The Royal Canadian Navy got its second Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), which is set to be christened as the future HMCS Margaret Brooke. The ship was launched on the 10th of November at the Halifax Shipyard.
The ship is the 2nd of 6 such AOPS ships scheduled to be inducted in the Royal Canadian Navy, which marks a major shift for the Canadian National Ship Building Strategy, in addition to the revamp of the combatant fleet for the Royal Canadian Navy.
The future HMCS Margaret Brooke is a 103 meter long ship, which has been moved from the land level facility of Halifax Shipyard to submersible barge, which released the ship into the Bedford Basin. It is now set pier side at the Halifax Shipyard, where the ship is being prepared for sea trials, before it is handed over to the Royal Canadian Navy by the end of 2020.
National Shipbuilding Strategy to Aid in Replacement of Ageing Fleet
The new ship will be joining the lead AOPS of Canada, the future HMCS Harry DeWolf, pier side at the Halifax Shipyard. The lead ship is currently at the final stages for construction, and is likely to go into initial sea trials by the builder through the end of November.
Kevin McCoy, the President for Irving Shipbuilding welcomed the development saying: “Congratulations to our more than 2,000 shipbuilders on today’s successful launch of the future HMCS Margaret Brooke. It is exciting to have two Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships in the water and closer to being in use by the Royal Canadian Navy’s sailors.”
The third and fourth AOPS for the Royal Canadian Navy, the future HMCS Max Bernay and the future HMCS William Hall are already under construction inside Halifax Shipyard facilities. Major sections of the 3rd ship are likely to move outside in early 2020.
The Canadian National Shipbuilding Strategy was developed to replace the existing, ageing surface fleets for the Royal Canadian Navy and Coast Guard. Over the coming decades, Halifax Shipyard is scheduled to build AOPS ships for the navy and the coast guard in addition to surface combatants.