PCT Wolf is a Canadian Navy Orca Class training vessel. The craft are primarily used to facilitate the two-to-six-week long ‘at sea’ component of naval officer training in Esquimalt. the class contains 8 vessels, built between 2004 and 2008 at Victoria Shipyards.
A Non-commisioned vessel, they carry the PCT prefix, for Patrol Craft Training, though they are designed to carry heavier armament. The names in the class are all former Armed Yachts that served in the RCN in the Second World War.
WATCH Defence Minister Jason Kenney LIVE here at 1 pm ET
CBC News has learned that Defence Minister Jason Kenney will announce today a plan for Quebec’s Davie shipyard to retrofit a commercial cargo ship to serve as a temporary naval supply ship.
CBCNews.ca and CBC News Network will livestream his announcement at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa starting at 1 p.m. ET.
Davie shipyard is located in Levis, Que., the riding of Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney
The earlier than anticipated retirement of the Protecteur-class ships has resulted in an unexpected loss of both capacity and capability for the RCN during this transition to the future fleet. The Government of Canada will enter into discussions with Chantier Davie to see if arrangements can be made for an interim ship that provides a solution at a cost, time, and level of capability acceptable to Canada and the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).
The Government will enter into preliminary discussions with Chantier Davie Canada Inc. to determine if it can provide an interim supply ship at a cost, time, and level of capability acceptable to Canada and the Royal Canadian Navy. Should the Government of Canada decide to pursue a provision of service contract agreement, it would provide a required interim ship to bridge the gap until the first JSS is delivered.
The provision of service contract agreement would be for a commercial ship to be refitted for military use. An interim supply ship would provide a more modest capability and would not conduct full-spectrum military operations in high-threat environments.
The Full release:
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is in the midst of the most intensive and comprehensive period of fleet modernization and renewal in its peacetime history, touching upon all elements of the fleet.
This period of transition includes the modernization of its 12 Halifax-class frigates, the retirement of two Protecteur-class replenishment ships and two Iroquois-class destroyers and the procurement of three new classes of ships, including the Joint Support Ships (JSS), the Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships and the Canadian Surface Combatants, as well as the integration of new maritime helicopters into fleet service.
The earlier than anticipated retirement of the Protecteur-class ships has resulted in an unexpected loss of both capacity and capability for the RCN during this transition to the future fleet. The Government of Canada will enter into discussions with Chantier Davie to see if arrangements can be made for an interim ship that provides a solution at a cost, time, and level of capability acceptable to Canada and the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).
On September 19, 2014, Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, announced the retirement of the Navy’s legacy refueling fleet. HMCS Protecteur was an AOR ship based in Esquimalt, BC, and the lead ship of the Protecteur-class. Its sister ship, HMCS Preserver, was based in Halifax, NS.
HMCS Protecteur was retired after sustaining serious damage in a fire in February 2014. An extensive assessment concluded that the ship was damaged beyond economical repair. Considering the relatively short service life remaining for HMCS Protecteur, which was scheduled to be retired in 2017, the cost to re-instate the ship to full operational capability did not represent the best use of public funds.
HMCS Preserver was scheduled for retirement in 2016, but engineering surveys done in 2014 identified levels of corrosion that had degraded the structural integrity of the ship below acceptable limits. As a result, the cost to reinstate the ship to full operational capability also did not represent a responsible use of public funds.
These unexpected circumstances have resulted in the urgent need for Canada to obtain refuelling capacity in the short term to bridge the gap until the first Joint Support Ship is delivered.
The Joint Support Ship (JSS) project is designed to increase the range and endurance of the Canadian Armed Forces by enabling naval task groups to stay at sea for long periods without obtaining provisions from ashore. The Joint Support Ships will supply deployed Naval Task Groups with fuel, ammunition, spare parts, food and water. They will also provide an at-sea platform for maintenance and operation of helicopters, a limited sealift capability, and support to operations ashore.
