HMCS Fredericton personnel and Cyclone ‘Stalker 22’ located

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HMCS Fredericton personnel and Cyclone ‘Stalker 22’ located

Catania

Sicily

Thursday, May 28, 2020 Department of National Defence Press Release Gadgets/Tech, Gear, Accidents, Press Release

A combined Canadian Armed Forces and United States Navy search and recovery team prepares equipment onboard EDT Hercules, prior to departing Souda Bay, Greece to search for the CAF personnel and aircraft lost while conducting maritime surveillance operations in the Ionian Sea. Cdr Robert Watt Photo

In the early morning of May 27, a combined Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and United States Navy (USN) search and recovery team arrived at the CH-148 Cyclone crash site, which is approximately 220 nautical miles east of Catania, Sicily.

The Remora III remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) then dove to a depth of 3,143 meters and quickly located a large piece of the fuselage. Remains of the fallen CAF personnel were also found in the vicinity of the wreckage.

Over the next hours and days, the recovery team will continue their search for both the fallen and additional pieces of the wreckage. They remain committed to staying on site for as long as necessary.

“This is encouraging news. We do not leave our fallen behind, and recovering Stalker 22’s crew is of the utmost importance to all of us in the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence,” said LGen Mike Rouleau, commander, Canadian Joint Operations Command. “Retrieving the helicopter itself will also go a long way in helping us to understand what occurred on April 29. I commend the combined CAF-US Navy search team for their professionalism and singular devotion to this task, and my thoughts remain with the loved ones of our fallen comrades.”

This information was shared with the families of the fallen in advance of public release, as part of the ongoing commitment to support them. A media availability will also be organized in the coming days to provide additional information on the operation.

Six members of the CAF were killed on April 29 when a Royal Canadian Air Force CH-148 Cyclone helicopter crashed while conducting maritime surveillance operations. The helicopter was deployed with HMCS Fredericton under Operation Reassurance as part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2).

On May 25, EDT Hercules departed Souda Bay, Greece with a CAF-USN team to commence the at-sea search and recovery operation.

Investigations into this accident continue with a view to identify effective preventive measures that will either prevent or reduce the risk of similar occurrences in the future. There is currently no additional information available on the cause of the crash.