Canadian Navy submarine crew members — Petty Officer 2nd Class Naomi Mihalcheon (right) and Petty Officer 3rd Class Steve Holland — listen to a South Korean Navy crew member explain equipment aboard the submarine ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho (SS-III) during a South Korea-Canada combined cooperative exercise. [Yonhap]
Canadian Navy submarine crew members — Petty Officer 2nd Class Naomi Mihalcheon (right) and Petty Officer 3rd Class Steve Holland — listen to a South Korean Navy crew member explain equipment aboard the submarine ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho (SS-III) during a South Korea-Canada combined cooperative exercise. [Yonhap]

The South Korean Navy submarine ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, built by Hanwha Ocean — which is eyeing a contract for Canada's submarine acquisition program — has completed joint exercises with the Canadian Navy off Canada's west coast.

According to the Navy, the two countries conducted a combined cooperative exercise in western Canadian waters June 3-4 local time.

South Korea deployed the submarine Dosan Ahn Chang-ho (SS-III, 3,000-ton class), the frigate ROKS Daejeon (FFG, 3,100-ton class) and AW-159 maritime operation helicopters. Canada contributed the submarine HMCS Corner Brook (SS, 2,200-ton class), the frigate HMCS Ottawa (FFH, 4,000-ton class), Royal Canadian Air Force CH-148 maritime helicopters and CP-140 maritime patrol aircraft.

The two navies strengthened their combined operational capabilities through live maritime drills including anti-surface gunnery, anti-submarine warfare and helicopter deck landings and takeoffs, the Navy said.

Six Canadian Navy submarine crew members, including Lt. Benjamin Hong, embarked aboard the Dosan Ahn Chang-ho and trained alongside their South Korean counterparts. After the exercise, the six crew members are set to remain aboard the vessel and sail with the South Korean Navy to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, or RIMPAC — the world's largest maritime multinational exercise.

Col. Kim Ki-beom, commander of the 73rd Task Flotilla, which led the South Korean naval force, said the Navy would "continue to safeguard maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region on the basis of the solid cooperation between South Korea and Canada, and maintain a readiness posture capable of responding forcefully to any threat."

Canadian Navy submarine crew members who embarked aboard the South Korean Navy submarine ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho for the South Korea-Canada combined cooperative exercise pose for a group photo on deck with South Korean Navy crew members. [Yonhap]
Canadian Navy submarine crew members who embarked aboard the South Korean Navy submarine ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho for the South Korea-Canada combined cooperative exercise pose for a group photo on deck with South Korean Navy crew members. [Yonhap]

choijh@heraldcorp.com