Thousands of Halifax Shipyard shipbuilders, along with the ship’s company, joined Government of Canada and Royal Canadian Navy representatives to celebrate Madame Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, the ship’s sponsor, to officially name Canada’s lead Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship, Harry DeWolf.
At the ceremony, Mme. Grégoire Trudeau broke a bottle of Nova Scotia Traditional Method Sparkling Wine against the bow of the ship for good luck, while declaring, ““I name you Harry DeWolf. Bénit soit ce navire ainsi que tous les hommes et femmes qui navigueront à son bord.”
The name of the lead Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship, Harry DeWolf, was chosen in honour of wartime Canadian naval hero Vice-Admiral Harry DeWolf. The Harry DeWolf-class will enhance the Royal Canadian Navy’s ability to operate globally and in the North with a renewed focus on surveillance and control of our maritime approaches.
The naming ceremony, held at Irving Shipbuilding’s Halifax Shipyard, marks a significant milestone for the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship program, which is the first class of ships to be constructed at the shipyard as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
The Strategy was created to replace the current surface fleets of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard. Through a competitive, open and transparent process, Irving Shipbuilding was selected to construct the Royal Canadian Navy’s future combatant fleet—Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships followed by 15 Canadian Surface Combatants.
To date, Irving Shipbuilding has more than $2 billion in spending commitments with organizations throughout Canada as part of the Strategy. The Halifax Shipyard modernization, shipbuilding activity, supplier contracts and the Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy obligations throughout Canada will generate an estimate of over $3.17 billion in spending between 2013 and 2022.
Construction of the first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship started at Halifax Shipyard in September 2015 and the ship was launched on September 15, 2018. Work to prepare the ship for sea trials in 2019 will continue at Halifax Shipyard. Harry DeWolf is scheduled to be turned over to the Royal Canadian Navy in 2019.
Construction of the second and third Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships, the future HMCS Margaret Brooke and Max Bernays, are well underway at Halifax Shipyard, with the fourth, the future HMCS William Hall, starting construction later this year.