Warships, sailors, and Marines from the Netherlands, Mexico, and Canada were among those foreign navies playing an early and important role during multinational Hurricane Katrina rescue efforts in September. The Dutch Karel Doorman-class frigate Van Amstel, shown right anchored near the Mississippi coast, diverted from counter-drug operations off Aruba while the Mexican tank landing ship Papaloapan, along with Canadian warships Athabaskan, Toronto, Ville De Quebec, and Canadian Coast Guard craft Sir William Alexander moved quickly into position to aid those hardest hit by the hurricane. Medical personnel from the Van Amstel were dispatched to the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD-5) and shuttled ashore to tend to those injured during the storm. Dutch, Mexican, and Canadian naval forces also assisted with the distribution of food, water, and supplies throughout the initial stages of the hurricane relief efforts.
Chile's navy, long seeking to improve its capabilities, has inked a deal with the United Kingdom to purchase three Type 23 multipurpose frigates. The frigates, whose withdrawal from Royal Navy service was announced as a result of naval cutbacks in 2004, are the HMS Norfolk, HMS Marlborough, and HMS Grafton (shown right). The ships are expected to replace the former British County-class destroyers and other aging warships in Chilean service. HMS Norfolk is expected to transfer during 2006, Marlborough in 2007, and Grafton by 2008. The trio will join four retired Dutch frigates that will enter service during the same time period. Chile's naval buildup also includes submarines. The two new Scorpene-class boats, O'Higgins and Carrera, are nearly ready for service. O'Higgins, the first of the class, was delivered on 8 September 2005 and is expected to enter service later this year. Carrera should begin sea trials in the near future.
During August 2005, 35 ships from 15 nations took part in the PANAMAX 2005 multinational training exercise aimed at protecting approaches to the Panama Canal in the event of a Panamanian government request for military assistance. This is the third year of the exercise and each year the number of active navies and warships continues to increase as does the number of personnel taking part, growing from 700 in 2003 to 4,000 this year. Participant nations included Panama, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Peru, and the United States. Additionally, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, France, Mexico, and Uruguay sent observers to monitor the exercises. The Chilean frigate Almirante Williams is shown right leading a formation off the coast of Panama during the exercise.