Princess Anne helps commission ship in B.C.

VANCOUVER The first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel for Canada's Pacific fleet was officially commissioned in a ceremony featuring Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles.

Princess Anne attended the event Friday in North Vancouver in her role as commodore-in-chief for the Canadian Fleet Pacific.

The Department of National Defence says the patrol vessel, HMCS Max Bernays, arrived in its new home port in Esquimalt last month, calling it a “pivotal milestone” in the expansion of the fleet.

It says the introduction of the ship, named after a Canadian naval hero during the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic, will allow the navy to better meet future defence challenges in the North.

The HMCS Max Bernays was built by Irving Shipbuilding Inc. and launched in Atlantic waters on Oct. 23, 2021.

It is the first ship in the Harry Dewolf-class attached to the Pacific Fleet, although the HMCS Robert Hampton Gray is expected to become the second such vessel to make the transfer between coasts, the Defence Department said in a statement issued last month.

The princess's itinerary in B.C. includes a visit to the archives and collections space of the Maritime Museum of British Columbia in Victoria, which was founded with an initial donation by the princess's late father, Prince Philip.

She is scheduled to attend a commemorative service marking the Battle of the Atlantic at the British Columbia legislature and lay a wreath, as well as visit the Military Family Resource Centre.

Princess Anne is also slated to meet with Janet Austin, B.C.'S lieutenant-governor, and various community leaders from the province.