By Les Mader, 3 September 2023
As of 31 Aug 23, the Halifax Shipyard has delivered four Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) to the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The fifth RCN AOPS (Frédérick Rolette) is under construction, while the keel of the sixth RCN AOPS (Robert Hampton Gray) was laid on 21 Aug 23 and the first steel was cut for the seventh AOPS (for the Canadian Coast Guard) on 8 Aug 23.
These milestones indicate that the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) is bearing fruit and that the Halifax Shipyard has attained a high level of efficiency. These two facts offer hope of a bright future for the RCN.
I will be interested to see if the naysayers spin the above news into something to be denigrated.
6 thoughts on “Four Down! Something to Celebrate”
Hello Les. This is indeed good news for ISL, the RCN, the NSS Program, all Canadians and Canada! One question for you. Do we know how many and what ships of the Harry DeWolf OPV class are slated to be stationed in Esquimalt if any? Perhaps at least two or maybe even three? Cheers!
HMCS Max Bernays and HMCS Robert Hampton Gray will be homeported in Esquimalt.
Hi David,
I have not heard any final number for the Pacific Fleet’s AOPS contingent.
However, we have been told that Max Bernays will be posted to Esquimalt. I am going to guess at only two AOPS there in total, due to the easier access to the Canadian Arctic from the eastern (i.e. Halifax) side and the greater space available in Halifax Harbour.
Based solely on local connections to ship names, I am going to guess that the second Pacific AOPS will be Robert Hampton Gray. I cannot see William Hall or Frederick Rolette not being part of the Atlantic Fleet in normal times.
I could be desperately wrong on all of my guesses though.
Ubique.
Les
Thank you Les for that. Sounds about right for the numbers. 4 East & 2 West. Cheers!
Hello David,
As far as I am aware, HMCS Max Bernays and HMCS Robert Hampton Gray are going to be the West Coast stationed AOPS. Bernays is slated to transfer to the West sometime in the near future when the crews from the west are sufficiently trained up.
100%. Warts and all the NSS is producing ships and getting us closer to our JSS, the demise of the money pit Asterix and the first flight of 3 CSC.