HMCS Halifax Spotted in the Approaches on trials Post FELEX refit.
HMCS Halifax Out on Trials post FELEX
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Category Archives: Navy
RCN & USN Joint Task Group Exercise
Four of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships from the Atlantic Fleet will be participating in a joint international exercise with the United States Navy from November 19 to December 14, off the East Coasts of Canada and United States called Task Group Exercise 6-12.
Royal Canadian Navy will work with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to combine the Task Group Exercise with the NORAD Air Defence Exercise Amalgam Dart to further enhance interoperability and effectiveness between the Royal Canadian Navy and NORAD. The high tempo training will provide valuable experience to our sailors in a wide range of at-sea evolutions, to include navigation and seamanship, helicopter operations, and warfare exercises. Furthermore, Amalgam Dart will provide an excellent opportunity to train in ship-to-air and air-to-air defence.
Units participating in Task Group Exercise 6-12 and Amalgam Dart are Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships Iroquois, Preserver, Ville de Quebec and St. John’s. The ships will be joined by Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft and personnel from 12 Wing Shearwater, 14 Wing Greenwood, 17 Wing Winnipeg, 3 Wing Bagotville, and 22 Wing North Bay to include CH-124 Sea King helicopters, CF-18 fighters and a CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft.
Athabaskan in need of a tow
The Government of Canada Issued a tender on Merx to have HMCS Athabaskan towed back to Halifax. She departed in the March for Port Weller Dry Dock for a Maintinance period. It looks like the work will not be complete in time for the closing of the seaway Dec 30th, So the Government wants her towed back to Halifax.
From Merx:
Requirement:
To TOW Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Athabaskan from St.
Catharines, Ontario (Port Weller) to HMC Dockyard Halifax, Nova
Scotia in accordance with the provided Technical Statement of
Requirement dated October 30, 2012.
Specifications:
Vessel Displacement:
5000 Long Tons
Overall Length
426 feet 130 meters.
Breath
50 feet 15.25 meters.
Draft
17 feet 5.2 meters.
Destination:
The TOW is from St. Catharines, Ontario (Port Weller) to HMC
Dockyard Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Work Period:
The beginning of the towing period will be between December 1,
2012 and before the closure of the St-Lawrence Seaway 2012
navigational season.
The Navy, In the Rain, In the Basin
(Above)HMCS St Johns FFH340 (below) CFAV Sechelt YDT610
Fredericton and Montreal FELEX Update
HMCS Montreal in the graving dock:
Montreal Does not Appear to be getting the Extensions on the Back of the Hanger, which I belive are for LFSR Domes, Which are part of the Command and control fit on 2 of the Boats. (Halifax and Fredericton have them)
HMCS Fredricton being kitted out at the Machine Shop Wharf
HMCS Windsor On Trials – Camber Dive Test
HMCS Windsor coming off the dock for trials. This is her first time away from the dock, since she was taken off the synchro lift on April 11. She was Secured to both Sides, for a Camber Dive Test.
The completion of the camber diveis a a critical milestone in the submarine’s work period. A multitude of trials and confidence checks are conducted during the dive to verify the submarine’s watertight integrity and correct functioning of key escape systems.
Below – Blowing Ballast
(Below) Decks awash (Above) Stern Going Down
The crew will presumably be looking for leaks, as well as testing the boats ability to come back up.
HMCS Windsor will be the Second Submarine to become operational. HMCS Victoria is currently Operational, and recently participated in RimPAC 2012 and Joint US/Canada Task Group Exercise (TGEX). HMCS Cornerbrook was operational, but was damaged when she went aground. She is up next for refit. HMCS Chicoutimi is In Victoria, Heavily damaged by the fire on her delivery cruise. Work is underway to make her operational.
UPDATE 08/11: She returned to the dock this morning around 0800
HMCS Toronto – Fall Cruise
HMCS Toronto returning to the dockyard after excercising in the basin.
HMCS Kingston Route Survey
HMCS Kingston, Running in the Bedford Basin today. She appears to be running with the Route Survey package, with a towed sonar.
The Route Survey Package allows the ship to produce state of the art, high quality imagery of the ocean bottom with the use of multi-beam side scan sonar housed in a streamlined active body known as a towfish. This information is used for route mapping, detection and classification of mine-like objects and the optimization of ocean route planning.
Spy Case Resolved – Delisle pleads Guilty
It is being reported that Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Delisle entered a guilty plea to spy charges. I suspect a plea deal was made with the crown that will see Delisle serve jail time, and the crown can keep secret what he told the forign entity.
UPDATE: CTV News is reporting that Delisile was Paid $3000/month to supply information to the Russian Inteligence Service.
Welcome Home HMCS Charlottetown
HMCS Charlottetown Arrived back home sometime last night and tied up at Shearwater. today at 10am she made her return after 9 months to the dockyard.
One can imageine that a night spent at shearwater must have been like christmass eve for the crew.
Bravo Zulu, and welcome home!
HMCS Charlottetown was Initially deployed under Operation Metric,as part of the NATO-led Operation Active Endeavour (OAE) – the Mission of Libya. At the end of April 2012, the ship transited through the Suez Canal and joined Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150).Operation Artemis is the Canadian Forces’ participation in maritime security and counter-terrorism operations in the Arabian Sea region with CTF-150. HMCS Regina, replaced HMCS Charlottetown, to continue Canada’s commitment to Operation Artemis
Above- Firebird sprays a Salute.
Below – Crowds line the dock waiting for Charlottetown’s return
From the Press Release:
“HMCS Charlottetown deployment is a demonstration of our government’s commitment to working towards a more secure and stable world. Our contribution to maritime security and counter- terrorism operations plays a key role in the prosperity of our country,” said Minister MacKay. “Our Government is incredibly proud of the officers and crew of HMCS Charlottetown and thank the families and friends of all those returning today for sacrifices alongside their loved ones.”
“It is an amazing day. I am so proud of my ship’s company,” says Commander Wade Carter, the Commanding Officer of HMCS Charlottetown. “They have worked so hard for so long. And now, finally, to see them reunite with loved ones, is beyond words. I cannot describe how overjoyed I am for them… for me, when you include last fall, it needs to be understood that this crew has effectively been deployed for 10 of the last 12 months. An amazing effort. An effort that could not have been accomplished without the support of strong Navy families. I salute them all. It has been an absolute privilege to be their Captain.”