As the selected shipyard for non-combat vessels, Vancouver Shipyards will be responsible for the construction of both Joint Support Ships at their shipyard in North Vancouver, British Columbia.
The two Queenston-class Joint Support Ships (JSS) will replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment vessels. The new ships will provide core replenishment, sealift capabilities, and support to operations ashore. The Queenston-class will be capable of operating across a full spectrum of threat environments.
The JSS are a critical component for achieving success in both international and domestic CAF missions. The ships constitute a vital and strategic national asset. The presence of replenishment ships increases the range and endurance of a Naval Task Group, permitting it to remain at sea for significant periods of time without going to shore for replenishment.
The Government will enter into preliminary discussions with Chantier Davie Canada Inc. to determine if it can provide an interim supply ship at a cost, time, and level of capability acceptable to Canada and the Royal Canadian Navy. Should the Government of Canada decide to pursue a provision of service contract agreement, it would provide a required interim ship to bridge the gap until the first JSS is delivered.
The provision of service contract agreement would be for a commercial ship to be refitted for military use. An interim supply ship would provide a more modest capability and would not conduct full-spectrum military operations in high-threat environments.
The Goverment Announced the first AOPS would be named Harry Dewolf. They have now announced the second will be Named HMCS Margaret Brooke.
Margaret Brooke was aboard the SS Caribou when it was torpedoed off the coast of Newfoundland on Oct. 13, 1942. Her Actions earned her the Order of the British Empire.
Brooke was born in Ardath, a village located approximately 70 kilometres southwest of Saskatoon.
She enlisted in the Second World War on March 9, 1942, as a “nursing sister/dietician.” She was eventually promoted to the rank of lieutenant-commander. She was a passenger on the SS Caribou Oct. 13, 1942, as it attempted to cross the Cabot Strait off the coast of Newfoundland.
The ship was hunted and torpedoed by the German submarine U-69, according to government records. It took only five minutes for the Caribou to sink.
After the war, Brooke returned to her studies at the University of Saskatchewan. She earned a doctorate in paleontology and went on to author several major research studies in her field. She Turned 100 this past Saturday, and was visited at her home in Victoria By Commodore Bob Auchterlonie, Commander Canadian Fleet Pacific, who delivered the news.
On today’s city council agenda is a request for approval for a low level flypast of HMCS Iroquois at her birth, as part of her paying off Ceremony.
The Ceremony is scheduled for 2 hours, starting at 1300 on May 1
Paying off a warship today is Synonymous with her decommissioning, however in the past, ships were commissioned for a voyage, and the crew hired piecemeal. On return to port, they were paid their wages for the trip, and thus the vessel was Paid Off.
In a technical briefing with media in Ottawa Friday morning, representatives from Public Works Government Services Canada, the Canadian Navy and Irving Shipbuilding provided an overview of the Arctic Offshore Patrol ship program including the ship’s design and capability, the number of ships to be built and the construction schedule.
The Shipyards contract with the government is for six ships. The build contract is valued at $2.3 billion. Should costs increase due to unforeseen factors, the contract will guarantee the delivery of five ships within the same ceiling price ($2.3 billion). Basically the contract is for 5, but if they come in at a good price, they will build 6.
Construction of the first sections of the vessels – known as initial blocks or production test modules – will begin in June. The shipyard will test its new infrastructure, environment and production processes, with these initial blocks. Cutting of steel for the first AOPS ship is on target for September 2015.
HMCS Toronto is due to return to Halifax, January 18, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.
She will be tying up at Jetty NB within HMC Dockyard
HMCS Fredericton deploys on Operation REASSURANCE, Canada’s contribution to NATO assurance measures in the Mediterranean Sea. Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 9:30 a.m. (AST)
CBC News is reporting the Navy has removed the Fire tug Firebird form service and declared her surplus. Dec 4 was the last day she operated. Built in 1978, she was slated to be replaced with new harbour tugs, though that contract has yet to be tendered.
The navy Cut Auxiliary vessels service back in February.
She will likely be renamed, and sold.
