Canada Ping!
Posted on 02/17/2015 8:52:40 PM PST by Squawk 8888
I was daydreaming in vivid colour, inspired by the excitement of the moment. The documents were signed and detailed ship specifications established so that the first class of ships to be delivered under the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy can commence construction at Irving Shipbuilding in the summer of 2015. As the government and industry speakers took the stage in the shipbuilder's yard, my mind was replaying scenes from the far north.
The high walls of the machine shed were the inhospitable cliffs of Baffin Island plunging vertically into the sea. The massive steel fabricating machines that will soon be shaping the hull plates of the navy's new Arctic patrol ship were icebergs that infest Baffin Bay. The white decor was pack ice that is constantly on the move in Canada's northern waterways. Hundreds of excited shipbuilders gathered to hear the announcement were heroic labourers that headed into Canada's North in the 1950s to build the Distant Early Warning System. In my mind, everything about the announcement was historic. Canada's ability to exert and protect its sovereignty will soon get a significant boost. Six big patrol ships, built for Canada's tough offshore and distant northern waters will be a leap in capability and capacity for the navy.
I was accompanied to the official announcement by a host of naval colleagues. We have all felt the reward of the Arctic experience. To the person, this new generation of leaders are passionate about serving their country on and under the waters of Canada's North.
The Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship will become part of their careers in just three short years. It will enable us to lead a whole new scale of operations at home and abroad. Its arrival will be unmistakable. Three giant hull modules will be rolled out of the modern fabrication hall on the shores of Halifax Harbour and welded into a ship that will soon thereafter be commissioned HMCS Harry DeWolf. At 6,000 tonnes, the ship will be significantly larger and more capable than the Kingston-class patrol ships. HMCS Harry DeWolf will have ample room for mission payloads, special teams, cargo, scientific equipment, helicopters, barges and boats. Importantly too, the ship will carry enough fuel to propel it a staggering 6,000 miles (9,600 kilometres) into and around Canada's expansive North.
Ever since HMCS Labrador, our first Arctic patrol ship, which contributed to opening the North in 1954, Canada's navy has wanted for another purpose built ship tuned to this demanding operating environment. Labrador's accomplishments during her short naval career were epic. She exerted a leadership role establishing Canadian sovereignty in the North, supported major construction projects, conducted scientific observations, explored the great archipelago, transited the Northwest Passage and engaged with Inuit communities.
Ever since her voyages, sailors of the Royal Canadian Navy have returned to the north in the various ships of the Fleet, pushing the utility and purpose of those hulls beyond original design intentions. We have sent diving expeditions, deployed deep submersibles, participated in joint military patrols and perfected plans to intervene in major crises, transportation accidents and natural disasters. Most recently, we contributed meaningfully to the discovery of Sir John Franklin's lost ship HMS Erebus, while developing our deployment competencies in waters rarely reached. Our patrol ships directly supported the Canadian Hydrographic Service and Department of Fisheries and Oceans as their members strived to exercise mandates in the vast reaches of Canadian jurisdiction. But each and every year, our ships meet the limit of their capability. Their freedom to patrol is constrained by fuel availability, drifting ice and payload limitations. Reluctantly our captains turn their ships south, having fallen short of our seasonal aspirations.
The Royal Canadian Navy will now be able to realise a future as a full partner in joint military operations in the North and in support of a host of other federal departments. There is much work to be done, relationships to be enhanced and plans to be upgraded considering the design qualities of such a capable ship. Increasing human activity, new security challenges, changes in the ice, enhanced access to natural resources and international shipping initiatives confirm that HMCS Harry DeWolf and the following Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships will enter service to our country at the opportune time. Their delivery will sharpen the focus of the main fleet on national defence and pave the way for the efficient recapitalization of our major warships through next steps in the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.
Canada Ping!
Build them quickly. The Russians are coming.
God forbid that ship should be armed! It is also rather blatantly white. Is that Politically Correct enough? Will the ship's painters be arrested?
The RCN tends not to publicize details on their armaments.
They have much to be modest about.
White is the stealth shade for use around icebergs (not shown). Of course within 10 years they’ll have to repaint to tropical hues due to global warming.
But it must be acknowledged that Canada's Ministry of Defense isn't headquartered in,or near,Ottawa...it's headquartered in Arlington.Virginia.
I’d argue that it’s headquartered in Colorado Springs, but point taken.
Just FYI...the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds (can't recall which) are gonna be attending an air show to be held in the spring at an Air Force Base near me.The Snowbirds are scheduled to be here as well.Don't know what the Snowbirds fly (F-18s perhaps?) but it should be a good show.This old Army guy certainly plans to be there.
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