Marine Recycling Corporation in Port Colborne Ont. has won the contract to dispose of the former HMCS Preserver and CFAV Quest. The contract is worth $12.6 million. The ships will be towed to Port Colborne to be scrapped.
Preserver was decomisioned earlier this year. CFAV Quest was mothballed in 2014.
Saturday brought the Arrival of 2 training ships. The First, The Italian Navy sail training vessel Amerigo Vespucci. Named after an Italian explorer the vessel is a full rigged three-masted steel hull 270.34 ft long, width of 15.5 m 51 ft. She has a draught of about seven metres (23 ft). She was built in 1930/31 and the design was inspired by the style of large late 18th century 74-cannon ships of the line. She is home-ported in La Spezia. I believe she was last in Halifax in 2000.
She will be open for tours at Pier 20 today 1600 – 1830 and 2030 to 2200, and tomorrow 1030-1200 and 1530-1700
The Second training Vessel is the TS State of Maine, which belongs to the Maine Maritime Academy. Built in 1990, she is the ex USNS Tanner (T-AGS-40) and was laid up following an engine room fire in 1993. In 1996 she began conversion to the training ship, and went on her first voyage in 1997. She is tied up at pier 23, and is not open to the public.
I had a question about the work taking place at Pier 9. McNally construction currently is building a new Quay to serve as a Home base for the new AOPS vessels under construction at Halifax Shipyards. The dredging work was completed over the winter, and they are now pouring the blocks that make of the Quay.
The blocks are individually slipformed on a semi-submersible barge, then floated off when complete, towed to their final location and sunk into position. the blocks are hollow, and will be filled with rock, and the whole area will then be backfilled, and paved over.
A completed block, tied up at Pier 9
A new block, just underway.
The whole process hasen’t changed much in close to 100 years – this is the same method used to construct the Ocean Terminals almost 100 years ago
One Final Note: Why is it a Quay?
Next weeks Council agenda contains an item for DND requesting a Flypast. March 10. For the paying off of HMCS Athabaskan. The good news, is that this paying off includes a Sailpast.
the Motion Reads:
That Halifax Regional Council grant permission for the Royal Canadian Air Force to conduct a low-level flyby, as low as 500 feet over the water, of two CH-124 Sea Kings as they escort HMCS ATHABASKAN during the final sail past on Friday, March 10, 2017 in conjunction with the paying off ceremony.
HMCS Toronto was handed back to the navy this morning – the 7th and final Ship to go through the FELEX program at Halifax Ship yards. HMCS Fredericton is the first FELEX’d ship to see overseas deployment, and is currently serving with Nato in Europe.
HMCS Halifax was the first ship to complete the Upgrades, Being handed back to the navy in January 2013.
Word is Iroquois will be towed to the scrapers this Thursday at 5pm. She will be towed to Liverpool NS and joins Protecteur and Algonquin already being scrapped there.
R.J. MacIsaac Ltd. has been awarded a 10.8 million dollar contract for the Disposal of HMCS Iroquois. The company is currently under contract to dismantle former HMCS Protecteur and Algonquin. Both those ships were towed to Brooklyn from Esquimalt, B.C.
Iroquois was decommissioned last Summer. The Scrapping contract is to be completed within 18months. There was some speculation that she may become a museum ship in Quebec, though that was thought to be in bad shape. Hopefully Athabaskan will be saved when she is finally decommissioned.
In an event that hasen’t happened since at least 2008, A non Submarine is occupying the dockyard synchrolift.
HMCS St Johns is undergoing pre-deployment maintenance, and the Graving dock at Halifax shipyard is currently unavailable. This also gives a chance to clearly see the below waterline goings ons. – model makers take note!
To begin Operation Cutlass Fury, the participating forces performed a sailpast as they put to sea. The 2 supply ships sailed earlier this morning, and the 2 submarines at Shearwater are due to depart this afternoon. I missed the Lead Ship, A CPF. She was followed by USS BULKELEY
USS GONZALEZ (Above) and (below) HMS MONMOUTH
The French FREMM class frigate (above)FS LANGEUDOC is one of the Newest warships, where as the Canadian Tribal HMCS Athabaskan (below) is literally the oldest.
Joining the parade, but not part of the Exercises are Maritime Coastal defense Vessels Goose Bay (above) and Summerside (below)
Bringing up the Rear was HMCS Windsor. Also Notable was the New Cyclone overflying with 2 seakings.
More NATO warships are due tomorrow.
USS Toledo ties up at shearwater, marking the first time we have had 2 foreign submarines in port at once.
ESPS Pantino the Spanish replenishment ship is back, and is joined by the French FREMM frigate FS LANGEUDOC.
The Americans are also sending USS Bulkeley and USS Gonzalez both of whom are Arleigh Burke-class destroyers
