This and That

A trip to the south shore of Nova Scotia turned up some items of interest.

At Brooklyn (Queen's County) on the eastern side of Liverpool Bay, the shipbreaking operation of R.J.MacIsaac is going full steam on demolition of the former HMCS Protecteur.

Crews have removed the entire superstructure, making it light enough to haul it at least partially up on to dry land. They are now gutting out the hull. It won't be long before there will be little left to see.

Meanwhile the two Tribal destroyers, former HMCS Iroquois and HMCS  Algonquin appear largely untouched - at least from the exterior. There is likely work going on inside stripping out wiring, plumbing and ductwork which has a relatively high value.

My post on January 30 showed the last Tribal in commission, HMCS Athabaskan. Not long after that post it was announced that the ship will be decommissioned March 10 following a sail past, complete with Sea King helicopter low altitude fly over.
Meanwhile Halifax Shipyard warns that there may be layoffs in 2019 after completion of the Arctic Offshore Patrol vessels and the start of the frigate replacement program. It is taking an inordinately long time to decide on a design and maintenance program for the ships. My prediction of when the RCN might have a destroyer with command capability to replace the Athabaskan may have been optimistic at ten to fifteen years.

Across Liverpool Bay, in Liverpool itself, it was a quiet day at the Mersey Seafoods Ltd wharf. The stern trawler Richmond Odyssey occupied its usual spot hard by the Bristol Avenue bridge.

The vessel was built in 1989 by Ferguson Industries Ltd in Pictou, NS for Richmond Fisheries (1983) Ltd of Petit-de-Grat, NS, but was laid up with sister vessels in Liverpool for many years when the cod moratorium was enacted. Mersey Seafoods gave it a major refit in the early 2000s and put it back to work for other groundfish.
In looking back in my files I found a photo of the ship nearing completion at Pictou in May 1989.

Nearly ready to launch Richmond Odyssey sits on the stocks with the bug Newfoundland dragger Northern Ranger Osprey in the background.

At the same time the CCGS Tracy was undergoing a refit. Built in 1968 by Port Weller Dry Dock in St.Catharines, ON, the buoy tender was usually seen on the St.Lawrence Seaway, so was well out of its freshwater domain in Pictou.

 
It was laid up in Prescott, ON in 2013 and has now been renamed 2016-03 and offered for sale by Crown Assets for a measly $250,000 minimum bid. Powered by a pair of 8 cylinder Fairbanks Morse 338 D8 -1/8 diesels driving two Canadian Westinghouse electric motors, it was a fine little ship in its time. It received a major rebuild in 2010, but this was not enough to extend its life very much.

Also in Liverpool this morning, the veteran dragger Bickerton Pride holds down the end of the pier. Also a product of Ferguson's in Pictou, it dates from 1965. Built originally for the Port Bickerton Cooperative it has been part of the Mersey Seafoods fleet for many years. Last fitted for the scallop fishery, it appears to have come to end of its productive life and seems destined for the torch.

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Weekend catch up

Yesterday's weather meant that today was a catch up day for several ships, and for Shipfax too.

The tanker Acadian made it into port last evening, and apparently has not resolved the engine problems it had last week. It tied up at pier 27, not at the Irving Oil Woodside terminal.

The Nirint Lines charter Atlantic Pioneer arrived after dark last evening and worked its nickel cargo all


 day today. It has called here with three different names, Atlantic Pioneer, Ongeo Pioneer and now Atlantic Pioneer. I have covered the ship before and the interesting connection one of the those names has with Halifax:

http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2011/03/federal-pioneer-fourth.html
http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2015/11/bumper-to-bumper-at-piers-27-and-28-and.html

The 9034 TEU container ship UASC Zamzam arrived this morning (it would normally have called on a Saturday) and sailed late this afternoon. It held the record for largest container ship to call in Halifax for a brief time this year, but was soon eclipsed by CMA CGM Tage at 9365 TEU - both running for the CMA CGM Columbus Loop service, with COSCO. Owners of UASC (United Arab Shipping Company) saw an opportunity to cash in and  sold the line to Hapag-Lloyd for $5.6 bn earlier this year. It is expected that OOCL will join this loop and UASC will exit early in the new year.

As UASC Zamzam was leaving, the Panama flag auto carrier Oregon Highway was arriving. It was due yesterday, but held off until today.The Panama flag ship, built in 2007 by Toyohashi Ship Building in Japan, measures 57,147 grt, but only 17,699 deadweight.

Meanwhile at anchor, with divers working, Energy Panther made its second call in Halifax in as many weeks. It appears to be in ballast.

