Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessel

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KV Svalbard.jpg
Norwegian Coast Guard vessel NoCGV Svalbard, on which the class is modeled
Class overview
Name: Harry DeWolf class
Builders: Halifax Shipyards
Operators:  Royal Canadian Navy
Cost:
  • CAD$3.5 billion (design and build)
  • CAD$2.3 billion for construction only[1]
Building: 2
Planned: 5-6
General characteristics
Type: Patrol vessel
Displacement: 6,440 metric tonnes
Length: 103.6 m (340 ft)[2]
Beam: 19 m (62 ft)[2]
Installed power: Four 3.6 MW (4,800 hp) generators[3]
Propulsion: Diesel-electric; two shafts (2 × 4.5 MW (6,000 hp))[3]
Speed:
  • 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) (open water)[2]
  • 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) (icebreaking)
Range: 6,800 nautical miles (12,600 km)[2]
Boats & landing
craft carried:		 Two Multi-role rescue boats
Complement: 65
Sensors and
processing systems:		 AESA Radar, MESA 4D Radar, SATCOM (Link 16), Multichannel VHF/HF Radio, Anti-missile detect systems, Sonar, SAGEM Integrated Bridge Navigational System, and Damage/Machinery Control Systems
Armament:
  • 1 × BAE Mk 38 25 mm
  • 2 x M2 Browning machine gun
Aircraft carried:
Aviation facilities:

Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessel is a Government of Canada procurement project for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) that is part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy. The class was previously referred to as Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPS).

In July 2007 the federal government announced plans for acquiring 6-8 icebreaking vessels for the RCN.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

The vessels have been speculated to be modelled on the Norwegian Svalbard class and as of 2007 are projected to cost $3.5 billion CAD to construct with a total project procurement budgeted to cost $4.3 billion in order to cover maintenance over the 25-year lifespan of the vessels.[11]

Lead ship of the class was announced as HMCS Harry DeWolf in September 2014, and an additional four ships were named in January 2015. Construction of the ships Harry DeWolf and HMCS Margaret Brooke started in September 2015 at Halifax Shipyards. Both ships are expected to be delivered and entered service by Spring 2018. HMCS Max Bernays and HMCS William Hall will begin construction in September 2016, with a 2019 delivery date. HMCS Frédérick Rolette and the yet to be named sixth vessel, are planned to be in service by 2020.[12][13]

Both Harry DeWolf and Margaret Brooke, are planned to be retired from service and decommissioned by 2043.[11]

Project history

In 2006 Prime Minister Stephen Harper had spoken about building three to four icebreakers capable of travelling through thick ice in the Arctic Ocean.[14][15][16] In 2007 it was announced that the Canadian Forces would purchase six to eight patrol ships having an ice class of Polar Class 5, meaning that they were capable of limited ice breaking,[17] based on the Svalbard class.[11] This announcement was met with some controversy, and the proposed ships have been called "slush-breakers", by Dr. Gary Stern, a scientist aboard CCGS Amundsen, and Jack Layton of the NDP.[18][19] However, it is notable that of the nineteen Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers currently in service, only six have a polar class higher than PC 5.[20]

In 2010 the Arctic Patrol Ship Project was grouped with several other federal government ship procurement projects for the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard into the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS). The NSPS announced on 19 October 2011 that Irving Shipbuilding would be awarded the $25 billion contract for building six to eight Arctic patrol ships as well as fifteen other warships for the RCN over the next two decades.[21]

In April 2013, the Rideau Institute and the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives released a report on the proposed AOPS. The report was written by UBC Professor Michael Byers and Stewart Webb. The report's conclusion was that Canada would be better suited to have purpose built ships, namely icebreakers for the Arctic and offshore patrol vessels for the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.[22]

In May 2013, the CBC revealed that the projected cost of the design phase of the project was many times what other countries paid for similar ships based on the same Norwegian class for design, construction, and full-up operational deployment of multiple ships. Design is usually projected to consume 10-20% of the project cost. The projected design cost of the ship class is $288 million, versus an expert cost estimate that they should only cost $10–15 million to design. The Norwegians spent $100 million for the initial design and fielding of the first unit, NoCGV Svalbard. The Danish built two ships for $105 million, and the Irish did the same for $125 million.[23]

