First Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship assembled at Halifax Shipyard

Major milestone in construction of Royal Canadian Navy’s future fleet

The Royal Canadian Navy’s first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), the future HMCS Harry DeWolf, is now assembled at Irving Shipbuilding’s Halifax Shipyard.

On December 8, 2017, the bow section of the first AOPS was transported on heavy lift transporters from inside the Halifax Shipyard’s indoor shipbuilding facility outside to land level. Work will continue over the coming weeks to fully join the bow mega-block and its components to the centre and stern mega-blocks, which were transported to land level in July 2017.

“As the first ship of the class, having the future HMCS Harry DeWolf assembled at land level is a significant milestone for the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the AOPS program, and our 1,800 shipbuilders,” said Kevin McCoy, president, Irving Shipbuilding.

With all three sections of the first AOPS joined, further outfitting of the ship will continue.

There are currently two AOPS, the future HMCS Harry DeWolf and the future HMCS Margaret Brooke, under construction at Halifax Shipyard, with steel cutting for the third AOPS, the future HMCS Max Bernays, scheduled for later this month.

The future HMCS Harry DeWolf is scheduled to be launched at Halifax Shipyard in summer 2018.

“It is clear that the National Shipbuilding Strategy is working. The Royal Canadian Navy’s ships are being built by the best shipbuilders in the most modern shipbuilding facility in North America, Canada’s shipbuilding industry is being reinvigorated, and Canadians are benefiting from coast to coast to coast,” said McCoy.

To date, Halifax Shipyard and its major subcontractors have more than $1.9 billion in spending commitments with over 250 organizations across Canada as part of the Halifax Shipyard’s facility modernization and AOPS program.

Halifax Shipyard’s spending commitments span from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia, including most provinces and territories in between such as Nunavut, Ontario and Quebec. The company forecasts more than $3.17 billion of economic activity across Canada between 2013-2022 from the Halifax Shipyard’s facility modernization and AOPS construction.