There was also an exodus of offshore suppliers today, with Siem Hanne and Scotian Sea sailing.

I normally cover tug, supply and workboats in my Tugfax.

I also recognize that I have been neglecting the Royal Canadian Navy of late. That is not intentional.

I have not mentioned that HMCS Iroquois weill be scrapped in Liverpool. That is not news now, but it is a a sad end to plans that Sorel-Tracy had to use the ship to interpret their lengthy shipbuilding history. It is amazing to think that a ship that so recently been decommissioned was in such deplorable condition that it was not safe to use for public display.

I hope that HMCS Athabaskan is in better condition. It certainly still looked impressive, when it arrived and made a graceful turned around George's Island and put out to sea again last Monday.

I also failed to mention that HMCS Preserver paid off officially October 21. No mention has been made of where it will be scrapped, but there has been talk that some of its cargo transfer gear might be transplanted onto HMCS Queenston, the "interim" supply ship under conversion at Davie Quebec. It was also reported that the gear from HMCS Protecteur would be used, but I have heard no more on that topic. It seems to me however that any such equipment would be easier to relocate directly ship to ship.

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HMCS Iroquois - what a difference a year makes

It was just over eleven months ago that I took a picture of HMCS Iroquois from the harbour ferry Christopher Stannix. At that time the Tribal class destroyer was alongside at HMC Dockyard, with a shore feed of steam and some members of her crew removing ice from her deck.

Today (as she was last week, when I misidentified her originally) she is boomed off at November Bravo with no signs of life. Not only that her pennant number has been painted over and her aerials and weaponry are gone.

No announcement has been made about her disposal yet, but let's hope that when spring comes she is on her way to Sorel to be preserved.

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Weekend Roundup

Work continues seven days a week to prepare Canada 2014 for its service between Digby ands Saint John.

The ship's old name, Blue Star Ithaki has been burned off the bow and stern, at least on the shore side. Let's hope something at least as stylish and appropriate replaces the temporary name.

Please be seated. A trailer load of old seats - headed for the dump? or to be recovered?

Work has resumed on the Harefield's ice damaged rudder. There was no activity for a couple of weeks while new components were fabricated.

Fusion sailed on Friday as usual, but has been advertised for sale.
http://commercial.apolloduck.com/feature.phtml?id=410506
Work on replacement Nolhavna continues at pier 34. Perhaps this week will see Fusion's last call.

Iroquois at Jetty NB Sunday morning. The former HMCS Iroquois was paid off with great pomp and ceremony Friday.

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HMC Iroquois and Athabaskan (correction Algonquin) , the final indignity (almost)

It was announced that HMCS Athabaskan Algonquin* and Iroquois will be paid off May 1. Neither ship will be given a traditional sail past, nor the opportunity to fly a paying off pennant. Instead the ships will remain firmly moored to their piers. There will be a parade and some other ceremonies shoreside.

This is certainly an indignity and is not in the tradition of the RCN, and has offended not just traditionalists, but many who have served on the ships. Saying goodbye to a a ship that has served well is important. Once paid off the ship becomes an inanimate object awaiting its final indignity, which usually involves towing it away to a scrap yard. Before that happens however, sailors believe that, like the crew, the ship must be paid off properly, parading (in the form of a sail past) and saluting the Admiral and other worthy dignitaries.In taking the salute, the Admiral on behalf of the entire navy shows respect for the ship and its contribution.

HMCS Fraser flying a paying off pennant that extended well beyond the ship's stern, glides up and down Halifax harbour accompanied by a Sea King helicopter and the fireboat, had a proper paying off sail past October 5, 1994.

Her decks crowded with former crew and families, Nipigon pays off July 3, 1998.

It would be a shame if we were not to see this ceremony again in Halifax. Perhaps there is unwillingness to draw attention to the fact that we will have a destroyerless navy once Athabaskan  Algonquin* and Iroquois are gone.

Halifax has seen a lot of paying off ceremonies, all to few of which I was able to witness,  but I have seen most of the tow outs to scrappers, and I have assembled a Tugfax post on the tugs that were given that grim task. It will appear in a few days.

I stand corrected: It is Algonquin on the west coast that s being decommissioned - not Athabaskan. In fact that ship will be participating in Caribbean Ops, but is being kept going with cannibalized parts from Iroquois.

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HMCS Iroquois gives and gets an invitation

Although a paying off sail past is not in the cards for HMCS Iroquois - the government does not want to call undue notice the occasion of her decommissioning - there will be a dockside ceremony sometime this winter. Among the invited guests are members of La Corporation du site historique maritime de Sorel-Tracy. That group hopes to provide a new home for Iroquois once it is retired.

