secret and confidential.

The Canadian Government would be taking no chances with its determination to defend Australia and New Zealand from not allowing France's South Pacific territories to fall and would decide the best option was to deploy the Maritime Forces Pacific to New Caledonia. The sailors would be asked to keep this confidential and secret as the ships were prepared to be loaded and sail out at the break of dawn. Maritime Forces Pacific would be almost fully deployed:

-> HMCS Huron (Iroquois-Class Destroyer)
--> 32x SM-2MR Block IIIA Surface-to-Air Missiles, 6x Mark 48 Torpedoes
-> HMCS Algonquin (Iroquois-Class Destroyer)
--> 32x SM-2MR Block IIIA Surface-to-Air Missiles, 6x Mark 48 Torpedoes
-> HMCS Corner Brook (Victoria-Class Submarine)
--> 18x Mark 48 Torpedoes
-> HMCS Chicoutimi (Victoria-Class Submarine)
--> 18x Mark 48 Torpedoes
-> HMCS Thunder Bay (Victoria-Class Submarine)
--> 18x Mark 48 Torpedoes
-> HMCS Gaspé (Victoria-Class Submarine)
--> 18x Mark 48 Torpedoes
-> HMCS Provider (Protecteur-Class Auxiliary Vessel)
--> 9330 tonnes of fuel oil and fresh water, 550 tonnes of food

They would travel CN -> BM -> AL -> RK -> RJ -> RI -> RH -> RG to New Caledonia from CFB Esquimalt in Victoria. The HMCS Provider replenishment ship would replenish the other ships as need be. This would be a long journey so the sailors would be settling in in the ships. They would gradually change from much warmer uniforms to more summer uniforms as they got closer to the equator.

HMCS Corner Brook on its way to the South Pacific.​

 

[Owen]

Canada would officially declare the operation over and all ships which were deployed would be sent back to port, publicly it was announced this was due to the fact that the French were not willing to negotiate when the ball was not in their court and the new evidence coming to light from Argentina that the French Government was in fact behind the attack on Alexandria. It would still remain a secret that Canada deployed its fleet to the Pacific. Canada would politely ask the Argentine Government to still avoid Saint Pierre and Miquelon as a sign of good will, but Canada is no longer willing to engage any Argentine Forces that do proceed to do that.

Operation concluded.