Cranes and Flags - no coincidence

 The first Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessel AOPV 430, the future HMCS Harry DeWolf was tied up this evening at is berth at HMCS Dockyard, with a backdrop of construction cranes on the Halifax skyline.

Construction cranes are one sign of the fast growing Halifax economy, due for the most part to the Halifax Shipyard contract to build the six plus two AOP ships. Thousands of well paid shipyard jobs and countless spin offs - such as construction of the very pier where the ship is tied up, have fueled a massive uptick in activity of all sorts. 

The future frigate program added on top makes for a thirty year or more steady infusion of money into the city and region. Coupled with a COVID induced real estate boom (houses selling sight unseen for premiums over asking price in bidding wars) Halifax looks to be a boom town for some time to come.

Harry DeWolf was delivered to the RCN in July 2020 and has undergone all sorts of post acceptance trials including cold weather and refueling at sea. It refueled at Irving Oil yesterday, so some more sea time is in the works. The display of flags this evening must mean commissioning is also on the horizon.

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Roll Out the Bow

Halifax Shipyard marked more milestones today when they rolled out the bow megablock for AOPS2, the second arctic patrol vessel, and officially started construction of AOPS4.

The bow megablock is coaxed into position late this afternoon for AOPS2, while AOPS1 lies alongside at the fitting out berth.

AOPS2, the future HMCS Margaret Brooke was laid down May 29, 2017 and the first two megablocks were rolled out September 21 and 22, 2018. Today's megablock (actually Megablock #1 in the shipyard's plan) completes the major assembly phase.  It took much longer to bring this bow section out than it did on the first ship of the series AOPS1 (future HMCS Harry DeWolf) - 7 1/2 months versus 5 months.

AOPS1 was launched September 15, 2018 and it is alongside the shipyard fitting out. It will be delivered this summer. Based on the previous timeline it may be up to 9 months before AOPS2 is actually launched.

The Defence Minister was in town today to witness the start of construction of AOPS4, the future HMCS William Hall. He agreed that there have been production delays because a sixth ship was added to the contract. How that explains the delays he did not elaborate.

He is also reported to have said he wasn't concerned about delays if it meant quality standards are upheld. This may be a veiled reference to problems that have been rumoured, but never acknowledged. Certainly Irving Shipbuilding and Sesapan started close to ground zero in shipbuilding, and all sorts of issues would have been anticipated. Much was made of welding quality in Seaspan's ships, and some had to be re-done.

The sixth AOPS ship is expected to be completed in 2024. The minster apparently did refer to the gap between that delivery and the start of the frigate replacement program, when the shipyard will not be able to sustain full employment for some period of time. The sixth vessel was supposed to reduce that gap, but it is by no means clear on how the government plans to "mitigate" it.

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Harry DeWolf - rolled on

The first of the RCN's Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships (aka AOPS 1) , is one step closer to launch this evening. Halifax Shipyard Hull #103 was rolled onto the launch barge Boa Barge 37 in a day long operation. With careful trim adjustments, the operation was conducted successfully and early this evening a crane was lifting off various pieces of equipment. The wheeled transporters, and some of the blue cradles were back on land. Vertical stability pads were being moved into place on each side of the ship to provide balance during tomorrow's float off.

Operations will start early in the morning when the barge is moved to Bedford Basin. Once there the lengthy process of submerging the barge and gradually floating the ship will begin. According to pilotage orders, the ship is expected to be afloat and ready to clear the barge by early afternoon. It will then be moved by tugs,  to pier 8 Halifax Shipyard. 

The name Harry DeWolf has been selected for the ship, but until it is actually handed over to the RCN, it remains under control of Irving Shipbuilding, and is without an official name. A naming ceremony is some time away, as handover to the RCN is not scheduled until next summer. (Just in time for some federal election publicity). Commissioning may be some time after that.

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