Kingston-class weapon systems donated to namesake cities

By LCdr Kevin MacDougall,

DNCS 6-2, Naval Guns

The 40mm NC 1 L 60 Gun Weapon System (GWS) has been in the naval inventory since 1943. They have seen service on the Tribal-class destroyers in the 1960s, have been used as airfield defence in the 1970s and 1980s, were installed on HMC Ships in support of the Gulf War and, after undergoing an upgrade to improve the hydraulic and electrical systems in the 1990s, they were installed on the 12 Kingston-class Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDV) as their main armament.

A total of 22 guns were procured and maintained to support the ships and naval reservist training. They were capable of supporting seamanship evolutions such as boarding operations and self-defence up to sea state 4 (waves up to 2.5 metres). In 2014, it was decided that the 40mm GWS had come to the end of its service life due to obsolescence with key components of the mount and difficulties in procuring 40mm ammunition.

A key aspect of the disposal plan was to retain and preserve these unique maritime artifacts as well as strengthening the relationship between the MCDVs and their namesake cities. This recently began, with three west coast ships being the first to be included in the initiative.

Notable cooperation between several Materiel Group organizations, namely DGMEPM and the Directorate of Supply Chain Operations (DSCO) in DGMSSC, along with coastal agencies such as the Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Breton, MOG 4, ship staff, plus local units, led to this successful donation of the GWS from HMC ships Nanaimo, Edmonton and Saskatoon to their namesake cities.