With the support of the city, and the promise of berth#2 on the Richelieu River, the group is looking to have the ship in place and open to the public in 2017 for the 375th anniversary of the founding of the town.
The ambitious plan would have as much as possible of the ship's naval equipment intact (but disarmed) so that visitors could see it in its ready state.

It would be a reminder of Sorel-Tracy's distinguished shipbuilding history- of which there is little evidence remaining. Marine Industries Ltd and is predecessors Chantier Manseau (1926-1938), the Canadian Government Shipyard (1900-1935) and others such as Le Claire Shipbuilding Co (later called Transportation + Shipping Co Ltd), Sorel Shipbuilding, and H.H.Shepherd+Sons built hundreds of ships over the years. Many of the ships were built as part of wartime emergency building programs, and so a naval vessel seems an appropraite artefact.

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HMCS Iroquois - non event

Rumours that HMCS Iroquois would be paid off today proved to be just that. The word went out a few weeks ago when the government announced that the ship's career would be coming to an end due to hull corrosion.

No sail past event took place today, and no one is committing to a date. Such an important event is usually well publicized, certainly for a ship that has such a distinguished career. A paying off ceremony usually includes a sail past at HMC Dockyard, for a formal salute, and the ship is dressed and flies a paying off pennant.
The pennant, by Royal Navy tradition, is the length of the ship plus one foot per year of service.
By my strictly unofficial calculation, that would make a pennant of 426 ft plus 42 ft (if the date of the ship's first commission is used) = 468 feet.   
Although I do not know if the RCN has ever done this, some navies have used balloons to fly the long pennant.

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Naval Exodus

Three RCN ships sailed this morning.
First out was HMCS St.John's:

Followed by HMCS Iroquois:

And HMCS Preserver:

 

Bedford Basin helo ops

It was an unusual sight in Bedford Basin today to see three Canadian warships riding at anchor, all ready for helicopter operations. The safety nets around their helo decks were lowered, but I only saw one 'copter operating when I was there.

1. Left to right: Iroquois, St.John's, Charlottetown. Ville de Québec

2. Charlottetown Ville de Québec nets down and ready.

3. St.John's also ready.

4. Sea King casts its shadow on Iroquois on approach.

5. In position.

6. And down.

HMCS Iroquois and HMCS Athabaskan - back when

As orginally configured the four Tribals including HMCS Iroquis and HMCS Athabaskan had canted funnels, giving them a truly distinctive and even racier profile. Unfortunately it gave them a too distinctive radar and heat singnatures, and they received conventional funnels, similar to Halifax class during their TRUMP refits.
A recent posting on Boatnerd  (go to Information Search) had some photos of Athabaskan in refit at Seaway Marine & Industrial in St.Catharines (Port Weller). A huge tarped staging  had been built around her mast, but that has now been removed. It is still hoped that she will be completed in time to leave the Seaway before freeze up.

HMCS Iroquois - does life begin at 40

This year HMCS Iroquois is celebrating the 40th anniversary of her commissioning into the RCN July 29, 1972. Laid down at Marine Industries Ltd in Sorel, Qc on January 1, 1969 and launched November 28, 1970, she is the lead ship of the Tribal class destroyers. [Sister Athabaskan was laid down June 1, 1969, launched November 27, 1970, but was commissioned later on September 30, 1972. She is now in refit at St. Catharines, ON.] Both received extensive upgrades in 1994-95.
Despite her years, Iroquois continues to be a sleek and powerful vessel. I missed getting a photo of her on a celebratory day trip last week - she slipped in and out too fast for me to catch. I was luckier this morning since she had to reduce speed to allow a tour boat to dock, so I caught up with her as she passed the Tall Ship Quay.
As Canada's oldest fighting ship, she certainly does the RCN proud.

A pair of good looking ships

1. Arcadia - modern ship, respecting tradition. Arriving this morning with Theodore Too providing a welcoming escort.

2. HMCS Iroquois idles for a PAX transfer this morning. Sleek and powerful.

3. Iroquois makes a fast getaway after refueling Monday, September 12.

My preference is for traditional looking ships. Today's arrival of Arcadia and HMCS Iroquois remind me that there are still some good looking ships around.

P&O Cruises (part of Carnival) operates the 2005 built Arcadia. It successfully combines some modern touches with traditional P&O features, and resists the current trend of extraneous painted motifs on the hull.

Of course HMCS Iroquois cannot be beat for determined good looks. Despite her great age, and many refits, the ship's hull has maintained a crisp appearance of speed, even when standing still. The ship's motto "Relentless in Chase" seems most fitting. See its web site at: www.navy.forces.gc.ca/iroquois

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