In case you haven’t been paying attention, Canada is building new ships for the navy. We hear about design, capabilities, timetables, numbers and especially costs. But we don’t hear a lot about crewing the new ships. Technology has already reduced the need for large crews in some cases. But, although technology to produce unmanned ships is advancing quickly, for now a ship still needs a crew. But what size of crew? Personnel represent a significant cost for a navy (and militaries in general), and thus reducing the crew size can lead to significant cost savings.
But reducing the number too far can have serious negative implications. Crew size is not the only matter to consider in a new ship, but it’s an important factor and it needs to be considered early in the ship build so that suitable accommodation can be factored in. Crewing new warships is an interesting topic, and one that doesn’t receive the public attention it deserves.
For a discussion of the considerations at play, take a look at the Naval Association of Canada Briefing Note on the topic, at https://www.navalassoc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/BN25-crewing-new-ships.pdf
4 thoughts on “Figuring out the Crews of New Naval Ships”
Max crew size for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) Type 26 Frigates is reported to be around 208 pers (including air crew). If the CSC design does not have a Close In Weapon System (CIWS) as recently depicted, the number of Naval Weapons Techs (NWTs) required on board may be reduced. The AAW version crew size for the CSC Frigate would possibly be slightly more than the CSC Type 26 ASW General Purpose (GP) version crew size. Crew size of the Halifax class is between 225-234 personnel. That would be a savings of roughly 26 personnel required for the CSC Type 26 Frigate. The Australian Hunter class Type 26 Frigates will have a crew size of 180 pers with a maximum of 208 as well. The British Type 26 GCS crew size has not yet been confirmed but should be around the same as both the CSC Type 26 & Hunter class.
All CSC’s will be the same, there may be a different mix of missile loadouts however there won’t be a ASW or AAW version. Furthermore the normal watches will be 1:4A which is set up to transit into 1:2A defence watches. For open ocean transits will be a straight 8’s watch rotation normally. Regardless of watches the question we should be asking is will we have have enough sailors to crew all 15 hulls, 6 AOPS, 12 MCDV and 4 Subs with personnel shortages on each coast.. The RCN has conducted studies to reduce core crew of its ships to allow the ship to safety sail dependent on the mission and are betting on automation to pair down core crews.
Hi Ted. Normally when any RCN ship leaves harbour (depending on the mission) it will be in either the 1 in 2 rotation or 1 in 4. If it is transiting to an exercise area, the 1 in 4 rotation might prevail until a day or two before the exercise area is reached and then the CO would switch to a 1 in 2 rotation for the crew. It all depends on the mission. One thing is for sure, the ship could not go anything less than 1 in 4 for straight transiting. Straight 8’s does not work for most departments on board. If the mission started as soon as the ship leaves port, then a 1 in 2 rotation would automatically prevail. We simply do not know yet what the load-outs will be for these 8000 ton monsters. Yes, all CSCs will be the same size however the weapons load-out will most likely differ for the first 3 CSC Frigates to make them AAW orientated with the other 12 GP Frigates (ASW) orientated. What we do know is that the ship may not have CIWS or Sea Ram amidships (either side)–(CAMM-CIAD fitted aft of the funnel) so NWTs will most likely be less than what the Halifax class have now. It will be interesting to see what the final ship’s company size will be for the CSC Frigate. It could be less than the 208 maximum crew level (below 200)-mission dependent. Let’s also not forget the Sea Training Staff (STS) or Command Staff requirements. If STS is aboard to test the ships crew, then the ship will always sail in the 1 in 2 rotation. The same for Command Staff which will increase crew load-out to max (208 levels). During hostilities (God forbid), the ship will always be in a 1 in 2 rotation except for Action Stations of course. What we do know is that the CSC crew size will be less than the present Halifax class, which will free up personnel to crew the AOPS. The MCDVs and Subs already have their crew requirements.
One of the main considerations determining the crew size for the CSC Type 26 Frigates will be the watch system. When the frigate becomes operational, the ship’s company will be divided in half (both Officers & ratings) and sail in what is called the “Second Degree Of Readiness”, meaning a Port & Starboard watch system (1 in 2 system-7 hrs on/5hrs off–5hrs on/7hrs off-24/7) for all departments on board depending on job description (s) for each position. For example, the Combat Department will need enough personnel for both watches to properly man Radars, Sonars, Electronic Warfare, Information and Communications equipment/weapons systems. Depending on the updated equipment for each CSC Type 26 frigate, will depend on how many personnel are required to maintain an effective watch. Not to mention the Engineering Dept, Combat Systems Engineering (CSE) Dept, Air Dept, Supply Dept, Administrative and Medical staff required as well. So, determining crew size is not an easy task and must be carefully considered. This is only one consideration when crewing the CSC Type 26 frigate. Others would depend on the mission at the time such as Action Stations (First Degree Of Readiness), Refueling At Sea (RAS stations), Rescue Stations, Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief (HA/DR) missions, support to Other Government Departments (OGD) etc.