The Royal Canadian Navy has taken delivery of its first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), as the ship completed a series of sea trials.
The future HMCS Harry DeWolf departed Irving Shipbuilding’s Halifax Shipyard on November 22, 2019, to start initial builder’s sea trails. The ship was delivered on July 31, after some eight months of testing.
At 103 meters and 6,615 tons, the future HMCS Harry DeWolf is the largest Royal Canadian Navy ship built in Canada in 50 years.
There are currently four AOPS under construction at Halifax Shipyard. The future HMCS Margaret Brooke was launched on November 10, 2019 and is currently pier side where work continues to prepare the ship for sea trials and handover to the Royal Canadian Navy late next year.
Inside Halifax Shipyard’s facilities, the Royal Canadian Navy’s third and fourth AOPS, the future HMCS Max Bernays and the future HMCS William Hall, are under construction. The first two major sections of the future HMCS Max Bernays are scheduled to be moved outside in spring 2020.
Over the next few decades, Halifax Shipyard will build six AOPS for the Royal Canadian Navy, two AOPS for the Canadian Coast Guard, and 15 Canadian Surface Combatants for the Royal Canadian Navy, as part of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).