In September 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that the name of the first ship in the class would be Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Harry DeWolf, named in honour of wartime Canadian naval hero Harry DeWolf, and that the class would be named the Harry DeWolf class.[24]

In December 2014 it was found that not enough money had been projected to cover the cost of building the 6-8 planned ships and that the budget would need to be increased, delaying the signing of the contract.[25] However, in an effort to drive down costs, Irving Shipbuilding could only project building 5 ships with the option to build a sixth only if it came under budget. The budget for the project was increased from $3.1 billion to $3.5 billion to insure a cash buffer.[26]

On 13 April 2015 the government announced a second ship would be named Margaret Brooke in honour of Margaret Brooke. During the Second World War, Brooke, a navy nursing sister, was decorated for her actions during the sinking of the passenger ferry SS Caribou.[27] The third ship will we be named Max Bernays for Chief Petty Officer Max Bernays who served aboard HMCS Assiniboine during the Second World War and was decorated for his actions during the sinking of the German submarine U-210.[28] The fourth ship will be named for William Hall, a Victoria Cross (VC) winner from Nova Scotia who was the first black person to be awarded the VC for actions during the Siege of Lucknow.[29][30] The fifth ship will be named for Frédérick Rolette, a French-Canadian sailor of the Royal Navy who, during the War of 1812, commanded the ship Lady Prevost at the Battle of Lake Erie.[31]

On 18 June 2015 it was reported that the construction of test modules for the lead ship of the class Harry DeWolf was underway.[32] Full construction on the first ships then began on 1 September 2015.

Design

The vessels' design was initially intended to incorporate a conventional icebreaking bow for cruising, and would have proceeded backwards for breaking heavy ice. The vessels' stern would have been designed for ice breaking and they would have employed azimuth thrusters for propulsion and for chewing through resistant ice. However, due to cost constraints, a conventional bow-first design was chosen for both light and heavy icebreaking. The propulsion would be provided by diesel-electric twin shafts with bolt on propellers, similar to existing Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers.

The vessels will have a hangar and flight deck capable of employing and maintaining the same maritime helicopters as the RCN's other vessels; the CH-148 Cyclone when it enters service with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), as well as the CH-149 Cormorant.[10]

In 2008, a contract was awarded to BMT Fleet Technology and STX Canada Marine to assist in developing technical specifications and a design for the project. The technical specifications were to be used to draft a Request for Proposals. The government later awarded a design contract to BMT Fleet Technology and STX Canada Marine to develop the design of the vessel for issue to the selected NSPS proponent.

The ships will be built in three large mega blocks; centre, aft and bow. Each mega block will consist of 62 smaller building blocks. The first steel will be cut in September 2015.[2]

The ships are designed to displace 6,440 metric tons. They are capable of outfitting multiple payload options such as shipping containers, underwater survey equipment, or a landing craft. The vessels have a 20-tonne crane to self-load/unload, and a vehicle bay to carry vehicles for deployment over the ice. The design also calls for an enclosed cable deck and forecastle to better cope with the Arctic environment. On the open sea, the ship has fin stabilizers to reduce roll that are retractable during ice operations.[3]

Propulsion and power

The class is designed to be powered by two 4.5-megawatt (6,000 hp) main propulsion engines. The vessels of the class will also have four 3.6-megawatt (4,800 hp) generators.[3]

Armament

In August 2015, it was announced that BAE Systems had won the contract to provide up to six modified 25-milimetre Mk 38 cannon for the class. This contract also covers the service life of the weapons.[33]

Sensors

In September 2015, it was announced that the ships would be outfitted with SAGEM BlueNaute navigational systems.[34] On 7 October 2015, Thales IFF system was selected for use on the class.[35]

Ships in class

Harry DeWolf class
Ship Name Number Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Status
Harry DeWolf Irving Shipbuilding, Halifax, Nova Scotia 1 September 2015
Margaret Brooke
Max Bernays
William Hall
Frédérick Rolette
Robert Hampton Gray[36]

See also

References

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  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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