True North strong
Canada’s first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel meets water for the first time
The ship that will become Canada’s first Arctic and offshore patrol vessel met water for the first time Saturday, the first of up to six vessels of its kind being built by Halifax’s Irving Shipbuilding.
The future HMCS Harry DeWolf was towed to its launch site in the Bedford Basin on a submersible barge on Saturday, beginning an up to 24-hour long process where the barge is submerged and the vessel is taken back to the shipyard, where work will continue ahead of its delivery to the Royal Canadian Navy in summer 2019.
Even though it’s been launched, the ship has yet to be officially named in a naming ceremony — technically, its name is still “Irving Hull 103” — and staff still need to work to prepare the ship for upcoming trials.
Ken Hansen, a retired Navy commander and defence analyst, said the future HMCS Harry DeWolf will need to go through rigorous testing before the country can use it.
The ship, which will be named after former Vice-Admiral Harry George DeWolf, is the first of at least five Arctic and offshore patrol vessels tasked with patrolling Canadian waters, including the Arctic. The Navy says there is “an option for a sixth.”
Assembly is also underway at the Halifax shipyard for the future HMCS Margaret Brooke and Max Bernays.
Hansen said these ships — outfitted with a flight deck, rescue boats, and a remotecontrolled 25-mm gun — could aid in disaster or humanitarian response missions.
“They’re going to be very flexible, they’re going to have multiple roles, and I think, because they’re quite efficient to operate, they’re going to be busy,” he said.